SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- USING HARD PARTS TO CONDUCT AGE VALIDATION AND CHARACTERIZE STOCK STRUCTURE AND POPULATION DYNAMICS FOR TUNAS, SWORDFISH AND SHARKS
- Notice Date
- 6/25/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Region Acquisition Division, 7600 Sand Point Way, Northeast, Seattle, Washington, 98115-6349
- ZIP Code
- 98115-6349
- Solicitation Number
- WAD-NFFR7000-13-03355
- Archive Date
- 7/25/2013
- Point of Contact
- Maria L Mendoza, Phone: (206)526-6671
- E-Mail Address
-
Maria.L.Mendoza@noaa.gov
(Maria.L.Mendoza@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS and is not a presolicitation announcement. The purpose of this Market Research and Sources Sought Notice is to gain knowledge of potential qualified Small Business, HUBZone, 8(a), Service Disabled Veteran owned, and Women owned Small Business firms. Responses to this Sources Sought Synopsis will be used by the Government in making appropriate acquisition decisions. NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center (SWFSC) is currently using hard parts (otoliths and vertebrae) to obtain critical life history and population level information of a range of tunas, billfish and sharks including common thresher (Alopias vulpinus), swordfish (Ziphius gladius), and bluefin (Thunnus orientalis) and albacore (Thunnus alalunga) tunas. These species are all important components of regional commercial and/or recreational fisheries along the U.S. West Coast and are federally-managed. Despite their regional importance there are data gaps for all species. For thresher sharks, there has been no age validation for vertebral band pair deposition rates, information that is critical in ageing the species and determining the stock's productivity. The SWFSC has been injecting thresher sharks with oxytetracycline and collecting vertebrae but the vertebra have not been processed. For northern bluefin tuna, the dynamics of movements from two separate spawning grounds in the western Pacific across the Pacific and the relative importance of the eastern Pacific as a foraging ground are not known. This type of information will help inform a management strategy. For north Pacific albacore the is some suggestion that two substocks exist in the eastern Pacific however it is still not clear whether albacore are simply separating to distinct foraging grounds or if patterns actually reflect two different substocks. Similarly, for swordfish it is believe that two substocks visit the US west coast waters, one that migrates through the North Pacific Transition Zone and the other that migrates primarily in the California Current off the west coast of the US and Mexico. To fill these data gaps, funds have been allocated to contract with a qualified institution to conduct the hard part analysis for the four species. The contracting institution must have experience working with both shark and teleost hard parts including conducting age validation using vertebrae, aging tuna using daily and annual rings and conducting isotope and trace elements analysis on tuna and swordfish otoliths using laser ablation and mass spectrometry. The contracting institution must also have a specialist in tuna and shark age and growth and microchemistry analyses to oversee the scientific aspects of the project. The information synthesized will enhance stock structure and status work for all four species. The revised Magnuson-Stevens Fisheries Conservation and Management Act National Standard 1 Guidelines requires, among other things, the establishment of biological and management reference points for federally-managed species and data from this project will help address these requirements. Description of Work and Services The contract goal is to conduct the hard-part analysis for the 4 species listed above in support of questions related to age, population dynamics and stock structure. The contractor will conduct, oversee and support the research as well as report regularly to NMFS personnel via phone or e-mail and attend meetings to present the work. The contractor will also work with NOAA on the preparation and submission of manuscripts to peer reviewed journals at the appropriate time. Task 1. The project contractor will oversee all aspects of the sample processing, data analysis, compilation, and distribution to SWFSC staff. Task 2. The contractor will use microchemistry analysis to retroactively characterize movement patterns of albacore to help characterize stock structure in the eastern Pacific. A total of 100 otoliths should be used in the analysis if available. Task 3. The contractor will assist with drafting a manuscript on the stock structure of north Pacific albacore based on stable isotope and trace element analysis. Task 4. The contractor will use vertebral ring count on thresher sharks injected with oxytetracycline to characterize band deposition. Task 5. The contractor will use daily and annual rings in otoliths and microchemistry analysis to characterize the population dynamics of Pacific bluefin. A total of 90 otoliths should be used in the analysis if available. Task 6. The contractor will use microchemistry analysis to retroactively characterize movement patterns of swordfish to help characterize stock structure in the eastern Pacific. A total of 100 otoliths should be used in the analysis if available. Task 7. The contractor will meet (or correspond by phone or email) with the NMFS project officer on a bi-annual basis to discuss progress and provide a brief written report on results to date. Task 8. The contractor will participate in a final project meeting (dates and location TBD) to review the data collected and decide on next steps in regards to utilizing the information for stock assessment and conservation and management objectives. A complete report will be provided at the meeting including materials and methods, all data collected, results and discussion. Deliverables All deliverables will be submitted to the Government Project Officers. The contract period will be August 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014. Invoices may be submitted intermittently based on partial completion of the work. 1. Semi-annually the contractor will prepare a written summary of the efforts to date and discuss progress and plans with the Government Project Officers. 2. At the end of the contract period the contractor will provide a detailed project summary report to include a project description, material and methods, data collected, results, and discussion as well as an outline of additional work needed to bring the projects to completion. SWFSC staff will collect and provide the necessary vertebrae and otoliths. All data generated will be property of the U.S. Government. Contractor Requirements a. Must have experience working with both shark and teleost hard parts including conducting age validation using vertebrae, aging tuna using daily and annual rings and conducting isotope and trace elements analysis on tuna and swordfish otoliths using laser ablation and mass spectrometry. b. Must have specialization in tuna, billfish and shark age and growth and microchemistry analyses to oversee the scientific aspects of the project. The period of performance of this contract shall commence Aug 1, 2013 through Dec 31, 2014 with no option period. The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) is 541690 with a size standard of $14M. Interested firms shall provide in writing, a brief narrative (no more than 3 pages in length) and documentation to support your firm's capability and experience meeting the requirements described herein and include your firm's name, address, point of contact, telephone number, DUNS Number, CCR Cage Number, business type and size, i.e., small, large, non-profit, educational, and so forth. Any response that does not include this information will not be considered. The Government will review your response to determine if your firm has the experience, knowledge and capability to perform the services as specified above. This request for information does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued. Nor does this request for information constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise that any procurement action that may be issued for the Government's requirements. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of the submission of contractor's information. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for proprietary information not properly identified. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. All contractors doing business with the Government are required to be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). NOTE: THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT CONSIDERED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL BUT A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. No solicitation document is available. No contract will be awarded on the basis of responses received to this notice. Detailed information must be submitted by email to the Purchasing Agent, Maria L. Mendoza at maria.l.mendoza@noaa.gov by 09:00 AM local Seattle time (PST), on Wednesday, July 10, 2013. Questions of any nature must be addressed in writing as TELEPHONE INQUIRIES WILL NOT BE HONORED.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NOAA/WASC/WAD-NFFR7000-13-03355/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: LAJOLLA, California, United States
- Record
- SN03098460-W 20130627/130625234458-1f1e7ee1a76475518d7c88c6667c680f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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