INTENT TO AWARD TO A SINGLE SOURCE

NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SINGLE-SOURCE CONTRACT Special Notice: FD-2025-534 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 Hector Jose Ruiz Torre of Hormigueros, Puerto Rico.

The sole source determination is based on NOAA’s requirement that Hector Jose Ruiz Torres is the only vendor that provides the services. Using the procedures of FAR Part 13 the requirement is to procure Services to coordinate and obtain multiple registered commercial fishing vessels located in Puerto Rico to conduct hook and line sampling at no more than 300 pre-selected stations island-wide, in addition to an on-board observer to conduct data collection on both fishing gear and fish information.

This work will occur island-wide in Puerto Rico from depths of 50 m - 450 m. Additional data collection objectives include obtaining biological information from queen snapper Etelis oculatus, silk snapper Lutjanus vivanus, blackfin snapper L. buccanella, vermilion snapper Rhomboplites aurobens, wenchman snapper Pristipomoides aquilonaris, cardinal snapper P. macrophthalmus, black snapper Apsilus dentatus, misty grouper Hyporthodus mystacinus, and red hind Epinephelus guttatus.

Targeted snapper species will be subsampled at sea. Subsampled specimens will be retained for biological processing on land as part of a collaborative effort funded by the territorial initiative. Biological samples (otoliths, gonads, and tissue) will be collected and archived for use in age, growth, reproduction, and population connectivity studies. Tissue samples will be collected from both target species and incidental catch for use in concurrent DNA barcoding studies.

The results of these efforts will support this year’s approved Cooperative Research Program project, “Deep-water Fishery Independent Survey of Reef Fishes in Puerto Rico”. The work is to be conducted from 09/29/2025 - 12/31/2026

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.