SON 143021-25-0106.pdf
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- Attached to
- Purchase of Biosonics Echosounder
- Solicitation number
- 143021-25-0106
About this file
This Statement of Need (SON) outlines NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service requirement for a specialized acoustic echosounder for marine research. The laboratory seeks to purchase a Biosonics DT-X Extreme Autonomous echosounder, associated cable, and software to be used with an existing transducer and deployed on an Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV) named Drix during a research survey in October 2025. The specific equipment requirements include a 9m cable with connection diameter <= 35 mm to fit through the USV's keel, compatibility with a 420 kHz DT-X transducer, and Biosonics Visual Acquisition Software for configuration and data analysis.
The primary research purpose is to collect active acoustic data to detect and identify zooplankton prey aggregations, which are critical to the food web and serve as prey for North Atlantic right whales and commercially important fish. The project aims to understand right whale habitat use and distribution in southern New England waters. Delivery is required no later than September 15, 2025, to the NOAA NMFS location at 28 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI, with the point of contact being Chris Orphanides. The procurement is structured as a sole source award directly to Biosonics Inc., with potential vendors required to submit capability statements by August 6, 2025.
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| SSJ 143021-25-0106_Redacted.pdf |
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STATEMENT OF NEED
BACKGROUND / SCOPE / MISSION: The National Marine Fisheries Service laboratory at 28 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI has a requirement for a purchase of an acoustic echosounder and associated cable and software to be paired with an existing transducer that we already own.
The echosounder will be deployed on an upcoming research survey in October 2025 where the instrument will be mounted into an Uncrewed Surface Vehicle (USV), the Drix.
INTENDED USE / PURPOSE:
Purchase of this echosounder, cable, and software will enable collection of active acoustic data on the Drix that will enable detection and identification of zooplankton prey aggregations that serve as the foundation of the food web, and as prey for North Atlantic right whales and many commercially important fish. Employing this instrumentation on the Drix will also allow direct comparison to other shipboard research efforts in the same region, leveraging this previous data collection, which would not be possible otherwise. Understanding the distribution of right whale prey in southern New England is a key research component for understanding the habitat use and distribution of this endangered whale in southern New England waters, a relatively new habitat for these whales that poses a number of anthropogenic threats.
Contractor must meet and/or exceed the following salient and functional requirements:
The echosounder and cable must work with existing equipment we already own, and it must be able to fit in the Drix USV. In order to work with an existing Biosonics DT-X transducer, the echosounder must be a Biosonics DT-X Extreme Autonomous echosounder. Equipment from other manufacturers will not work with Biosonics equipment. The unit mentioned above will also fit in the Drix planned for survey use this spring. To connect the echosounder to the transducer when employed on the Drix, we need a cable of at least 9 m in length that has a connection to the echosounder unit that is <= 35 mm in diameter for the cable to fit through the keel of the Drix.
The cable end that attaches to the transducer must also fit the existing attachment on the existing 420 kHz DT-X transducer owned by NOAA. This purchase comes with Biosonics’ Visual Acquisition Software that is used to run and configure the echosounder. It also can be used to analyze the data.
DELIVERY LOCATION: NOAA NMFS, 28 Tarzwell Drive, Narragansett, RI 02882. Chris Orphanides is the designated POC. Chris can be reached Monday through Friday 8:00 am through 6:00 pm at (401-782-3283), or by email at chris.orphanides@noaa.gov.
DELIVERY SCHEDULE: Delivery date of NLT 15 Sept 2025 at the very latest. Please email three business days ahead of time to notify when delivery will occur and prepare to receive the shipment.
mailto:chris.orphanides@noaa.gov
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