Research Charter Vessel Services for Louisiana Manta Rays project

NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT Special Notice: FD-2024-333 NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC In compliance with FAR Subpart 13 coupled with the provisions set forth by FAR Subpart 5.101(a)(1), this Notice is hereby published to inform of the following:

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Management and Budget (OMB) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under the authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with Fisheries Research Support of MANDEVILLE, LA. Using the procedures of FAR Part 13 the requirement is to procure the following:

This requirement is for: Services, non-personal, to provide all labor, equipment and materials necessary for: contractor vessel charter services for UAV project work with focused efforts on the area around the mouth of the Mississippi River.

5 day Base with 5 optional charter days and two 10 day option periods The applicable Size Standard is North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 483114 with a Small business size standard of 550 employees.This Sole Source Determination is based on NOAAA's requirement that Fisheries Research Support is the only Vendor that provides the required services.

The purpose of the proposed work is to utilize unoccupied aircraft systems to search for and detect manta rays in the coastal waters around the West Delta and Southeast Pass of the Mississippi River in Louisiana and to deploy satellite tags on said mantas for habitat use, movement, and connectivity studies. Due to the nature of these areas, flights will be performed from a small shallow draft vessel.The SEFSC requires contractor research vessel charter and support services.

The contractor shall provide a shallow draft vessel capable of navigating the shallow coastal waters characteristic of the areas detailed above. This vessel must have ample room for all scientists and gear, an open bow for deployment and catch of UAS, and a captain knowledgeable of the environment and the species, particularly knowledge of the specific areas in which they are usually found at different times of the year.

The vessel must not be a commercial fishing vessel, as the government will not perform fishing activities. In addition, the vessel operator needs to be well acquainted with the general area and the specific areas where the manta rays are prevalent during particular times of the year.

The base period of performance (POP) for this work will be from September 1st, 2024, through August 31st, 2025. The charter will be for 5 days of operation, with an optional five additional days dependent on the availability of funding, during the base period. Depending on the weather, the trips will likely occur in early to mid-September but possibly in October/November.

The optional days during the base period would be at a yet to be determined time, either in October/November 2024 or the following Spring, possibly April/May 2025. The requirement includes two option years, with up to 10 days of operation per performance period.

Option year 1 Period of performance is September 1st, 2025 – August 31st, 2026, and Option year 2 is September 1st, 2026 – August 31st, 2027. While many fishing charters exist in the region, Fisheries Research Support is, to our knowledge, the only known research-specific charter operation with the advanced knowledge of the required species. The owner/operator is familiar with the areas NOAA needs to access as well as the seasonality and behavior of the mantas inhabiting these areas.

The Vendor has regularly communicated sightings of manta rays during their trips to the region to the PI over the past several years. In addition, one of the vessels the Vendor operates, a thirty-foot center console, is ideally suited to haul all NOAA's gear and personnel and still provide a suitable platform for operations. Based on our experience, the platform this vendor provides is ideal for these operations.

In addition, the vendor’s knowledge of the area and the animal’s behavior in this area was integral to NOAA's successful tag deployments last year. **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 Single Source Determination