Upgrade (2) REMUS Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs)

The Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and the Eastern Region Acquisition Division (ERAD) Simplified Acquisition Branch on the behalf of the National Ocean Service (NOS), specifically, the Coast Survey Development Lab intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Hydroid, Inc. using the procedures in FAR Parts 6 and 13. The Coast Survey Development Lab (CSDL) requires the upgrade of two government owned Remote Environmental Measuring Units (REMUS) Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV). The upgrade of REMUS-100 shall include Wi-Fi communications and installation of 4 UN certified REMUS 100 battery bricks and backbone. The upgrade of REMUS-600 shall replace the existing standard nose with a launch and recovery nose. AUVs are complex robotic, unmanned underwater vehicles and each AUV manufacturer takes a unique and proprietary approach to designing and building their systems and control software. There are currently no national or international standards controlling the design and manufacturer of AUV's or AUV software. The AUV manufacturers do not publish the detailed design information or specifications that would be necessary for a third party to undertake the repair, modifications, or upgrades of the systems, as such, there are no third-party providers of repair, maintenance or modification services. Modification of an AUV system by any party other than the manufacturer is very likely to result in a failure of the system which could result in its loss at sea. The statutory authority for other than full and open competition is 41 US 253(c)(1), as implemented by FAR 6.302-1, Only One Responsible Source. The applicable NAICS code is 334511 with a Small Business Size Standard of 750 employees. This notice of intent is not a solicitation for competitive quotes, however, if any other interested party believes it can meet the requirements, it may submit a statement of capabilities, which if timely received, shall be considered by the Government. The capability statement and any other information furnished must be in writing, and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow ERAD to determine if the party can meet all of the foregoing requirements. Responses must also be accompanied by descriptive literature, warranties, and/or other information that demonstrates the quote meets all of the foregoing requirements. Capability statements and related materials must be emailed to: contact@example.gov by 10:00 AM EST on September 6, 2012. A Firm Fix-priced purchase order will be made using FAR 13, Simplified Acquisition Procedures, current through FAC 2005-60. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future. Evidence must be provided of ability to perform the requirement. Responses to this notice, if any, must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the government. In order to comply with the Debt Collection Improvement Act of 1996, ALL CONTRACTORS must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) to be considered for an award of a Federal contract. For information regarding registration in SAM, contact the SAM website at https://SAM.gov . Additionally, each offeror must obtain, and provide with the quote, their nine-digit Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to contact@example.gov.