Study Fleet Data Collection and Reporting Services for Cooperative Research, NMFS

The Eastern Region Acquisition Division (ERAD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Norfolk, VA is soliciting quotes, on behalf of the NOAA Fisheries Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).

The NEFSC Cooperative Research Study Fleet Program, along with other research branches within the NEFSC, requires Contractor support in one or more areas of scientific investigation.  The Study Fleet will require services of commercial trawl and fixed gear vessels fishing for monkfish, groundfish, Atlantic herring, Atlantic mackerel, long-finned squid and other mid-Atlantic commercial species.

The Contractor shall assist in collecting and confirming tow-by-tow data through an electronic logbook system and a web based data confirmation system.  This will be accomplished through use of the NEFSC Fisheries Logbook Data Recording Systems (FLDRS) software, or sector management electronic reporting tools capable of recording and transmitting the necessary data elements, as determined by the NEFSC. Contractors may also perform testing of new software versions and capabilities.  Work shall be on a schedule consistent with the vessel’s fishing practices and agreed upon research projects.  The planned period of performance is for a base period of one (1) year and four (4) one year options.

The RFQ will be solicited as a 100% Total Small Business Set-Aside.  The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the acquisition is 541715 Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology).  The small business size standard is 1000 employees.  The solicitation and proposed fixed-price contract will be issued utilizing FAR Part 12 and FAR Subpart 13.5, Test Program For Certain Commercial Items.  The Award(s) will be made to the quoter(s) whose quote meets all Statement of Work (SOW) and solicitation requirements and is judged to be the best value, by an integrated assessment of price and other evaluation factors listed in the Request for Quote (RFQ).

The anticipated award date is February 2020.  Hard copies of the RFQ will not be issued. The solicitation will be available electronically approximately on or about December 4, 2019 via Contract Opportunities at beta.sam.gov (formerly known as FedBizopps).  It is incumbent upon contractors to monitor beta.sam.gov for the release of the RFQ, Statement of Work, and all subsequent amendments.  To be eligible for award, quoters must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database at www.sam.gov; quoters must also obtain a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number and provide it with the quote.  All responsible sources may submit a quote, which shall be considered by the agency.  For information concerning this acquisition, please forward inquiries via e-mail to Roberta Smith, Contract Specialist, at Roberta.H.Smith@noaa.gov.