Hydroacoustical Data Collection and Analysis

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research Laboratory (CRREL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b).

ERDC-CRREL requires a contractor to provide hydroacoustic data collection and analysis services to produce datasets that capture the underwater acoustic sound pressure levels associated with several distinct piledriving operations, including timber and vinyl sheet pilings, at the Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI)’s permitted/private shore-based test area in Woods Hole, MA.

The CRREL requires this collection of novel and appropriate data to advance on-going in-house analysis as part of an overarching USACE North Atlantic Division (NAD) study. The Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) is the only source reasonably available to satisfy the Government’s requirement.

The WHOI test area is only available as a result of WHOI’s National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS)-permitted oceanic pile driving test area in Woods Hole, MA that is currently being utilized to execute other aspects of the overarching NAD study. Since WHOI has sole access and testing and analysis capabilities at its pile driving site, no other vendor is capable of providing these services.

WHOI’s permitted oceanic pier testing area and its expertise in the processing of hydroacoustical data is essential for conducting the on-going research. Due to the unique scientific test site access and support required for the aforementioned non-commercial services, Wood Hole Oceanographic Institute is deemed the only provider capable of fulfilling the Government's requirements. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations.

However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy.

Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CDT, 2 May 2025 to Kim.D.Roberson@usace.army.mil Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.