Notice of intent to negotiate a sole-source contract

The US Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Marine and Aviation 
Operations (OMAO), the NOAA Ship Rainier is requesting Life raft Inspection of a quantity of 10 - 25-person Elliot Life rafts and a quantity of two – 4-person DBC Marine life rafts for the ship. The Life raft Inspection will be performed by LIFERAFT AND MARINE SAFETY EQUIPMENT INC. located in 1133 N Nimitz HWY 2nd FL, Honolulu, Hawaii 96817-2522.
 
NOAA Ship Rainier must meet United States Coast Guard (USCG) & Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS) requirements and NOAA policy to get underway after the ship repairs are complete, however the due to the repairs in HI the current life raft’s certifications have since lapsed.

The life rafts could be shipped from Hawaii to an USCG & SOLAS authorized facility on the main land, however the risks of delays, losing or damaging the life rafts through the shipping carriers could delay the ship from making its transit to the homeport or survey area. The life raft shells are very brittle and if received damaged after the life rafts are returned, having the damaged life raft repair and to determine liability of who will repair them will cost the ship more time.

The Government is not aware of any other vendors that are authorized to inspect and repair the Life rafts currently in the Island of OAHU therefore; the Government intends to acquire this service under the guidelines of FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisitions Procedures and FAR Part 12, Commercial Items. The Government intends to solicit and negotiate directly with LIFERAFT & MARINE SAFETY EQUIPMENT, INC. under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1)). The NAICS code for this is 336611, Ship Building and Repairing and the Product Service Code is J042.

 This is not a solicitation for competitive quotes. However, if any interested party located in Oahu, Hawaii that can provide these services and are authorized dealer, seller and distributor by the OEM, without delaying or adding additional mark ups or compromising any warranties, may submit a statement of capabilities, which if in timely received, will be considered by NOAA, OMAO.  

A statement of capabilities shall include the detailed of life raft, OEM authorization letter, and a price list, this shall be received by 5:00pm EST on Monday, August 12, 2024 at 5pm ET. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement is based upon responses to this notice and it 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 in the future. Evidence must be provided of the type of Life Raft they are authorized to inspect and repair, OEM letter, a capability statement, a price list and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow the Government to determine if the party can meet the requirement. Capability statements and related materials must be e-mailed Monday, August 12, 2024 at 5pm ET to alexander.cancela@noaa.gov.