VESSEL TO SUPPORT DAY-TIME SCUBA DIVING OPERATIONS AND CORAL REEF ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE IN TIMOR-LESTE

Q1. Does the vessel have to be a US flagged vessel? A1. Vessel does not have to be a US flagged vessel. Q2. Will the Science team be flying direct into Dili and boarding the vessel? Or will they board out of Darwin? A2. Science team will meet the vessel in Timor-Leste in the vicinity of the city of Dili. Q3. Will the Chief Scientist, Contractor and vessel Captain or owner be able to conduct planning meetings well before the trip to discuss the general plan? A3. Phone conferences will be arranged to discuss the general plan. Note that field operations may commence as early as 1JUN which allows for limited pre-mission discussion. Successful vendors should be able to demonstrate experience or ability to operate in the areas of interest. Q4. Should an emergency occur on the vessel to one of the divers/crew will the vessel still be required to conduct normal operations that day while simultaneously transporting the patient to Dili and then on to the nearest suitable medical facility? Or will vessel be considered "off-Charter" and operations halted? A4. In the event of a life-threatening emergency, the primary concern will be patient safety. If halting or altering operations will contribute to a higher probability of a favorable patient outcome, then that course of action would be expected. After the patient has been delivered to a medical facility, a review by the Contracting Officer regarding the nature of the emergency and who was affected would occur, if necessary, to determine if and when the vessel was off-charter. Q5. Will, at least, a US registered RN or paramedic be required to be onboard the vessel to provide medical attention the entire time? Or is basic first aid/CPR all that's required. A5. A US registered RN or paramedic is not required to be onboard the vessel. Q6. Is it realistic to assume that the vessel may need to support multiple overnight accommodations and food for the science team because of the distance from Dili to the possible site locations? A6. The vessel will only be engaged in support of day-time scuba operations at the regions specified in the Statement of Work. For survey sites away from Dili, the science team will make arrangements for their own accommodations and food. Depending on the type of vessel and the number of crew, arrangements for land-based accommodations for the vessel crew could be coordinated with the science party. Each morning, the charter vessel will be expected to meet and embark the science team at a designated location near the survey site. Note: There are two solicitations currently being advertised for Dive Support in Timor-Leste. The Q&A you are currently reading is for the land-based day-charters Q7. Will the vessel be required to provide Dive tank air filling on board? A7. The vessel will not be required to provide dive tank air filling on board. The science team will arrange for tank and tank fills. Tanks will be loaded each morning when scientists embark. Q8. Has this particular study been done in the past, or one with very similar criteria, in that region and, if so, which vessel and crew was used to do this work? Essentially is there a vessel that has been involved with this type of work in that region for you in the past? A8. The requirements of this mission are unique. We will review the capabilities/price of all proposed vessels. Q9. Will an approving authority travel at their own expense in advance to inspect the vessel and it's crew? Will the contractor be expected to accompany the NOAA inspector? A9. The vessel will need to meet the safety standards under which the scientific staff have to operate. These include those set forth by the University of Hawaii Marine Center and the NOAA Small Boat Program. Specifications, certifications, and photographs of the proposed vessel will likely allow an initial determination to be made. It is expected that a member of the scientific party, with boating expertise, will provide an on-site inspection and a daily safety inspection. Q10. Is the intent to have the 8 days of work concurrent or will there be specific non-work days built in? Or, is the intent to have the vessel available the entire month of June? A10. The intent is to have 8 days of concurrent work. Q11. In the event of unsafe weather and/or sea state, can a - standby' rate be budgeted for? A11. When comparing proposals, the overall charter rate will be considered. However, the RFQ asks that all vendors provide details of their cancellation policy. Q12. Will any permits, licensing, country approval requirements for this work be the responsibility of the contractor? The vessel? Or NOAA? A12. All vessel operations, including permits, in-country approvals,etc. are the responsibility of the provider. See the SOW. Q13. Do you have any security concerns that either contractor or the vessel operator need to address? A13. We do not understand the question. Please elaborate.