Merkel & Associates, Inc.

Merkel & Associates, Inc., a certified woman-owned small business headquartered in San Diego, California, specializes in marine habitat assessment, environmental monitoring, and restoration services for federal agencies. The firm has established itself as a trusted environmental services provider with deep expertise in coastal ecosystems, invasive species management, and regulatory compliance support. Since registering with SAM.gov in 2002, Merkel & Associates has built a substantial portfolio of federal contract and grant awards, positioning itself as a key environmental contractor for the Department of Defense, Department of Commerce, Department of Interior, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Merkel & Associates has delivered an extensive range of marine habitat and environmental services through federal prime and subcontract awards spanning multiple agencies and contract vehicles. The company's primary service offerings include eelgrass (Zostera pacifica) surveys, mapping, restoration, and monitoring; invasive species eradication surveys, particularly for Caulerpa prolifera; marine mammal baseline studies and monitoring; marine invertebrate assessments; water quality monitoring; and environmental assessments supporting dredging and harbor maintenance activities. The Naval Facilities Engineering Command has been the dominant contracting agency, issuing numerous delivery orders under a $15 million multiple award Indefinite Delivery Contract awarded in April 2021 for Marine Habitat Services across California and Hawaii. Additional prime contracts have been awarded by the U.S. Navy Installations Command, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (Region 5 and Region 8), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and Naval Special Warfare Command. Specific notable prime contracts include a $249,670 purchase order from Fish and Wildlife Service Region 8 for Caulerpa prolifera eradication surveys in San Diego Bay (December 2025), a $446,341 delivery order from Navy Installations Command for Pacific eelgrass planting at Ballast Point (September 2025), a $627,292 delivery order for San Diego Bay eelgrass habitat restoration and environmental assessment (January 2021), and a $735,096 delivery order for marine surveys and analysis supporting the Special Boat program (February 2021). The company has also served as a subcontractor on federal contract awards, with documented subcontract work including eelgrass surveys and hydrographic surveys under prime contractors Bb&E, Inc. and Manson Construction Co., and water quality and environmental monitoring services. Set-aside designations on Merkel & Associates' prime contracts have included Total Small Business set-asides and Woman-Owned Small Business set-asides, reflecting the company's status as a certified women-owned enterprise.

Merkel & Associates has participated in federal grant awards primarily through sub-grant arrangements with academic and research institutions. The company served as a sub-awardee under a grant from the University of California San Diego, contributing to an eelgrass monitoring and habitat assessment project in Humboldt Bay. The sub-grant, totaling $22,272 with a modification of $23,790 in January 2023, supported enhanced bay-wide monitoring of eelgrass through collection, analysis, and integration of high-resolution unmanned aerial vehicle imagery with field investigations. This project recognized the ecological significance of Humboldt Bay's eelgrass resources, which represent approximately 35 percent of California's eelgrass habitat by area and provide critical ecosystem functions supporting endangered salmon and migratory birds along the Pacific Flyway. While the specific federal grant program administering the UC San Diego award is not explicitly detailed, the work aligns with broader environmental monitoring and conservation objectives typically supported by federal agencies such as NOAA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, or the National Science Foundation. Merkel & Associates' participation in this grant effort demonstrates its capacity to contribute technical expertise in specialized marine monitoring methodologies to collaborative research initiatives.

Merkel & Associates holds a $15 million multiple award Indefinite Delivery Contract with the Department of the Navy Naval Facilities Engineering Command for Marine Habitat Services, awarded April 15, 2021, with an ultimate completion date of October 14, 2029. This contract vehicle is designated as a Total Small Business set-aside and operates as a multiple award contract, providing various Navy commands and installations with flexible access to Merkel & Associates' environmental expertise. Under this IDC, Navy installations have issued over 20 delivery orders for firm fixed-price work spanning marine habitat surveys, restoration projects, invasive species monitoring, and environmental assessments. The delivery orders have covered work at multiple California locations including San Diego Bay, Naval Air Station North Island, Naval Base San Diego, Naval Base Ventura, Seal Beach, and San Clemente Island, as well as Hawaii operations. Services delivered under this IDC have included eelgrass transect surveys and monitoring, eelgrass habitat restoration and mitigation, marine invertebrate surveys, invasive algae and Caulerpa monitoring, dredging support surveys, water quality monitoring, and nearshore marine biological community assessments. The IDC structure has allowed the Navy Installations Command and Naval Facilities Engineering Command to efficiently task Merkel & Associates for both routine environmental monitoring and specialized survey work required to support facility operations and environmental regulatory compliance. Additionally, Merkel & Associates holds authority to participate in the General Services Administration Multiple Award Schedule contract vehicle, which has provided a contracting mechanism for awards from civilian agencies including NOAA and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, enabling broader federal procurement access beyond the Department of Defense.

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING, PERMITTING & REGULATORY AGENCY LIAISON; HABITAT DESIGN, RESTORATION & MONITORING; MARINE/TERRESTRIAL SITE ASSESSMENTS; INCLUDING RARE, THREATENED & ENDANGERED PLANT/ANIMAL SPECIES SURVEYS & MAPPING; WETLAND INVENTORIES/DELINEATIO