Radioisotope Activities and Activity Ratios

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Wayne State University (WSU) upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b). ERDC's Coastal & Hydraulics laboratory in Vicksburg, MS intends to procure radioisotope analyses of sediment samples from aquatic environments. The requirement entails measuring the radioisotope activity via alpha spectroscopy and/or gamma decay of sedimentary and atmospheric samples, including 234Th ingrowth and activity ratios when required. Wayne State University (WSU) is the only source reasonably available to satisfy the Government's requirement because this is a continuation of previous analysis services for the same types of samples. ERDC selected WSU to conduct the initial radioisotope alpha and gamma analyses, including isotope ratios, for pilot projects for two of the three funded projects. WSU has thus already developed the appropriate calibration curves and sample preparation protocols for the two different project regions, for both alpha and gamma analyses. A different vendor would have to redevelop those steps for their equipment, resulting in a delay in the completion of the sample analyses, as well as increased costs-per-sample to ERDC. In order to maintain consistency in results, given that all radioisotope detectors have variable counting efficiency rates, it is critical that the chain of custody and analysis protocols remain consistent for all sample analyses. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 541380 - Testing Laboratories, which has a size standard of $16.5M. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations. However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy. Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CST, 25 September 2019 to Lisa Bernard at e-mail: contact@example.gov. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.