SOLICITATION NOTICE
B -- Surface Circulation Radar Mapping in Alaskan Coastal Waters: Field Study Beaufort Sea and Cook Inlet
- Notice Date
- 7/13/2004
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- Minerals Management Service Procurement Operations Branch 381 Elden Street, MS 2500 Herndon VA 20170
- ZIP Code
- 20170
- Solicitation Number
- 1435-01-04-RP-35579
- Response Due
- 8/3/2004
- Archive Date
- 7/13/2005
- Point of Contact
- Michael W. Hargrove Contracting Officer 7037871367 Michael.Hargrove@mms.gov;
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to Point of Contact above, or if none listed, contact the IDEAS EC HELP DESK for assistance
(EC_helpdesk@NBC.GOV)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, MINERALS MANAGEMENT SERVICE (MMS), solicits CAPABILITIES STATEMENTS for the study entitled "SURFACE CIRCULATION RADAR MAPPING IN ALASKAN COASTAL WATERS: FIELD STUDY BEAUFORT SEA AND COOK INLET". The NAICS code is 541710. The MMS intends to competitively award a contract to meet specific study objectives. LEVEL OF EFFORT: Funding up to $900,000 may be available for this estimated forty-eight (48) month study. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research is to test hypotheses with regards to the collection of surface current measurements (using High Frequency (HF) Doppler radar units) within the Alaskan Beaufort Sea OCS Sea Planning Area, central Beaufort Sea, from approximately150? to 146? West Longitude and 70? to 71? North Latitude (approximate bathymetric range, 0-30 meter bathymetric contours), and the Lower Cook Inlet Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Planning Area, between 154?and 150? West Longitude and 59? and 60? 30' North Latitude. The surface current measurements and tested hypotheses will improve the present understanding of the surface circulation in these areas under open water and mixed ice conditions. The surface current results will also be used by MMS for validation, comparison, and boundary condition analysis of general circulation models and for oil spill risk analysis. The study will be procured under National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP). The MMS, teamed with NOAA/NOS/CO-PO (Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and services), has developed this joint project. On behalf of the National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP), the Minerals Management Service solicits research proposals meeting the goal and purpose of the Partnership Program outlined in Title II, subtitle E, of Public Law 104-201. Team efforts among academia, industry, and government participants are encouraged (at least 2 of the 3). Cost sharing or proposals augmenting ongoing partnership efforts are very strongly encouraged. SCOPE OF WORK: MMS HF DOPPLER RADAR DEPLOYMENT SCHEDULE FOR THE BEAUFORT SEA AND COOK INLET: This RFP requires at least two seasons in the Beaufort Sea and one season in the Cook Inlet. The Contractor will deploy and maintain two to three HF Doppler radar units in the Beaufort Sea during two consecutive Spring to Fall (June through October) mixed ice and open water periods. The deployments will commence in June 2005, during the opening of coastal leads and end in October 2006 during the formation of land fast ice. The Beaufort Sea units will be shut down during the intervening winter months. In October 2006, the HF Doppler radar units from the Beaufort Sea project study area will be transported to the Cook Inlet project study area where the HF radar will be deployed to collect surface current data from November 2006 through November 2007. GENERAL HYPOTHESES: BEAUFORT SEA HYPOTHESES (MAY THROUGH OCTOBER, IN YEARS 2005 AND 2006): 1) HF radar will provide improved oceanographic measurement capabilities in the Alaskan Beaufort Sea, under varying and seasonal ice conditions; 2) HF radar will improve understanding of potential pollutant (oil) transport under both arctic freeze-up and breakup conditions; 3) HF radar offers serendipitous potential beyond standard 2-D mapping of surface water currents. COOK INLET HYPOTHESES (NOVEMBER 2006 THROUGH NOVEMBER 2007): 1) HF radar will identify, resolve, and map regional oceanographic features that may concentrate or otherwise effect pollutant (oil) transport. 2) HF radar will quantify tidal and seasonal variation of these regional oceanographic features; 3) HF radar will provide currently unavailable information to oceanographic models of Cook Inlet such as detailed, measured surface water flux through the mouth of Cook Inlet for use in boundary conditions and mass conservation evaluation. BEAUFORT SEA SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: 1) Deploy and maintain a minimum of two (preferably three) HF Doppler surface radar sites along the Beaufort Sea shoreline from June, during the opening of the coastal leads through October, ceasing operations after the coastal land fast ice has formed for the years 2005 and 2006; The Contractor will collect, analyze, disseminate over the Internet, and archive surface current vector direction and speed measurements in open water and mixed ice conditions over a distance that is approximately 10-50km from shore and that has a resolution of approximately 250m to 3Km. The surface current measurements will be used to resolve circulation patterns landward (inside) and seaward (outside) of the barrier islands to about the 30 meter bathymetric contour; 2) Collect surface current measurements during spring breakup (and fresh water inflow), opening of coastal leads, mixed ice and open water conditions, open water conditions, freeze-up and during the initial formation of land fast ice. COOK INLET SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES: 1)Provide year-round quality controlled surface current vector direction and speed measurements over a radial distance that is approximately 50-80 km from shore and that has a resolution of 1-3Km through the deployment of HF Doppler surface radar along the Cook Inlet shoreline; 2) Map and interpret the signal response and surface current measurement capability from the radar systems over for an entire season; 3) Map the spatial variability of tidal currents and eddy dynamics. BEAUFORT SEA AND COOK INLET COMMON OBJECTIVES: 1) Examine the effects that sea ice concentration and extent has on the collection of surface current measurements from HF Doppler radar; 2)Validate the HF Doppler radar surface current data measurements by comparing these data against the sub surface current measurements from the Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs); 3) Compare and contrast the wind measurements from MMS or other adjacent coastal meteorological stations against the surface current measurements from HF Doppler radar system; 3) Develop a web site and ground capability to monitor system integrity and performance; 4) Provide near real-time dissemination of surface current field data, vector maps, and surface current animations; 5) Provide detailed analysis of current variability and system response from the HF Doppler radar; 6) Determine the dynamics and variability of surface current circulation. Include in your analysis of sea-ice, bathymetry, meteorological, ADCP, drifter, tidal, sea surface temperature or other important comparative data within the study area. THE BEAUFORT SEA AND COOK INLET - TASKS: TASK 1; Site Investigations and Site Selection: A detailed study of the topography of the Beaufort Sea and the Cook Inlet shoreline and its implication on radar coverage is needed before making final site selections. The Contractor is responsible for identifying a minimum of four prospective sites. Any combination of three sites shall provide the maximum coverage and accuracy to calculate the surface current speed and direction over the largest area. In addition, the Contractor will deploy and evaluate the optimal equipment, and infrastructure that would meet or exceed the stated objectives within this RFP. The Contractor shall provide good reasons based upon the field conditions to deploy specific units at specific frequencies based upon the stated objectives for capturing data for either the Beaufort Sea or Cook Inlet. In addition, the site investigation shall address any potential radio or other. The Contractor is encouraged to form partnerships with private, government and non-profit agencies. BEAUFORT SEA HF DOPPLER RADAR SITE SELECTIONS: Three potential site selections have been identified by MMS for the Beaufort Sea, without field testing, by utilizing a line of sight program and USGS Digital Elevation Models (DEM's) with Environmental Systems Research Inc. ESRI, ARCGIS software. These three potential sites are the following: (1) Milne Point; (2) West Dock Oil and NOAA Tide Gauge Station; and the (3) Endicott Oil facility. Other potential sites may be located north of the Badami Oil field and at the Milne Point Oil Field. The Contractor shall evaluate these and other potential sites if necessary for their usefulness and applicability to the project objectives. When choosing the type and frequency of the HF Doppler radar system, the Contractor must consider the limited fetch conditions during the breakup of the land fast ice in the Beaufort Sea. COOK INLET HF DOPPLER RADAR SITE SELECTIONS: During a recent MMS meeting in Anchorage called "MMS Research Sponsorship Meeting on the Mapping of Surface Currents from HF in Alaska", three HF radar site locations were proposed for the MMS field project. Two sites, Anchor Point and Nanwalek, were previously studied by researchers at NOAA and the University of Fairbanks. The Contractor shall evaluate these sites for their potential usefulness and applicability to the projects success. The Contractor will use the Anchor Point and Nanwalek sites, and be responsible for adding a third site, preferably on the west site of Cook Inlet that will maximize the coverage and accuracy from all three sites. TASK 2, Field Report: Provide a report to MMS that synthesizes the results from the site visit and provides the recommendations on the final site selections for MMS review. The report shall contain maps displaying the radial range of coverage and the potential overlap established by the field tests and a timetable and strategy to initiate the collection of data and maintenance all of the equipment. The Contractor shall identify all of the power requirements from all of the field systems and how those requirements will be supported in the field. The report shall clearly state how such operations will be supported in the field, and how problems will be quickly identified and corrected, so as to minimize the loss of data. The Contractor shall describe how the HF Doppler radar hardware, software and output will be monitored remotely. The Contractor shall provide a system that links remotely via a high speed Internet connection. The Contractor shall describe how the data will be disseminated to the public, and archived on and off site over the projects time period of performance. The field report shall address how all of the MMS study objectives will be addressed. The report shall describe how the Contractor will acquire all permissions in writing if necessary from the landowners to install and access the HF Systems over the life of the project. The Contractor shall address any potential interference to private, government, or subsistence concerns in the area. TASK 3, Deployment, Installation, Calibration, and Maintenance of HF Doppler Radar Units: The HF Doppler radar units for the Beaufort Sea and Cook Inlet will be deployed based upon the results from the field reports within Task 2; Each radar shall consist of transmit antennas, receive antennas, signal processing electronics, and a central computer. The electronics and computer will be mounted in weather-proof, animal proof, temperature controlled structures. Power will be connected to existing facilities when possible. Remote power needs will be installed, as necessary, to run the network. The units will be calibrated subsequent to deployment and during intervals needed to provide high quality data. Regular maintenance of the system will be done to minimize the loss of data. System performance will be monitored at all times via a high speed Internet connection. All system corrections will be accomplished rapidly, especially during the very limited data collection time period for the Beaufort Sea. For the Beaufort Sea, during sufficient open water conditions, the HF Doppler radar units shall be capable of mapping surface ocean currents within a distance of 10-50 km from shoreline. The radars shall be of sufficient resolution to capture the surface current measurements during the development of the coastal leads and addition to resolving the currents around the barrier islands. For the Cook Inlet, High Frequency Doppler radars will be deployed in an array capable of mapping surface ocean currents within a distance of 50-80 km from the Cook Inlet shoreline sites. TASK 4; Collection and Analysis of Surface Current Measurements: The Contractor will collect, analyze, and describe the surface current measurements as defined in the objectives. The Contractor will use such methods as stick diagrams or other analysis to correlate wind velocity and direction from MMS funded measurements or other local meteorological stations to HF Doppler radar generated surface current measurements. Scatter plots, cross-spectral, power spectra analysis, or other types of analyzes will be used to compare the surface current measurements from the HF Doppler radar to the sub surface currents obtained through the use ADCP's or other current measuring devices. Sea ice concentration and extent will be compared to the spatial and temporal extent of the return signal and output from the HF Doppler radar. RADARSAT, MODIS or other types of imagery shall be utilized if necessary to monitor the response of HF Doppler radar to the changing ice conditions, especially during breakup, particularly for the Beaufort Sea. Additional research objectives for the Beaufort Sea include determining HF Doppler radar capability to provide information on mesoscale winds (e.g. sea breeze strength and extent in Beaufort Sea, and improved bathymetry). For the Cook Inlet, examine the capability of the HF radar to provide improved information for correlation to mesoscale winds and wind jets and bathymetry. Map and interpret the spatial variability of surface currents and eddy dynamics in the Lower Cook Inlet. Interpret the seasonal and tidal cycle variability of surface currents in open water and in mixed ice and open water conditions. Compare the tidal rips identified in other studies to the surface current measurements collected with the HF Doppler radar. Use existing Cook Inlet HFR-derived surface current velocity data sets to create products that would be of use to the maritime community, such as tidal constituents. These products could be made available to operational interests such as the NOAA/NOS/Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) and be web-linked to the PORTS? program of CO-OPS. When the present project produces HFR-derived velocity data from Cook Inlet, these data could also be subjected to the same analysis. TASK 5; Validation of Surface Current Data: Beaufort Sea: ADCP's will be used to validate the surface current measurements measured from the HF Doppler radar. Researchers at the University of Alaska, at Fairbanks are scheduled to collect radial subsurface current data using upward looking Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCP's) on the Beaufort Sea shelf. The units are planned to be installed during the summer of 2004. At least one of the units is planned for installation within the planned study area. The Contractor for this project will request access to the ADCP data for the purpose of validation of the HF Doppler radar surface current data measurements. The Contractor may propose to deploy additional ADCP systems for validation purposes if necessary, and if budget allows. Cook Inlet: To quality-control the radar-derived current measurements with in-situ measurements, and to sample their vertical structure, Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers ADCP's or other surface or near surface measurement devices will be deployed simultaneously on shallow water moorings. The radars and current meters will be installed within the proposed study area. Comparisons will be made between radial currents measured by the ADCPs and the surface current radars. If necessary, sea ice data shall be integrated into the validation process since it may have an affect on the response from the HF Doppler radar instruments sensitivity to map surface currents during the winter months in the Cook Inlet. TASK 6; Establish a Web Site for Data Validation, to Test System Integrity, and to Provide Public Access to Project Information: The Contractor shall design, build and deploy the infrastructure required to disseminate near real- time surface current measurements from field locations to a central web site accessible to MMS, and the general public. The Contractor must establish a high speed Internet connection to monitor the quality of the incoming data, analyze and dissemination of the data over the Internet in near-real time. The central computer will poll the remote sites hourly, initiate raw data retrieval, combine radial currents into vector current maps, and transfer the maps of currents to a central server for archiving, Internet dissemination, and analysis. The operation will be streamlined so that all data will be processed automatically. All of the raw data will be archived with a backup stored offsite. The web site shall provide a general description of the study effort and its objectives along with a map displaying the station locations. It shall describe the deployment schedule, daily operational system status, data validation, station log, site photos, near-real time surface current measurements in graphical format, and surface current animations. The surface current maps will be available over the Internet and will be distributed at a minimum of every hour to aid those interests with a need for this information on an operational basis. The Contractor will determine the feasibility of storing the interpreted surface current measurements in a database that can be queried by spatial extent and date range. For data validation, time series comparisons will be made and presented in graphical format on the web between radial currents measured by the DCPs and the surface current data from the HF Doppler radar. TASK 7; REPORT SUBMISSION: An ANNUAL report will be provided which summarizes the previous year's operations, results, and analysis based upon the stated objectives. The report will contain maps and analysis of the surface current measurements in different mixed ice and open water conditions. Validation of the surface current measurements will be corroborated from all available ancillary data. The Contractor will propose any changes for the next field season. The usefulness of the radar will be addressed based upon the changing ice conditions. The contractor shall submit a final report that summarizes the field operations, data results, and analysis for all years, and shall combine the data from all years and provide an analysis of all data sets, operational, and environmental conditions. The FINAL report shall specifically address the type of data captured during the changing ice condition surrounding the radar sites and shall identify major contributions from this study with regards to our understanding of surface current circulation. TASK 8; Database and Database Documentation: On an annual basis, or subsequent to each field season, the interpreted data from all of the surface current measurements will be provided to MMS along with the data documentation. The Contractor shall complete this task considering the developing system being designed by the Data management and Communications Committees (DMAC) of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) and Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS). The Contractor is responsible for coordinating directly with the DMAC's. If particular portions of the DMAC system such as the database format have not been developed, then MMS would use existing data formats as described at http://marine.rutgers.edu/mrs/newcodar/data/FileFormat.txt. All the surface current measurement data shall be delivered to MMS in a MMS compatible database so that surface current measurements can be queried by spatial (geographic) and temporal (date/time range) extent. TASK 9, Bibliographic Database of HF Doppler Radar Surface Current Mapping Studies: Compile a bibliographic database of pertinent citations on the use of HF Doppler radar for the mapping of surface currents. The extent of the bibliography will be limited to the available budget. If budget allows, the references shall be compiled alphabetically in standard format and any abstracts and papers included with the citations. The citations and possible linked articles shall be included in a ProCite database. TASK 10, Preparation and Submission of Journal Article: The Contractor shall prepare and submit a scientific article(s) to a peer-reviewed journal(s). Drafts of manuscripts will be provided to MMS prior to journal submittal. Articles will summarize major objectives, methods, significant results, conclusions, and implications of the work. All journal articles must include MMS in the acknowledgments section and reference the agreement number to facilitate accession through the Environmental Studies Program Information System (ESPIS). Because of the long lead time that is usual for scientific publication, the Contractor is encouraged to start on this submission in parallel with or prior to completion of the final report. EVALUATION OF CAPABILITY STATEMENTS: Experience and expertise of all Key Personnel with the technical knowledge and experience to accomplish all of the stated tasks: The contractor must provide information on which task(s) each key personnel will perform and the rational for their assignment. The key personnel must have prior experience in deployment, collection and analysis of surface current measurements from HF Doppler radar. Particularly relevant to their experience, knowledge and contractor familiarity, they shall provide their experience in the deployment, maintenance, and analysis of the surface current measurements. EVALUATION FACTORS: (A) length and experience with the collection and analysis of HF radar data; (B) Project Manager's capability to manage and coordinate a multi-disciplinary team of field of personnel in the collection and analysis of such data; (C) Key personnel's knowledge of Beaufort Sea and Cook Inlet oceanography; (D) Their capability to control costs and keep work performance high and project performance on schedule and within budget; (E) Your organization's history of successfully conducting similar projects (similar in size, scope, complexity, duration and dollar value), producing high-quality documents, and completing similar projects on schedule and within budget. Specific references (including project identifier and description, relationship to current scope of work, Period of Performance, dollar amount, client name, mailing address, Email address, and phone number) If you believe the Government will find derogatory information as a result of checking your past performance record, please provide an explanation and any remedial action taken by your company to address the problem; (F) Team efforts and costs sharing among academia, industry, and government participants. HOW TO RESPOND: Submit an Original and two (2) copies of your Capability Statement, not later than 5:00 PM EST, Tuesday, August 03, 2004 to Michael W. Hargrove, Minerals Management Service, 381 Elden Street, MS 2510, Herndon VA 20170 and three (3) copies to Warren Horowitz, Minerals Management Service, Alaska OCS Region, 949 East 36th Avenue, Anchorage AK 99508-4302. Timeliness of receipt of submissions will be determined by the time received in the Procurement Operations Branch, Herndon VA. QUESTIONS should be faxed as soon as practicable to Michael W. Hargrove on 703-787-1041 or E-mailed to Michael.Hargrove@mms.gov. FOLLOWING REVIEW OF CAPABILITIES STATEMENTS, offerors will be informed of the results of the evaluation. ALL CORRESPONDENCE MUST INCLUDE THE RFP NUMBER (35579) & TITLE (SURFACE CIRCULATION RADAR MAPPING IN ALASKAN COASTAL WATERS: FIELD STUDY BEAUFORT SEA AND COOK INLET"), YOUR FULL NAME/COMPANY NAME, ADDRESS AND PHONE AND FACSIMILE NUMBERS. REQUESTS OR QUESTIONS BY TELEPHONE ARE STRONGLY DISCOURAGED.
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