SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- PALLID - MILK AND MISSOURI RIVERS
- Notice Date
- 3/20/2019
- Notice Type
- Synopsis
- NAICS
- 541715
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- USGS OAG DENVER ACQUISITION BRANCH<br />PO BOX 25046<br />204 DENVER FEDERAL CENTER<br />DENVER<br />CO<br />80225-0046<br />US<br />
- ZIP Code
- 80225
- Solicitation Number
- 140G0219Q0060
- Response Due
- 3/27/2019
- Archive Date
- 4/11/2019
- Point of Contact
- Wilson, Mary
- Small Business Set-Aside
- Total Small Business
- Description
- The U.S. Department of Interior, US Geological Survey (USGS) is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support this requirement for the potential need for the following: Must be able to get permit for tracking and handling endangered species on the Milk River and Missouri River by the middle of May 2019. 1) Assess reproductive status, migrations, and use of the Milk River and Missouri River downstream from Fort Peck Dam by telemetered wild and stocked pallid sturgeon. As part of past and ongoing research activities, a research population of about 70 wild pallid sturgeon and about 200 HOPS is currently implanted with radio transmitters. The Contractor shall capture telemetered wild pallid sturgeon during late April through June 2019, and assess reproductive status. Radio transmitters shall be surgically implanted in wild pallid sturgeon that carry an expired/near-expiring transmitter. During late April through June 2019, the Contractor shall capture telemetered HOPS representative of the 1997-2007 year classes to assess reproductive status of these stocked fish. Assessment of reproductive status for the wild pallid sturgeon and stocked HOPS shall include an egg sample for known or suspected females (for Polarization Index, PI), blood sample (for hormone analysis), and fish length and weight. The Contractor shall deploy by May 1, 2019, a series of five (5) ground-based telemetry logging stations to assist in detecting movements of telemetered pallid sturgeon. Logging stations shall be deployed on-shore in the Milk River near river mile (RM) 2.0, and in the Missouri River near RM 1,760, RM 1,720, RM 1,618, and RM 1,584. Migrations into and use of the Milk River and Missouri River downstream from Fort Peck Dam by the research population of telemetered pallid sturgeon shall be assessed from May through July using a combination of manual tracking by boat and detections from ground-based telemetry logging stations. If one or more telemetered reproductive females are observed during early season reproductive assessments, the Contractor shall inform the USGS Technical Liaison, and both parties shall establish a telemetry tracking regime to assess potential spawning in the Missouri River and/or Milk River. Following suspected spawning activity (for example, gravid female aggregated with males), the Contractor shall attempt recapture of the female(s) and perform reproductive assessments to verify spawning. Post-spawn reproductive assessments shall include measuring weight (to detect female loss of egg mass), visualizing gonads (to determine if the body cavity is void of eggs), and obtaining a blood sample (to determine if hormones are indicative of post-reproductive levels). The USGS shall provide computers, software, and a differential GPS unit to facilitate digital acquisition of telemetry data for the Sturgeon Information Management System (SIMS). 2) Verify and quantify reproductive products (eggs, free embryos, larvae) from spawning events in the Milk River and Missouri River downstream from Fort Peck Dam. Spawning events involving wild pallid sturgeon and mature HOPS may occur in the Milk River or Missouri River downstream from Fort Peck Dam. Sampling for reproductive products (eggs, developing embryos, free embryos, larvae) from these spawning events shall follow procedures unique to both rivers. If wild pallid sturgeon or mature HOPS enter the Milk River (based on telemetry observations from Task 1 above) and river-exit reproductive assessments indicate spawning occurred in the Milk River, the Contractor shall sample the lower Milk River for reproductive products on a daily basis for a period of seven (7) days following the exit of post-spawn pallid sturgeon from the river. If wild pallid sturgeon or mature HOPS do not use the Milk River, the Contractor shall not be required to sample in the Milk River. For the Missouri River, the Contractor shall sample for reproductive products near Wolf Point, Montana (approximate RM 1,700) at least two times per week from June 3 to July 26, 2019. The Contractor shall acquire a minimum of 20 samples on each sampling date, comprised from sampling the thalweg at 10 replicate river bends where two samples adjacent to the river bed are obtained at each replicate bend (for example, 10 river bends x 2 samples per river bend = 20 samples each date). Additional locations downstream from suspected spawning locations shall be targeted for intensive sampling if aggregations of wild pallid sturgeon or HOPS are identified at a specific location. Reproductive products shall be sampled following methods outlined in Braaten and others (2010), where paired rectangular frame nets (0.75 m- width, 0.50-m height, 1.0-mm mesh) shall be deployed to the river bed. Nets shall be fitted with a flow meter to estimate velocity and volume of water sampled. All Acipenseriform reproductive products (potentially representing pallid sturgeon, shovelnose sturgeon, paddlefish) shall be live-extracted from the detritus (Fuller and others, 2008), and preserved in 95% non-denatured ethanol. 3) Assess and quantify dispersal and settlement of pallid sturgeon early life stages in the Missouri River downstream from Fort Peck Dam. After dispersing from upstream spawning and hatch locations, pallid sturgeon free embryos transition from drifting in the water column to occupying benthic habitats as settled larvae (often also referred to as young-of-year). The Contractor shall sample for settled pallid sturgeon larvae and young-of-year using a beam (benthic) trawl (2.0-m wide, 0.5-m, 5.5-m length; Braaten and Fuller 2007) under the following protocol. From July 22 through September 13, 2019, beam trawling shall be conducted at weekly intervals at sites in the Missouri River upstream (4 sites) and downstream (4 sites) from the Yellowstone River confluence. Upstream sites shall be located between RM 1,582 and RM 1,592; downstream sites shall be located between RM 1,582 and RM 1,550. At each site, the Contractor shall perform a minimum of three beam trawl samples at a river bend, where one trawl sample is conducted along the inside bend (ISB) portion of the river bend, one trawl sample is conducted along the outside bend (OSB) portion of the river bend, and one trawl sample is conducted at the channel cross-over (CHXO; for example, the location where the thalweg transitions from one bend to the next bend). If a small Scaphirhynchus sp. is captured (< 120 mm), two additional trawls shall be conducted at the same location. If additional Scaphirhynchus sp. are sampled in the two additional trawls, the process shall be repeated up to a maximum of eight trawls. The Scaphirhynchus sp. collected shall be measured for total length (nearest 1.0 mm; anterior margin of rostrum to posterior tip of caudal fin excluding caudal filament). Fin clips shall be obtained for Scaphirhynchus sp. collected, and preserved in 95% non-denatured ethanol. The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541715. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for capability information does not constitute a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. If your organization has the potential ability to meet this requirement, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. The government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to 1) provide services consistent in scope and scale with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance based service acquisition contract. BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. Submission Instructions: Interested parties who consider themselves qualified to perform the above-listed services are invited to submit a response to this Sources Sought Notice by 4:00 PM CST on March 27, 2018. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be emailed to bwilson@usgs.gov. If you have any questions concerning this opportunity please contact: bwilson@usgs.gov. NOTE: THIS NOTICE WAS NOT POSTED TO FEDBIZOPPS ON THE DATE INDICATED IN THE NOTICE ITSELF (20-MAR-2019); HOWEVER, IT DID APPEAR IN THE FEDBIZOPPS FTP FEED ON THIS DATE. PLEASE CONTACT 877-472-3779 or fbo.support@gsa.gov REGARDING THIS ISSUE.
- Web Link
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Link To Document
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOI/USGS/USGS/140G0219Q0060/listing.html)
- Record
- SN05255151-F 20190322/190320230021 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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