Charter to Conduct Deep Sea Coral ROV Survey

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's National Marine Fisheries Service seeks a commercial vessel charter with crew and remotely operated vehicle to conduct a deep sea coral survey in the Northeast Canyons and Seamounts Marine National Monument, with quotations due July 16 at 2:00 PM EDT. The procurement is 100% set-aside for small business under NAICS 483114 with a 550-employee size standard.

Place of performance is Massachusetts. The contract period runs August 1, 2026 through July 31, 2027. The vessel must accommodate 6–7 NOAA scientific personnel with berthing, meals, laboratory space for sample processing, dynamic positioning capability, internet connectivity, and dedicated 115/120-volt AC, 60 Hz electrical supply for Government-supplied freezers. The ROV system must be certified to operate at 6,000 meters depth, include high-definition or 4K video cameras, manipulator arms, suction samplers, and an ROV-mounted CTD sensor. Daily ROV operations are not anticipated to exceed 12 hours unless mechanical retrieval is required. The survey operational period is 14 days, excluding mobilization and demobilization but including transit during operations.

Three CLINs are established: CLIN 0001 for 14 base survey days, CLIN 0002 for up to 6 optional survey days, and CLIN 0003 for fuel reimbursement capped at $155,000, covering mobilization, demobilization, transit, and survey operations including optional CLIN 0002 days. Offerors must submit technical proposals demonstrating vessel and ROV characteristics, crew experience, and past performance ratings across quality, schedule, cost control, business relations, key personnel management, and small business utilization. Government award is anticipated by July 24, 2026. Amendment 0002 issued July 10 clarified operational scope and technical requirements in response to vendor questions; Amendment 0001 extended the question deadline to July 9 at 2:00 PM ET and the quotation deadline to July 16 at 2:00 PM ET, both effective July 6.