20 -- ROV OR SUBMERSIBLE, & SUPPORT VESSEL NEEDED FOR MONITORING STUDY IN OLYMPIC COAST NATIONAL MARINE SANCTUARY

Notice Date

June 14, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Administrative Support Center, 7600 Sand Point Way, Northeast, Seattle, WA, 98115-6349

ZIP Code

98115-6349

Solicitation Number

52ABNC100088

Response Due

July 12, 2001

Point of Contact

Crystina Elkins, Procurement Clerk, Phone (206) 526-4499, Fax (206) 526-6025, Email crystina.r.elkins@noaa.gov

Description

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION; PROPOSALS ARE BEING REQUESTED AND A WRITTEN SOLICITATION WILL NOT BE ISSUED. Solicitation number 52ABNC000061 is issued as a request for proposals(RFP). The solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 97-17. This procurement action is full and open. The associated North American Industrial Classification System code is 33412. A firm is a small business for the purpose of this requirement if it size standard is $5 million. =20 A. Introduction ? The Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary (OCNMS) authorized a special use permit allowing Pacific Crossing to install 2 fiber optic cables (PC-1) through 30 nm of the OCNMS. OCNMS will be monitoring benthic recovery from the cable laying. =20 The 2 segments of this cable system land in Mukilteo, Washington ~30 miles north of Seattle. These segments proceed west through the Strait of Juan de Fuca into the Pacific Ocean, where the north segment continues to Japan, and the east segment to California. These segments generally parallel each other, separated by several hundred meters.=20 This scope of work (SOW) addresses a cruise for OCNMS to conduct investigations within the Sanctuary aboard a contracted vessel in support of the PC-1 monitoring activities. The contractor responsibilities are listed below. B. Project Area ? The cruise will concentrate on 2 types of areas: the cable route & control sites. Although primary operations are in the areas described they are not limited to these areas.=20 1. The cable route in OCNMS is ~30 nm. The primary operation will be along the eastern cable between 124o40'W to 125o10'W and 48o 20'N to 48o 30'N. 2. The other areas to be searched for & monitored will be control sites, which have yet to be determined. The general areas for the control sites will be adjacent to the cable or between 124o40'W to 125o30'W and between 48o00N to 48o30N. C. Time Frame ? The cruise will be between 8 and 16 continuous days of operation in the OCNMS. Operations will be conducted 24 hours per day, with Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) or submersible activities during 12 hr/day (daylight) & shipboard sampling during night operations. The cruise shall be completed between August 15 and September 15, 2001. The length of the cruise will be set at the time the contract is awarded. Loading of contractor equipment at location of contractors choice; however, contractor shall plan for OCNMS staging in either Port Angeles or Neah Bay, WA. The contractor shall propose a minimum of 8 continuous days of operation and provide a daily rate for up to a maximum of 16 total days. The following optional items shall be proposed upon: If an ROV is used, an optional item for 24 hour usage; an option for SeaKing Dual Frequency Profiler (DFP) or equivalent high-resolution surface profiling system to be used on the ROV or Submersible and operated by the contractor. The contract shall be for one base year with two option years. The option years will cover the same areas and time frames, and require the same equipment as listed below in 2002 and 2003. In order to be considered for award, contractors must propose rates for all option years and optional items. =20 D. Services to be provided by the contractor 1. Vessel ? The contractor shall supply a vessel, with crew, of sufficient size/tonnage to operate 24 hours per day, for 8 to 16 days, up to 50 nm off the Washington Coast. The vessel must have appropriate deck equipment (winches, A-frames, davits, etc.) & operators to deploy the equipment & support the operations below. The vessel must also accommodate 6 OCNMS staff or contracted personnel with berthing, shower & head. Separate quarters shall be provided for men & women. The vessel shall provide 3 nutritious meals & 1 snack during each 24 hr period. The vessel shall be equipped with a differential global positioning system (DGPS) & if contractor proposes an ROV then vessel = must have a dynamic ship positioning system or equivalent. The vessel shall provide ~32 ft2, near the A-Frame or davit for OCNMS for handling sediment samples & gear. A low pressure (15-30 psi) salt-water hose for use at this deck location is also required. The vessel shall allow for ~3 ft3 of refrigerator space and ~64 ft2 of deck space for storing samples. The contractor must also supply counter space to set up a computer inside the vessel but within 15 m of the A-frame, to run cable. The vessel must be equipped with a winch or suitable device to launch & recover a submersible or ROV. The vessel must be equipped with a winch & A-Frame or davit capable of deploying & retrieving up to 200 pds of oceanographic equipment, such as a sediment grab sampler, & a CTD rosette to a depth of 350m. The CTD rosette has an auto fire module & does not require a conducting cable on the winch. Fresh water on deck shall be provided for instrument wash down. 2. Submersible or ROV ? The contractor shall provide an ROV or submersible, operator(s), & externally mounted camera gear capable of taking both vertical & oblique color video & still photography of high resolution as to be able to identify sediment type & benthic organisms. Real time shipboard viewing of ROV results or internal viewing in a submersible of the video shall be provided. The contractor will also provide appropriate lighting for both still & video photography, such that video mosaicing is feasible (e.g., consistent power without surging or flickering). The submersible or ROV shall be capable of 8-10 hr dive time/day (12 hr operations), operating in contact with or near the seafloor over potentially rugged substrate. If a submersible is used, it shall be able to accommodate at a minimum, 1 contractor-supplied operator and 1 OCNMS scientist, with viewing ports accessible to the scientist at all times during the dive. =20 Each video shall have mounted lasers emitting parallel beams to allow quantitative analysis from video footage or equivalent. The viewing angle of one video camera shall be vertical and a second video will be adjustable from horizontal to vertical or held at an oblique angle. All recorded video shall be tagged with date, time, & position of the ROV or submersible as computed in an Integrated Navigation System (INS) using DGPS & an ultra short baseline (USBL) or similar system to be provided by the contractor. Geographic positions shall be in NAD83/WGS84 coordinates. =20 Film will be supplied by OCNMS upon consultation with contractor. The 35 mm film camera shall be capable of taking automated vertical shots of sufficient resolution to be able to identify sediment type & benthic organisms. A system (e.g., mounted quadrant) for determining the area covered by the photograph shall be provided by the contractor. The height off bottom of the vehicle shall be maintained at a constant and recorded, such that the area of field of view is known. The speed of the vehicle shall be maintained at 0.5 to 1.0 knots in order for the benthic organisms to be identified. A mechanism for maintaining position or course over the buried fiber optics cable must be provided (e.g., magnetometer or via tone sensor) on the ROV or submersible to ensure the proper study area is evaluated. The contractor must verify equipment will work prior to cruise. The ROV or submersible shall be outfitted with a contractor- supplied conductivity, temperature, depth & oxygen-sensing array that is linked to an operational data logging system. The ROV or submersible must be capable of collecting benthic infauna organisms and sediment cores. Sediment/Benthic Sampling: Two methods of sediment sampling are required, both to yield samples to be processed by OCNMS for grain size & benthic taxonomy, at a minimum. The sample collection is part of this SOW (e.g. contractor supplied winch operator working with OCNMS staff), but the sample processing is not. The two methods for sediment collection are: 1) a method of quantitatively collecting & holding 4 or 5 approximate 15cm3 sediment samples/dive on an ROV or submersible; & 2) a winch & davit or A-Frame plus operator to help conduct shipboard sediment sampling. OCNMS shall provide the sediment sampler for method 2. The sediment sampler for method 1 is to be provided by the contractor after approval by OCNMS. Samples may be conducted in depths from 20-350m.=20 4. Reports & Documentation -- Marine Operations Abstract (MOA) -- The contractor shall record & maintain an MOA throughout the cruise. The MOA is a form for recording operational milestones along with date, time, & position. The MOA shall be logged at every significant operational event & every 30 minutes during the cruise. OCNMS will provide the MOA forms. All times shall be recorded in Greenwich Mean Time (GMT). Other forms required by OCNMS will be integrated into the MOA. A copy of the completed MOA shall be provided to ONCNMS upon completion of the cruise. The contractor shall record digitally the geographic position of the vessel throughout the cruise with positions logged every minute. Geographic positions shall be in NAD83/WGS84 coordinates & recorded to accuracy equivalent to the 5th decimal place using decimal degrees. A digital track line file in ASCII format shall be provided to OCNMS at the completion of the project.=20 5. Communications ? Because the scientific staff may need to communicate with other research vessels, commercial vessels, & shore based facilities, the Chief Scientist or designee shall have access to use of radio transceivers & other available communication equipment 6. Mechanical Breakdown -- The contractor is responsible for maintaining all contractor provided equipment & vessels in a safe operating condition during the contract performance. If a mechanical breakdown occurs of the vessel or ROV or submersible that is >12 hrs, the vessel & ROV/submersible shall be considered to be off charter for the purposes of billing. The contractor shall make every reasonable effort to solve any problem causing a vessel and/or ROV/submersible and/or equipment to be out of service, & bring it back into service as quickly as possible to continue contract performance. 7. Fuel & Water -- The contractor is responsible for providing all fuel needed to perform the contract. Any breaks from contract work to take fuel or water will be considered time off charter, for billing purposes. E. Selection ? The selection of a contractor will be on the basis of price & technical ability. Technical ability includes past performance & ability to meet the intent of OCNMS researchers. The technical evaluation & price evaluation are equal in importance. The price evaluation will include the price of all items including option days. Optional items (24 hour use of ROV and DFP will not be considered in the evaluation process). =20 F. Proposal Requirements a. Evidence that the crew is comprised of competent operators for all shipboard, submersible, ROV, & scientific equipment specific to each = charter. b. Include drawing of the vessel's deck configuration. c. Include dates available to perform this contract. d. List at least 3 previous contracts for similar performance, with names & telephone numbers of contact points e. Describe weather & equipment contingencies. f. Provide drawings, pictures, or written information needed to demonstrate the offer's compliance with the SOW specific to each charter. g. Describe fuel and water capacity for the charter, and any breaks needed from charter for fuel, water or for any other need. h. Offer a firm-fixed price for mobilization & demobilization, a firm-fixed price for a base performance period of 8 days, & a daily firm-fixed price for 8 additional option days. i. Describe video & still camera equipment, the lasers & lighting. j. Describe sediment sampling device for sediment sampling method 1, including sample size, containment & number achievable/dive. k. Demonstrate the ROV or submersible operator(s) ability to conduct 12 hr/day operations, & the ability of contractors to staff to ensure proper camera operation including a method to ensure filming occurs successfully. l. Explain how buried fiber optic cable will be detected and tracked and how station and course will be maintained directly over cable. Also provice documentation that the cable sensor (magnetometer and/or = toner) will work. m. Include a current ABS (American Bureau of Shippers) or recognized equivalent certification documents (e.g. Lloyds, Det Norsk Veritas) for a submersible n. Describe experience working at 200m or more depths using the equipment required for this solicitation.=20 o. Describe capabilities of the underwater communications systems & safety features of submersible.=20 p. Describe what forward speed is the ROV or submersible capable of and in what current speeds (knots) can it be used.=20 q. Describe submersible's ability to accommodate a minimum of one contractor supplied operator and one OCNMS scientist, with viewing ports accessible to the scientist at all times during the dive. =20 The provision at 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors-Commercial applies to this acquisition and there are no addenda to this provision. Offers shall include a completed copy of the provision at 52.212-3, Offeror Representations and Certifications-Commercial Items, with its offer. FAR clause 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and there are no addenda to this provision. FAR clause 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required To Implement Statutes or Executive Orders-Commercial Items, applies to this acquisition and the following additional FAR clause cited in the clause are applicable to this acquisition: 52.203-6, Restrictions on Subcontractor Sales to the Government, with Alternate I (41 U.S.C. 253g and 10U.S.C. 2402), 52.215-5, Facsimile Proposals, 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns and Small Disadvantaged Business Concerns (15 U.S.C. 637 (d)(2) and (3), 52.219-14,Limitation on Subcontracting 915 U.S.C. 637(a)(14), 52.222-26, Equal Opportunity (E.O. 11246), 52.222-35, Affirmative Action for Special Disabled and Vietnam Era Veterans (38 U.S.C. 4212), 52.222-36, Affirmative Action for Handicapped Workers (29 U.S.C. 793), 52.222-37, Employment Reports on Special Disabled Veterans and Veterans of the Vietnam Era (38 U.S.C. 4212), 52.225-3, Buy American Act- Supplies(41 U.S.C.10) and 52.225-9, Buy American Act-Trade Agreements Act-Balance of Payments Program(41 U.S.C. 10,19 U.S.C.2501-2582) . Proposals may be faxed to (206) 527-7755, or mailed to U.S. Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, WASC, AMD, 7600 Sand Point Way NE, Seattle, WA 98115 Attention: Paul Reed, or sent by email to Paul.J.Reed@NOAA.GOV. Emailed proposals shall be readable by WordPerfect. Offerors which email proposals, shall fax or deliver a hardcopy of a statement with an original signature, of their intentions to be bound by the email proposal. Deadline for receipt of proposals and statements accompanying email proposals is 2:00 p.m. PST on July 12, 2001. Late, or incomplete proposals will not be considered. Referenced FAR clauses can be found at http://www/arnet.gov/far/

Web Link

Visit this URL for the latest information about this (http://www.eps.gov/spg/DOC/NOAA/WASC/52ABNC100088/listing.html)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010618/20SOL001.HTM (D-165 SN50O9Y8)