Sol_1333MF25Q0073.pdf

REQUEST FOR QUOTATION

(THIS IS NOT AN ORDER)

THIS RFQ IS IS NOT A SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE

15. DATE OF QUOTATION

16. SIGNER

a. NAME (Type or print)

c. TITLE (Type or print)

b. TELEPHONE

AREA CODE

NUMBER

STANDARD FORM 18 (REV. 6/1995)

Prescribed by GSA-FAR (48 CFR) 53.215-1(a)

AUTHORIZED FOR LOCAL REPRODUCTION

Previous edition not usable

8. TO:

b. COMPANYa. NAME

c. STREET ADDRESS

d. CITY e. STATE f. ZIP CODE

9. DESTINATION

a. NAME OF CONSIGNEE

b. STREET ADDRESS

d. STATE e. ZIP CODE

7. DELIVERY

FOB DESTINATION

OTHER

(See Schedule)

10. PLEASE FURNISH QUOTATIONS TO THE

ISSUING OFFICE IN BLOCK 5a ON OR BEFORE CLOSE OF BUSINESS (Date)

IMPORTANT: This is a request for information and quotations furnished are not offers. If you are unable to quote, please so indicate on this form and return it to the address in Block 5a. This request does not commit the Government to pay any costs incurred in the preparation of the submission of this quotation or to contract for supplies or service. Supplies are of domestic origin unless otherwise indicated by quoter. Any representations and/or certifications attached to this Request for Quotation must be completed by the quoter.

11. SCHEDULE (Include applicable Federal, State and local taxes)

ITEM NUMBER

(a)

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(b)

QUANTITY

(c)

UNIT

(d)

UNIT PRICE

(e)

AMOUNT

(f)

12. DISCOUNT FOR PROMPT PAYMENT

a. 10 CALENDAR DAYS (%) b. 20 CALENDAR DAYS (%) c. 30 CALENDAR DAYS (%) d. CALENDAR DAYS

NUMBER PERCENTAGE

NOTE: Additional provisions and representations are are not attached.

13. NAME AND ADDRESS OF QUOTER

a. NAME OF QUOTER

b. STREET ADDRESS

c. COUNTY

d. CITY e. STATE f. ZIP CODE

14. SIGNATURE OF PERSON AUTHORIZED TO

SIGN QUOTATION

PAGE OF PAGES

1. REQUEST NUMBER 2. DATE ISSUED 3. REQUISITION/PURCHASE REQUEST NUMBER 4. CERT. FOR NAT. DEF.

UNDER BDSA REG. 2

AND/OR DMS REG. 1

RATING

5a. ISSUED BY 6. DELIVER BY (Date)

NAME TELEPHONE NUMBER

AREA CODE NUMBER

c. CITY

5b. FOR INFORMATION CALL (NO COLLECT CALLS)

2725 MONTLAKE BLVD EAST

/F/NWC

NMFS Field Delegates

601 EAST 12TH STREET SUITE 1746

KANSAS CITY MO 64106

143041-25-01761333MF25Q0073

RAYNIER CAMERINO

NW FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER

98112

08/21/2025

09/02/2025 1700 ED

SEATTLE

WA

NOTICE: THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT ACCEPT

RESPONSIBILITY FOR NON-RECEIPT OF

QUOTES. IT IS THE CONTRACTOR’S

RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST A CONFIRMATION

OF THE QUOTE RECEIPT.

UNIQUE ENTITY ID ______________________

CAGE CODE ____________

OFFEROR MAY SUBMIT THE QUOTE ON THIS

SF-18 FORM OR THEIR OWN COMPANY FORM.

QUOTES WILL BE EVALUATED BASED ON FAR

52.212-2 IN ATTACHED CLAUSES &

PROVISIONS. VENDORS WHO DO NOT PROVIDE

Continued...

1 64

CONTINUATION SHEET

REFERENCE NO. OF DOCUMENT BEING CONTINUED PAGES

NAME OF OFFEROR OR CONTRACTOR

SUPPLIES/SERVICES

(B)

UNIT

(D)

UNIT PRICE

(E)

AMOUNT

(F)

OPTIONAL FORM 336 (4-86)

Sponsored by GSA FAR (48 CFR) 53.110

ITEM NO.

(A)

QUANTITY

(C)

NSN 7540-01-152-8067

1333MF25Q0073

ALL EVALUATION CRITERIA WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED.

THE OFFEROR MUST BE CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN THE

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM) TO BE

ELIGIBLE FOR AN AWARD.

QUOTES RECEIVED FROM CONTRACTORS WHO ARE NOT

ACTIVE IN SAM WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED.

TOTAL SMALL BUSINESS SET-ASIDE, FIRM-FIXED

PRICE PURCHASE ORDER TO BE AWARDED TRADE-OFF

QUOTE.

Period of Performance: 09/08/2025 to

09/07/2026

QUOTE ON ESTIMATED FREIGHT/SHIPPING - VENDOR TO

PROVIDE PROOF OF ACTUAL FREIGHT/SHIPPING

CHARGES (BILL OF LADING) TO SUPPORT

FREIGHT/SHIPPING CLAIM COSTS. ANY FREIGHT COST

EXCEEDING $100 MUST BE SUPPORTED. THE

GOVERNMENT WILL ONLY PAY ACTUAL

FREIGHT/SHIPPING COSTS UP TO THE ESTIMATED

AMOUNT.

INVOICES AGAINST THE RESULTANT PURCHASE ORDER

MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ARREARS FOR SERVICES

RENDERED AND ACCEPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

0001 1500 EAServices, non-personal, to provide all labor, equipment, and materials (unless otherwise provided herein) necessary for laboratory histological services for the processing and delivery of 1,500 groundfish maturity slides in accordance with the Statement of Work. The

Period of Performance shall be for a one-year period from the date of award.

1333MF25Q0073 BASE

Section II - Supplies or Services and Price/Costs Section III - Description/Specifications Section IX - Contract Clauses

Section II - Supplies or Services and Price/Costs

CLIN List

Item Number Description Quantity Unit Unit Price Amount

QUOTE ON ESTIMATED FREIGHT/SHIPPING -

VENDOR TO PROVIDE PROOF OF ACTUAL

FREIGHT/SHIPPING CHARGES (BILL OF

LADING) TO SUPPORT FREIGHT/SHIPPING

CLAIM COSTS. ANY FREIGHT COST EXCEEDING

$100 MUST BE SUPPORTED. THE

GOVERNMENT WILL ONLY PAY ACTUAL

FREIGHT/SHIPPING COSTS UP TO THE

ESTIMATED AMOUNT.

INVOICES AGAINST THE RESULTANT

PURCHASE ORDER MUST BE SUBMITTED IN

ARREARS FOR SERVICES RENDERED AND

ACCEPTED BY THE GOVERNMENT.

0001 1500 EA

Services, non-personal, to provide all labor, equipment, and materials (unless otherwise provided herein) necessary for laboratory histological services for the processing and delivery of 1,500 groundfish maturity slides in accordance with the Statement of Work. The Period of Performance shall be for a one-year period from the date of award.

Award Type: Firm-fixed-price Requisition No: 143041-25-0176

Section III - Description/Specifications

COMBINED SYNOPSIS/SOLICITATION NOAA Northwest Fisheries Science Center Laboratory Histological Services for Groundfish Maturity Slides

(i) This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in FAR Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice and in accordance with the simplified acquisition procedures authorized in FAR Part 13. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued.

(ii) This solicitation is issued as a request for quotation (RFQ). Submit written quotes on RFQ Number

1333MF25Q0073.

(iii) The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2025-05 (Aug 2025) (Deviation 2025-07) (May 2025).

(iv) This solicitation is being issued as a total Small Business Set-Aside. The associated NAICS code is 541990. The small business size standard is $19.5M.

(v) This combined solicitation/synopsis is for the purchase of the following commercial services:

CLIN 0001

Services, non-personal, to provide all labor, equipment, and materials (unless otherwise provided herein) necessary for laboratory histological services for the processing and delivery of 1,500 groundfish maturity slides in accordance with the Statement of Work. The Period of Performance shall be for a one-year period from the date of award.

(vi) Description of requirements is as follows:

See attached Statement of Work which applies to the one-year period of performance.

INVOICES TO BE BILLED IN ARREARS. PROVIDE AN ANNUAL PRICING FOR A ONE-YEAR BASE PERIOD OF

PERFORMANCE. QUOTE PRICING MAY BE PROVIDED ON ATTACHED SF18 FORM OR ON COMPANY

LETTERHEAD.

(vii) Date(s) and place(s) of delivery and acceptance:

Period of performance shall be:

Base Year: 12 months from Date of Award (DOA).

Place of Performance is at the Contractor’s facility.

(viii) FAR provision 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sept 2023), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.

(ix) FAR provision 52.212-2, Evaluation-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.

https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_212_1 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_212_2

(x) FAR provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024) (Deviation 2025-02) (Feb 2025) (Deviation 2025-03) (Feb 2025), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.

Offerors are advised to include a completed copy of the provision with its offer, unless the offeror’s Reps & Certs section on SAM.gov is accurate and current.

Per Deviation 2025-02/03: System updates may lag policy updates. The System for Award Management (SAM) may continue to require entities to complete representations based on provisions that are not included in agency solicitations, including 52.223-22, Public Disclosure of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Reduction Goals—Representation, and paragraph (t) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Examples include 52.222-25, Affirmative Action Compliance, and paragraph (d) of 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications— Commercial Products and Commercial Services. Contracting officers will not consider these representations when making award decisions or enforce requirements. Entities are not required to, nor are they able to, update their entity registration to remove these representations in SAM.

(xi) FAR clause at 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2023), applies to this acquisition and can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.

(xii) FAR clause at 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Products and Commercial Services(Jan 2025) (Deviation 2025-02) (Feb 2025) (Deviation 2025-03) (Feb 2025) (Deviation 2024-03) (Oct 2023) (Deviation 2023-03) (Dec 2022) (Deviation 2021-06) (Sept 2021), applies to this acquisition and can be found in full text on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.

(xiii) Any additional contract requirement(s) or terms and conditions that apply can be found on the Request for Quote form SF18 attachment.

(xiv) Defense Priorities and Allocations System (DPAS) and assigned rating does not apply.

(xv) Quotes are required to be received in the contracting office no later than 5:00PM EST on 09/02/2025. All quotes must be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer, Raynier Camerino, raynier.camerino@noaa.gov.

(xvi) Any questions regarding this solicitation should be submitted electronically via email to the Contracting Officer, Raynier Camerino, raynier.camerino@noaa.gov.

UTILIZATION OF FEDCONNECT® FOR CONTRACT ADMINISTRATION

The Department of Commerce will utilize the FedConnect® web portal in administering this award. The contractor must be registered in FedConnect® and have access to the FedConnect® website located at https://www.fedconnect.net/Fedconnect/. For assistance in registering or for other FedConnect® questions please call the FedConnect® Help Desk at (800) 899-6665 or email at support@fedconnect.net. There is no charge for registration in or use of FedConnect®.

(End) https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_212_3 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_212_4 https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-52#FAR_52_212_5 mailto:raynier.camerino@noaa.gov

1352.215-72 Inquiries (Apr 2010) OFFERORS MUST SUBMIT ALL QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS SOLICITATION IN WRITING VIA EMAIL TO raynier.camerino@noaa.gov. QUESTIONS SHOULD BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 5 CALENDAR DAYS FROM THE POSTING DATE. Any responses to questions will be made in writing, without identification of the questioner, and will be included in an amendment to the solicitation. Even if provided in other form, only the question responses included in the amendment to the solicitation will govern performance of the contract.

(End of clause)

FAR 52.212-1 Instructions to Offerors-Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Sep 2023) NOTICE TO OFFERORS: Instructions for submitting quotations under this request for quote must be followed. Failure to provide all information to aid in the evaluation may be considered non-responsive.

Offers that are non-responsive may be excluded from further evaluation and rejected without further notification to the offeror.

1. Submit PDF or Microsoft Word format quotations to the office specified in this solicitation at or before the time specified in the solicitation. Quote documents shall include signed copies of the SF 18 and SF 30(s) to acknowledge the solicitation and any applicable amendments. Email quotes are required and can be sent to raynier.camerino@noaa.gov.

2. Offeror shall have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM found at https://sam.gov/content/home) in order to provide a quote and be eligible for award. Must provide their UEID/CAGE CODE with their quote.

3. Offerors shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of them or their capability.

4. Offerors must provide all evaluation criteria in accordance with FAR 52.212-2. Offerors who do not provide all evaluation criteria may not be considered.

THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR NON-RECEIPT OF QUOTES. IT IS THE

CONTRACTOR’S RESPONSIBILITY TO REQUEST AND RECEIVE A CONFIRMATION OF THE QUOTE

RECEIPT.

FAR 52.212-2 Evaluation- Commercial Products and Commercial Services (Nov 2021) Offers will be evaluated based on price and the factors set forth in paragraph (a).

The evaluation will consider the Non-Price Technical Solution (Technical Approach and Past Performance) to be significantly more important than price. However, as quotes are determined to be more equal in the non-price evaluation factor, price becomes more important and may become the determining factor for award. If, at any stage of the evaluation, all vendors are determined to have submitted equal, or virtually equal, Non-Price Technical Solutions, price could become the factor in determining which vendor will receive the award.

The Government intends to evaluate the quotes and award a purchase order based on the Offeror’s initial quote; therefore, the Offeror’s initial quote should contain the Offeror’s best terms from a Non- Price Technical Solution and price standpoint.

The Government reserves the right not to award a purchase order depending on the quality of the mailto:raynier.camerino@noaa.gov https://sam.gov/content/home quote(s) submitted and the availability of funds. Furthermore, the Government may waive informalities and minor irregularities or omissions in quotes received.

The Government may make award to other than the lowest-priced Offeror or the Offeror with the highest technical rating if the Contracting Officer determines that to do so would result in the best value to the Government. The Government will not make an award at a significantly higher overall price to achieve only slightly superior performance capability.

(a) The Government will award a contract resulting from this solicitation to the responsible offeror whose offer conforming to the solicitation will be most advantageous to the Government, price and other factors considered.

Paragraph (a) is hereby completed as follows: Evaluation will be based on the following:

Factor 1 - The offeror shall have all the required technical knowledge and capabilities to provide the needed services described in the Statement of Work, in terms of the scope to accomplish the tasks, and meet the delivery schedule requirements. The vendor shall provide a detailed response to support the required technical knowledge and capabilities for these evaluation factors.

Factor 2 - Experience. The offeror shall provide a background, and required experience, and qualifications that will support the offeror’s capability to successfully perform the contract requirements.

Factor 3 - PAST PERFORMANCE. The offeror's past performance on related contracts will be evaluated to determine, as appropriate, successful performance of contract requirements, quality and timeliness of delivery of goods and services, effective management of subcontractors, cost management, level of communication between the contracting parties, proactive management, and customer satisfaction. If a quoter has no relevant past performance, the quoter must affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance history. Offerors who fail to either provide past performance information or affirmatively state that they have none may be considered non-compliant with the solicitation.

Factor 4 - FIRM-FIXED PRICE. The proposed prices/costs will be evaluated. The cost evaluation will determine whether the proposed costs are realistic, complete, and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Proposed costs must be entirely compatible with the technical knowledge and capabilities.

The Government intends to award a trade-off, single firm fixed-price purchase order on an all or none basis with payment terms of Net 30.

(b) Options. The Government will evaluate offers for award purposes by adding the total price for all options to the total price for the basic requirement. The Government may determine that an offer is unacceptable if the option prices are significantly unbalanced. Evaluation of options shall not obligate the Government to exercise the option(s).

(c) A written notice of award or acceptance of an offer, mailed or otherwise furnished to the successful offeror within the time for acceptance specified in the offer, shall result in a binding contract without further action by either party. Before the offer’s specified expiration time, the Government may accept an offer (or part of an offer), whether or not there are negotiations after its receipt, unless a written notice of withdrawal is received before award.

(End of provision)

STATEMENT OF WORK

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)

NOAA FISHERIES

Laboratory Histological Services for Groundfish Maturity Slides:

FRAM Research Surveys

Background/Overview:

The Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce (DOC), is a government agency charged with the mission of stewardship for living marine resources. The NWFSC provides scientific and technical support to NMFS for the management, conservation, and wise use of the West Coast's marine and anadromous resources. The Fisheries Resource and Monitoring Division (FRAM) of the NWFSC is charged with conducting research and scientific analysis on the groundfish fisheries within the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) off the coast of Washington, Oregon, and California.

During FRAM’s annual research surveys, staff collect ovary specimens from a subset of key species of west coast groundfish. These specimens are preliminarily processed by FRAM personnel and then submitted to an external histological lab to be generated into slides that will be interpreted for information about the maturity processes for those species. Reliable maturity information is critical for reducing the uncertainty in abundance estimates and projections within stock assessments. This information is also in very short supply for virtually all commercially important species and needs updating on a regular basis to remain relevant. Species’ maturity schedules change over relatively short time periods in response to fishing pressure and environmental variables, and can also vary based upon latitude of capture.

FRAM anticipates collecting up to 1,500 total ovary specimens from Pacific hake, canary rockfish, Pacific Ocean perch, aurora rockfish, vermilion/sunset rockfish, bocaccio, shortspine thornyhead, and other species.

Scope of Work:

To generate maturity information useful for stock assessments for west coast groundfish, FRAM requires the services of a histological lab to provide services consistent with the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) method.

Tasks:

The Following is the Formalin-Fixed, Paraffin-Embedded (FFPE) Method.

• Task 1: Receive ovary specimens which have been processed into ~0.25” thick slices, stored in cassettes labeled with year, species, and specimen numbers, and transported in 1L plastic Nalgene bottles filled with a preservative of 10% neutral buffered formalin.

• Task 2: Samples shall have water removed from tissues and be supported in a paraffin wax matrix.

• Task 3: Samples shall have water removed from tissues and transferred through ETOH baths, followed by a hydrophobic clearing agent to remove alcohol.

• Task 4: Samples shall be processed in molten paraffin wax.

• Task 5: Samples shall be placed into liquid medium and hardened for sectioning.

• Task 6: Samples shall be sectioned into 4 micron slices for use with light microscopy; particular care should be used to use sharp blades for clean cuts that do not deform the cellular structure or in any way obscure or damage the stained objects of interest.

• Task 7: Samples shall be mounted on slides composed of 1.2 mm-thick glass, 12 mm x 75 mm in size.

• Task 8: Samples shall be stained with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) stain.

• Task 9: Tissues shall be covered with a glass cover slip, .08 mm to .17 mm in thickness.

• Task 10: Slides and slide covers shall be made in the industry standard method and compatible with a Leica compound microscope.

• Task 11: If space allows, multiple sections of the same specimen may be mounted on a slide.

• Task 12: Slides shall be affixed with orderly, legible labels that include: Survey, Year, Vessel, Species, and Specimen Number; labeling shall not obstruct tissue view in the slide. A template will be provided for clarity.

• Task 13: Slides shall be finished and organized in slide boxes by survey, year, species, and specimen number.

• Task 14: An inventory of all slides shall be included when samples are returned.

Period of Performance:

The period of Performance shall be 12 months from the date of award.

Place of Performance:

The place of performance shall be at the contractor’s facility.

Deliverable Schedule:

• The contractor shall deliver 1,500 processed maturity slides as described in the SOW.

The shipping cost shall be included in the total firm-fixed price of the resultant award.

• The samples shall be provided in varying numbers and at different times throughout the 12-month Period of Performance. Each set of samples must be processed and returned within 30 days of receipt.

• Deliver to Aimee Keller at:

NOAA, NMFS, NWFSC

2725 Montlake Blvd. E Seattle WA 98112

Government-Furnished Resources:

The Government will provide all necessary information and samples to the Contractor for work required under this contract.

The Government will provide to the Contractor the following equipment, supplies, and similar, necessary to conduct these services and anticipates facility and security access as follows:

Services Contractor will work primarily: ¿ Off-Site Services Contractor requires access to NOAA facilities: ¿ Not Required Services Contractor requires a PIV or CAC: ¿ Not Required Services Contractor requires a NOAA email address: ¿ Not Required Services Contractor requires use of DOC-Owned IT equipment (laptop or desktop computer) ¿ Not Required Services Contractor requires non-Government IT equipment to connect to a DOC network: ¿ Not Required Services Contractor requires access to non-public DOC/NOAA data: ¿ Not Required Services Contractor will be provided on-site office space with incidental Government Property (desk, chair, phone, and other similar equipment that remains onsite, per FAR

45.000 (5)

¿ Not Provided

For Services Contractors doing laboratory work, the government will provide typical lab supplies and equipment for use: ¿ Not Provided

Description of other access or equipment requirements not already addressed above:

Travel, and Training:

Travel is not expected or authorized. There are no training requirements.

Applicable Standards:

The histological lab shall provide services consistent with the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) method.

Security Requirements:

There are no unique security requirements associated with the performance of this contract. The contractor will not require access to NOAA IT systems, secure facilities, or sensitive information. The position does not involve work that warrants a risk designation or background investigation under NOAA’s Position Designation Tool. Therefore, no special passes, security clearances, or escort provisions are necessary for contract execution.

Special Requirements:

a. Confidentiality and Data Privacy

This contract may require that services contractors have access to Privacy Information. Services contractors are responsible for maintaining confidentiality of all subjects and materials and may be required to sign and adhere to a Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA).

b. Intellectual Property Rights

All deliverables are the property of the U.S. Government. All documents, analyses, files (digital or other), reports, notes and photos are to be used only by Contractor personnel assigned to this purchase order.

Documents, files, and other data are to be stored exclusively on government-owned equipment, and at no point should be saved or archived on personal drives or devices. Copies are not to be disseminated to anyone outside of the NMFS or to any other contractor personnel without explicit release from the Government.

c. IT Security

The contractor will not require access to Federal Buildings, DOC Systems and includes an IT component.

Inclusion of Clause 52.217-8:

Inclusion of FAR clause 52.217-8, Option to Extend Services, in the solicitation and resultant contract is for use by the Government as outlined at FAR 37.111, Extension of Services. The option will be exercised as needed at any time during the life of the contract using the rates applicable at the time of exercise.

Required Knowledge and Experience:

The histological lab shall possess the knowledge to provide services consistent with the formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded (FFPE) method.

Evaluation Factors:

The Government will issue an order resulting from this request for quotation to the responsible offeror whose quotation results in the best value to the Government, considering both price and non-price factors. The following factors will be used to evaluate quotations:

Technical Evaluation Factors:

Factor 1 - The offeror shall have all the technical knowledge and capabilities to provide the needed services described in the Statement of Work, in terms of the scope to accomplish the tasks, and meet the delivery schedule requirements. The vendor shall provide a detailed response to support their technical knowledge and capabilities for these evaluation factors.

Factor 2 - Experience. The offeror shall provide a background, experience, and qualifications that will support the offeror’s capability to successfully perform the contract requirements.

Factor 3 - PAST PERFORMANCE. The offeror's past performance on related contracts will be evaluated to determine, as appropriate, successful performance of contract requirements, quality and timeliness of delivery of goods and services, effective management of subcontractors, cost management, level of communication between the contracting parties, proactive management, and customer satisfaction. If a quoter has no relevant past performance, the quoter must affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance history. Offerors who fail to either provide past performance information or affirmatively state that they have none may be considered non-compliant with the solicitation.

Factor 4 - FIRM-FIXED PRICE. The proposed prices/costs will be evaluated. The cost evaluation will determine whether the proposed costs are realistic, complete, and reasonable in relation to the solicitation requirements. Proposed costs must be entirely compatible with the technical knowledge and capabilities.

Technical Project Lead:

Aimee Keller, PhD, Fisheries Research Surveys Supervisor, NWFSC, FRAM email: aimee.keller@noaa.gov Phone No. (206)795-5860

IPP Invoice Approver:

Sarah Kurochkin, NWFSC email: sarah.kurochkin@noaa.gov Phone No. (206)860-3425

Aimee Keller, PhD, Fisheries Research Surveys Supervisor, NWFSC, FRAM email: aimee.keller@noaa.gov Phone No. (206)795-5860

CONTRACTORS INVOICE:

INVOICES MUST BE SUBMITTED IN ARREARS

Per NAM 1330-52.232-71 ELECTRONIC SUBMISSION OF PAYMENT REQUESTS (FEB 2023) The Contractor must submit payment requests electronically through the U.S. Department of the Treasury's Invoice Processing Platform System (IPP). The Contractor must use the IPP website to register, access, and submit payment requests. The IPP website address is https://www.ipp.gov.

"Payment request" means any request for contract financing payment or invoice payment to the Contractor. To be considered proper, invoices must be prepared in accordance with, and contain all elements specified in, the contract payment clause (e.g., FAR 52.212-4(g), FAR 52.232-25(a)(3), FAR 52.232-26(a)(2), FAR 52.232-27(a)(2)). All invoices are to be submitted in arrears per 31 U.S.C. § 3324.

Advance payments are prohibited by 31 U.S.C. § 3324, which provides that, except as provided by a specific appropriation or other law, “a payment under a contract to provide a service or deliver an article for the United States Government may not be more than the value of the service already provided or the article already delivered.” The primary purpose of 31 U.S.C. § 3324 is to protect the Government against the risk of nonperformance (or refusal to refund moneys) by the contractor after receipt of payment. See 22 Comp. Gen. 834, 835 (1946). In its simplest terms, the statute prohibits the Government from paying for goods before they have been received or for services before they have been rendered.

The Contractor must include the following documents as attachments to payment requests submitted through the IPP: Contractor’s Invoice.

If the Contractor is unable to comply with the requirement to submit payment requests through the IPP due to a threat to national security; a matter of unusual or compelling urgency; or because the political, financial, or communications infrastructure of a foreign country does not support access to the IPP, the Contractor must request an exception in writing. Contact the Contracting Officer for more information about requesting an exception.

(End of Clause) mailto:sarah.kurochkin@noaa.gov https://www.ipp.gov/

Section IX - Contract Clauses

Clauses Incorporated by Reference Clause Number Clause Title

52.204-7 System for Award Management. (NOV 2024)

52.204-13 System for Award Management Maintenance. (OCT 2018)

52.204-16 Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting.

(AUG 2020)

52.204-17 Ownership or Control of Offeror. (AUG 2020)

52.204-18 Commercial and Government Entity Code Maintenance.

(AUG 2020)

52.212-4 Contract Terms and Conditions - Commercial Products and Commercial Services. (NOV 2023)

1352.201-70 Contracting Officer's Authority. (MAR 2010) 1352.209-73 Compliance with the laws. (APR 2010) 1352.209-74 Organizational conflict of interest. (APR 2010)

52.212-3 Deviation Offeror Representations and Certifications—Commercial Products and Commercial Services (May 2024) (Deviation 2025-02) (Feb 2025) (Deviation 2025-03) (Feb 2025)

The Offeror shall complete only paragraph (b) of this provision if the Offeror has completed the annual representations and certification electronically in the System for Award Management (SAM) accessed through https://www.sam.gov. If the Offeror has not completed the annual representations and certifications electronically, the Offeror shall complete only paragraphs (c) through (v) of this provision.

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision—

Covered telecommunications equipment or services has the meaning provided in the clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) concern means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States and who are economically disadvantaged in accordance with 13 CFR part 127, and the concern is certified by SBA or an approved third-party certifier in accordance with 13 CFR 127.300. It automatically qualifies as a women-owned small business eligible under the WOSB Program.

Forced or indentured child labor means all work or service—

(1) Exacted from any person under the age of 18 under the menace of any penalty for its nonperformance and for which the worker does not offer himself voluntarily; or

(2) Performed by any person under the age of 18 pursuant to a contract the enforcement of which can be accomplished by process or penalties.

Highest-level owner means the entity that owns or controls an immediate owner of the offeror, or that owns or controls one or more entities that control an immediate owner of the offeror. No entity owns or exercises control of the highest level owner.

Immediate owner means an entity, other than the offeror, that has direct control of the offeror.

Indicators of control include, but are not limited to, one or more of the following: ownership or interlocking management, identity of interests among family members, shared facilities and equipment, and the common use of employees.

Inverted domestic corporation, means a foreign incorporated entity that meets the definition of an inverted domestic corporation under 6 U.S.C. 395(b), applied in accordance with the rules and definitions of 6 U.S.C. 395(c).

Manufactured end product means any end product in product and service codes (PSCs) 1000-9999, except—

(1) PSC 5510, Lumber and Related Basic Wood Materials;

(2) Product or Service Group (PSG) 87, Agricultural Supplies;

(3) PSG 88, Live Animals;

(4) PSG 89, Subsistence;

(5) PSC 9410, Crude Grades of Plant Materials;

(6) PSC 9430, Miscellaneous Crude Animal Products, Inedible;

(7) PSC 9440, Miscellaneous Crude Agricultural and Forestry Products;

(8) PSC 9610, Ores;

(9) PSC 9620, Minerals, Natural and Synthetic; and

(10) PSC 9630, Additive Metal Materials.

Place of manufacture means the place where an end product is assembled out of components, or otherwise made or processed from raw materials into the finished product that is to be provided to the Government. If a product is disassembled and reassembled, the place of reassembly is not the place of manufacture.

Predecessor means an entity that is replaced by a successor and includes any predecessors of the predecessor.

Reasonable inquiry has the meaning provided in the clause 52.204-25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment.

Restricted business operations means business operations in Sudan that include power production activities, mineral extraction activities, oil-related activities, or the production of military equipment, as those terms are defined in the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-174).

Restricted business operations do not include business operations that the person (as that term is defined in Section 2 of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007) conducting the business can demonstrate—

(1) Are conducted under contract directly and exclusively with the regional government of southern Sudan;

(2) Are conducted pursuant to specific authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the Department of the Treasury, or are expressly exempted under Federal law from the requirement to be conducted under such authorization;

(3) Consist of providing goods or services to marginalized populations of Sudan;

(4) Consist of providing goods or services to an internationally recognized peacekeeping force or humanitarian organization;

(5) Consist of providing goods or services that are used only to promote health or education; or

(6) Have been voluntarily suspended. "Sensitive technology"—

Sensitive technology—

(1) Means hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, or any other technology that is to be used specifically—

(i) To restrict the free flow of unbiased information in Iran; or

(ii) To disrupt, monitor, or otherwise restrict speech of the people of Iran; and

(2) Does not include information or informational materials the export of which the President does not have the authority to regulate or prohibit pursuant to section 203(b)(3)of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act ( 50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(3)).

Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) concern means a small business concern—

(1) (i) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned and controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more service-disabled veterans; and

(ii) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more service-disabled veterans or, in the case of a service-disabled veteran with permanent and severe disability, the spouse or permanent caregiver of such veteran; or

(2) A small business concern eligible under the SDVOSB Program in accordance with 13 CFR part 128 (see subpart 19.14).

(3) Service-disabled veteran, as used in this definition, means a veteran as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(2), with a disability that is service connected, as defined in 38 U.S.C. 101(16), and who is registered in the Beneficiary Identification and Records Locator Subsystem, or successor system that is maintained by the Department of Veterans Affairs’ Veterans Benefits Administration, as a service-disabled veteran.

Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) concern eligible under the SDVOSB Program means an SDVOSB concern that—

(1) Effective January 1, 2024, is designated in the System for Award Management (SAM) as certified by the Small Business Administration (SBA) in accordance with 13 CFR 128.300; or

(2) Has represented that it is an SDVOSB concern in SAM and submitted a complete application for certification to SBA on or before December 31, 2023.

Service-disabled veteran-owned small business (SDVOSB) Program means a program that authorizes contracting officers to limit competition, including award on a sole-source basis, to SDVOSB concerns eligible under the SDVOSB Program.

Small business concern—

(1) Means a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in its field of operation, and qualified as a small business under the criteria in 13 CFR part 121 and size standards in this solicitation.

(2) Affiliates, as used in this definition, means business concerns, one of whom directly or indirectly controls or has the power to control the others, or a third party or parties control or have the power to control the others. In determining whether affiliation exists, consideration is given to all appropriate factors including common ownership, common management, and contractual relationships. SBA determines affiliation based on the factors set forth at 13 CFR 121.103.

Small disadvantaged business concern, consistent with 13 CFR 124.1001, means a small business concern under the size standard applicable to the acquisition, that—

(1) Is at least 51 percent unconditionally and directly owned (as defined at 13 CFR 124.105) by—

(i) One or more socially disadvantaged (as defined at13 CFR 124.103) and economically disadvantaged (as defined at 13 CFR 124.104) individuals who are citizens of the United States; and

(ii) Each individual claiming economic disadvantage has a net worth not exceeding the threshold at 13 CFR 124.104(c)(2) after taking into account the applicable exclusions set forth at 13 CFR124.104(c)(2);

and

(2) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled (as defined at 13.CFR

124.106) by individuals, who meet the criteria in paragraphs (1)(i) and (ii) of this definition.

Subsidiary means an entity in which more than 50 percent of the entity is owned—

(1) Directly by a parent corporation; or

(2) Through another subsidiary of a parent corporation

Successor means an entity that has replaced a predecessor by acquiring the assets and carrying out the affairs of the predecessor under a new name (often through acquisition or merger). The term "successor" does not include new offices/divisions of the same company or a company that only changes its name. The extent of the responsibility of the successor for the liabilities of the predecessor may vary, depending on State law and specific circumstances.

Veteran-owned small business concern means a small business concern—

(1) Not less than 51 percent of which is owned and controlled by one or more veterans (as defined at 38 U.S.C. 101(2)) or, in the case of any publicly owned business, not less than 51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more veterans; and

(2) The management and daily business operations of which are controlled by one or more veterans.

Women-owned business concern means a concern which is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women; or in the case of any publicly owned business, at least 51 percent of its stock is owned by one or more women; and whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women

Women-owned small business concern means a small business concern—

(1) That is at least 51 percent owned by one or more women; or, in the case of any publicly owned business, at least51 percent of the stock of which is owned by one or more women; and

(2) Whose management and daily business operations are controlled by one or more women.

Women-owned small business (WOSB) concern eligible under the WOSB Program (in accordance with 13 CFR part 127), means a small business concern that is at least 51 percent directly and unconditionally owned by, and the management and daily business operations of which are controlled by, one or more women who are citizens of the United States, and the concern is certified by SBA or an approved third-party certifier in accordance with 13 CFR 127.300.

(b) (1) Annual Representations and Certifications. Any changes provided by the Offeror in paragraph (b)(2) of this provision do not automatically change the representations and certifications in SAM.

(2) The offeror has completed the annual representations and certifications electronically in SAM accessed through http://www.sam.gov. After reviewing SAM information, the Offeror verifies by submission of this offer that the representations and certifications currently posted electronically at FAR 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Products and Commercial Services, have been entered or updated in the last 12 months, are current, accurate, complete, and applicable to this solicitation (including the business size standard(s) applicable to the NAICS code(s) referenced for this solicitation), at the time this offer is submitted and are incorporated in this offer by reference (see FAR 4.1201), except for paragraphs __.

[Offeror to identify the applicable paragraphs at (c) through (v) of this provision that the offeror has completed for the purposes of this solicitation only, if any.

These amended representation(s) and/or certification(s) are also incorporated in this offer and are current, accurate, and complete as of the date of this offer.

Any changes provided by the offeror are applicable to this solicitation only, and do not result in an update to the representations and certifications posted electronically on SAM.]

(c) Offerors must complete the following representations when the resulting contract is for supplies to be delivered or services to be performed in the United States or its outlying areas, or when the contracting officer has applied part 19 in accordance with 19.000(b)(1)(ii). Check all that apply.

(1) Small business concern. The offeror represents as part of its offer that—

(i) It ¿ is, ¿ is not a small business concern; or

(ii) It ¿ is, ¿ is not a small business joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 121.103(h) and 13 CFR 125.8(a) and (b). [ The offeror shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: ____________.]

(2) Veteran-owned small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents as part of its offer that it ¿ is, ¿ is not a veteran-owned small business concern.

(3) SDVOSB concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a veteran-owned small business concern in paragraph (c)(2) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it ¿ is, ¿ is not an SDVOSB concern.

(4) SDVOSB concern joint venture eligible under the SDVOSB Program. The offeror represents that it ¿ is, ¿ is not an SDVOSB joint venture eligible under the SDVOSB Program that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 128.402. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as an SDVOSB concern in paragraph (c)(3) of this provision.] [The offeror shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: ____________.]

(5) Small disadvantaged business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it ¿ is, ¿ is not a small disadvantaged business concern as defined in 13 CFR 124.1001.

(6) Women-owned small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it ¿ is, ¿ is not a women-owned small business concern.

(7) WOSB joint venture eligible under the WOSB Program. The offeror represents that it ¿ is, ¿ is not a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 127.506(a) through (c). [ The offeror shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: ____________.]

(8) Economically disadvantaged women-owned small business (EDWOSB) joint venture. The offeror represents that it ¿ is, ¿ is not a joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 127.506(a) through (c). [The offeror shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: ____________.]

Note to paragraphs (c)(9) and (10): Complete paragraphs (c)(9) and (10) only if this solicitation is expected to exceed the simplified acquisition threshold.

(9) Women-owned business concern (other than small business concern). [Complete only if the offeror is a women-owned business concern and did not represent itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents that it ¿ is a women-owned business concern.

(10) Tie bid priority for labor surplus area concerns. If this is an invitation for bid, small business offerors may identify the labor surplus areas in which costs to be incurred on account of manufacturing or production (by offeror or first-tier subcontractors) amount to more than 50 percent of the contract price:____________

(11) HUBZone small business concern. [Complete only if the offeror represented itself as a small business concern in paragraph (c)(1) of this provision.] The offeror represents, as part of its offer, that–

(i) It ¿ is, ¿ is not a HUBZone small business concern listed, on the date of this representation, as having been certified by SBA as a HUBZone small business concern in the Dynamic Small Business Search and SAM, and will attempt to maintain an employment rate of HUBZone residents of 35 percent of its employees during performance of a HUBZone contract (see 13 CFR 126.200(e)(1)); and

(ii) It ¿ is, ¿ is not a HUBZone joint venture that complies with the requirements of 13 CFR 126.616(a) through (c). [The offeror shall enter the name and unique entity identifier of each party to the joint venture: ______.] Each HUBZone small business concern participating in the HUBZone joint venture shall provide representation of its HUBZone status.

(d) [Reserved].

(e) Certification Regarding Payments to Influence Federal Transactions (31 http://uscode.house.gov/ U.S.C. 1352). (Applies only if the contract is expected to exceed $150,000.) By submission of its offer, the offeror certifies to the best of its knowledge and belief that no Federal appropriated funds have been paid or will be paid to any person for influencing or attempting to influence an officer or employee of any agency, a Member of Congress, an officer or employee of Congress or an employee of a Member of Congress on his or her behalf in connection with the award of any resultant contract. If any registrants under the Lobbying Disclosure Act of 1995 have made a lobbying contact on behalf of the offeror with respect to this contract, the offeror shall complete and submit, with its offer, OMB Standard Form LLL, Disclosure of Lobbying Activities, to provide the name of the registrants. The offeror need not report regularly employed officers or employees of the offeror to whom payments of reasonable compensation were made.

(f) Buy American Certificate. (Applies only if the clause at Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.225-1, Buy American-Supplies, is included in this solicitation.)

(1) (i) The Offeror certifies that each end product, except those listed in paragraph (f)(2) of this provision, is a domestic end product and that each domestic end product listed in paragraph (f)(3) of this provision contains a critical component.

(ii) The Offeror shall list as foreign end products those end products manufactured in the United States that do not qualify as domestic end products. For those foreign end products that do not consist wholly or predominantly of iron or steel or a combination of both, the Offeror shall also indicate whether these foreign end products exceed 55 percent domestic content, except for those that are COTS items. If the percentage of the domestic content is unknown, select “no”.

(iii) The Offeror shall separately list the line item numbers of domestic end products that contain a critical component (see FAR 25.105).

(iv) The terms “commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) item,” “critical component,” “domestic end product,” "end product," "foreign end product," and "United States" are defined in the clause of this solicitation entitled "Buy American-Supplies."

(2) Foreign End Products:

Line Item No. Country of Origin Exceeds 55% domestic content (yes/no)

[List as necessary]

(3) Domestic end products containing a critical component:

Line Item No. ___

[List as necessary]

(4) The Government will evaluate offers in accordance with the policies and procedures of FAR part 25.

(g) (1) Buy…