V--Ice Breaking Vessel

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Region 7, plans to award a sole source contract to Far-Eastern Shipping Company, Inc., based in Vladivostok, Russia, for the provision of an ice-breaking vessel. This vessel will support Pacific walrus tagging operations scheduled for spring 2006, serving as a platform to navigate the ice-covered waters of the North Bering Sea, St Lawrence Polynya, and Gulf of Anadyr. The primary goal is to collect essential data necessary for estimating the size of the Pacific walrus population. This procurement is not open to competitive proposals, and the government will award the contract 15 days after the notice publication. The contract is identified under the solicitation number 701816R008 and was posted on November 8, 2005. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is acting through its headquarters office within the Department of the Interior, located in Falls Church, Virginia. The nature of this procurement reflects a specialized requirement for an ice-breaking vessel capable of operating in challenging Arctic maritime conditions, critical to the research and conservation efforts concerning the Pacific walrus species. The announcement clearly states that no proposals will be accepted, emphasizing the sole source nature of the award.