Sole Source Justification.pdf

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION

SPLASH10-F-297A Tag

1300881195

BACKGROUND:

Code 1023 is a co-principal investigator at the Naval Undersea Warfare Center, Division Newport (NUWCDIVNPT). In fiscal year 2018 (FY18), Code 1023 received funding from U.S.

Fleet Forces (USFF) as part of a pilot project to study U.S. Navy North Atlantic Harbor Seals off the Virginia Barrier Islands. Based on the success of this satellite tagging work in Virginia, Code 1023 has continued to expand the geographic location and scope of the harbor seal research since 2018. Code 1023 received funding in FY20 from Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEASYSCOM) for Phase 1 of a multiyear Behavioral Response Study of harbor seals.

The scope of this study requires the use of specialized satellite seal tags to obtain tracking, diving and haul-out behavior, including depth/temperature time-series, dive duration, temperature profiles, and time spent hauled out on land of harbor seals. For Phase I, the primary goal is to capture 5-10 harbor seals in either Narragansett Bay, located in Rhode Island, New York, and/or Massachusetts to establish a baseline across the Navy’s entire geographic range along the U.S.

East Coast. Code 1023 will work with regional partners including Save the Bay, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the Atlantic Marine Conservation Society, and other constituents (depending on the location of tagging). Phase II of this project will include tagging additional harbor seals and introducing a controlled exposure experiment (sonar) to determine potential impacts.

There is increasing evidence of harbor seals hauling out in areas important to Navy training and testing. The Navy is responsible for compliance with a suite of federal environmental and natural resources laws and regulations that apply to the marine environment, including the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) and the National Environmental Policy Act. The Navy complies with these and other laws during routine training and testing events, pierside construction, and range clearance and maintenance operations. In addition, the Navy is required to prepare and implement Integrated Natural Resources Management Plans for each military installation. As such, it is critical for the Navy to have a clear understanding of the protected marine resources in the areas where it operates.

The total value of the required satellite tags is estimated at and the minimum requirements are outlined below.

REQUIREMENT:

MFGR Part No. Description/Title Quantity AM-A297A-AF-01 SPLASH10-F-297A tags, Rectangle

Backmount, Standard depth range, Fastloc

SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION:

Essential to the success of the study outlined above is the use of specialized satellite tags that have the following capabilities:

1. Argos positioning capability;

2. Fastloc GPS positioning capability;

3. Battery Specifications:

a. Battery life greater than 480 days; and

b. Battery with a transmission setting of 300 Argos transmissions per day to allow for a period of tracking data that will be complementary with previously tagged harbor seals.

Wildlife Computers, Inc, specialize in various satellite tags for marine mammals. However, only SPLASH tags from Wildlife Computers, Inc. possess the battery specifications that meets the Government’s requirement. The battery specifications are critical for comparative purposes. Depending on the tagging location, Code 1023 may work with researchers from other Commands utilizing SPLASH tags. Code 1023 has previously worked with Naval Facilities Atlantic Region (NAVFACLANT) to tag harbor seals where SPLASH tags were utilized to collect data. The utilization of SPLASH tags for this research study will result in data-sets that are comparable to the data-sets previously collected by Code 1023 and other Commands, resulting in a large sample size. Only the Wildlife Computers, Inc. tags meet the battery specifications that will provide comparable, long term tracking data to support analyses similar of multi-year datasets. Failure to purchase a system with this battery life would not meet the mission because the tags would stop working before the animals would meet the full geographic extent of the animal’s range (approximately 6-9 months of continuous data collection).

RESELLERS:

Wildlife Computers, Inc. does not have any authorized resellers in the United States.