Lower Keys Underwater Marine Debris Removal: Dive Liveaboard

The Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission is issuing a single-source purchase notice for live-aboard dive vessel services supporting multi-day marine debris removal operations in the Lower Keys, with prospective vendors required to submit capability information by August 18, 2026 at 5:00 p.m. ET. This is not a competitive solicitation; the FWC has designated Makai, Inc. as the sole source after market research determined that only one of four National Park Service Commercial Use Authorization (CUA) holders can meet the operational requirements.

The scope is provision of a live-aboard vessel to conduct one to three cruises annually, each four to six days long, for SCUBA diving operations removing derelict fishing gear and abandoned traps from the Key West National Wildlife Refuge (Marquesas area) and Dry Tortugas National Park in Monroe County. Field sites are located 20 to 70 miles from Key West. The vessel must accommodate up to ten divers with overnight accommodations—a requirement that eliminates the three other CUA-authorized vendors, which operate day-trip vessels with four to six-diver capacity and no overnight capabilities.

The estimated contract value is $200,000 over a term running from purchase order issuance through July 28, 2028. Funding is provided by the Florida Trustee Implementation Group, which administers Deepwater Horizon oil spill settlement dollars for sea turtle protection and restoration. Cruise dates are to be coordinated based on seasonal scheduling and weather conditions. Any contractor selected must comply with Florida Statute Chapter 287 and all applicable rules and laws. Prospective vendors should address capability correspondence to the FWC contact person identified in the attached Description of Intended Single Source Purchase (PUR 7776).