Acoustic Recorders to Support Passive Acoustic Monitoring Operations

NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE Synopsis of Proposed Contract Action - 1305M320RNFFR0012 A determination not to compete this proposed contract was made pursuant to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.501(a). Due to the unique and highly specialized nature of the services only one source is capable of providing the services required at the level of quality required for the entire scope of work. The NOAA NMFS requires underwater acoustic recorders to record ocean noise and marine animal vocalizations for the purposes of monitoring their distribution and abundance, while gaining a better understanding of the overall soundscape. This monitoring work utilizes packages anchored to the seafloor, configured into autonomous drifters, and a variety of other case-specific uses, such as units attached to fishing gear, vessels, or autonomous vehicles. These applications require a flexible, and highly technically capable recording unit. Nearly all applications require user-programmable acoustic recording schedules and sampling rates and must be capable of scheduled operation or user-friendly remote operation. Operations require very high-frequency acoustic sampling, multi-channel recording, and/or swappable hydrophones specific to project requirements. The manufacturer, Ocean Instruments NZ, is the only distributor of its equipment, and is the only firm offering hydrophones that meet the specific technical requirements for these supplies, including minimum sampling rates, number of recording channels, and maximum depth. Multiple NMFS Science Centers and National Marine Sanctuary offices have purchased and currently use SoundTrap recorders to carry out marine mammal and ocean noise monitoring projects throughout US and international waters. These units have been used with great success in remote and harsh field conditions. Continued use of SoundTraps will facilitate cross-project/site comparisons by enabling direct comparison of like data collected by these units with data collected in other locations and for other purposes. Additionally, these units are the only hydrophone recorders on the market that utilize an automated click detector, enabling prolonged battery life resulting in longer deployment time, while still detecting and recording higher frequencies produced by odontocetes (toothed whales) when they are present. Failing to obtain recorders that do not meet all required specifications will result in incomplete or low quality recordings, hindering the mission goal to improve abundance estimates and study cetaceans (whales, dolphins, and porpoises) and other marine mammals. Ocean Instruments NZ recorders are well-tested and perform well in a variety of applications and are the only small, lightweight recorder available that can meet the deployment duration, sampling rate, and deployment depth capabilities required. The recorders are the only available devices capable of meeting NOAA's research goals, and are only manufactured and sold/distributed by this company. The recording units required have distinct specifications. The current requirements include the recording capabilities described below, and the products and configurations that are currently commercially available. SoundTrap 300: This unit has a fixed hydrophone that is factory calibrated improving the value of the recordings for understanding the marine soundscape. This unit is lightweight and easily attachable to various underwater mounts, fishing gear, or drifting recording units with a depth rating to 500 m. Continuous recording duration is up to 13 days and expandable to 70 days with the ST300B external battery pack. Loss-less audio compression of WAV files allows for a high sampling rate (STD: 288 kHz; HF: 576 kHz) resulting in longer duration deployments of high quality data. Low self-noise, remote control activation, temperature sensor, tri-axial accelerometer sensor, user selectable acoustic recording schedules and acoustic sampling rates all improve the flexibility in project design. SoundTrap 500: This recording unit has a fixed hydrophone that comes factory calibrated improving the value of the recordings for understanding the soundscape. This unit is extremely lightweight compared to other recording packages of similar capabilities, making it easily attachable to various underwater mounts and fishing gear with a depth rating to 500 m. Continuous recording duration is up to 180 days (9 x D alkaline cell batteries). Loss-less audio compression of WAV files allows for a high sampling rate (STD: 288 kHz; HF: 576 kHz) resulting in longer duration deployments of high quality data. This unit contains 256 GB of internal memory capacity that is user expandable to 1 TB (3 x microSD cards). Low self-noise, remote control activation, temperature sensor, tri-axial accelerometer sensor, user selectable acoustic recording schedules and acoustic sampling rates all improve the flexibility in project design. SoundTrap 4300: This recording unit has four underwater connectors for user-selected hydrophone inputs, which allows the customization of hydrophone models and the separation between them during project design. This unit is lightweight and easily attachable to various underwater mounts, fishing gear, or drifting recording units with a depth rating to 500 m. Continuous recording duration is up to 8 days and expandable to 30 days with the ST300B external battery pack using all four channels (user-select option to reduce number of channels recorded). Loss-less audio compression of WAV files allows for a high sampling rate (STD: 288 kHz; HF: 384 kHz) resulting in longer duration deployments of high quality data. Low self-noise, remote control activation, temperature sensor, tri-axial accelerometer sensor, user selectable acoustic recording schedules and acoustic sampling rates all improve the flexibility in project design. ST300B: External battery pack housing 3 x D alkaline cell batteries and extends battery life for SoundTrap modules ST300 and ST4300. It is depth rated to 100 m, but can be modified to 500 m. This battery extension expands deployments from weeks to months and allows for a wider range of project designs. This procurement is being conducted under contracting by under FAR) 13.501(a). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for these item is 334519. This notice of intent is not a formal solicitation or request for competitive proposals. No solicitation document is available and telephone requests will not be accepted. No award will be made on the basis of quotations or offers received in response to this notice. Interested parties may submit their interest and capabilities no later than Tuesday, August 25, 2020 2:00 p.m. Pacific Time. E-mail statements will be accepted but senders are responsible for ensuring the complete transmission and timely receipt. All inquiries shall be sent via e-mail to: contact@example.gov. The government intends to issue a single award indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract with firm-fixed price orders for a five year performance period for acoustic recorders and accessories with Ocean Instruments Ltd NZ. The intent of this synopsis is for informational purposes only. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement for future requirements. A determination by the government not to compete this action is based on this notice and solely within the discretion of the government.