B--Understanding the Effects of Time and Energy on the Effectiveness of Dispersants

The U.S. Department of the Interior's Minerals Management Service (MMS) intends to issue a sole source purchase order to Exxon Mobile Upstream Research Company for participation in a joint industry project titled "Understanding the Effects of Time and Energy on the Effectiveness of Dispersants." This procurement, valued at $50,000 over an eighteen-month period, is pursued under the authority of FAR 6.302-1, indicating that only one responsible source can meet the agency’s requirements. Joint industry projects like this facilitate collaborative research and development by spreading costs among multiple stakeholders, making expensive research more feasible for participants. This announcement serves as a notification rather than a solicitation for competitive quotes, and the government reserves the right to decide whether or not to compete the action at its discretion. Interested parties could submit information by September 1, 2005, but direct phone inquiries are discouraged; communications were to be conducted via email or fax as directed. The contracting office responsible for this procurement is the MMS Procurement Operations Branch, with Sharon Teger as the listed point of contact. The project signifies a focused effort to study the performance of dispersants under varying conditions of time and energy, supporting the agency’s interest in environmental protection related to mineral resource management.