C211 - Sole Source for Environmental Study to Provide Trace of 38 Outfalls at Naval Station Newport

The FISC Norfolk Contracting Department at the Groton Office plans to award a sole source purchase order to ESS Group for conducting an illicit discharge tracing study on dry weather flows from 38 selected storm water outfalls at Naval Station Newport. This effort is part of compliance monitoring under the Rhode Island Pollution Discharge Elimination System (RIPDES) General Permit, which the station holds, and is aimed at ensuring that the station meets regulatory requirements to prevent violations of Rhode Island environmental laws. The service is set to begin before September 30, 2006, with an anticipated contract award date of September 14, 2006. This procurement will be executed under Simplified Acquisition Procedures and is justified as Other Than Full and Open Competition according to FAR 6.302-1, reflecting its sole source nature. The study is critical for sampling and evaluating storm water discharge quality from a subset of the total 141 outfalls to guarantee ongoing permit compliance and avoid potential penalties. The announcement explicitly states that it is not a solicitation for offers and that the government's decision not to compete the procurement will be at their discretion.