Environmental Database Support

This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quote and does not constitute a commitment by the Government. The Government is currently conducting market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10, to identify potential sources to fulfill the requirement and gather information on current capabilities of businesses within the market. All information submitted in response to the Sources Sought Notice is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Proprietary information submitted should be marked appropriately. All submitted information shall remain with the U.S. Government and will not be returned. In preparation for a planned procurement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Acquisition Division, Kansas City, MO on behalf of the Secretary of Commerce, serves as trustee or co-trustee for natural resources as mandated by several laws and regulations. Primary laws include the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) of 1980, the Oil Pollution Act (OPA) of 1990, the Clean Water Act, and the Marine Sanctuaries Act, in addition to the National Oil and Hazardous Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP) and several Executive Orders and laws. Within NOAA, the Damage Assessment, Remediation and Restoration Program (DARRP) generally takes the lead on fulfilling these duties. The DARRP is comprised of the National Ocean Service (NOS) Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R), NOAA General Counsel for Natural Resources (GCNR), and National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Restoration Center (RC). NOAA's DARRP collaborates with other agencies, industry, and citizens to protect coastal and marine resources, respond to pollution incidents, assess risks and injuries, and restore those resources when injured. Within OR&R, the Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD) is typically the lead for assessment phase trustee activities. ARD has headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland and implements its responsibilities through a staff of technical experts located in Seattle, Washington and Regional Resource Coordinators located in regional offices of the Environmental Protection Agency and co-located at several regional NMFS RC offices. The purpose of this contract is to provide environmental data management and analysis primarily for contaminant chemistry, toxicity (bioassay) test results, and biological & observational data. These data are managed and used in support of NOAA's capability to evaluate the effects of hazardous substance releases from waste sites or incidents of oil or chemical spills on NOAA's trustee resources and habitats of interest. This contract will also provide support for integrating and maintaining restoration monitoring data in support of ling-term monitoring. DAARP is the lead within NOAA for gathering, organizing, and standardizing environmental datasets in both of these contexts. DAARP and partners undertake natural resource damage assessments (NRDA), and pursue negotiated settlements for restoration of habitat or litigation to resolve NRDA liability with these environmental datasets based on authorizing Acts, laws, and statutes. More information on the legal authority for NOAA and the DAARP can be found at: https://darrp.noaa.gov/legal-context Major activities will include the following tasks: Manage and update multiple large relational databases (30+ million environmental records) with expert skills including MySQL, Microsoft Access, Visual Basic, and Visual FoxPro programming languages and tools. Experience with Pentaho data integration tools and integrating SQL-based queries into custom dashboards and reports. Standardize and integrate diverse data sources into the DIVER database structures for sediment, tissue, water, oil, bioassay data, and biological data (https://www.diver.orr.noaa.gov/web/guest/field-forms-and-templates). Develop or assist in developing database queries and reports to meet a variety of objectives relating to site or regional specific investigations or specialized analyses for waste sites, NRDA cases and restoration monitoring including statistical analyses and modeling of environmental contaminants. Develop and refine automated procedures for importing data from the DIVER electronic data deliverable (EDD) templates from laboratory or data providers and provide training to partners on the use of the EDD templates. Conduct and document Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) review on new data sets and provide detailed documentation on standardization. Provide litigation quality data integration support and documentation. Experience with standardization and calculations of sums for contaminant chemistry Assist in developing a comprehensive plan for streamlining the collection of field sample information and laboratory data and integrating field collection information with laboratory results and status. Provide training in the use of both existing and newly developed data integration tools. In the event of a major spill, the Contractor may be required to redirect activities described under other tasks to support time critical response efforts while maintaining support for other on-going projects. Develop tools, procedures, and forms for tracking reporting progress on data standardization and integration activities and back up of both data processing files and program code. The following NAICS code and small business size standard apply to this requirement: 541620 Environmental Consulting Services - $16.5 million The Government anticipates awarding an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract for the Environmental Database support services. The Government is seeking firms capable of providing all of the above tasks. The Government will not consider firms as capable if there is evidence that one or more of the above tasks cannot be completed by said firm. Submitted Capability Statements shall include the following: 1. Company name and address 2. DUNS and UEI number 3. Business size (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) including the business size standard applicable to the NAICS code referenced in this Sources Sought Notice 4. Company point of contact - name, phone, and email address 5. GSA or NASA/SEWP schedule contract number if applicable 5. Demonstrate expertise in supporting all 12 task areas outlined above. 6. Prove said expertise using past performance references (including contract number and a point of contact) on a minimum of two (2) ongoing or prior Government contracts where similar work was performed. a. If a firm has no history of past performance, the technical capabilities outlined in your response must demonstrate knowledge and experience in all 12 task areas outlined above. Firms providing responses that do not demonstrate any specific implementation or knowledge of chemistry, toxicity, or ecological assessment will not be considered capable. It is insufficient to state that subcontracting is available. Substantial and detailed ability to integrate and manage environmental data is necessary. The Government reserves the right to make capability determinations based on the responses given by each individual firm. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice shall not exceed 10 pages, including graphics, and be typed in Times New Roman 12 pt. font. Responses shall be submitted via email to Anthony Ciolli at anthony.ciolli@noaa.gov and Tyrone Lewis at Tyrone.M.Lewis@noaa.gov no later than 2:00PM Central Standard Time on October 4th, 2022. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. Based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small business concerns or procured through full and open competition. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.