NFFS7300-20-01633 Justification Beta.sam_Redacted.pdf

Version 3.0

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

FOR AN ACTION EXCEEDINGTHE SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION THRESHOLD

USING SIMPLIFIED PROCEDURES FOR CERTAIN COMMERCIAL ITEMS

(AUTHORITY: FAR 13.501(a), 41 U.S.C. 1901)

Purchase Request: NFFS7300-20-01633

1. Agency and contracting activity.

Department of Commerce, NOAA Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), Western Acquisition Division and Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC) Marine Mammal Laboratory.

2. Nature and/or description of the action being approved.

NOAA intends to award a new sole source firm-fixed price contract to North Pacific Wildlife Consulting, LLC for Steller sea lion research and protected species management coordination in the Russian Far East.

3. Description of supplies or services required to meet the agency’s needs (including the total estimated value).

The requirement is to provide support for analysis of Russian Steller sea lion data and liaising between US and Russian marine mammal scientists. This work is directly related to supporting the AFSC Marine Mammal Laboratory in accomplishing its’ mission under the U.S. Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the United States and Russia coordinated joint research. The total estimated value is $492,393.66 for a one-year base period and a one-year option period from September 2020 through September 2022.

4. Statutory authority permitting the sole source (including brand name) acquisition.

41 U.S.C. 1901, using SAP up to $7M as authorized by FAR 13.500(a) and implemented by FAR 13.501(a).

5. Demonstration that the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications or the nature of the acquisition requires use of the authority cited. The contracting officer has determined the following circumstances justify the use of a sole source as supported below:

Only one source - Only one source is capable of providing the supplies or services required at the level of quality required because the supplies or services are unique or highly specialized.

A part of the AFSC Marine Mammal Laboratory’s mission is to assess the population status and maintain stock assessments for this trans-boundary endangered species under the Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. Additionally, the United States and Russia coordinate joint research through the United States Government Project 02.05-61, “Marine Mammals,” under Area V of the U.S./Russia Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources. The working group’s main purpose is to promote cooperative studies and exchange scientific information to better manage and conserve marine mammal species shared by both countries. This requirement directly supports both of

Purchase Request: NFFS7300-20-01633 these missions. This work requires both fluency in Russian and the ability to obtain the requisite Russian permits within the time frames required.

North Pacific Wildlife Consulting, LLC is uniquely qualified to provide these services to AFSC Marine Mammal Laboratory. In addition to being able to provide the scientific support for analysis of Russian Steller sea lion research data in coordination and collaboration with Russian scientists, including scientific translation, they have the ability and practical experience to serve as a liaison between the United States and Russian scientific communities in order to obtain the requisite Russian permits required to facilitate meetings and other interactions related to the United States Government Project 02.05-61, “Marine Mammals,” under Area V of the U.S./Russia Agreement on Cooperation in the Field of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources in the required time frames.

6. Description of efforts made to ensure that offers are solicited from as many potential sources as practicable, including whether a notice was or will be publicized as required by FAR Subpart 5.2 and, if not, which exception under FAR 5.202 applies.

The AFSC Marine Mammal Laboratory and the Western Acquisition Division solicited available capabilities from industry for Steller sea lion research and protected species management coordination in the Russian Far East through a sources sought notice on beta.sam.gov. One response was received and after review of the received capabilities, the requesting program office determined that adequate competition to provide Steller sea lion research and protected species management coordination in the Russian Far East is not available. A notice of intent to sole source will be posted as required by FAR Subpart 5.2, as well as a copy of this justification after award.

7. Determination by the contracting officer that the anticipated cost to the Government will be fair and reasonable.

The Contracting Officer will follow the procedures set forth in FAR 13.106-3(a) to determine that the costs to the Government are fair and reasonable, including comparison of the proposed prices with prices found reasonable on previous purchases and comparison to the independent Government estimate.

8. Description of the market research conducted (see Part 10) and the results or a statement of the reason market research was not conducted.

Market research was conducted by the AFSC Marine Mammal Laboratory and the Western Acquisition Division to identify available sources and to evaluate the availability of the marketplace to meet the requirement.

The sources sought notice was posted to beta.sam.gov on June 3, 2020, requesting that interested parties provide a written capabilities statement to the contracting office. Only North Pacific Wildlife Consulting, LLC responded. The North Pacific Wildlife Consulting, LLC capabilities statement was reviewed and determined to demonstrate the necessary qualifications to provide the services required.

9. Any other facts supporting the use of a sole source (including brand name), such as:

All supporting facts have been documented herein.