B--Intent to Sole-Source Orca Basin Brine Pools

The U.S. Department of the Interior, through its Acquisition Management Division and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM), is proceeding with a sole-source award under FAR 6.103-1 for a deepwater geophysical and geochemical survey in the Orca Basin on the Outer Continental Shelf at approximately 2,400 meters depth. The contract, identified by solicitation number 140M0126Q0021, is designated as a firm-fixed-price acquisition and is restricted to The University of Mississippi due to its uniquely specialized capabilities, including direct prior experience operating in the Orca Basin under cooperative agreement M23AC00006, access to specialized AUVs and ROVs capable of functioning in extreme anoxic brine environments, and established laboratory facilities equipped for high-precision analyses including XRD, SEM/EDS, and ICP-MS/OES to detect critical minerals such as rare earth elements, lithium, barium, and strontium. The work entails high-resolution seafloor and subseafloor mapping using multibeam, sidescan, and subbottom profiling systems, targeted sampling of sediments and brine columns, and comprehensive data integration to produce deliverables such as interpretive maps, sample catalogs, metadata-compliant datasets, preliminary quick-look products, and a final synthesis report, all governed by NOAA SOMP and HSSD standards, BOEM metadata requirements, and S-100 data conventions. The proposal submission deadline is June 10, 2026, with responses required to be sent electronically to the contracting officer, Christina Mohamed, at the designated email address; no physical submissions or formal proposal volumes are prescribed. While the contract does not include an itemized pricing table or line-item details, the scope is grounded in technical qualification rather than cost competition, reflecting the government’s determination that no other entity possesses the proven technical expertise, existing equipment, and operational history necessary to execute this mission. Performance will occur exclusively at the Orca Basin site, with final acceptance of all deliverables to be conducted by BOEM at its administrative office in Sterling, Virginia. There are no specified packaging, labeling, or preservation protocols for samples beyond implied requirements for maintaining sample integrity during analysis, and no military standards are referenced—compliance is instead tied to civilian scientific and data interoperability frameworks. The contracting officer is the sole point of contact with no identified COR or COTR, and no payment, accounting, or invo