B -- Notice of Intent to Negotiate a Sole Source Contract

The Department of Commerce's National Marine Fisheries Service office in Honolulu, HI, plans to negotiate a sole source contract with Duke University’s Wider Caribbean Sea Turtle Conservation Network at the Nicholas School of the Environment. The contract, valued under $100,000, aims to support research on the visual capabilities of leatherback sea turtles, employing flicker-photometric electroretinography (ERG) as the primary method. The research is optimally conducted in Trinidad, which hosts two significant leatherback turtle nesting colonies, providing a crucial site for the study. Duke University has been identified as the sole qualified source capable of performing this specialized work, justifying the sole source negotiation. This streamlined acquisition process is intended to facilitate timely progress in the research without a competitive solicitation process, and no requests for solicitation will be entertained. The notice serves as the official communication of intent to negotiate the contract, emphasizing the unique expertise and logistical suitability associated with this agreement.