Custom Electrofishing Boat and Equipment

The USGS, Cooperative Research Units in Reston, VA, supporting the Ecosystems Mission Area requests the purchases of a custom electrofishing boat and equipment. The primary use is to support the field program of the MS Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit (MSCFWRU) for sampling fishes in a variety of freshwater waterbodies. The immediate use of the boat is to support research on invasive carps, which requires a large (18ft) boat to accommodate a portable livewell and crew while still being versatile enough to safely maneuver in swift- and slowwater environments (customized hybrid V hull in front and flat hull toward rear). The USGS is aware of no other source that can provide the specifications that were provided within the RFI that was posted. The USGS requests a Custom Electrofishing Boat and Equipment. Therefore, the USGS intends to make an award to Midwest Lake Management, Inc., unless it is contacted by any vendor who believes they can provide the same product. Vendors are invited to contact the Contracting Officer, Nicole Demby (contact@example.gov) no later than 12:00PM EST, Thursday, September 23, 2021 with an affirmative answer. SOLE SOURCE JUSTIFICATION STATES THE FOLLOWING PART: The following information is provided to demonstrate the proposed contractor's unique qualifications: The U.S. Geological Survey (Wisconsin Cooperative Fishery Research Unit) has a need for a Custom Electrofishing Boat and Equipment. The proposed action may be awarded on a sole source basis under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1) - only one source reasonably available. The equipment described above is needed for navigating and sampling a variety of large freshwater waterbodies in Mississippi including the Mississippi and Tennessee rivers, mid-sized rivers, reservoirs, oxbow lakes, and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway. Accordingly, the boat must be able to handle both swift- and slow-water conditions safely. The boat will need to be versatile enough to rapidly switch between multiple sampling methods including electrofishing, deploying/retrieving nets, and trawling. The vessel needs to be custom built to navigate a variety of large waterbodies safely in Mississippi. The hull is a hybrid - chopped V design that is not readily available with other manufacturers. The V on the front will provide necessary maneuverability in swift-water conditions while allowing boat operators to break through wakes encountered on large, windy waterbodies. However, the vessel will also need to navigate shallower mid-sized rivers throughout interior Mississippi. The V front will transition to a flat-bottom hull toward the stern, which will reduce the draft of the boat to allow the boat to navigate shallow-water conditions, thereby helping avoid collisions, minimize injury risks, and boat damage. The vessel will include other customizations to meet the Government's minimum needs that are not available from other vendors. For example, the helm is customized to allow a portable control box (electrofishing controls) to rest in front of the operator, thereby allowing the operator to safely watch dipnetters in the front of the boat. Portability of the control box is essential for being able to use the box in different vessels and for freeing up space inside the boat for other sampling methods. Moreover, the helm is offset to the side of the boat, which affords a larger workspace for livewell and fish processing. Finally, the boat will have a customized safety rail that can be partially removed on the fly when setting/retrieving nets or trawling. Overall, the boat is designed for electrofishing, but it can be used for a variety of other uses, which is important when responding to the Government's varied research needs. This manufacturer and the components cited in item 3 above provide the only complete system that meets the requirements of providing up to 24,000+ watts of pulsed DC output power; 5500w continuous; Equipment must be able to run multiple AC waveforms up to 7200w. Electrofishing booms cannot have any conductive material (aluminum or brass) on the exterior because personnel handle booms while electrofishing to control electrical current to the water. Conductive material on the exterior of the boom risks electrical shock. Consequently, electrofishing boom construction must be all non-conductive fiberglass material for maximum safety; 2'OD, 1/4 wall; all potentially live circuits on booms must be of a socket design; a socket design conceals conductive material (e.g., brass), thereby minimizing risk of electrocution when manipulating booms while electroshocking water. The control box must have digital real-time displays in single illuminated alpha information screen to notify user of overloading errors, incorrect settings, and dead shorts. The control box must have hermetically sealed / splash resistant design; Must contain three waterproof input, output, and switch connections below heatsink at rear of control box; 31 lbs. lightweight chassis (maximum weight allowed). Finally, the Infinity Control Box has a simple cooling system that is based on convection. The boat and electrofishing equipment need to be fabricated concurrently to allow electrofishing equipment to be fully integrated into the boat design to maximize safety and functionality. For example, MLES can customize the boat design to conceal their electrical wiring and junctions, which minimizes risks of UV light degradation of wires, tripping over exposed wires within the boat, snagging nets on electrical equipment, and most importantly, electrocution of student trainees. If MLES manufactures the boat, they can install a proprietary junction box/bulkhead with customized connectors and seals that are triple protected against electrical shorts or arcs, which minimizes risks of damaging electrofishing equipment or electrocuting trainees. MLES will not allow their electrofishing equipment to be installed by a third-party boat manufacturer because of safety and liability risks created by installers who are less familiar with MLES equipment. There are several other considerations for why MLES is the only supplier of the vessel and electrofishing equipment. Cooperative Research Units in neighboring Alabama, Tennessee, and Missouri also use Infinity Control Boxes, meaning equipment can be quickly interchanged or loaned among Units. Similarly, the Engineer Research and Development Center (US Army Corp of Engineers), US Fish and Wildlife Service, and Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture extensively work in Mississippi and also use an Infinity Control Box, meaning data will be comparable. Further, MLES provides a loaner program that will temporarily replace an Infinity Control Box if there is an equipment failure. Quickly servicing equipment is paramount when conducting field research with narrow timelines to collect data. Based on extensive market research conducted online, speaking with colleagues, and speaking with sales consultants, the model available from Midwest Lake Management, Inc/Midwest Lake Electrofishing Systems is the only company that can build, customize, and equip a boat that is able to meet all required specifications. Midwest Lake Management, Inc is uniquely positioned to custom manufacture the boat and electrofishing equipment in tandem allowing the vessel to be fully integrated with electrofishing components. Moreover, modifications or repairs do not need to be coordinated among different companies because Midwest Lake Management, Inc manufactures both vessel and electrofishing equipment. A request for information was issued on 08/13/2021 and received three responses. Only Midwest Lake was found to be technically acceptable to meet all the specifications noted in paragraph 6.