National Park Service ISRO Ranger IV Vessel

This pre-solicitation announcement is to advise the Industry that NPS intends on issuing an RFP Solicitation for the Ranger IV described below, in support of the above referenced project requirement for delivery to Isle Royale National Park (ISRO), Houghton, MI.

This PSN is not a formal Solicitation in itself, but rather a Synopsis of forthcoming RFP 140PS125R0009. Specific instructions on submitting your proposal will be contained in the solicitation documents to be issued on or after 08/28/2025.

General Project Description and Scope:
The work of this requirement is for: Isle Royale National Park Ranger IV, to be delivered to ISRO Headquarters in Houghton, MI. Work to be performed under this project requirement includes:

Vessel Construction Management Services Contract for the construction and delivery of a new passenger and cargo vessel, Ranger IV, to support National Park Service operations at Isle Royale National Park. The new vessel will replace park¿s current passenger and cargo vessel, the M/V Ranger III, which requires replacement.
The overall objective of the requirement is to construct and acquire a new multi-mission vessel, referred to as the Ranger IV. Ranger IV will be a passenger and cargo ferry that will operate between Isle Royale, the key feature of Isle Royale National Park located in the northwest corner of Lake Superior, and the park¿s headquarters 60 miles away in Houghton, MI. The Phase I preliminary/contract level design for Ranger IV was completed in October 2024.
Ranger IV has been designed to provide a robust operating platform for performing a variety of ISRO missions. Ranger IV dimensions are 182.5¿ L x 36' B x 18' D with a design draft of 9 ft. The vessel is outfitted with three large passenger areas designed to transport visitors, staff, and family to/from ISRO. To support cargo transport operations, Ranger IV has over 3,500 square feet of cargo space capable of transporting power boats, hand-loaded boats, passenger baggage, refrigerated/frozen foods, non-perishable foods, general cargo, construction materials, and trash. Ranger IV is designed with integrated diesel tanks in addition to external stowage with deck crane capacity to accommodate fuel transport containers supplying ISRO with diesel, propane, gasoline, and aviation gas; in support of varying ISRO missions.
Ranger IV will require United States Coast Guard (USCG) and American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) certification and shall meet all technical and operational requirements for annual operation between the park¿s headquarters and Isle Royale to perform the required vessel missions set forth in the Contract. Ranger IV is designed for unrestricted service under the 2024 ABS Marine Vessel Rules with the following notations: A1, Passenger Vessel, Great Lakes Service, Ice Class IE, Circle E, AMS, HAB, and COMF. The ship is designed in accordance with 46 CFR, Subchapter H (Passenger Vessels) requirements for inspected vessels and shall comply with all applicable federal regulations.
The NPS will acquire the delivery of Ranger IV through a Contract with a Vessel Construction Manager (VCM) which has experience procuring vessel(s) of similar size and complexity. Domestic sources shall be used to the maximum extent practicable for suitable and reasonably available equipment and components. The commercial entity (the VCM) will be an independent contractor bound by contract to deliver the Ranger IV vessel compliant in all aspects with the specifications and contract, on time, and for the agreed firm fixed price.

North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this requirement is: 336611 ¿ Ship Building and Repairing
Set-Aside: No Set-Aside Used
Size Standard: 1,300 employees
Product Service Code (PSC): Y1ED Construction of Ship Construction and Repair Facilities

Anticipated Period of Performance: Date of Ranger IV shall not be later than 32 months from date of award.

Contract-Type Vehicle: Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)

Bonding: Performance and Payment Bonds will be required.

Additional Information: RFP 140PS125R0009 will be issued electronically via the System for Award Management website (https://sam.gov). Specific instructions on submitting Proposals will be contained in the formal Solicitation documents, which is anticipated August 28, 2025. Documents will be made available for download purposes in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel, Adobe PDF, and/or HTML formats; Specifications available in Adobe PDF; and Drawings available in Adobe PDF. Paper Copies of the referenced documents will not be made available.

Prospective offerors desiring to conduct business with the NPS are required to have an active registration in the Systems for Awards Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov, and required to have a UEI number in order to conduct business with the Federal Government. The SAM.gov website has a ¿Contract Opportunities¿ area and ¿Watchlist¿ option, where you can add your company¿s interest. Registering provides the opportunity to receive notifications, which is a tool of convenience only; and does not serve as a guarantee of notification. Interested Parties are required to visit the SAM.gov website periodically to check for Amendments and other changes to the Synopsis or Solicitation documents.

This is currently an unfunded requirement, with a high expectation that funding will be available. When and if funds become available a Contract will be awarded at that time.

Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) Procedures: The Government will conduct a source selection using the Best Value Continuum Tradeoff Process defined at FAR Part 15.1. The Government may accept other than the lowest priced proposal when the perceived benefits of a higher priced proposal merit the price differential.
Evaluation of interested firms will be based on the following in the Solicitation:

Trade-off: The basis of award will utilize the best value continuum ¿ Trade-off process in accordance with FAR 15.101-1 to result in an award to the responsible Offeror pursuant to FAR 9.1. The technical/non-price evaluation factors and subfactors are listed below, where technical/non-price evaluation factors and subfactors, when combined, are significantly more important than price.

Volume I ¿ Technical Proposal
¿ Subfactor A: Technical Approach
¿ Subfactor B: Management Approach
¿ Subfactor C: Shipyard Selection
¿ Subfactor D: Shipyard Oversight Approach
¿ Subfactor E: Post Delivery Service and Warranty Management
¿ Subfactor F: Prior Experience
¿ Subfactor G: Small Business Participation
Volume II ¿ Past Performance

ATTACHMENTS: Included are draft design documents. DI-035_REV_5_ BIDDING SPECIFICATIONS Table 4: Contract Drawing List provides an index of the draft design documents.

NPS Point-of-Contact: Contracting Officer, Andrea Hannon ¿ andrea_hannon@nps.gov