Notice of intent to sole source

The Department of Interior's US Fish and Wildlife Service has issued a Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source a procurement for specialized acoustic transmitters to be used in tracking adult Chinook Salmon. The notice specifically targets InnovaSea Acoustic Telemetry System for acquiring acoustic transmitters that will be used to study salmon habitat usage, migration timing, and spawn locations in Battle Creek. The procurement is being conducted under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1, which allows for sole source acquisition when only one responsible source can satisfy agency requirements. The notice was posted on April 22, 2025, with a response deadline of April 29, 2025, at 1:00 PM CST. The procurement is categorized under the NAICS code 334290 for Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing.

The primary objective of this sole source procurement is to obtain acoustic transmitters compatible with existing InnovaSea/Vemco receiver equipment to expand an ongoing salmon tracking study. The transmitters must meet specific technical specifications, including a 69 kHz transmission frequency, dimensions less than or equal to 9.0 mm diameter x 27.5 mm length, and the ability to provide individual and unique coding with a specific ping rate. Contractors wishing to challenge the sole source determination must provide clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government. Responses must be submitted via email to the contract specialist, Jack Skogen, by the specified deadline. The procurement is valued under the Simplified Acquisition Threshold and aims to minimize replacement costs for the existing receiver array while maintaining data comparability with previous research studies.