2013 ARCWEST Vessel Charter

Solicitation Number: AB-133F-13-RP-0056 Notice Type: Pre-Solicitation Notice Synopsis: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Alaska Fisheries Science Center (AFSC), National Marine Mammal Lab (NMML) has a requirement for the charter of a vessel to conduct passive acoustic/biological/biophysical surveys of whales, their prey, and their environment in the Chukchi, Bering and Beaufort Seas, in support of the 2013 Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST). The objective of the research is to conduct passive acoustic monitoring and satellite tagging to determine distribution, migratory patterns and acoustic ecology of cetaceans in the Chukchi Sea, and to conduct oceanographic sampling to determine transport and advection of krill and nutrients from the northern Bering Sea to the Barrow Arch area. Although the focus will be the Chukchi Sea, research will also occur in the Bering and Beaufort Seas. In addition, opportunistic photo-identification and biopsy sampling will be conducted to complement current biological and population studies of large whales. NMML requires one (1) commercial fishing vessel with experienced crew to facilitate NOAA's completion of this study. Some requirements for the vessel include a minimum overall length of 150 feet, a maximum draft of 15 feet, and a minimum cruising speed of 10 knots. Contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, transportation and services necessary to perform the requirements for the 2013 Arctic Whale Ecology Study (ARCWEST) Vessel Charter, except as noted in the Statement of Work. All vessel requirements will be included in the final solicitation package, to be posted on FedBizOpps (www.fbo.gov). The resulting firm-fixed-price contract will have a base period of performance of charter from approximately August 1, 2013 to September 1, 2013 with an option for up to sixteen (16) additional charter days. Currently, fuel is planned to be provided via Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) contract. Should the supply of fuel under the DLA contract not be available, then fuel will be reimbursed at cost. The proposed contract is 100% set-aside for small business concerns. The NAICS code for this procurement is 483114 and the size standard is 500 employees. All responsible and fully responsive sources may submit a proposal which will be considered by the Agency. Any resulting contract will be awarded as a firm-fixed-price contract. Solicitation documents will be made available for download on or about April 22, 2013 at http://www.fbo.gov/. Paper copies of this solicitation will not be issued. Interested parties should use the FedBizOpps [Add To Watchlist] and [Add Me To Interested Vendors] features which provide a notification when the Request for Proposal (RFP) becomes available for download, as well as for all subsequent postings of information associated with this solicitation. Each potential offeror is responsible for checking the FedBizOpps website to gain all current information related to the solicitation. The solicitation and any further announcements regarding the solicitation will be posted only at http://www.fbo.gov/. The response due date is May 23, 2013; however, the actual date on which offers are due will be stated within the solicitation documents. All questions regarding this procurement are to be sent to Contract Specialist Keith Fowler, at keith.fowler@noaa.gov or via fax at (206) 526-6025. ***All vendors doing business with the Government are required to be registered with the SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM), www.sam.gov, which replaces the CCR and ORCA systems formerly used for this purpose.*** NO award can be made unless the vendor is registered in SAM. In order to register in SAM and be eligible to receive an award from this acquisition office, all vendors must first have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number issued by Dun & Bradstreet, Inc. Vendors may obtain a DUNS number free of charge by visiting http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform or by calling the D&B Customer Resource Center at (800) 333-0505. This procurement also requires offerors to complete the Online Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) as part of their SAM registration. For additional information and to register in SAM, please access the following web site: http:///www.sam.gov/.