One chartered vessel in Prince William Sound, Alaska for two 6-day and one 7-day sampling cruise in support of the following research related to locate, photograph, and biopsy humpback whales and sample prey from multiple locations within PWS, AK

***Q&A added 6/17/14*** This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for services in which the government intends to award an order in accordance with FAR Part 13, Simplified Acquisitions Procedures. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Fisheries Science Center, Auke Bay Laboratories in Juneau, Alaska has a requirement for one chartered vessel in Prince William Sound, Alaska for two 6-day and one 7-day sampling cruise in support of the following research related to locate, photograph, and biopsy humpback whales and sample prey from multiple locations within Prince William Sound. Gillnets and jigging will be the preferred methods of sampling: - Sample herring catches for nutritional content and age structure - Locate schools of forage fish associated with humpback whale, using sonar, and fishing on those schools to collect samples - Sampled fish will be measured and weighed, and a portion of those will be frozen for future chemical analysis. - Water samples will also be collected The contractor is required to provide and operate a charter vessel to help facilitate the Government's requirement of locating, photographing, and biopsing humpback whales and sample prey for multiple charter days broken down as follows: - One six-day contiguous days within the period of with currently-preferred dates of mid to late September 2014. - For a second six-day contiguous day charter within the period of with currently-preferred dates 4-18 December 2014. - Lastly for one seven-day contiguous day charter within the period of with currently-preferred dates 1-14 April 2015. The government anticipates the need will continue into the following year and is including options for identical services in the 2015-2016 periods. The contractor shall provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, transportation, fuel and services necessary to perform the requirements of the solicitation. The minimum vessel general requirements for this charter consist of the following: - Minimum overall length of 50 ft. - Area outside suitable for photographing whales and a wheel house with good visibility. - An outboard powered inflatable or skiff for collecting biopsies. - Dry storage area of at least 15 ft3 in the main house for holding scientific supplies is required. - A minimum of 5 ft3 of freezer storage exclusive of space for ship's stores for stowing scientific samples is required. - Potable fresh water supply adequate for vessel and personal use for the crew and 4 scientists for trip duration is required. - Clean and sanitary overnight accommodations for crew and 4 scientists are required. - Work spaces, berthing, and galley spaces shall be adequately ventilated and free from tobacco smoke. - In an effort to reduce marine debris pollution, the Captain shall comply with waste management regulations as described in Section V of MARPOL. The vessel shall be required to have a storage facility, with or without a trash compactor to retain all refuse (except food and paper materials) or a means to incinerate this refuse so that it is not disposed of at sea. - 2 sets of VHF radios are required. - Radar with a minimum range of 39 km (24 miles) is required. - Depth sounders: Color scope unit operating in the 38-50 kHz and 150-200 kHz range. - A system for switching to battery power for radio operation in the event of interruption of the normal power supply is required. - Certificate of documentation. - Certificate of inspection (vessel safety examination decal or USCG letter of inspection). - 100% life saving equipment including Category I 406 MHZ EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). - A hydraulic block capable of retrieving CTDs and plankton nets. - Category I 406 MHZ EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon). - Speed and seaworthiness: Vessel running speed sufficient to access all of the necessary sampling sites within the survey period in the absence of serious weather delays. Seaworthiness sufficient to be able to transit between sites in all weathers. - Contractor shall purchase all fuel A comprehensive list of actual requirements will be included in the Statement of Work within the solicitation package document. See attached statement of work for complete description of services. The proposed contract action is set aside for small business concerns. The NAICS code for this procurement is 483112 and the business size standard for this requirement is 500 employees. Any vendor desiring to be considered for award MUST be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) using this NAICS code. Any resulting contract will be awarded as a firm-fixed price type contract. Each potential offeror is responsible for checking the FedBizOpps website to gain all current information related to the solicitation. The solicitation and any further announcements regarding the solicitation will be posted only at http://www.fbo.gov/. THE DATE OFFERS ARE DUE WILL BE STATED WITHIN THE SOLICITATION DOCUMENTS. All interested concerns must submit a quotation and documentation demonstrating the qualifications to provide services as described above by the due date listed in the solicitation. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotations are being requested in this notice. All responses must be in writing and delivery to fax number +1 (555) 000-0000 attention to Suzanne Johnston or by email to contact@example.gov on indicated response date in the RFQ. This is a simplified acquisition with an estimated value of less than $150,000.00. All vendors doing business with the Government are required to be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). NO award can be made unless the vendor is registered in SAM. For additional information and to register in SAM, please access the following web site: www.sam.gov. In order to register with the SAM and to be eligible to receive an award from this acquisition office, all offerors must also have a Dun & Bradstreet Number. A Dun & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dun & Bradstreet on-line at https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm or by phone at +1 (555) 000-0000. This procurement also requires offerors to complete the electronic representations and certifications at the SAM website. (End of Document)