Synopsis of Proposed Contract Action - Teledyne Webb Research

This is a Request for Information (RFI). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment for an RFP in the future and it is not considered to be a commitment by the Government to award a contract. The Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this announcement. No basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result from a response to this RFI or Government use of any information provided. Disclaimer and Important Notes: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response to this RFI. The Government reserves the right to use any information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate, including using technical information provided by respondents in any resultant solicitation. The purpose of this RFI is to improve the understanding of Government requirements and industry capabilities. This allows potential offerors to participate and provide information how they can satisfy the Government's requirements. Responses will assist the Government in determining the availability of potential solutions and commercial products in the market place. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor Federal Business Opportunities (FBO.GOV) for additional information pertaining to this requirement. For information regarding this acquisition, contact the Contracting Officials listed herein. This exchange of information must be consistent with procurement integrity requirements (See FAR 3.104). Interested parties include potential offerors, end users, Government acquisition and supporting personnel, and others involved in the conduct or outcome of the acquisition. BACKGROUND: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is responsible for the management, conservation and protection of living marine resources within the United States Exclusive Economic Zone. NMFS also provides scientific and policy leadership in the international arena and implements international conservation and management measures as appropriate. Under its mission, the goal of the NMFS is to optimize the benefits of living marine resources to the Nation through sound science and management. This requires balancing multiple public needs and interests in the sustainable benefits and use of living marine resources, without compromising the long-term biological integrity of the coastal and marine ecosystems. Many factors, both natural and human-related, affect the status of fish stocks, protected species and ecosystems. Although these factors cannot be controlled, available scientific and management tools enable the agency to have a strong influence on many of them. Maintaining and improving the health and productivity of these species is the heart of the NMFS stewardship mission and enhances current and future opportunities for the sustainable use of living marine resources as well as the health and biodiversity of their ecosystems. As part of this program the Antarctic Ecosystem Research Division of the Southwest Fisheries Science Center has a requirement autonomous underwater vehicles, specifically hybrid gliders, capable of operating in Southern Ocean waters (-1.5 to 4 degrees C), and over the depth range of 50 to 1000 meters.The requirement is to provide supplies, consumables, services (calibration and repairs), and replacement payloads for the U.S. Antarctic Marine Living Resource Program's (AMLR) existing glider fleet. Also, to purchase additional long-duration gliders (and the associated components) with large payloads and hybrid drive systems. It is anticipated the work will be completed in accordance with the description listed herein. Place of performance: At the prospective awardee's facility. Objectives NOAA's Western Acquisition Division anticipates a need for the procurement of the following services and supplies described herein: The government has the need for long duration hybrid gliders for work in the Southern Ocean. These gliders will perform the broad work of the research vessels previously contracted to conducted acoustic assessments of krill biomass and to collect biological and physical oceanographic data. The gliders required will provide the government an efficient way to continue long-term monitoring of the Southern Ocean ecosystem as in support of The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) needs and U.S. Government interests. Scope The Contractor's primary responsibility shall be to provide the instruments, and ancillary hardware and software to manage data collection from these instruments. The vendor shall also provide training in the maintenance, deployment and mission planning for up to eight (8) persons at the vendor's training facility using the vendor's equipment. Tasks The autonomous underwater vehicles, specifically hybrid gliders shall: A) Be capable of operating in Southern Ocean waters (-1.5 to 4 degrees C), and over the depth range of 50 to 1000 meters. B) Be of hybrid nature (buoyancy engine and a battery-operated foldable propeller capable of producing an additional minimum 0.5 knot speed); C) Be modular in construction allowing for the addition and substitution of payloads. D) Be equipped with instruments to measure water column properties (temperature, salinity, depth and oxygen (CTDO)); E) Have detectors for fluorescence (wavelengths appropriate for chlorophyll-a, colored-dissolved organic matter (CDOM) and transmissometry); F) Be equipped with a three frequency (38kHz (25-35 degree beam width) , 70kHz (10 to 20 degree beam width) and 120khZ (10 to 20 degree beam width)) integrated single beam acoustic echo sounders. G) The gliders shall be equipped with either single use (long duration) Lithium ion batteries (capable of 6 to 7 month missions), or rechargeable batteries (with three month duration) that are interchangeable depending on mission specifications. H) Have all engineering to integrate the CTDO, echo sounders, and fluorescence units that shall be included. I) Include sufficient on board data storage capacity to store the full suite of raw data from the scientific payload and diagnostic and navigation information from the glider . J) Integrate full navigation (GPS, altimeter, and pressure) into the system. K) Provide mission control software for piloting, mission setup, and data download, as well as fleet maintenance hardware and software. Thus, appropriate satellite (iridium, argos) and radio frequency communications for data download or upload of underway mission parameters into the system shall be included. L) Be equipped with a strobe light for use during recovery and shall have an emergency weight release to ensure surfacing in emergencies. M) Include extra cases for the storage of the units and a basic spare parts kit for each glider. N) Shall provide training in basic glider maintenance, deployment and recovery for 7 to 8 persons. O) Shall also include the cost of shipping the gliders, spare parts and additional storage cases to the Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla CA. Government-Furnished Property, Material, Equipment, or Information (GFP, GFM, GFE, or GFI) There is no GFP for this requirement. Security There is no security requirement as the equipment can be delivered. Travel There is no vendor travel associated with this product. The successful Vendor will host training classes at the vendor's training facility. Special Material Requirements There are no special material requirements. However, given that lithium batteries may be used to power these instruments, appropriate shipping requirements must be met by the vendor when shipping the instruments to the Government. Other Unique Requirements Prior to acceptance, the vendor will be required to demonstrate that the technical requirements of the SOW are met. This can be accomplished, for example, by deploying the instrument and recording sufficient data (three to four days, vertical excursions over the target operating range) with all instruments (CTD-O, Acoustic transducers, and fluorometers) operating to verify that the SOW is met. Sources intending to respond to this RFI should thoroughly review the aforementioned and submit the following information: A. Capability statements expressing interest in this requirement, describing your company and its capability to meet the minimum requirements stated in this RFI with a description of your proposed services and supplies that would meet the requirements. Interested parties should provide sufficient detailed information which demonstrates the technical capability of the proposed product to meet the Government requirements through the submission of product literature, technical features and warranty provisions, etc; B. Identification of your firm's business size. (Note: NAICS 334513 applies to this acquisition with the small business size standard being less than 750 employees). Indicate if your business is a socio-economic concern (e.g. SDVOSB, WOSB, 8(a), etc.) C. Cage Code and DUNS number. D. Submit two (2) separate references which clearly address recently completed (Federal, State, and local government and private) contracts, subcontracts, and grants, relevant to the type of supplies required under this RFI. Referenced contracts must demonstrate relevant experience that describes work over the past three years which illustrates the successful completion of similar supply projects. Interested vendors may provide information on problems encountered on the identified contracts and the offeror's corrective actions. The Government will consider this information, as well as information obtained from references listed in the proposal, knowledge of Government personnel, or other information regarding the offeror's performance on relevant contracts. E. Provide estimated timeframe of delivery. Please send your submission via email to the attention of Contact Specialist (CS) Carina Topasna, carina.topasna@noaa.gov, no later than Friday, March 09, 2018, 5:00 p.m. PST. The response shall be submitted electronically in PDF. The response shall be no more than 15 single-sided, single-spaced pages, and use a minimum font of 12 point (Times New Roman) on 8 - x 11-inch paper. Each page should be separately numbered.