UNDER WATER CAMERA HOUSING SYSSTEM

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Acquisition & Grants Office (AGO), , Management and Budget Acquisition Office, intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with The Sexton Corporation located in Salem, OR 97302 for spherical camera housing systems for next generation surveys. The acquisition requirements is to obtain 2 full Spherical Camera systems at time of award.

The requirement also allows for the optional purchase of parts of the spherical camera system from time of Award through June 30, 2029. The spherical camera systems are to record fish occurrence and abundance in parallel with echosounders, and moorings in the field. The collection of these data is required as part of a multi-year, IRA-funded project to improve surveys of red snapper.

The acquisition of these instruments will ensure that new data streams can be factored alongside variance in species diversity and abundance to improve current surveys of red snapper and reef fishes.

TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS: Initial 2 Spherical Camera systems to allow 2 platforms to be deployed simultaneously. Each system shall include:

1x – NOAA 360 Housing - anodized aluminum - 500m depth rating 2x – MV30-25 Housing - anodized aluminum - 500m depth rating 1x – Double Satellite Stereo Mounting Plate - anodized aluminum 1x – Battery Housing v3.2 - anodized aluminum - built as per NOAA submitted CAD files Options to purchase up to another 4 Spherical Camera systems, or the individual components, as listed above, from time of Award through June 30, 2029. The NOAA NMFS SEFSC uses underwater moorings to collect various data sources on the status of marine resources.

Configurable data types include passive and active acoustic, sonar, video, environmental, and eDNA data. The application of these diverse datasets is wide but includes the enumeration of reef fishes, assessment of suitable habitat, and identification of protected species, which collectively feed into Southeast Data, Assessment, and Review (SEDAR).

The difficulties in effectively surveying resources using video in habitats with low visibility have resulted in the allocation of IRA-Red Snapper funds to develop next-generation surveys, which include adding imaging sonars and echosounders into the platforms that need to be tracked geographically in relation to one another to compare resulting data with confidence.

As SEFSC does not currently have the quantity of Spherical Camera systems required to meet this mission, we require (2) Spherical Camera systems to test their capabilities. Sexton is the manufacturer of this product and owns the intellectual property.

The sole source determination is based on NOAA’s requirements and must be compatible to with existing equipment in all aspects (form, fit, and function) with existing systems or equipment, and the source is uniquely qualified to meet the requirement. This supplier is the manufacturer and seller of the items requested. There were no other comparable items found that would work in lieu of this item, as they are highly specialized and custom pieces of equipment. The items being procured are the sole intellectual property of Sexton Corporation.

Delivery is expected within 30 days of award.

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 after 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. Attachments Redacted Single Source