B--PC-26-01A, PACIFIC DEEPWATER INVESTIGATI

The solicitation for PC-26-01A, PACIFIC DEEPWATER INVESTIGATION, issued under solicitation number 140M0126Q0033 by the Department of the Interior’s Acquisition Management Division, seeks commercial services under FAR Part 12 to conduct environmental analysis supporting the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, focusing on sediment plume dynamics, physical oceanography, and seabed mining impacts. The contract is structured as a firm-fixed-price engagement with an 18-month base period and an optional extension of up to six months, with performance to be conducted at the contractor’s facility. Proposals must be submitted in two separate volumes — a price volume and a technical volume limited to 12 pages excluding appendices — and must be received electronically by July 10, 2026, at 5:00 PM Eastern Time. All submissions must comply with Section 508 accessibility standards, including screen reader compatibility and closed captioning, and must be delivered in Word, PDF, or Excel formats directly to the Contracting Officer. The technical volume must include a detailed understanding of the SOW, a Project Management Plan, scientific publications, and 13 enumerated deliverables, including a final report with draft technical summary, equipment list, and communication products, all conforming to BOEM templates and metadata standards such as FGDC/ISO 19115-1. Evaluation will be conducted using four equally weighted factors: Scientific and Technical Personnel, Understanding and Technical Approach, Project Management, and Past Performance, with award determined through a trade-off process that prioritizes technical merit over price, explicitly excluding LPTA methods. Offerors are required to identify Key Personnel, disclose time commitments on other projects, submit a labor hour matrix, and provide documentation of three to five relevant past performance contracts using the mandated form. Additional mandatory requirements include compliance with SAM registration and maintenance, submission of representations regarding delinquent taxes or felony convictions, and adherence to strict confidentiality and whistleblower protections. Invoicing must occur exclusively through the Invoice Processing Platform (IPP), with no alternative payment methods permitted without written waiver. The Contracting Officer retains sole authority for acceptance of all deliverables, which must meet quality benchmarks for photographic documentation, data integrity, and report formatting. Deviations from solicitation requirements are permitted only if explicitly authorized and must be clearly stated; failure to comply with any material term may render a quotation unacceptable. No small business set-aside applies, and while a UE