NF-FM7220-23-02019 Draft SOW .pdf

DRAFT

STATEMENT OF WORK

Uncrewed Surface Vehicle to Survey Offshore Wind Areas

1.0 Background. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) is the research arm of NOAA Fisheries in the region. The Center plans, develops, and manages a multidisciplinary program of basic and applied research. The development of offshore wind areas (OWAs) in the mid-Atlantic and Gulf of Maine regions of the US continental shelf may significantly impact the ability of the NEFSC to collect data in these areas that are used for fisheries assessments and ecosystem monitoring. Mitigating this impact will require the use of novel sampling and monitoring methods in the OWAs. This requirement will support fisheries-independent surveys that provide required data for fisheries assessments and ecosystem monitoring by developing alternative methods to collect fisheries-independent data. This project specifically evaluates the use of an oceanic, autonomous surface vehicle (uncrewed surface vehicle, USV) for collecting data and implementing those data into fisheries management and ecosystem monitoring. In this request, we solicit 20 days of survey time that will be conducted in an existing offshore wind area (the Block Island Wind Farm) and in a wind area that is proposed and/or under construction. Survey time is defined as 24-hour, over-the-horizon operations.

2.0 General Requirements

2.1 Scope of Work. Non-Personal Service. Contractor shall provide all plant, trained labor, equipment, materials, supervision, transportation, permits, insurance, and quality control necessary to provide for a 20-day survey using an uncrewed surface vehicle for the NMFS/NEFSC Woods Hole Ecosystem Survey Branch.

Performance under this contract known as “Work”. Contractor shall be fully knowledgeable of all contract requirements and shall ensure Work is accomplished in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract in a manner that will promote and maintain a safe environment.

The contractor shall be responsible for all logistical components of conducting 20 days of survey with a USV in multiple offshore wind areas. These components include:

● Provide documentation of survey logistics, overview of project supervision, and data collection.

● Custom design, integration, and testing of scientific instruments

● Mobilization and demobilization of the USV in Woods Hole, MA

● Operations during 20 days of survey (24-hour, over-the-horizon operations) see Attachment A for

Capability Requirements

● Data transfer to NEFSC

2.1.1 Contractor shall be a fully trained and authorized employee of the company that manufactures and distributes the USV and shall be fully knowledgeable of all contract requirements. Contractor shall at all times ensure work is accomplished in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract in a safe and professional manner.

2.1.2 Special Qualifications and Permits. Contractor shall ensure all required skill sets, and permits are obtained and maintained for performance under this contract.

2.1.3 Quality Control. Quality Control is the responsibility of the Contractor

2.2 Place of Performance.

● Instrument integration: Vendor facility.

● Mobilization, demobilization, and survey operations: NEFSC, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, MA

2.3 Period of Performance/Delivery Schedule: Survey time period is mid-September through November 2023 and the contractor shall have the USV available for survey operations no later than October 15, 2023. Periods of performance:

Documentation (CLIN 0001) Ongoing throughout the period of performance Instrument Integration (CLIN 0002) to be complete by 31 September 2023 Mobilization & Demobilization (CLIN 0003) to be complete by 30 November 2023 CLIN 0004 – Survey Operations to be complete by 30 November 2023 Data Delivery by end of performance end date

3.0 Security Requirements. Security Clearances are not required.

4.0 Safety, Security, Fire Protection, Environmental Controls, Conservation of Utilities, and Compliance with Laws and Regulations.

4.1 Safety Requirements. Contractor shall take all necessary precautions to meet proper safety standards, and regulations of all local, state and federal codes and regulations.

4.2 Security. There are no specific security requirements for performance under this contract.

5.0 Government Roles.

5.1 The Contracting Officer (CO) is the only individual with the authority to authorize changes within this contract that will have an effect on the scope, and monetary values (increase or decrease) of contract.

5.2 The Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) is the individual designated by the CO at contract award to perform administrative functions on the contract. The key role of the TPOC is to monitor the performance of the contract.

The TPOC will observe, document, and communicate Contractor performance to the CO. TPOC and alternate TPOC (if applicable) will be responsible for the inspection and acceptance of performance and any deliverables under the contract. The TPOC does NOT have authority to change the terms and conditions of the contract.

When in the opinion of the Contractor, the TPOC requests efforts outside the existing scope of the contract, the Contractor shall promptly notify the CO in writing. Contractor under such direction shall take no action until the CO has resolved the issue or has otherwise issued a modification to the contract. TPOC information will be determined at the time of award.

6.0 Government Responsibilities:

6.1 Government shall inspect the Work performed under this contract. Any corrective action required as a result of the inspection will be accomplished prior to final monthly billing. Government will document instances of deficiencies.

6.2 Contractor may be notified of deficiencies in performance in writing by the CO. Oral deficiency notifications will be confirmed in writing by the CO. Contractor shall take prompt corrective action upon notice of deficiency. Prompt is defined as within 24 hours of notification.

6.3 Government Furnished Property, Materials, Equipment and Services (GFP/M/E/S). The government will provide overall scientific guidance for the surveys, such as survey design, trackline waypoints in a digital format amenable to the USV, survey timing, and survey location. The government shall provide encrypted portable hard drives (certified by NEFSC IT) for data transfer from the USV. The Government shall provide two Konsgberg WBT tubes, and ES38-18DK, ES70-18CDK, ES120-18CDK, and ES200-7C transducers. The Government shall provide services of the NEFSC’s R/V Gloria Michelle in the case of an emergency situation with the USV.

7.0 Contractor Responsibilities.

7.1 Contractor Furnished Property, Materials, Equipment and Services (GFP/M/E/S). Contractor shall provide all plant, trained labor, equipment, materials, supervision, transportation, permits, insurance, and quality control necessary to achieve the quality performance standards of the Work in this contract. Scientific instrumentation provided by the contractor includes a multibeam system that is capable of simultaneously collecting water column and seabed data, having swath and volumetric configurations, and data output in a format (e.g., netCDF4) that is available for reading by custom Python and Matlab computer software; and an ADCP with integrated single-beam echosounder, preferably the Nortek Signature500 or equivalent.

7.1.1 Contractor shall immediately notify the CO if discrepancies are discovered between the existing property conditions and those noted on the SOW.

7.1.2. Contractor shall notify the CO immediately when it is discovered that the deliverable schedule will not be met to work together to revise the schedule as necessary. Contractor shall communicate with the CO and revise the schedule as necessary. Contractor shall not deviate from schedule without prior approval from the CO.

7.1.3 Contractor shall be fully knowledgeable of all requirements of the contract documents and shall make themselves aware of all job site conditions that will affect their performance.

7.1.4 Contractor shall maintain an adequate workforce trained to safely and satisfactorily perform under this contract.

7.1.5 Contractor shall ensure all employees and subcontractors are fully trained and have a full understanding of the statement of work task requirements; government will not provide instruction or oversight.

7.1.6 Contractor shall ensure all Contractor employees, and all associated subcontractor(s) are experienced in the type of work involved and familiar with the specifications of this contract. Contractor is responsible for damage to any Government equipment and supplies caused by Contractor personnel.

7.1.7 Contractor shall comply with all applicable interstate, local, state, and federal codes and laws.

7.1.8 Contractor shall perform in accordance with professional industry standards.

7.1.9 Contractor shall accomplish all tasks to meet the requirements of the SOW.

8.0 Specific Tasks. Contractor and subcontractors working under this contract shall be fully knowledgeable and skilled in the scientific disciplines required to successfully fulfill this requirement. Contractor shall be fully knowledgeable of all contract requirements. Contractor shall at all times ensure Work is accomplished in accordance with the terms and conditions of the contract in a safe and professional manner. Contractor shall perform the following tasks:

CLIN 0001: Provide any documentation necessary for the development of a survey design, such as digital formats for transect waypoints, and scientific communication with the USV, and data processing. Survey data results shall be provided via Government furnished hard drives (reference section 6.3) to include documentation on data formats.

CLIN 0002: Integrate scientific instrumentation into the USV and test and validate the performance of these instruments.

CLIN 0003: Transport the USV to the NEFSC dock in Woods Hole, MA and deploy into the water at the NEFSC dock. Test and validate all systems are functional in the water before beginning survey operations. Deploy and retrieve the USV at the NEFSC dock. Transport the USV offsite at the end of survey operations.

CLIN 0004: Conduct survey operations under the scientific direction of government personnel. Maintain safe operations in close proximity to fixed structures such as wind turbines and amongst mobile vessel traffic such as turbine service/support vessels, recreational fishing boats and watercraft, and commercial fishing operations.

Refueling operations dockside. see Attachment A for Capability Requirements

9.0 Deliverables. Contractor shall provide the identified deliverables in the manner and time frame identified.

9.1 Deliverable for CLIN 0001: Documentation in electronic form (preferable) or, if necessary, in hard copy form. Documentation to include data acquisition and processing reports, data formats, and overall “post-survey” report describing operational and methodological details, successes, and limitations or issues encountered during the surveys. Method of delivery via e-mail or memory stick. Required no later than: 31 December 2023.

9.2 Deliverable for CLIN 0002: Report on validation of instrument integration. Method of delivery via e-mail. Required no later than 15 September 2023.

9.3 Deliverable for CLIN 0003: The successful mobilization and demobilization of the USV. Required no later than 30 November 2023.

9.4 Deliverable for CLIN 0004: The successful completion of the surveys. Required no later than 30 November 2023.

9.5 Deliverable: Data transfer. Method of delivery via portable hard drives. Required no later than 31 December 2023.

10.0 IT Security. Not applicable. Requirements of 48 CFR 1352.239-73 do not apply and a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

11.0 Section 508. Not applicable. Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d) as amended by P.L. 105-220 under Title IV (Rehabilitation Act Amendments of 1998) is not required.

12.0 Invoicing. Contractor shall provide “proper” invoices in arrears of tasks performed (and expensed) with last invoice being submitted within 30 days of contract completion. Invoices shall be submitted (via electronic copy) no later than by the 10th day of the billing month.

1. Payments will be based on receipt of a proper invoice and satisfactory contract performance and guidelines in FAR 32.9, Prompt Payment.

2. To constitute a proper invoice, the Contractor’s invoice shall be prepared in accordance with, and contain the elements specified in FAR 52.212-4(g), “Invoices”.

3. The Government will return invoices that do not comply with FAR 52.212-4(g), “Invoices” within 7 days after the date the invoice was received along with a statement as to the reasons why it is not a proper invoice.

4. The Contractor will send invoices in accordance with the terms and conditions of this contract to the following address (electronic submission of invoices is preferred): nmfs.nec.invoices@noaa.gov Please reference the Contract/Order Number in your email subject line when submitting invoices.

ATTACHEMENT A

Capability Requirements

Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) for Offshore Wind Area Acoustic Surveys

1. Overview

Conduct surveys of OWAs using an uncrewed surface vehicle (USV) that has the capabilities to work in an autonomous mode to execute survey instructions while remotely supervised. Keys for survey operations are:

● USV Speed – The USV must be capable of maintaining a consistent survey speed. Expected survey speeds will be 6-10 kts.

● USV Endurance – The USV must be capable of data collection and operations at survey speeds for

5-7 days to minimize recovery and deployments for refueling or data transfer.

● Communications – Reliable communications links are required for command and control of the USV and to monitor data collection. Both line-of-sight and over-the-horizon communications are required.

● Maritime safety – The USV must broadcast its presence to mariners. It must have the capability of detecting other vessels and deconflicting meeting and crossing situations in accordance with prevailing law.

● Emergency procedures – The USV must have redundant safety measures, for example stopping motion and beginning secondary signaling in the event of communication loss.

● Deployment and Recovery – A system to deploy and recover the USV from dockside facilities in a safe and efficient manner.

2. Operational and Technical Requirements

2.1. NOAA requires a model of a commercially available system that has been produced and routinely operated (NOAA Readiness Level 9 per NAO 216-105B) in at least one of the required scenarios (hydrographic and/or fisheries acoustic survey), as immediate implementation into operational scenarios is expected. The vendor must have produced at least three (3) USVs of the same model that have entered operational use. A multibeam and a split-beam fisheries echosounder must have been successfully integrated with the vehicle.

2.2. Required commercial system - vendor must provide one USV, with outfitting, necessary modifications, and accessories as specified in this statement of requirements.

2.3. USV shall include a placard within the hull indicating model and hull number.

2.4. OWA surveys will require the USV to execute pre-programmed survey instructions and require the USV to operate over-the-horizon from a shore-based facility, so the USV must have satellite communications that permit command and control and data monitoring from the host ship or a shore-based facility.

2.5. The USV shall be capable of safe maneuvering within 20 m of fixed structures, such as wind turbines.

2.6. The USV shall be capable of safe maneuvering amongst mobile vessels such as support/supply vessels, recreational fishing boats and watercraft, and commercial fishing operations.

2.7. The USV shall be capable of measuring calibrated acoustic backscatter at 38, 70, 120, and 200 kHz using split-beam scientific echosounders equivalent to those used on NOAA ships.

2.8. The echo-sounder transducers shall be mounted at a depth of greater than 1.5 meters to reduce the influence of acoustic attenuation by near-surface bubbles.

2.9. USV Operational Thresholds - Operational thresholds include considerations for endurance and the operational environment.

2.9.1. Endurance:

11 kts - 40 hr minimum acceptable 7 kts - 160 hr endurance minimum

2.9.2. Survey Operational Tempo (including launch and recovery, maintenance): > 4500 linear nautical miles for 30 days

2.9.3. Transit speed: greater than 12 kts

2.9.4. Survey speed capabilities:

12 kts in calm water 11 kts in sea state 3 6-8 kts in sea state 4 The actual survey speed will be determined before each survey and will be estimated based on required coverage and power supply capabilities.

2.9.5. Survey Operations Visibility Thresholds: Capable of surveying during periods of reduced/minimal visibility, category 1 (per WMO Table 4300: Horizontal visibility)

2.10. The USV must be able to be reconfigured for additional shipping after initial delivery and deployment.

2.11. USV Modes of Operation: The USV system shall be capable of operating and transitioning between, at a minimum, two distinct modes:

2.11.1. Remote: The USV system is being controlled by a remote operator.

2.11.2. Supervised Autonomous Control: The USV system executes preplanned missions and governs its own actions with the capability to accept operator intervention to update a planned or executed action.

2.12. USV Situational Awareness – The USV system shall be capable of gathering comprehensive situational awareness information of the operational environment (outside the vehicle) and vehicle health / status (inside the vehicle). The situational awareness system shall:

2.12.1. Provide information for integration with the mission autonomy system.

2.12.2. Include a basic GNSS and heading navigation system capable of guiding the vessel if the survey navigation system is unavailable.

2.12.3. Include a camera system that provides a 360-degree view from the exterior of the

USV.

2.12.4. The system shall be capable of imaging objects ahead of the USV (vessels, buoys, marine mammals, floating debris) and providing actionable information to the USV operator.

2.12.5. Provide Radar, AIS, and two-way marine VHF radio communication to detect and respond to the presence of other vessels.

2.12.6. Through sensor fusion from 2.10.3 and 2.10.4, the system must achieve compliance with Rule 5 [“Lookout by sight and sound”] set forth in COLREGS (Also known in the US as “The Amalgamated International & U.S. Navigation Rules”).

2.12.7. Provide information from critical mechanical components of the USV.

2.12.8. Provide information for remote supervision.

2.13. USV Autonomy – The USV system shall achieve advanced levels of autonomy and shall include:

2.13.1. A collision and grounding avoidance system to detect, report, and avoid hazards above and below the USV waterline during all operational conditions with resultant maneuvers and indicators that are compliant with international maritime regulations (e.g. 72 COLREGS, rules 11-19).

2.13.2. It is desired to have the system capable of executing mission maneuvers based on situational awareness information, previously achieved mission objectives and data coverage, or the potential to add this functionality with a software upgrade.

2.13.3. The capability of simulating autonomous behaviors for observation and troubleshooting.

2.13.4. The capability of supporting integration of additional, government-developed autonomous behaviors.

2.14. USV Command and Control Interface – The USV system shall include a command and control interface that:

2.14.1. Provides a physical controller that can wirelessly give manual control direction to the USV from a human operator, able to be used in any location at the dockside facility.

This controller must connect directly to the USV via a dedicated communications channel with an option for connection via other network systems.

2.14.2. Supports control and monitoring of multiple USVs in a single instance.

2.14.3. Contains functionality for starting, restarting, and stopping the vehicle engine.

2.14.4. Displays USV position graphically on a plan-view map with a default chart underlay.

2.14.5. The ability to optionally display user-loaded map layers from Geotiff, BAG, ESRI

Shapefiles, and GeoPackages. Radar returns, targets and AIS targets must be displayed as a configurable overlay on the map.

2.14.6. Displays time-series plots of user-selected data streams.

2.14.7. Provides both visual and audible alarms with user-configurable conditions for alarm and reset.

2.14.8. Provides piloting capability through a GUI display.

2.14.9. Provides a templated menu of common survey patterns that may be easily placed/drawn on a map, configured for parameters such as vessel speed, inter-line spacing, line length, as appropriate, and assembled into a larger mission. These survey patterns should include, at a minimum, parallel-transect survey, expanding box search, sliding box search, orbit, and spiral.

2.14.10. Demonstrates reduction of supervisory manpower requirements, requiring only indirect supervision to achieve mission objectives.

2.14.11. Provides interface for third-party software to interact via Robotics Operating System (ROS); trusted applications may be granted permission to direct vessel behavior.

2.15. Data Logging – The USV and Command and Control Interface shall have comprehensive data logging capability both aboard the vessel and at the operator’s station having the following characteristics:

2.15.1. A User configuration for data fields to be logged, and the log rate of full or decimated intervals by log type.

2.15.2. Use of SI units with the possible exception of geographic coordinates (Latitude and Longitude) and other common maritime units.

2.15.3. Time stamping of all log entries with better than 1-ms precision with clocks synchronized to UTC within 100 ms.

2.15.4. On the USV, the ability to log full 3D position, orientation and speed of the USV, rudder and thrust commands, vehicle state/mode of operation, engine data, camera imagery and all emergency and warning conditions. At the operator station, operator vessel position, speed and heading, telemetered commands, received vehicle state, position, speed and orientation, and received emergency and warning conditions.

2.15.5. Log files shall have a published format specification and be machine interpretable without proprietary software.

2.15.6. Tools for plotting time-series logs.

2.16. Communications – The system shall include USV and host platform communication infrastructure to support both line-of-sight and over-the-horizon satellite communications for command and control and data monitoring.

2.16.1. Line-of-sight communications shall be achieved up to a range of at least 10 km. Both systems must provide adequate bandwidth to provide telemetry for full situational awareness, vehicle control, and monitoring and control of survey systems at the 10 km range.

2.16.2. Over-the-horizon monitoring shall permit full assessment of vehicle status, including control and monitoring of survey systems and data quality indicators.

2.16.3. Manual vehicle control and systems monitoring must be possible while the USV is alongside a host ship or at the dock.

2.17. Safety

2.17.1. USV supervised autonomous control must include capability to hold station in current or operator-selected location.

2.17.2. USV must have user-selectable behaviors upon communications loss, including at a minimum returning to a specified location or holding station.

2.17.3. Mechanical actuation of engine throttle shall be self-zeroing on loss of electrical power or control signal to the actuator.

2.17.4. USV shall have capability to halt all operations (“kill switch”) through human accessible triggering mechanism while underway.

2.17.5. USV shall have features to maintain system integrity in emergency situations such as bilge pumps, fire suppression and compartmentalization.

2.17.6. USV provides sufficient radar cross section for detection by standard maritime systems at a distance of at least 2 nautical miles.

2.17.7. USV provides lighting and sound signal capability compliant with COLREGS applicable to a vessel of its dimensions.

2.18. Power System and Propulsion

2.18.1. If a fuel-based propulsion and/or power generation system is used, it must be capable of operating with marine diesel fuel.

2.18.2. Clean, pure sine wave AC power and regulated DC power shall be provided for survey systems including a UPS or other battery backup to provide continuous power to all onboard systems for at least 10 minutes. Electrical voltage monitoring shall be provided for all subsystems and charging systems.

2.18.3. During normal operations, USV must be capable of continuously supplying power to all onboard systems for the endurances specified in Section 2.9.1 (Endurance).

2.18.4. Battery-powered operation must enable emergency communication and location alert functionality for at least 1 week upon loss of power generation capability.

2.18.5. Ability to remotely cycle power to individual survey systems including sonars, position, and orientation system, computer(s), with at least eight (8) separately controllable busses shall be provided.

2.18.6. External “shore” power connection must have an IP66 or better external connector and be capable of powering all onboard systems and charging system batteries from a low state.

2.19. Survey Systems – The USV shall include an integrating survey sensor suite to support seabed and water-column acoustic surveys.

2.19.1. The USV shall be equipped with a multibeam capable of swath and volumetric configurations, and Government furnished Kongsberg fisheries echosounders (reference SOW Section 6.3) with downward facing transducers mounted at a depth of >1.5 m (ES38-18DK, ES70-18CDK, ES120-18CDK, and ES200-7C), and sufficient EK80 echosounder transceivers (four 4-channel transceivers) to simultaneously operate all transducers in split-beam operation (EK80 WBT-tube). Transducers must be installed in a protrusion extending >1.5 m from the hull to minimize bubble sweep down.

2.19.2. Fisheries and bathymetric echosounders must be capable of synchronization such that simultaneous data collection is possible without interference.

2.19.3. The USV is to be instrumented with an integrated system for positioning and orientation capable of ≥0.02° heading, roll, and pitch accuracy and 5% RMS real-time heave accuracy. IMU must be rigidly connected to sonar transducers.

2.19.4. USV must provide a system capable of measuring a salinity, temperature and pressure (CTD) profile through the water column to a depth of > 80 m, and transferring this data to the sonar systems during operation.

2.19.5. A continuous surface sound speed sensor must be installed within 10 cm vertically and within 1 m horizontally from the multibeam receiver. This must be capable of reporting values to the multibeam sonar system in real time.

2.19.6. The USV must provide a user interface to allow for remote control of scientific instruments and real-time monitoring of data acquisition from the multibeam and fisheries echosounders. Ability to remotely configure all system parameters must be possible; this can be through presentation of the manufacturer interface. User interface must permit monitoring of data quality over all communication methods including over the horizon.

2.19.7. USV shall contain user replaceable, redundant to single drive failure, solid state data storage capacity of at least 4 TB, and provide capacity for all internally logged system data per section 2.9 for at least 20 days. High-speed data transfer (>= 1 Gbps) capability must be provided over an IP66 or better wired connection.

2.19.8. Survey system electronics and computers must be physically accessible.

2.20. Warranty and Support

2.20.1. The contractor is responsible for all warranty and support services.

2.20.2. The contractor is responsible for all repairs, maintenance, and parts.

2.20.3. The contractor is responsible for all software and hardware updates.

2.20.4. The contractor is responsible for all technical support.