Training Vessel for USCG Air Station Houston Aviation Training Program

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE (not a pre-solicitation notice pursuant to FAR Part 5) to determine the capability of potential sources and the availability of commercial sources pursuant to FAR Part 10. This notice is issued by the U.S. Coast Guard Shore Infrastructure Logistics Center, Norfolk, VA to identify sources capable of providing all labor, materials, equipment, and personnel necessary to support U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Houston (ASH) unit-specific aviation training program. The contractor will be responsible for providing and operating a vessel in support of the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Houston (ASH) unit-specific aviation training program. As such, the contractor shall provide a vessel and all necessary management supervision, personnel, labor materials, fuel and equipment required for supporting helicopter crew hoists, rescue swimmer operations, and any aerial delivered material used to fulfill the Air Station's training requirements. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. The U.S. Coast Guard anticipates soliciting and awarding a contract for a base plus four option years, if exercised by the Government, beginning upon award. ASH is located at the Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base in Houston, Texas; however all work will be completed in the general vicinity of the Western and Northwestern portions of Galveston Bay. The area of operations will be located within an area bound to the north by Morgan's Point, south to Eagle Point, and east to the Houston Ship channel; with the majority of operations being conducted within 5 NM from the entrance to the Kemah Channel and occasionally Clear Lake. The contractor will normally be available for training each Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday for a total of 4 hours each day (or 12 hours of training time each week). Operations will be conducted every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday between the hours of 0900 and 1300 OR 1 hour before sunset until 3 hours after sunset. Vessel Description: The vessel shall be similar to the Coast Guard's 41' Utility Boat (UTB) or 45' Response Boat Medium (RB-M). The vessel should be capable of maneuvering and operating as a stable platform at idle and or low speeds and therefore should be of the displacement hull type. Similar to the 41' UTB, the contract vessel should be no smaller than 30 feet and no greater than 50 feet in length. The vessel's beam shall be no less than 10 feet and no greater than 20 feet. Mast must have no permanent structures protruding higher than 25 feet above the water line which cannot be quickly stowed or folded (e.g. antennas) prior to commencing operations. Gross vessel weight shall be 8 tons minimum. The vessel should have a cabin large enough to accommodate the entire crew if necessary. The vessel shall be capable of easily and quickly recovering personnel from the water (routine recovery of helicopter rescue swimmers or rescue of aircrew) and operating in an adverse weather environment. Other Characteristics: Minimum speed is 0 knots (dead in the water) and able to maintain up to 10 knots for at least 3 hours. Ideal vessel speed for training is approximately 5-10 knots for a period of 1 hour. Vessel must be capable of maintaining a heading of + / - 10 degrees while operating under a Short Range Rescue (SRR) MH-65 helicopter producing an average peak velocity of 90 knots of rotor downwash in varying sea states and winds depending on site. An extremely shallow draft vessel is undesirable due to drift characteristics when subjected to rotor downwash; draft shall be between 3 to 6 feet. Required Deck Area: Similar to the 41' UTB and the 45' RB-M, the minimum deck area should be at least 60 sq. ft on the aft fantail portion of the vessel, to allow a minimum of two crew members to safely conduct hoist operations. Deck area must be free of all obstructions, and must have no permanent structures protruding higher than 20 feet above the water line which cannot be quickly stowed or folded (e.g. antennas). Vessel Equipment: At a minimum the vessel shall have all equipment required by law including, but not limited to: an operating depth sounder, VHF-FM (multiple frequency capable) two-way marine radio, a cell phone for secondary communications with the ASH Operations Center (713-578-3006), GPS, and a long distance high beam search light. Safety Equipment: The vessel shall be outfitted with a contractor furnished first aid kit and USCG approved Type III Personal Flotation Devices for all crew and passengers carried aboard. Personal protective equipment, foul weather gear, and survival suits shall be provided by the contractor and worn as needed by crew members allowing them to operate safely on deck and under rotor downwash continuously in temperatures ranging from 0 C to 43 C (32 F to 110 F). The contractor shall provide helmets, gloves, goggles, and grounding rods for use by crewmembers during helicopter operations. All equipment shall be used in accordance with and be of the same type or better as listed in the USCG Rescue and Survival Systems Manual, COMDTINST M10470.10F and the USCG Boat Crew Seamanship Manual, COMDTINST M16114.5C. These manuals can be found online at http://www.uscg.mil/directives/. A solicitation is anticipated to be issued shortly and will be synopsized on the FedBizOpps Electronic Posting System at www.fedbizopps.gov. It is the potential offer's responsibility to monitor this avenue for release of any future solicitation or synopsis. The applicable NAICS Code is 488390 (Other Support Services for Water Transportation) with a size standard of $35.5 million. For directions on how to calculate average annual receipts and number of employees see parts 121.104 and 121.106 in SBA's Small Business Size Regulations, http://www.sba.gov/content/small-business-size-standards. Any interested firm capable of providing these services is requested to respond via e-mail to amy.l.mcliverty@uscg.mil no later than 3:00 p.m., 3 October 2012 with the following documentation: Name of Company and Address, Point of Contact and Phone number, business size (small, veteran-owned small business, service-disable small business, HUBZone, 8(a), Small Disadvantaged business, woman owned or large business) In addition, past performance information and a capability statement shall be submitted. Past performance information shall include recent and relevant contracts for the same or similar items and other references (including contract numbers, points of contact with telephone numbers and other relevant information). Offeror shall furnish this information for at least three (3) contracts, ongoing or completed within the last three years, for like or similar services, held with the U.S. Coast Guard, other Government agencies or private industry. Competition and set-aside decisions may be based on the results of this market research. Interested parties must be registered in the System for Award Management Database (SAM) as prescribed in FAR Clause 52.204-99. SAM can be by accessed by the Internet at www.sam.gov or by calling 1-866-606-8220. This notice is for market research purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Quote or Request for Proposal; and, it is not considered to be a commitment by the Government nor will the Government pay for information solicited: no basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result from a response to this Sources Sought or Government use of any information provided. At this time no solicitation exists; therefore, DO NOT REQUEST A COPY OF THE SOLICITATION. The government reserves the right to consider any arrangement as deemed appropriated for this procurement.