SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Collection of Life History Information for Four Pacific Regions under the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) Management Jurisdiction
- Notice Date
- 7/7/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), PIFSC, 1845 Wasp Boulevard, Building 176, Honolulu, Hawaii, 96818, United States
- ZIP Code
- 96818
- Solicitation Number
- PIFSC-15-005
- Archive Date
- 8/1/2015
- Point of Contact
- STEPHANIE M. GARNETT, Phone: (808) 725-5356
- E-Mail Address
-
STEPHANIE.M.GARNETT@NOAA.GOV
(STEPHANIE.M.GARNETT@NOAA.GOV)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT. IT IS NOT A SOLICITATION, NOR DOES IT GUARANTEE A SOLICITATION WILL BE ISSUED. REQUESTS FOR A SOLICITATION WILL NOT RECEIVE A RESPONSE. Any information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Announcement is strictly voluntary. The Government will neither award a contract solely based on this notice, nor pay for any information submitted by respondents. This notice is a request by the Government to collect information from interested vendors for the purpose of market research. Failing to provide a response to this announcement will not prohibit/exclude an interested vendor from participating in a future solicitation. The Government is looking for vendors who can perform the following requirements: NOAA, Pacific Islands Fisheries Science Center (PIFSC) is responsible for developing stock assessments that provide the information needed by the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council (WPRFMC) to evaluate the status of any fishery, and if necessary, develop and implement management measures to ensure the future sustainable of that fishery. Since 2009, the PIFSC Life History Program has received annual NOAA funding through the "Commercial Fisheries Bio-Sampling" program to further develop fishery monitoring efforts and collection of life history information for the four Pacific regions under the WPRFMC management jurisdiction. The three Pacific regions of American Samoa, Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI) are the emphasis of the bio-sampling program, which is primarily focused on coral reef fisheries and secondarily, on the deep slope bottomfish fisheries. While stock assessments will need to be developed to evaluate the status of these resources in these three regions, major gaps in important biological information of direct relevance to these assessment efforts continue to persist. One of the most basic and critical biological parameters is the determination of accurate estimates of age in order to develop length-at-age growth curves for important coral reef fish species. To best estimate this parameter will require the cross-sectioning and processing of sagittal otoliths collected from targeted species in each of the Pacific regions. Thin otolith cross-section preparations will not only provide the data needed to derive estimates of individual age of fish but will also help establish sex-specific length-at-age growth curves for these species, particularly where females may have a different growth rate or maximum size compared to males. II. PURPOSE The purpose of the contract is to continue our otolith preparation and age estimation service. Contractors will provide glass-mounted thin sections of sagittal otoliths ready for age determination and also estimates of age based on three readings of otolith annual marks for select commercially valuable reef fish species. III. CONTRACT TASKS The Contractor must be capable of preparing batches of 100 sagittal otoliths at a time prepared as thin cross-sections mounted on glass slides. Whole sagittal otoliths individually placed in small plastic labeled vials are delivered to the Contractor. One otolith from each sample is first weighed to nearest mg and then prepared for thin cross-sectioning, grinding, polishing, and mounting of the finished preparation onto a labeled glass slide. The Contractor will then conduct three independent age readings from each prepared otolith. Each otolith slide will be placed inside protective slide mailers and mailed back to PIFSC. IV. CONTRACT DELIVERABLES The Contractor will provide glass slide mounted cross-sections of sagittal otoliths along with three independent age estimates produced in the manner described above in the "Contract Tasks" section. The Contractor will provide finished sectioned otolith slides upon completion of each batch of 100 otoliths. V. GOVERNMENT-PROVIDED AND CONTRACTOR-PROVIDED PROPERTY The Government (NOAA) will provide the following: • Otolith samples placed inside capped vials with the specimen identification number legibly taped to the outside of the vial in pencil • Otolith samples will be secured within a mailing box and mailed to to contractor The Contractor will provide the following: • Lab facility for processing and preparing cross-sectioned otolith slides • Equipment and supplies for weighing, processing and preparing cross-sectioned otolith slides • Secure slide mailers and other packaging materials for securely returning via air mail prepared otolith slides to PIFSC VI. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The contract shall begin on or about January 1, 2015 and end no later than September 30, 2016. The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) is 541990 with a size standard of $14.0 million. Interested Contractors are requested to provide the following information in response to this Sources Sought Announcement: 1) A statement that you believe your firm has the capability to meet the stated requirements; 2) Your firm's DUNS number & CAGE code; 3) Your firm's SBA certified small business concern status. Specifically identify if your firm is HUBZone-certified, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, or in the SBA's 8(a) program. If your firm is not small, please state that it is a large business. 4) A brief description of your firm's past experience (within past 3 years) performing similar services. The information provided in response to this announcement is limited to five pages or less. All information shall be provided free of charge to the Government. The Government will not return any data provided in response to this announcement. This request for information does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued. 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. Responses shall be provided to Contracting Officer, Stephanie Garnett, via email at Stephanie.M.Garnett@noaa.gov no later than 2:00 PM (Hawaii Time) on Friday, July 17, 2015.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NOAA/WRAD/PIFSC-15-005/listing.html)
- Record
- SN03786945-W 20150709/150707234815-bef0c6f3224fa0f52ff751fe4a2a9fd6 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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