NOTICE OF INTENT TO SINGLE SOURCE

NOAA's NMFS, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Auke Bay Laboratories, intends to negotiate, on a single source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with Northwest Technology, Inc. The Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Fisheries Monitoring and Analysis (FMA) Division and the Salmon Ocean Ecology (SOE) program requires T-Wand Coded Wire Detectors manufactured by Northwest Marine Technology, INC (NWT). These metal-detecting wands are ultrasensitive, hand-held, rugged, waterproof, and float which makes them suitable for the harsh Alaska fish processing and dock conditions. The wands are capable of detecting specific coded wire tags (CWTs) which are 1.1 mm long, metal tags, and used extensively for Pacific salmon research. FMA and SOE require these specialized NWT T-Wand detectors to effectively sample the salmon bycatch in the Alaskan groundfish and halibut fishery for mandated data collection. The tags that have been used over the past 10 years on the salmon are NWT tags and therefore can only be read with NWT T-wands. Supporting rationale. Only one source or brand name is reasonably available as detailed below: Brand Name - This particular brand name is essential to the requirement and market research indicates similar products do not meet or cannot be modified to meet agency needs. The T-Wand CWT need to be able to detect the extremely small tags used in Pacific salmon in order to collect salmon data. In order to detect the 1.1 mm tags, an ultra-sensitive metal detecting device is necessary. In addition, the device must be hand-held, rugged, and waterproof for the Alaska climate and sea conditions with a minimum detection range of 5.5cm. NWT is the only manufacturer of metal detecting wands that allow FMA observers to sample salmon bycatch per our data collection mandates. NWT exclusively manufactures and sells both the coded wire tags and the equipment to detect them in the field, hatchery and lab. There are no other vendors on the market with a comparable product and NWT holds patents on all of their CWT detection devices, including the T-wand. Purchasing CWT wands from Northwest Marine Technology will ensure that the equipment we are currently using from this company can be utilized for this and future coded-wire tagging events in Alaska. This requirement is essential to the successful completion of all projects using equipment from Northwest Marine Technology Inc. Compatibility to existing systems or equipment - The required supplies or service must be compatible in all aspects (form, fit, and function) with existing systems or equipment and the source is uniquely qualified to meet the requirement. The equipment to be purchased is only manufactured by Northwest Marine Technology Inc. and is the only product on the market that is compatible with the coast-wide salmon tagging studies and with the equipment used in Alaska with the coded-wire tagging project, which eliminates all other manufacturers as possible substitutes. Mainstream metal detecting wands used in other industries have a far less sensitivity. The primary use for these wands is to detect weapons under a person's clothing. A coded wire tag is much smaller than a grain of rice and, in fact, is barely visible to the naked human eye. Metal detecting wands used for security screening purposes do not even advertise their sensitivity because they do not need to be very sensitive. No other industry uses metal detecting wands that meet our requirements. Without NWT T-wands, FMA & SOE will be unable to effectively sample salmon bycatch in the shore side processing facilities in Alaska. Snouts have been collected from fish with clipped adipose fins in the past, but hatcheries no longer regularly clip all adipose fins of hatchery fish. T-wands will allow us to take snouts from tagged fish, and not miss any important data. These data are used by NOAA and other state agencies and academic institutions for management decisions and assess which stocks are affected by the groundfish fishery. Award for this requirement will be in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13. Anticipated value will be under the Simplified acquisition procedures with an estimated value of less than $150,000.00. THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to the requirement or submit proposals. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. It is the Government's belief that only Northwest Marine Technology can provide the items stated above. If you feel that your firm possesses the ability to provide these requirements, then you must respond by demonstrating your firm's technical capability to meet these requirements by September 1, 2018. No known potential alternate sources exist which could satisfy these requirement