Seaglider SGX autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), sensors, and supplies

NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) hereby gives public notice of the intent to negotiate a sole-source contract pursuant to the authority of Federal Acquisition Requirements FAR 6.103-1, as the supplies required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other supplies will satisfy agency requirements. FAR 6.103-1 and 41 USC 3304(a)(1) establishes authority for the government to seek supplies from the University of Washington (UW) for the acquisition of Seaglider SGX autonomous underwater vehicles (AUV), sensors and supplies. The procurement period of performance includes one (1) Base Year and two (2) 1-year Option Periods.

Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC), Uncrewed Marine Systems Program, has a requirement to procure additional Seaglider SGX AUVs to expand the existing fleet and provide a versatile, multi-sensor platform for Center-wide research priorities. The AUVs must be compatible with existing PIFSC infrastructure, piloting software, and specialized payloads.

The Government intends to negotiate a contract with UW for non-personal supplies to provide the base vehicle AUVs, integrated conductivity, temperature, and depth (CTD) sensors, and necessary field support equipment, along with optional specialized oceanographic sensors (such as dissolved oxygen and fluorometry) to ensure the platforms can be adapted for a wide range of fisheries and ecosystem monitoring tasks.

Responses to this notice must be provided within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of this notice. Vendors who believe they can meet this requirement are required to submit in writing an affirmative response demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the requirement. All written responses must include a capabilities statement that determines the ability to provide equipment that is technically identical to the existing Seaglider SGX fleet currently operated by PIFSC. This ensures data continuity, enables the use of existing piloting expertise, and allows for the integration of proprietary passive acoustic payloads. The response must be sufficient to permit agency analysis to establish a bona fide capability to meet the requirement. Failure to submit such documentation will result in the Government proceeding as previously stated. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Affirmative written responses must be received no later than 2:30 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, June 19, 2026. The responses must be submitted via e-mail to Contract Specialist, Jamie Abu Shakrah, at Jamie.AbuShakrah@noaa.gov and Contracting Officer, Carina Topasna, at Carina.Topasna@noaa.gov.