Natural Resources Damage Assessment

The Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Acquisition and Grant Office (AGO), Eastern Acquisition Division (EAD) located in Kansas City, MO, is conducting market research to determine potential small business sources capable of providing Natural Resource Damage Assessment (NRDA) support services relevant to the needs described herein for the Office of Response and Restoration (OR&R).

NOAA is seeking assistance to evaluate the effects of hazardous substance releases, oil discharges, and other impacts (physical effects in National Marine Sanctuaries), as they relate to the natural resources and associated services of interest to NOAA in support of the Damage Assessment and Restoration Program (DARRP) of the National Ocean Service, The Office of General Counsel, and the National Marine Fisheries Service. This information is sought for planning purposes only.

No solicitation document exists at this time. Issuance of this Notice does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure these items or services or to issue a solicitation. In addition, the Government is under no obligation to pay for information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice, and responses to this Notice cannot be accepted as offers to form a binding contract. Any information that the vendor considers proprietary should be clearly marked as such.

The intent of this announcement and the information provided in response to this Notice will assist the Government in identifying potential sources, including small businesses and socio-economic sources, capable and qualified to fulfill the requirements identified in this announcement. The anticipated North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 541620 for Environmental Consulting Services, with a size standard of 19 million.

The ultimate goal of a NRDA is to determine the appropriate type and amount of restoration to compensate the environment and public for injured natural resources and associated lost services as a result of incidents related to previously mentioned natural resources. The Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD), headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland, will oversee this contract in consultation with the DARRP Management Team, the governing body of DARRP. The nature of the work pertains to providing contract support services to support NRDA efforts which include, but are not limited to:

(1) Develop a defensible strategy for documenting and quantifying injury and for evaluating and scaling restoration alternatives;

(2) Identify and assess alternative strategies and options for quantifying injury and evaluating restoration;

(3) Plan specific assessment projects;

(4) Implement and manage the projects to ensure that they are consistent with the overall case strategy, project objectives, and NRDA requirements;

(5) Facilitate interaction among scientific (natural sciences, economics, and resource restoration) disciplines and between legal and scientific perspectives by coordinating or leading conference calls and meetings, and proactively managing the effective interaction of studies towards a common goal/purpose;

(6) Proactively coordinate the interaction and communication between natural resource agency trustee representatives and project stakeholders;

(7) Provide services of consulting and/or testifying experts on behalf of NOAA in the event of litigation; and (8) Undertake all of the preceding in a manner that will readily support litigation. For informational purposes, a DRAFT Performance Work Statement (PWS) is attached to assist in gaining a more in-depth understanding of the overall needs. All sources that believe they have the capabilities to provide the required services must furnished detailed information concerning their capabilities in a response. Submissions shall include the following:

(1) Company name, address, point of contact, phone, and e-mail address (2) Unique Equity ID (uei) (3) GSA Number and SIN (3) Business size and socioeconomic distinctions held (e.g., large business, small business, 8(a), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and/or women owned small business) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM) (5) Company point of contact – name, phone, and e-mail address Standard brochures and a reiteration of the information found in the draft of Statement of Work will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice.

Interested sources shall submit an electronic copy submission to James Moore, Contract Specialist, at james.d.moore@noaa.gov, no later than 4:00 pm CDT on Friday, May 10, 2024. Any questions or responses to this notice shall be directed to James Moore via the email provided.