SS Presolicitation Notice_141014-26-0063.pdf

***THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION’S (NOAA) ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, EASTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-NORFOLK, ON BEHALF OF NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE (NOS), HAWAIIAN ISLANDS HUMPBACK WHALE NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY (HIHWNMS), INTENDS TO

NEGOTIATE AND AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF RFO FAR 6.103-1, WITH THE NATURE CONSERVANCY (TNC) FOR THE PURCHASE OF AN ENTANGLEMENT

RESPONSE TOOLKIT TO SUPPORT THE SANCTUARY'S LARGE WHALE ENTANGLEMENT RESPONSE

MISSION. THIS PROJECT REQUIRES THE PROCUREMENT OF A LONG-TERM, TETHERED RESPONSE

TELEMETRY PACKAGE AND ASSOCIATED TRANSMITTERS, WHICH ARE CRITICAL FOR TRACKING

ENTANGLED WHALES UNTIL CONDITIONS AND RESOURCES ALLOW ENGAGEMENT.

NO SET ASIDE IS TO BE USED FOR THIS SOLE SOURCE REQUIREMENT. THE ASSOCIATED NAICS CODE IS

334519, OTHER MEASURING AND CONTROLLING DEVICE MANUFACTURING.

***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON NOAA’S REQUIREMENT THAT TNC IS THE ONLY

VENDOR THAT CAN PROVIDE THIS SERVICE.

THE SANCTUARY REQUIRES A CUSTOM INTEGRATED HUMPBACK TELEMETRY RESPONSE PACKAGE

THAT IS EXPLICITLY BUILT USING THE FOLLOWING BRAND NAME COMPONENTS: SCOUT

RESCUE/RESPONSE TELEMETRY TAGS, WILDLIFE COMPUTERS SPOT-363C TRANSMITTERS, AND

ADVANCED TELEMETRY SYSTEMS (ATS) F-1840B TRANSMITTERS. MARKET RESEARCH INDICATES

THAT SIMILAR PRODUCTS CANNOT MEET OR BE MODIFIED TO MEET THE AGENCY'S NEEDS. THE

MARINE ENVIRONMENT—PARTICULARLY THE HYDRODYNAMIC STRESS OF BEING DRAGGED BY AN

ENTANGLED 40-TON HUMPBACK WHALE—IS UNIQUELY DESTRUCTIVE. THE PROPRIETARY 3-LAY

INLINE POTTING OF THE SPOT TAG AND THE 3-STAGE TRANSMISSION OF THE ATS TAG ARE THE

ONLY PROVEN TECHNOLOGIES CAPABLE OF SURVIVING THESE SPECIFIC PRESSURES.

SUBSTITUTING THESE PROVEN COMPONENTS INTRODUCES AN UNACCEPTABLE RISK OF

CATASTROPHIC TAG FAILURE, RESULTING IN COMPLETE DATA LOSS. THIS SPECIALIZED EQUIPMENT

USES PROPRIETARY TECHNOLOGY AND IS CUSTOMIZED TO MEET HIHWNMS' ENTANGLEMENT

RESPONSE MISSION. THE VENDOR MUST HAVE IN-DEPTH KNOWLEDGE OF HIHWNMS SYSTEMS AND

OPERATIONAL STANDARDS FOR FOLLOW-UP AND SUPPORT AFTER EQUIPMENT IS ORDERED. THE

INTEGRATED PACKAGE ASSEMBLED BY TNC IS UNIQUELY ENGINEERED IN FORM AND FIT TO BE

DEPLOYED USING THE SANCTUARY'S EXISTING CUSTOM GRAPPLING, TETHERING, AND DART-

DEPLOYMENT SYSTEMS. FURTHERMORE, THE SANCTUARY’S SATELLITE DATA PIPELINES AND ON- BOARD VESSEL TRACKING HARDWARE (VHF RECEIVERS) ARE SPECIFICALLY PRE-CALIBRATED TO DECODE THE DATA STRINGS AND PULSE-RATE INTERVALS OF THE WILDLIFE COMPUTERS AND ATS HARDWARE INSIDE THE RIG. IF ANOTHER COMPANY ATTEMPTED TO ASSEMBLE SIMILAR PRODUCTS OR USE SUBSTITUTE HARDWARE, IT WOULD ALTER THE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION AND STRUCTURAL

PROFILE OF THE PACKAGE, RENDERING IT PHYSICALLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH OUR DEPLOYMENT

HARDWARE AND ELECTRONICALLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH OUR DATA INFRASTRUCTURE. TNC

POSSESSES THE PROPRIETARY OPERATIONAL BLUEPRINTS, HYDRODYNAMIC BALANCING

FORMULAS, AND SPECIFIC MARINE EPOXY POTTING TECHNIQUES REQUIRED TO BUILD THIS

INTEGRATED RIG. WHILE THE INDIVIDUAL HARDWARE COMPONENTS ARE COMMERCIALLY

AVAILABLE, THE PROCESS OF ASSEMBLING THEM INTO A FUNCTIONAL WHALE ENTANGLEMENT

RESPONSE PACKAGE IS UNIQUE TO TNC'S DOMAIN EXPERTISE. A STANDARD COMMERCIAL VENDOR

OR MARINE ELECTRONICS DISTRIBUTOR DOES NOT HAVE ACCESS TO TNC’S PROPRIETARY

ASSEMBLY METHODS, WHICH INCLUDE SPECIALIZED ANTENNA ALIGNMENT FOR SURFACE-INTERVAL

BURSTS AND STRUCTURAL REINFORCEMENT TECHNIQUES THAT PREVENT HYDRODYNAMIC

SHEARING.

THE NATURE CONSERVANCY (TNC) IS THE ONLY SOURCE UNIQUELY QUALIFIED AND CAPABLE OF

PERFORMING THE HIGHLY SPECIALIZED CUSTOM ASSEMBLY, BALANCING, AND INTEGRATION OF

THESE TELEMETRY COMPONENTS AT THE LEVEL OF QUALITY REQUIRED. TAGGING AN ENTANGLED

LARGE WHALE IS A HIGH-RISK, ZERO-MARGIN-FOR-ERROR OPERATION. OTHER SOURCES WOULD

LACK THE SANCTUARY-SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL KNOWLEDGE REQUIRED TO ASSEMBLE THE RIG

CORRECTLY. AN IMPROPERLY INTEGRATED PACKAGE WOULD LIKELY SUFFER CATASTROPHIC

FAILURE UPON DEPLOYMENT—SUCH AS ANTENNA SNAPPING, WATER INTRUSION, OR STRUCTURAL

DETACHMENT. THIS WOULD RESULT IN TOTAL DATA LOSS, A WASTED HIGH-RISK DEPLOYMENT

EFFORT BY SANCTUARY STAFF, AND THE POTENTIAL LOSS OF AN ENDANGERED MARINE MAMMAL.

TNC’S PROVEN CUSTOM ASSEMBLY METHODOLOGY IS THE ONLY VIABLE OPTION TO PREVENT

SEVERE MISSION FAILURE.

MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED FOUND NO ALTERNATIVE SYSTEM ON THE MARKET THAT MEETS

HIHWNMS’S REQUIREMENTS.

DELIVERY: WITHIN 180 DAYS AFTER AWARD.

***THIS PRESOLICITATION NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO

SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION OR A REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE. SUCH REQUESTS AND DOCUMENTATION WILL BE

EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS

PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO

THIS NOTICE.