Sand, Sediment, and Critical Mineral Investigation

The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management seeks geophysical and geological investigation services to identify sand, sediment, and critical mineral resources in federal waters offshore Louisiana at Ship Shoal, with quotations due August 31, 2026 and questions due August 10, 2026. This procurement is a total small business set-aside under NAICS 541360 (Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services), with a small business size standard of $28.5 million.

Place of performance includes Ship Shoal, Louisiana and the contractor's facility. The scope comprises acquisition of 500 line-miles of geophysical survey data (CHIRP and Boomer), bathymetric data including seafloor reflectivity, magnetometer and side scan sonar data, collection of 35 vibracores (30 feet preferred) with an option for 10 deep borings (minimum 50 feet), analysis of 140 vibracore samples, and collection and analysis of 70 critical mineral samples. Work must comply with BOEM Notice to Lessees, ISO 19901, FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata, USGS Science Data Lifecycle Model, and applicable ASTM standards for core logging and soil classification. All digital deliverables must be submitted in formats compatible with the Marine Minerals Information System.

The anticipated award is a single firm fixed-price purchase order for a two-year period of performance. Evaluation considers technical approach (limited to 15 pages), past performance (limited to 3 pages), and price. Award will be made on a best-value basis to the responsible quoter whose quotation represents the most advantageous combination. No prevailing wage or Service Contract Labor Standards apply. The contracting officer is William Rilee; quotations must be submitted electronically to william_rilee@ios.doi.gov. As of August 13, 2026, responses to contractor questions have been posted with no extension to the due date.