Sources sourght for fabrication, testing, calibration and installation of a REC

The U.S. Department of Interior, US Geological Survey (USGS) is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support this requirement for the potential need for services for fabrication, testing, calibration, and installation of a recirculating research flume.

The United States Geological Survey (USGS), Columbia Environmental Research Center (CERC) requires a precision manufacturing firm to fabricate, test, calibrate, and install a recirculating, "racetrack" flume designed to be used for testing larval fish (and other aquatic biota) responses to water depth, velocity, and turbulence per these Technical Requirements:

Dimensions musts be adequate (width, height, length) to represent conditions typical of a riverine environment associated with early life stage pallid sturgeon, balanced with available space and resources for flume construction.

1. A continuous loop or racetrack flume configuration with an open top.

2. Dimensions (inside to inside, not including glazing).

Flume Dimensions:

Channel width - 1.5 m

Channel Water depth - 1 m

Test section straight length - 7 m

Gap between parallel sections - 1.7 m

Curved end inner radius - 0.75 m

Curved end outer radius - 2.25 m

Flat in curved end - 0.2 m

Freeboard - 0.05 m

Overall length - 11.5 m

Overall width - 4.7 m

Area and volume:

Total plan view area - 35.7 m2

Total water volume - 35.7 m3

Total water volume - 9441 gal

Total water mass @ 20C 35,673 kg

Velocity and Flow Rate:

Maximum velocity - 1 m/s

Maximum flow rate - 1.5 m3/s

Maximum flow rate - 23775 gpm

Disassembled component sections of flume must fit through 6' wide, 7' high double door.

Materials of construction must be compatible with anticipated working fluids and non-toxic to organism.

The flume structure must be durable and safely support the static and dynamic loads of the fluid, roughness elements and instrumentation.

Water circulation must be adequate to achieve desired circulation velocities, but must not induce excessive turbulence or shear forces.

The occurrence of hydraulic effects of the flume itself on the flow (velocity distributions, excessive turbulence, wall effects) must be well understood, minimized where possible, or controlled within acceptable limits.

Controls must be adequate to operate the flume safely, consistently, and reliably with minimal operator intervention.

The flume must provide physical access, viewing windows, space for instrumentation mounts, etc. needed to perform experiments.

The flume enclosure or room must provide appropriate and consistent environment conditions including lighting, sound, and ambient temperatures.

Flume must contain two separate propulsion systems optimized for different fish life stages and minimize damage to the youngest eggs and larvae.

The result of this market research shall contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541715.

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred.

If your organization has the potential ability to meet this requirement, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements.

The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to 1) provide services consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract.

BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 5:00 PM EST on November 24, 2020. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to bwilson@usgs.gov.

If you have any questions concerning this opportunity please contact Beth Wilson at bwilson@usgs.gov.