NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office Restricted Access Management Division Support

1. DISCLAIMER

This is a Sources Sought Notice issued for informational purposes only. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or an announcement of a solicitation. This notice does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation or make an award. The purpose of this notice is to conduct market research in accordance with the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation Overhaul (RFO) Part 10 to determine the availability of qualified sources and to gain knowledge of industry capabilities to meet the requirements of the Performance Work Statement (PWS) for Professional Services for Restricted Access Management (RAM) Division Support. Responses to this Sources Sought will not be considered as offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this notice, and all costs associated with responding to this Sources Sought will be solely at the interested party's expense. Any information provided by respondents is voluntary.

2. INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE

The NOAA Fisheries Alaska Regional Office (ARO) is seeking to identify potential sources capable of supporting the RAM in performing intake of permitting applications, providing first line customer service to industry inquiries regarding applications and systems/application troubleshooting, and providing training and outreach.

RAM/ARO supports sustainable fisheries and promotes fishing communities by issuing Federal fishing permits and other fishery authorizations to fishery participants. Throughout the calendar year, RAM reviews and issues licenses for the American Fisheries Act (AFA) Program, the Amendment 80 Program, Individual Fishing Quota (IFQ) halibut and sablefish, the Rockfish Program, subsistence halibut, charter halibut, groundfish and crab License Limitation Program (LLP) and processes over a thousand IFQ halibut/sablefish, IFQ crab, Guided Angler Fish (GAF), and LLP license transfers, among others. RAM is regularly providing advice and notifications to fishermen and the public on the interpretation of Federal fishing regulations.

The Government anticipates the estimated budget for this requirement is between $400,000.00 and $500,000.00. Vendors are encouraged, in their statement, to notify the Government if the estimated budget is reasonable.

The Government intends to acquire professional services for the following key tasks (%): 

• Fishery Application Intake and Processing (50%) - Contractor personnel will support the Restricted Access Management Division by performing intake of fishery applications and permits and inputting the necessary information in the required Alaska Region system for processing. RAM historically processes over 5,000 applications, received both by electronic and hard mail. Contractor personnel are expected to initially intake and enter the majority of these applications into AKR systems for further review. This includes reviewing the applications and submitting the information in the Integrated Fisheries Application (IFA) or legacy system, which involves generating cases and uploading intake documentation to each case.
• Customer Service/Troubleshooting (30%) - Contractor personnel will provide first-line customer service to the industry through RAM’s public-facing email. This task is similar to a help-desk function. RAM will provide an answer base with standard responses and contractor personnel will respond to routine inquiries and escalate more complex questions to RAM staff for resolution. Inquiries commonly regard eFish or permitting systems, permitting actions, and user authorizations.
• Outreach and Training (15%) - The contractor will provide outreach and training with external and internal users. This includes developing user guides, documenting process steps, and creating training materials. Contractor personnel may provide informal or formal training on the permitting process.
• Document Management (5%) - Contractor personnel will support RAM with document management or programmatic records, to include filing.

Period of Performance: September 30, 2026 – September 29, 2030 (4-year period). (Subject to change)

4. REQUESTED INFORMATION

Interested parties are requested to submit a capability statement (maximum 5 pages) that demonstrates their ability to successfully perform the requirements outlined in the PWS, with particular attention to the identified technical challenges. Responses should address the following:

4.1. General Company Information (excluded from page limit):

• Company Name, Address, and Point of Contact (POC) with phone number and email address.
• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and CAGE Code.
• Business size (e.g., Small Business, Large Business, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) under NAICS 541990 along with any relevant GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) SIN(s) and contract number if applicable.

4.2. Technical Capability & Approach:

• Describe your proven track record staffing and managing technical support. 
• Outline your capabilities and strategies as it relates to the PWS.
• Detail your strategies or performing outreach and training as it relates to the PWS. 
• Describe your approach to document management. 

5. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Responses to this Sources Sought Notice should be submitted electronically via email to Contract Specialist - Alexandra.Reed@noaa.gov and Contracting Officer - Hillary.Whitehurst@noaa.gov by May 1, 2026 at 10:00 AM EST.

Submissions should be limited to a maximum of 5 pages, 12-point font, in PDF format. The page limit does not include a cover page, table of contents, or references. Please include "Sources Sought Response: Database Systems & Infrastructure Support" in the subject line of your email.