Stable Isotope Analysis

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 Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b). ERDC's Coastal & Hydraulics laboratory in Vicksburg, MS intends to procure the analysis of discrete sediment samples for OM composition and stable isotope ratios. The requirement entails measuring the composition and stable isotope ratio of sedimentary associated organic material, to include CHN values, plus ?15N and ?13C ratios. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute 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 WHOI to conduct the initial OM and stable isotope sample analyses during the smaller-scale, preliminary field efforts for both of these projects (both conducted in FY18). WHOI has thus already developed the appropriate calibration curves and sample preparation protocols for the two different project regions. 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, and thus in interpretations of sediment sources for both projects, it is critical that the chain of custody and analysis protocols remain consistent for all sample analyses, regardless of the fiscal year(s) in which the samples were collected and analyzed. 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, 24 September 2019 to Kim Roberson 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.