Intent to Award Sole Source - High Resolution Raster Data for Tree Species Parameters

This is a Notice of Proposed Contract Action Synopsis. There is no solicitation available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will receive no response. This Proposed Contract Action is published to notify potential sources that The Rocky Mountain Research Station intends to award a sole source firm-fixed price contract, on behalf of the USDA Forest Service, to SylviaTerra for the High Resolution Raster Data for Individual Tree Species Parameters project for the FHAAST group located in Fort Collins, CO.

This procurement is for the production of host-tree species distributions and parameters, such as stand density index (SDI). Tree species parameters were generated by FHAAST for the 2012 National Insect and Disease Risk Map (NIDRM) but are now out of date due to major forest disturbances, timber management, and rapid tree growth in several regions. To support future updates to NIDRM and other assessments, a complete update to these forest parameter layers is required, at least for the entire Lower 48 states.
All inventory layers shall meet the following requirements: Each layer shall not exceed 50GB in size, with an estimated maximum total volume of 10TB. The Contractor shall deliver the data to the task manager using one or more hard drives, which will be provided by the Government. The geospatial data shall be sent in an ArcGIS 10.6 compatible GeoTIFF format. All geospatial data shall follow a standard naming convention, preferably using the Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) species codes. As an example, stand density index for jack pine shall be "sdi105". Total stand density index shall be "SDI". Groups of tree species can use the FIA species group codes, which will be provided by the Government. Values on each layer shall be converted to integer by rounding (adding 0.5 to the values). Areas with NoData shall be coded as zero. Data shall be projected into the following coordinate system:
• Spatial_Reference: NAD_1983_Albers
• XY_Coordinate_System: Meters (1.000000)
• Degree: (0.0174532925199433)
• False_Easting: 0
• False_Northing: 0
• central_meridian: 96
• Standard_Parallel_1: 29.5
• Standard_Parallel_2: 45.5
• Latitude_of_origin: 23
• Datum: D_North_American_1983
• Vertical_Coordinate_System

All layers shall be clipped to the extent of the coterminous U.S. using the following bounding box (see below) based on the coordinate system provided above. Therefore, NoData in the ocean shall have a value of zero. Extent: Top: 3189315, Left: -2370945, Right: 2273055, Bottom: 255315.

The proposed contract action is for services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302. Interested persons may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Date posted to FedBizOpps: 12 JUL 2019. Date posting will close: 22 JUL 2019. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541714. The Size Standard is 1,000. The desired period of performance for the services described herein is anticipated to be from September 1, 2019 through August 31, 2020. The responses to this synopsis will be used to confirm that this is a sole source requirement. This notice is not a Request for Proposals (RFP); it is a market research tool being utilized to determine the availability and adequacy of potential sources prior to awarding the contract. Any information submitted by respondents to this synopsis is strictly voluntary. The Government will not pay for any information that is submitted by respondents to this notice of proposed contract action. Contractors who believe they possess the expertise and experience shall submit technical capabilities in writing to Anthony Salas, RMRS Acquisition Management, USDA Forest Service, 240 West Prospect Road, Fort Collins, CO 80526, or electronically to: anthony.salas@usda.gov. Responses must be received no later than 11:00 a.m. MDT 22 JUL 2019. All documentation shall become the property of the Government. Firms responding must indicate the following information: Indicate the business size: small business or disadvantaged business, veteran owned small business or HUB Zone certified, and indicate the appropriate NAICS code. This synopsis neither constitutes a Request for Proposal, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. This synopsis should not be construed as commitment by the Government for any purpose other than market research.

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