Cuticle analysis on tanner and snow crabs

***NOAA'S ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, WESTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-BOULDER, ALASKA FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (AFSC)  INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), WITH THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY, OUT OF EWING, NJ TO PROVIDE CUTICLE ANALYSIS ON TANNER AND SNOW CRABS.

***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'S (NOAA) REQUIREMENT THAT THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY (TCNJ) IS THE SOLE PROVIDER WHO CAN PERFORM THIS ANALYSIS BECAUSE THEY ARE THE ONLY LAB IN THE WORLD WHO IS ASSESSING THE EFFECTS OF OCEAN ACIDIFICATION ON MICROHARDNESS OF MINERALIZED TISSUE IN CRABS. THE FINE SCALE OF THE MICROHARDNESS PROCEDURE (TESTING ON THE ORDER OF 10-30 µM) ALLOWS THEM TO ASSESS INDIVIDUAL BODY SEGMENTS (I.E. CLAW, CARAPACE) WITHIN SMALL ANIMALS. OTHER MECHANICAL TESTS (E.G. COMPRESSION TESTING) TYPICALLY REQUIRES  A MUCH LARGER SAMPLE. IN ADDITION, THEY ARE ABLE TO COMBINE MICROMECHANICAL TESTING WITH STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENTS USING OPTICAL MICROSCOPY. THESE ADDITIONAL ASSAYS PROVIDE INSIGHT ON THE DIMENSIONS AND ORGANIZATION OF SPECIFIC STRUCTURES WITHIN THE CUTICLE. THE COLLEGE OF NEW JERSEY IS THE ONLY INSTITUTION IN THE USA OR ELSEWHERE CONDUCTING THIS COMBINATION OF MECHANICAL AND STRUCTURAL ASSESSMENTS ON CRABS. FURTHER, THEY ARE THE ONLY INSTITUTION THAT HAS CONDUCTED THESE ASSESSMENTS ON GOLDEN, RED, AND BLUE KING CRAB AS WELL AS TANNER AND SNOW CRAB, SO THE RESULTS FROM THE ANALYSES WILL BE ABLE TO BE QUANTITATIVELY COMPARED AMONG SPECIES.

AN INTERNET SEARCH WAS DONE LOOKING FOR OTHER POTENTIAL SOURCES. NO COMMERCIAL SOURCE WAS CAPABLE OF PROVIDING ALL THESE ANALYSES. RESEARCH GROUPS AT OTHER UNIVERSITIES WERE IDENTIFIED TO SEE IF THEY HAD DONE SIMILAR WORK ON OTHER CRAB SPECIES (AS EVINCED BY PUBLICATION IN THE PEER-REVIEW LITERATURE); HOWEVER, NONE OF THESE GROUPS WERE CAPABLE OF PERFORMING ALL THE ANALYSES NEEDED GIVEN THE EQUIPMENT REQUIREMENTS.

TCNJ HAS PERFORMED THESE ANALYSIS SERVICES FOR AFSC SINCE 2016 AND IN ORDER TO MAINTAIN CONTINUITY OF RESEARCH DATA, IT IS CRUCIAL THAT THE METHODS USED AND NEW DATA RETRIEVED BE COMPARABLE TO DATA FROM PREVIOUS STUDIES.

***THIS NOTICE OF INTENT 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 IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS SYNOPSIS. SUCH 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.