Rear steelhead trout-hood canal

***NOAA's Acquisition & Grants Office, Western Acquisition Division-Boulder, intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with Long Live the Kings, of Seattle, Washington, for providing biological services to culture steelhead trout, collect biological data and produce data reports.

***The sole source determination is based on the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) requirement to acquire the services for biological studies, analysis and maintain database records. In 2006, NOAA Fisheries, NWFSC, began a 16 year long before-after-control-impact experiment to determine the effects of hatcheries on ESA-listed steelhead in Hood Canal. The study is a large-scale, long-term experiment that specifies certain populations as supplemented (receiving hatchery-raised fish) and certain populations as controls (receive no hatchery fish). In order to meet the requirement of the Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan and research requirements of NOAA fisheries, the research must be conducted in locations indicated and the rearing must take place at the Long Live the Kings hatchery in Hood Canal. In order to meet the requirements of the Hatchery and Genetic Management Plan and the research requirements of NOAA fisheries, the research must be conducted in the locations indicated and the rearing must take place at the Long Live the Kings Hatchery in Hood Canal. Due to the sensitivity of the brood and the risk of loss of brood if moved (and the loss of the research), they must remain at this location for this study. Lilliwaup Creek hatchery is owned and operated by Long Live the Kings and is the only organization that has been granted the landowner's permission as the lead entity to perform routine biological sampling in the portions of the Hamma Hamma River and Duckabush River watersheds under study. Long Live the Kings has a history of successfully working with private landowners in both watersheds to conduct biological studies. Long Live the Kings is the only potential contractor with the combined capability, competence, facilities and landowner permission to carry out this study on the west side of Hood Canal.

***This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can fully meet the Government's requirements may submit substantiating documentation in writing to the identified point of contact within 15 days after publication of this synopsis. Such documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to conduct a competitive procurement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.