Intent to Sole-Source Orca Basin Brine Pools

The Department of the Interior Bureau of Ocean Energy Management announced on June 1, 2026, an intent to sole-source a contract to The University of Mississippi under FAR 6.103-1 (Only One Responsible Source) for specialized geophysical, geological, and geochemical data acquisition in the Orca Basin on the Gulf of America Outer Continental Shelf; interested parties may compete by submitting a written capability statement by June 10, 2026, at 12:00 PM EST.

The contract is a firm-fixed-price arrangement supporting BOEM's statutory responsibilities under OCSLA for evaluating mineral resources. Work includes deep-water surveys using autonomous underwater vehicles and remotely operated vehicles to perform seafloor and subseafloor surveys and sampling. Deliverables span high-resolution AUV geophysical mapping (multibeam bathymetry, backscatter, sidescan mosaics, subbottom profiling), design and cruise planning with post-processing and NOAA SOMP and HSSD-compliant metadata, seafloor geological sampling with laboratory analyses (XRD, SEM/EDS, ICP-MS/OES), water-column and brine sampling for critical mineral indicators, integrated maps, sample catalogs, analytical results, and a final report on critical mineral potential.

NAICS code 541360 (Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services) applies, with a size standard of $28.5 million. Interested contractors must submit capability statements to Christina Mohamed, Contracting Officer, at Christina_Mohamed@doi.ios.gov. The government reserves the right to award on a sole-source basis if no competing responses are received.