Electronic Monitoring, Installation & Training

This is a Sources Sought Notice for a commercial acquisition. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Notice or reimburse the costs incurred by potential offerors in providing the information requested herein. Accordingly, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service, and Eastern Acquisition Division is conducting market research to determine potential sources capable of providing electronic monitoring installation and training as detailed herein: The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 541620, Environmental Consulting Services. The small business size standard for this NAICS code is $14,000,000 or less. This is not a request for technical or cost proposals. All types of business concerns, large businesses, small businesses, and nonprofit and educational institutions are encouraged to submit a brief, typed Capability Statement in response to this sources sought announcement. The nature of the work to be performed includes supporting new regulations for the pelagic longline fishery, which would include individual bycatch quotas for bluefin (intended to limit the catch of bluefin, increase individual accountability, and provide strong incentives to avoid bluefin), and bluefin catch reporting through currently existing Vessel Monitoring Systems (VMS); the final rule for these new regulations is expected to publish mid-summer 2014. In order to ensure a robust reporting and monitoring system, new regulations would include a requirement that vessels install and operationalize electronic video monitoring as a means to verify the accuracy of counts and identification of bluefin reported by the vessel operator via mandatory logbooks or VMS reports (audit approach). To implement Electronic Monitoring (EM) in the pelagic longline fishery, NMFS is researching available services for the installation, and maintenance of EM systems on approximately 135 vessels, which range from 30 to > 100ft, (81 percent are greater than 40 ft. in length). The exact number of vessels is still being determined and it is possible, although unlikely, that the number could be as high as 160. NMFS is also researching available services for training vessel operators on the proper implementation, use, maintenance, and troubleshooting of the EM systems, including the use of individual vessel plans. Firms who believe they have the capabilities to provide the required equipment, infrastructure, and personnel necessary to support the production of digital video which will be recording gear retrieval of pelagic longline gear in the Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic, on vessels designated by NMFS as being eligible to retain bluefine tuna and implement an electronic monitoring and recording system to collect unedited, continuous, digital video of all pelagic longline gear retrieval during fishing events in all types of marine weather and lighting conditions as described in this notice, must furnish detailed information concerning their capabilities. Submitted Capability Statements shall include the following: (1) Company name and address (2) DUNS number (3) Type of business (e.g., large business, small business, 8(a), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and/or women owned small business, as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM) (4) Company point of contact - name, phone and email address (5) Demonstration of the capabilities for meeting the following requirements: - Planning - Providing digital video preview using electronic monitoring system - Installing equipment on designated vessels - Providing technical assistance, training, and support to designated vessels - Providing sensor data documenting longline deployment and retrieval, and digital video recording on longline retrieval - Soliciting Feedback from Vessels - Formal communication with NMFS Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice. Interested sources shall submit an electronic copy of their Capability Statement to Janie Laferty, Contract Specialist, via email at Janie.M.Laferty@noaa.gov, no later than 10:00 AM. Eastern Standard Time (EST) April 30, 2014. Responses will not be returned. Any questions or responses to this Sources Sought announcement shall be directed to Janie Laferty via the email address provided. No feedback will be provided regarding individual Capability Statements. Information received will be considered solely to make informed decisions regarding a potential procurement. Responses to the Sources Sought announcement are not offers and cannot be accepted by NOAA to form a binding contract. No reimbursement for costs will be made associated with providing information in response to this Sources Sought announcement or follow-up information requests, if applicable.