Marine Ecological Stewardship and Conservation Ser

The Department of the Interior National Park Service Southeast Region seeks marine ecological stewardship and conservation services at Biscayne National Park, with quotations due September 4, 2026, at 5:00 PM ET and anticipated award September 14, 2026. This is a 100 percent Total Small Business Set-Aside under NAICS 541990 with a small business size standard of $19.5 million.

Place of performance is Biscayne National Park, 9700 SW 328 Street, Homestead, Florida, with fieldwork in offshore coral reef tracts, mangrove forests, seagrass meadows, and beaches. Work at other South Florida NPS units requires separate bilateral supplemental agreement and written Contracting Officer authorization. The contract structure comprises one 12-month base period and two optional 12-month renewal periods, subject to fund availability, with firm-fixed monthly pricing covering all labor, supervision, management, equipment (except Government-Furnished Property), materials, transportation, travel, insurance, overhead, and profit.

The contractor must designate one Marine Biologist as Key Personnel with a Master's degree in marine biology or related field, professional experience in marine debris removal in sensitive habitats and coral reef and seagrass ecology, AAUS scientific diving certification with minimum 100 logged dives, and professional small-vessel operation experience in coastal environments. Key Personnel continuity is mandatory; substitution requires prior written Contracting Officer approval. Personnel operating Government vessels must obtain Department of Interior Motorboat Operator Certification Course qualification prior to performance; Merchant Mariner Credentials and TWIC are not required.

Scope includes marine debris removal, ecological restoration and stewardship, scientific diving and vessel operations per AAUS standards and NPS Diving Management Program, ecological monitoring and data collection with GIS support, technical reporting, and project coordination without supervising Government personnel or volunteers. Contractor must maintain Commercial General Liability ($1,000,000 per occurrence/$2,000,000 aggregate), Automobile Liability ($1,000,000 combined single limit), Maritime Liability, and Professional Liability ($1,000,000 per claim) insurance. Evaluation weighs Key Personnel Qualifications as most important non-price factor, followed by Technical Capability and Past Performance (three references within five years), with combined non-price factors significantly more important than Price.