Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF MARCH 19, 2011 FBO #3402
SOURCES SOUGHT

F -- Satellite Tags for Sea Turtles

Notice Date

3/17/2011
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

NAICS

541712 — Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
 

Contracting Office

Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Region Acquisition Division, Norfolk Federal Building, 200 Granby Street, Norfolk, Virginia, 23510
 

ZIP Code

23510
 

Solicitation Number

NFFM7320-11-03210
 

Archive Date

4/15/2011
 

Point of Contact

Timothy Wampler, Phone: 757-441-6563, Brendon J Johnson, Phone: 757-441-3344
 

E-Mail Address

Timothy.Wampler@noaa.gov, brendon.johnson@noaa.gov
(Timothy.Wampler@noaa.gov, brendon.johnson@noaa.gov)
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY - Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government. The Eastern Region Acquisition Division (ERAD) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in Norfolk, VA is soliciting information, on behalf of the Protected Resources Division of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) of the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) for research equipment necessary to continue monitoring loggerhead sea turtle behavior in the Mid-Atlantic region and also into the larger Northwest Atlantic Ocean. BACKGROUND NOAA Fisheries Service is dedicated to protecting and preserving our nation's living marine resources and their habitat through scientific research, management and enforcement. NOAA NEFSC scientists research sea turtles to support the conservation and recovery of threatened and endangered sea turtle species by: • conducting population assessments • researching stock structure (age and genetics) • assessing sea turtle mortality, strandings, and unusual events • revising stock assessment reports for populations of sea turtles in the western North Atlantic Ocean • participating in research to reduce the bycatch of sea turtles • conducting in-water studies to evaluate population trends and habitat requirements • participating in technology transfer of successful bycatch reduction measures NEFSC sea turtle scientists collaborate with other Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and NOAA staff, academic colleagues, and contractors. NEFSC scientists provide information and analytical results on species status and threats to the NMFS for the effective management of marine turtles. The information is critical for evaluating the appropriate conservation measures, as required under the Endangered Species Act. NEFSC scientists also contribute to the proceedings of the Annual Sea Turtle Symposia. NEFSC scientists also take part in implementing the NMFS Atlantic & Gulf of Mexico Sea Turtle Strategy that is aimed at addressing the incidental capture of turtles in commercial and recreational fisheries along the Atlantic coast. INTRODUCTION The Atlantic Marine Assessment Program for Protected Species (AMAPPS) project is part of a large, multi-agency initiative to provide a comprehensive assessment of marine mammal, marine turtle, and seabird abundance and spatial distribution in U.S. waters of the western North Atlantic Ocean. The goal of this initiative is to develop models and associated tools to provide seasonal, spatially-explicit density estimates of marine mammals, sea turtles, and seabirds in the western north Atlantic. Data will be collected on the seasonal distribution and abundance of these taxa using direct aerial and shipboard surveys conducted by scientists from the National Marine Fisheries Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Concurrently, NOAA is also conducting telemetry studies, passive acoustic monitoring, and developing alternative survey methodologies. These data will be used to develop corrections for availability bias in the abundance survey data and collect additional data on habitat use and life history, residence time, and frequency of use. Data collection for this study will occur over multiple years. As part of the AMAPPS project, 14 satellite tags were deployed on immature loggerhead sea turtles captured in offshore Mid-Atlantic waters. The US Mid-Atlantic region is an important foraging ground for loggerhead sea turtles, but due to complications involved with locating and capturing these immature turtles on their offshore foraging grounds, relatively little is known about the large, immature turtles that occupy the neritic offshore Mid-Atlantic region. REQUIREMENTS To accomplish NMFS science objectives, the Protected Species Branch of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC) intends to purchase 15 satellite tags for research starting May 30, 2010. The Contractor shall provide research equipment necessary to continue monitoring migrating loggerhead turtles in offshore Mid-Atlantic waters. The Contractor shall provide satellite transmitters with the following features: • Suitable for sea turtles • Demonstrated ability to transmit location and depth information for greater than 9 months while on wild loggerhead turtles in the U.S. Mid-Atlantic shelf waters and offshore • Less than 400 grams and smaller than 11cm x 8cm x 5cm • Have antennae durable enough to last over a year (on large juvenile sea turtles) • Capable of transmitting an unbiased sample of detailed individual dive records with individual dive profiles described by at least six (depth/time) points: the start of the dive, the end of the dive, and at least four non-random inflection points, one of which must be the maximum depth of the dive. • Flexible enough to allow GPS integration for a selected portion of the tag deployment. • Ability to obtain and transmit temperature measurements accurate to 0.1ºC or better and depth measurements with 0.5m resolution or finer. • Tags must have an Advanced Research and Global Observation Satellite (ARGOS) certified transmitter. • Tags must have a transmission frequency of (401.650 MHz ± 30 kHz). Data retrieved from the tags must have the following characteristics: • Provide an unbiased estimate of average dive duration (in addition to percent of time spent diving) and average surface duration (in addition to percent of time spent at/near surface) to use to "correct" aerial survey data for eventual abundance estimates. • Provide an estimate of the percent of the time turtles are at or near the surface. • Provide an estimate of the percent of the time turtles are on the bottom. • Prioritize the transmission of information collected while turtles are in the mid-Atlantic region (likely during the first 4 months of deployment). • Be compatible with our existing data archival and analysis procedures. This equipment will be required to work with the existing infrastructure of equipment and software systems as part of an integrated monitoring system. This is a joint project between the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Southeast Fisheries Science Center (SEFSC) and Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, Regulation, and Enforcement (BOE; formerly the Minerals Management Service), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), the U.S. Navy, and the sea scallop industry through their research set aside program. In addition, this telemetry work is being conducted in cooperation with the Coonamessett Farm Foundation with the assistance of Viking Village Fisheries and the F/V Kathy Ann. DELIVERABLES The Contractor shall provide equipment comparable to the following list of equipment: 15 satellite tags which match the above requirements. Delivery to be on or before May 27, 2011 SHIP TO: NOAA Fisheries Protected Species Branch 166 Water Street Woods Hole, MA 02540 The DOC/NOAA is seeking the following information: Potential Respondents shall describe how they would propose to successfully deliver these supplies, assuming that all supplies provided by Respondent would be accomplished in accordance with all applicable U.S. laws, regulations, policies, and procedures. Potential Respondents supplies shall be comparable to the deliverables described herein. Potential Respondents shall respond to this Request for Information with a price sheet and a description of the supplies that may be provided. Respondents shall not be obligated to provide the services described herein and it is understood by the United States Government that the cost estimates provided as a result of this request are "best" estimates only. Note: This announcement is a Request For Information and no contract will be awarded pursuant to this announcement. The requested information is for planning purposes and does not constitute a commitment, implied, or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued nor will the Government pay for the information solicited. The response date for this Request For Information is March 31, 2011 at 4:00 P.M. No collect calls will be accepted. All responses to this RFI may be submitted via e-mail to Timothy Wampler, Contract Specialist, at timothy.wampler@noaa.gov courtesy copy to Brendon Johnson, Contracting Officer, at Brendon.Johnson@noaa.gov. Note: The phone number for the Contract Specialist Officer is 757.441.6563 and the fax number is 757.441.3640. NO TELEPHONE RESPONSES WILL BE ACCEPTED.
 

Web Link

FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NOAA/EASC/NFFM7320-11-03210/listing.html)
 

Place of Performance

Address: DOC/NOAA/NMFS/NEFSC, 166 Water Street, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, 02543, United States

Zip Code: 02543
 

Record

SN02403355-W 20110319/110317234613-e47cb191c4696909fbfb1f11ebd7bbff (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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