SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE TO KETCHUM SUPPLY
- Notice Date
- 5/4/2023 7:24:52 AM
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 314994
— Rope, Cordage, Twine, Tire Cord, and Tire Fabric Mills
- Contracting Office
- NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION US
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- NFFM51002301705(23-281)
- Response Due
- 5/19/2023 8:00:00 AM
- Archive Date
- 05/20/2023
- Point of Contact
- Suzanne Johnston
- E-Mail Address
-
suzanne.johnston@noaa.gov
(suzanne.johnston@noaa.gov)
- Description
- NOAA Fisheries, Office of Management & Budget, Field Delegates, and the Greater Atlantic Regional Fisheries Office, intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with Ketchum Supply, 000-foot coils of1/2 inch Neocorps braided rope with two green and two black tracers throughout***The sole source determination is based on the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) requirement that this particular requirement is essential to meet agency needs.� The item brand name and features are Neocorps braided � inch �weak� rope with two green and two black tracers throughout.� It is sold on 1000 foot long coils.��Endangered North Atlantic right whales are approaching extinction. The latest preliminary estimate indicates there are fewer than 350 individuals remaining and less than 100 breeding females. Primary threats to the species are entanglement in fishing gear and vessel strikes. Under Section 118 of the Marine Mammal Protection Act, NMFS is required to reduce serious injury and mortality of right whales to below a level that prevents an optimal sustainable population.� Working with the recommendations provided by a stakeholder group known as the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Team, NMFS regulates fisheries to reduce incidental take of right whales and other large whales under the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan.��NMFS published a regulation modifying the Atlantic Large Whale Take Reduction Plan in September 2021 (86 FR 51970, 09/17/21) to reduce serious injuries and mortalities of North Atlantic right whales caused by unintended entanglements in the Northeast lobster and Jonah crab trap/pot fisheries as required by the Marine Mammal Protection Act. The regulations included a combination of weak rope and weak insert requirements to reduce the likelihood of a North Atlantic right whale serious injury if entangled, and closed area and buoy line reduction measures to reduce the chance of entanglement.� Rope marking requirements were also implemented to improve our understanding of where documented entanglements were occurring. While closures were implemented in 2021, the gear modification requirements were made effective May 1, 2022.�Prior to the publication of the final rule, NMFS was working with New England state managers, gear researchers, fishermen and rope manufacturers to source ropes that broke at 1700lbs.� A rope breaking machine was acquired by the Northeast Fisheries Science Center and a standardized testing protocol was developed in consultation with New England states. Ropes and weak links demonstrated to break within 10 percent of the 1700 lb breaking strength prescribed in the regulations are approved by the Regional Administrator, posted on the webpage, and included in posted compliance materials.��Vessels fishing in the offshore area known as Lobster Management Area 3 were required to fish with one weak end on each trawl.� Specifically, a 1700 lb rope at the top 75% of the weak end was required. While NMFS was able to approve a number of 3/8 inch diameter weak rope, those ropes were too narrow to fit through LMA3 haulers, built for larger diameter offshore ropes.� Despite numerous attempts to source weak rope for LMA3, until March 2022, no weak rope of � inch or larger diameter had been approved for use.� LMA3 vessels were not able to come into compliance with this requirement and so have not yet appreciably reduced risk to right whales as required by the 2021 regulations. Since 2019, NMFS has personally contacted rope manufacturers and when promising materials were received, has tested large diameter ropes on the rope breaking machine.� In addition to the Neocorps � inch braided rope with the green and black tracer, a number of versions of rope by Shippagan in � inch, 7/16ths inchs and 5/8ths inch diameter were trialed and tested on a rope breaking machine - but they had characteristics including inconsistent breaking strengths, high breaking strengths, and stretching characteristics within a coil that made them incompatible with commercial fishing operations.� No other rope of a � inch or greater diameter has been sourced that meets the regulatory requirements and demonstrates promising consistency characteristics.�. Base Period of Performance from date of award for one year with one option period. THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS OF PUBLICATION OF THIS SYNOPSIS. SUCH DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.
- Web Link
-
SAM.gov Permalink
(https://sam.gov/opp/8f13719a014f4a32a71d7cf7141870e1/view)
- Record
- SN06671718-F 20230506/230504230112 (samdaily.us)
- Source
-
SAM.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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