SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- FY19 LIVING MARINE RESOURCES (LMR) PROGRAM ENVIRONMENTAL NEED TOPICS
- Notice Date
- 9/4/2018
- Notice Type
- Synopsis
- NAICS
- 541714
— Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- N39430 NAVFAC EXWC, Port Hueneme 1000 23rd AVE Port Hueneme, CA
- ZIP Code
- 93043
- Solicitation Number
- N3943018S2086
- Response Due
- 10/22/2018
- Archive Date
- 11/6/2018
- Point of Contact
- LMR Program Office 8059824853
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This announcement constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NEXWC) under FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.106. A formal Request for Proposals (RFP), other solicitation, or additional information regarding this announcement will not be issued. FAR Part 35 restricts the use of BAAs, such as this, to the acquisition of basic and applied research and that portion of advanced technology development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. Contracts made under BAAs are for scientific study and experimentation directed towards advancing the state of the art and increasing knowledge or understanding. This announcement is not for the acquisition of technical, engineering, or other types of support services. The Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, through the Living Marine Resources (LMR) program, is soliciting pre-proposals for efforts related to the need topic listed below. If invited, offerors will be asked to submit a full proposal. NEED TOPIC N-0203-19: IMPROVEMENT OF MEDIUM-TERM TELEMETRY TAG ATTACHMENT DURATION Marine mammal baseline behavioral data (diving, movement) and behavioral and physiological response to sonar exposure data derived from animal telemetry provide the foundation for behavioral response criteria in the Navy s acoustic effects modeling, among other uses. Over the past two decades, biologists have been especially successful in attaching tracking devices to cetaceans at the small and large end of their size range. A solution for tagging all sizes (small, medium, and large-sized) cetaceans using 4-6 cm darts is the Low Impact Minimally Percutaneous External-electronics Transmitter (LIMPET) tag system, which is a readily available commercial product being deployed on a wide range of cetacean species (~ 28) across the globe. The current time-scale for LIMPET and other tag packages (some under development) using darts ranges from a few days to a few weeks, with the occasional tag lasting several months. It s possible that the rigid materials and connection between the tag body and dart attachments are limiting tag durations. Improvements in dart design are needed to increase tag deployment durations to one to several months on average. LMR is seeking pre-proposals focused on research towards the re-design and/or improvement of medium-term tag attachment methods for dart-style tag attachments for marine mammals. This might include designs that limit the transfer of forces between the tag body and dart attachments, changes in materials and design used in dart attachments, and tag and attachment designs that are more tolerant of wider angles of approach when deploying tags. NEED TOPIC N-0204-19: DEMONSTRATION AND VALIDATION OF PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING (PAM) BASED DENSITY ESTIMATION METHODS USING VISUALLY VERIFIED SURVEY DATA Marine mammal density estimates are a critical input for the Navy s acoustic effects modelling. Traditional ship and aerial visual survey estimates of marine mammal density are viable for the Navy, but very limited in their spatial and temporal coverage and many species are difficult to sight. The use of fixed-PAM for density estimation has the potential to increase the amount of density data in all US-waters and Navy ranges that can be used in the Navy s acoustic effects modeling. However, these relatively new statistical approaches still need to be demonstrated and validated. LMR is seeking pre-proposals demonstrating and validating fixed-PAM based density estimation methods using vessel or shore-based visual surveys on species that have a high confidence level in being sighted. The objectives of the study should include: 1) Collection of concurrent visual sightings groups from cliff-based or boat-based observation sites, and localization of vocally active individuals or groups of animals using an array of time-synchronized fixed-PAM data recorders. 2) Obtain visually-estimated group sizes, group counts, and acoustic detection ranges by focal-group tracking. 3) Comparison of density estimates obtained using multiple fixed-PAM density estimation methods (cue-counting, point-transect sampling methods, Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture - SECR); 4) Validation of PAM density estimation approaches against visual survey density estimates, and evaluate which PAM density method work best for which species and circumstance. NEED TOPIC N-0205-19 INVESTIGATION OF THE EFFECTS OF CUE RATE AND CUE STABILITY ON PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING (PAM) BASED DENSITY ESTIMATION METHODS Marine mammal density estimates are a critical input for the Navy s acoustic effects modelling. Traditional ship and aerial visual survey estimates of marine mammal density are viable for the Navy, but very limited in their spatial and temporal coverage and many species are difficult to sight. The use of fixed-PAM for density estimation has the potential to increase the amount of density data in all US-waters and Navy ranges that can be used in the Navy s acoustic effects modeling. However, these relatively new statistical approaches still need to be demonstrated and validated. In some PAM based density estimation methods, the cue rate or the marine mammal sound production rate is an important multiplier to get to a final density estimate. Cue rates can vary in marine mammals as a function of time of day, year, group size, season, bottom depth, location, etc. Also often cue rates are determined from limited data sets and assumed to be representative for the species. LMR is seeking pre-proposals that investigate cue rate and cue stability for use in PAM-based density estimation methods. Priority will be given to pre-proposals that focus on species groups listed in Appendix A. This can include a model-based approach using existing data. The ultimate result of this research should inform us on the most appropriate cue rates for species/context that can be characterized and make recommendations of most appropriate species to further collect cue rate data for. NEED TOPIC N-0206-19: DEMONSTRATION AND VALIDATION OF PASSIVE ACOUSTIC MONITORING SPARSE ARRAYS TO ESTIMATE THE DENSITY OF LOW-FREQUENCY WHALES OVER LARGE SPATIAL AREAS Marine mammal density estimates are a critical input for the Navy s acoustic effects modelling using NAEMO. Traditional ship and aerial visual survey estimates of marine mammal density are viable for the Navy, but very limited in their spatial and temporal coverage. The ONR Marine Mammals and Biology program has developed Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) approaches using sparse arrays where sensors are distributed evenly over a large area of interest, and are often referred to as platforms of opportunity because their primary monitoring purpose is not for marine mammals. Sparse arrays, including Ocean Bottom Seismometers (OBS) and Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty Organization International Monitoring System (CTBTO IMS) data, have been used to detect and track blue and fin whales. Traditional and novel density estimation methods have been applied to data from OBSs and then adapted for CTBTO IMS data There are a variety of density estimation approaches that have been successfully used on OBS data to estimate density of fin and blue whales; whereas, for CTBTO IMS data it has worked well on stereotyped vocalizations like fin whale 20-Hz calls, but additional development is required for the more variable blue whales calls. While these studies have demonstrated the utility of OBS and CTBTO IMS data, the techniques to 1) estimate range to calling animals, and 2) density estimation methods still need to be compared and validated under different conditions to be able to fully utilize the worldwide dataset. LMR is seeking pre-proposals that will identify a suite of case studies of OBS data for blue and fin whales and CTBTO IMS data for fin whales from around the world that represent the variability of environmental conditions at OBS and CTBTO IMS locations worldwide, with the goal of determining the best methods to estimate the detection range of fin and blue whales and the most appropriate application of acoustic based density estimation methods. Deliverables should include a set of tools, training materials, and documentation that will help stakeholders to use OBS and CTBTO IMS data in a given geographic area to produce density estimates for blue and/or fin whales. NEED TOPIC N-0207-19: IDENTIFICATION OF MONITORING PRIORITIES FOR STUDYING THE POPULATION CONSEQUENCES OF DISTURBANCE ON MARINE MAMMALS The population consequences of disturbance (PCoD) framework provide a conceptual framework which can be used to forecast a plausible range of outcomes for the possible effects of Navy activities on marine mammals. However, significant data gaps exist and it may take decades to fill these gaps. Therefore, there is significant interest in identifying current methods for monitoring populations subject to disturbance that may also provide insights into the processes through which disturbance may affect these populations. Recent reports have indicated that monitoring for health variables, capture-recapture, individual tracking (e.g. telemetry), remote tissue sampling and (vertical) photogrammetry were considered the most useful methods for PCOD analysis involving baleen whale and deep-diving cetacean species. The overall approach of the Navy Marine Species Monitoring (MSM) Program for both Atlantic and Pacific range complexes is captured in four conceptual framework categories (DoN 2016a, b): Occurrence, Exposure, Response, and Consequences studies. These categories parallel the PCoD framework described in New et al. (2014), where Occurrence and Exposure are integral to the assessment of numbers of animals disturbed, Response captures the link between disturbance and behavioral and physiological changes, and Consequences is concerned with how such changes might impact upon health, vital rates and ultimately population dynamics. The LMR program is seeking pre-proposals that evaluate the Navy MSM program in terms of how to specifically inform future PCoD analyses. Given the effort currently being conducted and that has been conducted over the past 10 years of the Navy MSM program, proposals should assess existing data collected to date to determine what might be achieved retrospectively in a PCoD analysis. A review of exiting data might include a review of effort conducted to date, sample sizes obtained for different species/variables and species/method-specific power analyses to determine the levels of effort required to collect sample sizes to inform future PCoD analyses. The results of the study should inform the Navy MSM program of the methods and approaches the program could take to enable the future ability to conduct PCoD analysis. The recommendation of integrating future additional monitoring data collection or analyses should be done in the context of the existing Navy MSM programs. For example, photo-ID, biopsy, vertical photogrammetry, and individual tracking methods could be suggested as secondary efforts to already funded visual surveys. NEED TOPIC N-0208-19: TURTLE TTS FEASIBILITY STUDY The Navy, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), and other federal agencies require quantitative thresholds to examine the potential impacts of underwater sound on protected species. General audiometric information is available for most sea turtle species, however, data on the susceptibility of sea turtles to noise induced hearing threshold shifts is lacking. LMR is partnering with NMFS Office of Protected Resources and the Office of Science and Technology to conduct a feasibility study on obtaining temporary threshold shift (TTS) information for sea turtles. Due to animal care concerns associated with inducing TTS in Endangered Species Act (ESA)-listed sea turtles, this project should be undertaken in a two stage process. First, to determine the feasibility of generating TTS in a closely related surrogate - a non-ESA listed turtle species (e.g. diamondback terrapin, red-eared slider, pond slider, etc.). If this step is successful, the second stage would be to obtain TTS information for an ESA listed sea turtle, preferably a loggerhead or green sea turtle. Proposals should encapsulate the methods and costs associated with both stages of the studys feasibility. All associated animal handling permits and agreements (i.e. Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), etc.) should be in place prior to award. If the offeror currently possesses a permit or other documentation, it should be mentioned in the preproposal and submitted as part of the full proposal. In addition, all costs, logistics and schedule requirements associated with obtaining NMFS and US Fish and Wildlife permits for the second stage should be outlined prior to full commitment of the first stage of the study. SUPPORTING INFORMATION: For more information on what is required in a proposal, guidance on LMR priority species and geographic regions, how to submit a proposal via the LMR website, and how proposals are evaluated, refer to Appendix A. Offerors will be required to adhere to the data rights and handling procedures agreement (Appendix B) and the geospatial data requirements (Appendix C). Modifications to the data rights and handling procedures agreement or geospatial data requirements should be discussed with the LMR program staff prior to proposal submission. Offerors will also need to comply with the LMR Ocean Observing Systems (OOS) Notification Procedures (Appendix D). Offerors should note, however, that locations labelled in red in Appendix D as incompatible with acoustic OOS actually overlap with some of the LMR priority geographic regions outlined in Appendix A. Strict adherence to passive acoustic monitoring site selection, passive acoustic device deployment notification and data custody guidance will be required. Site selection should be discussed with the LMR program staff prior to submission of the proposal package. DoD is still finalizing their plan to meet the goals and requirements of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum titled Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research issued 2013 February 22. All projects funded by LMR would be subject to DoD policy once it is finalized. Proposed efforts involving interaction with and contact with marine mammals or endangered species may require research permits including but not limited to a Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Research Permit, Endangered Species Act (ESA) scientific research permit, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Department of Defense Animal Care and Use authorization. It is the expectation that all offerors will complete any necessary regulatory compliance permitting/consultations, necessary to conduct the research. If the offeror currently possesses a permit or other documentation, it should be mentioned in the preproposal and submitted as part of the full proposal. If your project involves developing or demonstrating a technology, an agreement with NAVFAC EXWC will need to be established to describe the ownership/use of the technology. Contracts will not be awarded without appropriate regulatory documentation and all agreements in place. SUBMISSION PROCESS: The pre-proposal submittal process is an email-based submission. Pre-proposals should be submitted via email to exwc_lmr_program@navy.mil. There is no specific format required for the pre-proposal, however, the pre-proposal should be consolidated into one single file and should not exceed 10 pages in length. All pre-proposal submissions must be received before the deadline. SUBMISSION DEADLINE: To be considered for funding in FY 2019, pre-proposals must be received no later than 11:59 pm, Pacific Daylight Time on 22 October 2018. Offerors will receive a confirmation email message acknowledging successful submission. It is the responsibility of the offeror to confirm receipt of the submission. If invited to submit a full proposal, these will be due 30 days after notification. EVALUATION PROCESS: Following a 2-month evaluation and selection process, successful pre-proposal offerors will receive an email inviting submission of a full proposal. Unsuccessful pre-proposal offerors will receive an email, but will not receive a detailed description of the reasons for preproposal rejection, due to the anticipated volume of submissions. Awards to non-government entities (academic institutions, not-for-profit organizations, industry) will be in the form of contracts. A nominal award amount has not been provided because the scope of the need topics varies considerably. However, proposals less than $300K/year are more likely to be funded given the available budget of the LMR program in FY 2019-2020. Proposals costing over $300K per year will still be considered, but we would expect a strong justification for the increased cost. The nominal duration of a project is expected to be 1-3 years, with a maximum of 5 years. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use realism of cost for the proposed effort as their metric, as this will be a critical element in the review process. Otherwise, meritorious pre-proposals and full proposals will be rejected if cost does not accurately reflect the proposed scope of work. EVALUATION CRITERIA: The pre-proposals and full proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria, of approximately equal weight. 1. TECHNICAL APPROACH: The scientific/technical merits and objectives in terms of meeting the stated need topic, as well as evidence that the science/technology is mature enough for applied research funding, and the performance criteria to measure success of the research effort. 2. OFFEROR S EXPERIENCE: For the pre-proposal phase, the offeror should clearly provide evidence or examples showing experience related to the solution being proposed. The organization s capabilities related to experience, techniques, or a unique combination of these that are integral factors in achieving the contractors proposed objectives. This equates to past performance, and will be assessed based on both relevance and confidence. If invited to submit a full proposal, NAVFAC also requires the offeror to provide their EMR and DART ratings. Safety is an integral and important aspect in all NAVFAC work. If the offeror does not have an EMR/DART rating, they should state this and provide a narrative rationale. See NFAS 15.304. 3. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR S AND KEY MEMBER S RELATED EXPERIENCE: For the pre-proposal phase, the offeror should provide the name, highest degree earned, organization/affiliation, location, and years of experience for the Principal Investigator and key personnel who are critical in achieving the objectives of the proposal. Principle Investigators and key personnel should be identified in the pre-proposal as such. If invited to submit a full proposal, the offeror will need to upload CVs for the Principal Investigator and key personnel. 4. COST/PRICE: The cost relative to the proposed scientific/technical approach. For the pre-proposal phase this information may be limited to a total cost estimate by calendar year (Jan 1 December 31). Assume for Year 1 of your project that effort will begin in September 2019 due to availability of funds and the time it takes to get a contract in place. Year 1 effort is assumed to occur between Sep Dec 2019. In addition to any other relevant travel required for the project, please include a trip for the PI to attend the In-Progress Review (IPR) meeting each year (Fall) in Port Hueneme, CA to present on the progress of the project. The IPR meeting is 3 days and offerors are required to attend for the duration of the meeting. If invited to submit a full proposal, additional guidance on cost/price information will be provided. This is not prescriptive, and can be submitted in the contractor s format. However, the same information will be required. 5. PROJECT BENEFITS: Expected benefits of the proposed project, key issues the proposed solution addresses, potential application of the results of the project, and advantages over current approaches. 6. PRODUCT IMPLEMENTATION: Describe the intended product(s) and all associated deliverables, the requirements for implementing the proposed products of this effort, and the potential technical risks that may pose a challenge to successful implementation. NOTES: 1. An eligible pre-proposal or full proposal does not guarantee a contract. Multiple contracts may result. 2. An offeror is required to register with the system for award management (SAM). No contract award will be made to any offeror that is not registered. Registration may take up to three weeks. SAM may be accessed at https://www.sam.gov. Registration is not required for proposal submission, but must be completed prior to initiation of award negotiation. To avoid delays in the award process, applicants are encouraged to initiate SAM registration early in the submission and review process. Non-government awardees will also need to provide a DUNS (Dunn and Bradstreet) number (http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.doc) and CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code (http://govwin.com/knowledge/ccr-registration) before an award can be made. 3. The preceding data should be sufficient for completing a pre-proposal. 4. There are no solicitation documents applying to this BAA. Request for a solicitation package will not be acknowledged. Those interested in participating in the BAA must follow the instructions to submit a pre-proposal. 5. There is no commitment by the Navy either to make any contract awards or to be responsible for any money expended by the contractor before a contract award. 6. As no funding for contracts has been reserved in advance, NEXWC will be sharing qualified pre-proposals with other Federal Government activities to seek demonstration sites and/or funding. Some Federal Government activities may employ civilian contractors to determine the applicability of an offered technology to specific projects. Technical and cost pre-proposals and full proposals submitted under this BAA will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 3.104-4 and 15.207. The cognizant Program Manager and other scientific experts will perform the evaluation of technical proposals. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, one or more support contractors may be utilized as subject-matter-expert technical consultants in accordance with FAR 37.204. However, pre-proposal and full proposal selection and award decisions are solely the responsibility of Government personnel. Each support contractor s employee having access to technical and cost pre-proposals and full proposals submitted in response to this BAA will be required to sign a non-disclosure statement prior to receipt of any pre-proposal or full proposal submissions. An offeror may require the non-government personnel to execute a supplemental non-disclosure agreement by including a copy of their institutional NDA with their proposal. However, note that a failure to come to an agreement may impact the ability to make an award. Please review FAR 37.204 and NFAS 15.303(d)(4). Eligibility notification will be sent to all contractors who have submitted a pre-proposal, after the Review Committee reviewed all pre-proposals submitted by the solicitation cut-off date. 7. For questions regarding this BAA, contact NAVFAC EXWC at (805) 982-4853 or (805) 982-5872 or via this email address: exwc_lmr_program@navy.mil. Correspondents are advised not to include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), business proprietary, or competition-sensitive information via email. Offerors will receive an automated email message acknowledging successful submission. If the contractor does not receive a notification of pre-proposal receipt, the contractor should call or e-mail NEXWC by using the phone number or e-mail address provided in this section. 8. Historically Black Colleges/Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) will be recognized according to DFARS 226.3. All responsible sources from academia and industry may submit proposals. No portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation, due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable items of this research for exclusive competition among the entities. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) including Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this BAA. However, teaming arrangements between FFRDCs and eligible principal bidders are allowed so long as they are permitted under the sponsoring agreement between the Government and the specific FFRDC. DFARS 235.017-1 allows DOD FFRDCs which function primarily as research laboratories to apply. Naval laboratories and Warfare Centers as well as other DOD and civilian agency laboratories are not eligible to receive awards under this BAA and should not directly submit proposals in response to this BAA. If any such organization is interested in one or more of these program areas, they should contact the NEXWC program office to discuss its interest. As with the FFRDCs, these organizations may team with other responsible sources from industry and academia that are submitting proposals under the BAA. University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) are eligible to submit proposals under this BAA unless precluded from doing so by their DOD UARC contract or an organizational conflict of interest. 9. Do not call the Contracting Office for verification. The pre-proposal is not received by the Contracting Office. 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