SUBMERSIBLE VESSEL AND TENDER

NOTICE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. The information provided in response to this notice will assist the Government in identifying sources that are capable of furnishing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) with the requirements below. NMFS desires to contract for an occupied submersible and support vessel in waters off southern California. The submersible will be used to make visual observations and quantitatively survey demersal fishes, coral/sponge assemblages, and associated habitats on rocky offshore banks at depths of 80-350 m. There are two main objectives of this work: (1) to quantify habitat-specific abundance, size composition, and condition of corals and conduct surveys of fish associations with corals at various times of day and evening to quantify the function of corals as habitat for fishes on offshore rocky banks in the southern California Bight; and (2) to quantify species and size composition of demersal fishes and estimate habitat-specific abundance on an offshore rocky bank in the southern California Bight. A minimum of 6 dive-days (plus additional days to transit, and mobilize and demobilize scientists and equipment) will be required during September-October 2010, and a minimum of 8 dive-days (plus additional days to transit, and mobilize and demobilize scientists and equipment) will be required during September-October 2011. Submersible Requirements. Performance capability of the contracted dive system is critical to the success of this research. The total submersible system shall consist of an occupied submersible, support ship, launch and retrieval system, accurate tracking system, competent crew, scientific laboratory space, and special equipment as specified below. The submersible shall have the capability of carrying aboard at least one (1) NFMS Observer and one (1) Contractor provided pilot, and shall have viewing ports accessible to the observer during all portions of the dive. Contractor shall provide at least two (2) fully qualified pilots for the purpose of alternating dive participation, and one support crew member to assist with deck operations, and navigation, tracking, and communication with submersible (for a total of at least 3 submersible personnel). The submersible shall be capable of regularly operating to a depth of 360 m sea water and must be able to operate in contact with the seafloor over rugged substrate that includes boulders, pinnacles and rockwalls. The submersible shall be certified American Bureau of Shipping (ABS), or recognized equivalent, to this depth, with appropriate documentation of inspection and construction. The submersible and support crew shall be capable of providing 6-8 hours of submergence during a normal operating day, consisting of multiple dives. The submersible shall be highly maneuverable and capable of performing multiple dives per day while steaming at a minimum speed of 2 km/hour with external lights on and frequent use of external strobes. The submersible shall have a means to deploy and retrieve sampling gear and biological specimens. Exterior lighting and illumination capable of providing sufficient light for video imaging of objects at a distance of at least 20 ft from the submersible at maximum operating depths is required. A through-hull electrical connection to the exterior strobes shall be provided for use with internal hand-held cameras. An external, high resolution color video camera capable of being mounted on the front or the side of the submersible in such a way as to generate high quality video record of transects, along the sea floor, with viewing angle adjustable from horizontal to vertical is required. The video system shall include an internal monitor, digital recording deck, and have datalogger capability (PISCES design or similar) encoded with synchronous data on time, date, and depth. The video system will include externally mounted multiple lasers for measuration purposes. In addition, the submersible will be outfitted with a recently calibrated CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth) and altimeter sensor that are linked to an operational data logging system. All CTD and navigation data will be provided to chief scientist each evening as digital ASCII-format files. The submersible shall be capable of carrying and using a Doppler velocity log and Ring Laser Gyro that will enable the determination of the exact distance traveled by the submersible. This equipment will be installed by submersible personnel in a manner that does not interfere with the conduct of fish surveys. The submersible shall have communication equipment (i.e., underwater submersible to support vessel-surface communication). Minimum range for such equipment (underwater model) shall be one-half mile. During surface operations, the submersible must have a means for visual contact (functional strobe and locating beacon as a minimum). The submersible's Contractor shall have an operations procedure manual including emergency procedures and safety precautions. All observers/scientists will be briefed on these safety procedures and precautions prior to diving. Submersible supplies should include air/regulator for pilot and scientist; insulated emergency suits for prolonged submergence. The life support system (02 + C02 scrubber) systems of the submersible must be capable of supporting submersible occupants for at least 72 hours at an ambient temperature range of one (1) to twelve (12) degrees centigrade. The submersible shall have a functional acoustic tracking beacon for acquisition of depth/range from the support ship (e.g., Trackpoint II type and Winfrog, or equivalent). The operator of this equipment will need to precisely track the submersible transects, and provide a digital ASCII-formatted file of navigational data synchronized with time for each transect. Precision of these navigational data is critical to the success of our project. Support Vessel Requirements: 1. The support vessel shall be of sufficient size, minimum length of 100 ft overall, to safely launch and recover the submersible and special oceanographic equipment during at least sea state five (5) conditions in the operating area. Sea state five (5) is herein defined as average wave (swell and local seas) heights of six (6) feet and/or wind velocities of 21 knots. The support vessel shall meet the requirements of NOAAs National Undersea Research Program (NURP) for certification and safety inspection. 2. The support vessel shall be highly responsive for precise positioning and submersible retrieval, i.e., ideally with bow thruster and/or two-engine main propulsion system to maximize maneuverability. 3. The support vessel shall be available to mobilize on the dates specified for this project. 4. Bridge to deck communication (VHF or hardwire) and unobstructed view of the submersible is required for launch/retrieval operations. An aft control center would be optimal. 5. The support vessel shall have a complete hydraulic-powered launch and retrieval system with two times (2X) manned submersible weight capacity for precisely maneuvering the submersible from the deck cradle into and out of the water in the sea conditions defined. Documentation of a recent static lift test must be provided. All submersible-handling equipment shall meet the NOAA NURP certification requirements. 6. The support vessel shall provide a minimum of 50 kW of 120 volt AC electrical power within 80 ft of deck-mounted submersible operations center. Three-phase 220 volt power is desirable. 7. The support vessel shall be capable of remaining at sea for at least ten (10) days without resupplying and capable of cruising at least nine (9) knots to minimize transit time between stations. The required work-day duration will be 12 hours of submersible support dive time and 24-hour crew support duration to permit surface-oriented oceanographic research and/or 24-hour transiting to the next dive station. 8. The total launch-and-recovery system shall not require scientific personnel to participate in the at-sea operations of the submersible handling of the launch and recovery system. 9. Berthing (including clean, dry bunks, bedding, linen, blankets and towels), food, fresh water, survival suits, etc. for a scientific crew of at least eight (8) persons shall be provided by the support vessel in addition to the staffed submersible crew (3 persons). Food provided shall be of high quality, sufficient quantity, and well prepared. 10. The support vessel shall provide laundry facilities (i.e., washer and dryer) for the scientific party's use. 11. The support vessel shall provide laboratory space for the scientific personnel, exclusive of space for the submersible crew (provided in their own work van), including at least a suitable desk or dry counter work space of about 40 sq ft for data preparation and video viewing and post-dive tape summary. 12. The support vessel shall provide at least 10 cu ft freezer storage exclusive of space required for ship's use, plus refrigeration space (32-40 degrees F) for short-term specimen storage, and at least 500 cu ft of readily accessible, dry, clean storage space for equipment. 13. The support vessel shall be equipped with fully operating primary and back-up units for standard ship's navigation (including radar and differential Global Positioning System (dGPS)) for at-sea operations. 14. The support vessel shall have a high resolution recording fathometer (minimum accuracy of plus or minus 1 m in 305 m of water) capable of rounding to at least 500 m. 15. The support vessel shall have both primary and back-up SSB and VHF units for standard ship-to-shore communications capability, including access to the marine operator at distances from shore required by the operating areas. Cellular communications equipment is desirable. Hand-held radios shall be provided for all shore parties and skiff operators. 16. Modest on-board machine shop capabilities are required to accommodate sampling apparatus modification as necessary. In addition, ship/sub crew shall be qualified to perform dive/sampling systems troubleshooting (electronic, mechanical, photographic tasks). 17. The support ship will carry at least one suitable seaworthy skiff (e.g., 18 ft inflatable with 25 hp outboard), which may be launched/retried as a dive tender and for transportation to shore at remote locations. There must also be at least one spare outboard motor onboard in good working condition. 18. The support ship will provide a safe means of boarding and deboarding personnel and equipment. 19. The crew will consist of a captain, first mate, engineer, cook, and deck hand. 20. All safety equipment on the support vessel shall be functional. All contractors doing business with the Government are required to be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). In addition, completion of the online representation and certifications application (ORCA) is required. NOTE: THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT CONSIDERED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL BUT A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. No solicitation document is available. No contract will be awarded on the basis of responses received to this notice. All interested parties must respond to this announcement by June 4, 2010. Interested firms shall provide, in writing, a brief narrative and documentation to support your firm's capability and experience meeting the requirements herein and include your firm's name, address, point of contact, telephone number, DUNS Number, CCR Cage Number, business type and size, i.e., small, large, non-profit, educational, and so forth. Any response that does not include this information will not be considered. The Government will review each response to determine if the firm has the experience, knowledge and capability to perform the services as specified above. Detailed information must be submitted by email to the address noted below by 2:00 PM local Seattle time (PST), June 4, 2010. Point of Contact: Mimi Antonio Hetzel, contact@example.gov. Questions of any nature must be addressed in writing as TELEPHONE INQUIRIES WILL NOT BE HONORED.