FBO_Synopsis_M15PS00026.doc

SYNOPSIS:

Description: Geophysical & Geotechnical Investigation Methodology Assessment for Sitting Renewable Energy Facilities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AS IT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY NOTICE THAT WILL BE ISSUED. This procurement is being conducted in accordance with FAR Subpart 12.6, Streamlined Procedures for Evaluation and Solicitation for Commercial Items. The Department of the Interior (DOI), Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), on behalf of the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), intends to competitively award a contract entitled “Geophysical & Geotechnical Investigation Methodology Assessment for Sitting Renewable Energy Facilities on the Atlantic Outer Continental Shelf (OCS)”. The BSEE, Acquisition Operations Branch, is the contracting office for this procurement and the resulting contract administration. All potential offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database (www.sam.gov) in order to receive Government contracts. The Government anticipates award of a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order for this effort. The applicable North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541620, entitled Environmental Consulting Services, with the small business size standard of $15.0 Million. The anticipated period of performance will be twelve (12) months. This acquisition will be conducted on a full and open competitive basis.

BACKGROUND: The 1953 Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) and its subsequent amendments require the Secretary of Interior to balance the nation’s energy needs with the protection of the human, marine, and coastal environments, while ensuring that the concerns of coastal states and competing users are taken into account. The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), a bureau within the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI), has jurisdiction over all mineral resources on the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), and is charged with conducting OCS lease sales as well as monitoring and mitigating unwelcome impacts that might be associated with resource development.

In 2005, the Energy Policy Act (EPAct) amended Section 388 of the OCSLA, giving the Secretary discretionary authority to issue leases, easements, or rights-of-way for renewable energy projects on the OCS. Under this new authority, the BOEM may issue leases on the OCS for potential renewable energy projects including, but not limited to, wind energy, wave energy, ocean current energy, solar energy, and hydrogen production. The BOEM recognizes that new and future uses of the OCS, including renewable energy development, should be managed in a deliberate and responsible manner, keeping both the nation’s energy needs and concerns for the marine environment in mind.

BOEM regulations that govern the development of renewable energy projects require a site investigation that identifies shallow hazards, geologic hazards, biological conditions, geotechnical properties, and archaeological resources. The required site investigation information is typically collected through geophysical surveys and geotechnical investigations. The resulting data is then analyzed and used to determine site conditions and identify cultural resources, sensitive habitats, and hazards. Because offshore renewable energy is a new and developing industry in the United States, there are few guidelines, aside from those produced by BOEM, that provide guidance to developers on how to best to manage the complex task of collecting geophysical and geotechnical data that will be sufficient for producing the required site characterization information and reports.

OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study is to provide an analysis of multiple geophysical and geotechnical methodologies and equipment choices for the collection of sufficient site characterization information consistent with BOEM regulations. The analysis should consider regional conditions found near active renewable energy leases and BOEM wind energy planning areas in the Atlantic OCS, a variety of survey schedules, and multiple foundation designs. The locations of active renewable energy leases and BOEM wind planning areas can be found on the BOEM website and at www.marinecadastre.gov.

This study includes the following objectives:

1) Analyze the benefits and risks to a variety of geophysical survey schedules and approaches.

2) Analyze a number of geotechnical investigation schedules and methods for data collection.

3) Make best practice recommendations for geophysical equipment and equipment combinations based on site conditions, achievable data resolution, and facility design requirements.

4) Make best practice recommendations for geotechnical investigations based on site conditions and facility design requirements.

5) Produce a guidebook for widely available equipment listing the expected results (e.g.: resolution, penetration depths, swath widths, and other limiting factors) based on the general understanding of site conditions (sediment type, water depth, etc.) near active renewable energy leases and BOEM wind energy planning areas in the Atlantic OCS.

HOW TO COMPETE FOR THIS CONTRACT: If you are interested in participating in this competition, please send your organization’s name, business size status under the applicable NAICs code, point of contact, address, telephone number, email address and DUNS Number via email to the Contracting Officer, Herma J. Banks at herma.banks@bsee.gov, Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE) by 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time June 16, 2015. The estimated solicitation release date is June 17, 2015.

The Offeror shall reference Solicitation No. M15PS00026 on all correspondence. Inquiries must be submitted in writing to the email address referenced above. Telephone inquiries are strongly discouraged and will not be accepted. Those organizations expressing an interest in this opportunity will receive a copy of the complete solicitation upon issuance.