Schoolship Sources Sought Notice 22JAN25.pdf

Sources Sought Notice Notice # SS25NSMV

The Public Nautical Schoolship Program (PNSP) is located within the U.S. Department of Transportation, Maritime Administration (MARAD). PNSP derives its authority and purpose from the following statutory, regulatory and policy documentation:

• United States Code – Title 46 (Shipping) – Subtitle V (Merchant Marine) – Part B (Merchant Marine Service) o Chapter 511 General §51103. General authority of Secretary of Transportation Education and Training.

o Chapter 517 USMS §51701. United States Maritime Service General Authority.

• 46 CFR Part 167 – “Public Nautical School Ships”

• 46 CFR Part 310 – “Merchant Marine Training”

• Department of Transportation Order - 1100.69A “Organizational Manual Maritime

Administration”

• Maritime Administrative Order (MAO) 061-001-0 “Office of Ship Operations”

MARAD is issuing a Sources Sought Notice as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in—and the resources to support—Vessel Custodial Services (VCS) requirements starting in September 2025:

• Vessel Maintenance and Operations including (but not limited to) the review, validation, update, maintain, and executing a ship-specific Planned Maintenance Program.

• Vessel Repairs including (but not limited to) providing additional Reduced Operational Status (ROS) maintenance support to perform PM-level maintenance, identifying/executing/managing repairs in the Approved Baseline Business Plan, executing/managing emergent work and repairs, and executing/managing voyage repairs for associated missions.

• Logistics management including (but not limited to) providing logistics management in accordance with the MARAD Logistics Management Manual, developing a Life Cycle Plan, reviewing current inventory of critical spares and make sparing recommendations, managing vessel configuration, adding technical manuals and drawings to inventory, coordinating shore-based spares acquisition, and procuring spares to add to inventory.

• Regulatory compliance including (but not limited to) maintaining vessel in such a condition that it meets all relevant regulatory requirements and surveys, and integrating all applicable regulatory, classification society, and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) requirements into the planning and execution of this contract.

• Operations under non training missions, including (but not limited to) carrying out vessel operations under Department of Defense (DoD) operational control as directed by the DoD operational commander, carrying out vessel operations and transitions under MARAD operational control as directed, participating in emergency preparedness and national response activities (to include ESFs) as directed by MARAD, providing vessel infrastructure compliance with Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) and Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA), developing and executing Cybersecurity Plan, and carrying out vessel operations supporting humanitarian aid/disaster relief (HA/DR).

• Management functions including (but not limited to) managing vessel’s fuels and bunker per current regulations, MARAD technical guidelines, and Bunker Management Plan.

Management function also includes managing all Human Resources (HR) functions relating to contractor staff and vessel crews, for a non-training mission, providing additional qualified crew billets as requested. It includes employing and managing qualified shoreside staff to conduct the technical and administrative functions, conducting environmental stewardship, and ensuring a safe workplace free of discrimination, sexual harassment, intimidation, and coercion.

• Training and Academic Schedule including (but not limited to) Manage repair activities to minimize disruption of the normal academic schedule at State Maritime Academies.

A single Contractor will be selected to provide these services for the five National Security Multi-mission Vessels, notionally for a five-year period. As mentioned, in addition to supporting State Maritime Academies, the NSMV also supports emergency response during humanitarian crises and through disaster relief, providing everything from freshwater management and power generation, to housing recovery workers and offering its vessels as command posts.

Public Nautical Schoolships consist of the following vessels to be layberthed on the U.S. East, West, and Gulf Coasts:

MARAD Schoolships Year Built

Layberth Full Ops Status

Vessel Particulars

TS EMPIRE STATE

2023 State of New York Maritime

College, Bronx, NY

160 crew 600 cadets

Length 525 ft Beam 88 ft Displacement 8,487 tons

TS PATRIOT STATE

2024 Massachusetts Maritime

Academy, Bourne, MA 160 crew 600 cadets

Length 525 ft Beam 88 ft Displacement 8,487 tons

TS STATE OF MAINE

TBD

Maine Maritime Academy, Castile, ME

160 crew 600 cadets

Length 525 ft Beam 88 ft Displacement 8,487 tons

TS LONE STAR STATE

TBD

Texas A&M Maritime Academy, Houston, TX

160 crew 600 cadets

Length 525 ft Beam 88 ft Displacement 8,487 tons

TS GOLDEN STATE

TBD

California Poly Solano Campus, San Luis Obispo, CA

160 crew 600 cadets

Length 525 ft Beam 88 ft Displacement 8,487 tons

The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 483111 “Deep Sea Freight Transportation”, Product Service Code (PSC) M1PZ, and small business size standard of 1050 employees.

There is currently no solicitation. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.

To be a qualified source, the following mandatory requirements must be met:

• U.S. Citizenship

• Vessel Owner/Operator Experience

• Dedicated Line of Credit of $1,000,000.00

If your organization has the potential capacity to perform Ship Management services, please provide the following information:

1) Company Name, Address, and DUNS Number.

2) Point of Contact, Email Address, and Phone Number.

3) Business Size under the applicable NAICS Code: State your business size, large or small, under the applicable NAICS code. If applicable, provide the socio-economic category.

4) Tailored capability statement: The statement should address the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability to meet the mandatory requirements listed above. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

5) Any additional feedback or comments.

Based on the responses to this Sources Sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses or procured through full and open competition, and multiple awards may be made. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 05 February 2025 at 1430. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to robert.mcdermott@dot.gov and karen.tempest@dot.gov.

If you have any questions concerning this opportunity, please contact:

robert.mcdermott@dot.gov and karen.tempest@dot.gov.

mailto:robert.mcdermott@dot.gov mailto:karen.tempest@dot.gov mailto:robert.mcdermott@dot.gov mailto:scott.j.lewis.ctr@dot,gov