The Eastern Acquisition Division (EAD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Norfolk, VA is soliciting quotes, on behalf of Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) of the Fisheries Sampling Branch (FSB) for Northeast Fisheries Observer Program (NEFOP) training, Advanced Gear Training, At-Sea Monitoring Training Services. The Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) is required to collect scientific, management, regulatory compliance and economic data for fisheries by placing at-sea monitors aboard U.S. domestic fishing vessels in certain fisheries. These data cannot be obtained at the dock or on Government research vessels. These data are needed for the management and monitoring of Annual Catch Limits, in season quotas, and to assess patterns of by-catch. In the Northeast U.S., the Northeast Fisheries Observer Program (NEFOP) operates from Maine through North Carolina, and is overseen by the Fisheries Sampling Branch (FSB) at the NEFSC. The Contractor(s) shall provide services and equipment to support training trips aboard a commercial fishing vessel. The required training vessel five gear types are: bottom otter trawl, scallop dredge (Large and Small), gillnet, and long-line. The Fisheries Sampling Branch plans to conduct seven (7) trainings with several training trip opportunities within the NEFOP Observer Certification Course, the At-Sea Monitoring Certification Course, and Advanced Gear Certifications throughout each year. This is the best estimate, and is dependent on funding availability for observer coverage, commercial fishing effort trends, coverage requirements and mandates, and observer retention. Training Courses: 1. Northeast Fisheries Observer Training The Northeast Fisheries Observer Training is three weeks in length and includes three days of training trips, one day on either a trawl vessel, a gillnet vessel, and a scallop vessel. This course shall be offered three (3) times per year. 2. At-Sea Monitoring The At-Sea Monitoring is a two-week course and includes one day on either a trawl vessel, a gillnet vessel, and a bottom long-line vessel. This course shall be offered two (2) times per year. 3. Advanced Gear Certification Course Advanced Gear Certification Courses are offered for certain gear types that are not covered in the basic observer and at-sea monitoring training, and shall include, pair trawl, and bottom long-line. These are only offered to observers with an active observer certification in good standing and are generally two-days long. This course is estimated to be offered two (2) times per year but may be offered up to four (4) times per year. The class size is between 8 and 20 students, and the group is split into groups of less than six (6) to make for a small group size to go on the training trips. The students are accompanied by experienced observer trainers who work for FSB. The ratio of student to trainer is 3 to 1. The students experience, hands on, what it is like to apply their sampling and prioritization skills, as well as reinforce vessel safety and shipboard etiquette. During the fishing trips, students would collect the required suite of data on a pre-trip vessel safety checklist, collect gear characteristics, record haul or tow location information and weather variables. They will also estimate the amount of catch being brought onboard, using various catch estimation techniques, including actual weights, tally counts, basket sampling, and volume to volume. They will reference their program guides to determine sampling priorities. They will practice their species identification and biological sampling of the catch. They would also interview the captain on the trip costs, and offer the required program options, such as a Data Release Form and Fishermen's Comment Card. This is a 100% Total Small Business Set-aside. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for the acquisition is 483112 Deep Sea Passenger Transportation. The small business size standard is 500 employees. NOAA anticipates the possibility of making multiple contract awards as a result of this solicitation and may award per contract line item number (CLIN). The solicitation and proposed fixed-price contract will be issued utilizing the test procedures identified in FAR Subpart 13.5, Test Program For Certain Commercial Items and will be evaluated on a best value basis wherein the following factors, listed in descending order of importance 1 - 5, when combined, are significantly more important than price: (1) Vessel Capability and configuration; (2) Vessel's commercial fishing history; (3) Captain and crew experience; (4) Vessel port availability (list home port, primary port, and all ports from Point Judith, RI through Scituate, MA that vessel is able to port); (5) Pertinent vessel documentation including a copy of the full-form marine insurance coverage on the vessel including Hull and Machinery and P&I and a copy of either a structural survey or insurance carrier; (6) Past Performance and (7) Price. All responsible sources may submit a quote that shall be considered by the agency. To be eligible for award, vendors must obtain a DUNS number (this may be done by calling
+1 (555) 000-0000) and be registered with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR): www.ccr.gov. Prospective contractors are also required to complete electronic annual representations and certifications at http://orca.bpn.gov in conjunction with the required CCR registration. The solicitation will be available electronically on or about May 18, 2011 via FedBizOpps at www.fedbizopps.gov. Amendments to the solicitation will also be provided on the Internet using the same protocol listed above. Telephone requests for hard copies will not be honored. Hard copies of the solicitation may also be provided in response to a written or faxed request received directly from the contractor. Requests for hard copies of the solicitation may be faxed to
+1 (555) 000-0000. Quotes will be accepted electronically at the following email address:
contact@example.gov and via facsimile at
+1 (555) 000-0000.
