This publication serves as a notice of intent to procure, on a sole-source basis, with the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC). The intended acquisition is for services for which the Government intends to acquire from one source under the authority of 41 USC 235(c) (1), Only One Responsible Source. The National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Alaska Region, requires a analytical resources to evaluate available data and data systems used for assessment and management of fisheries in the Bering Sea/Aleutian Islands (BSAI) and Gulf of Alaska (GOA). Through this process, recommendations shall be developed on the extent to which current information sources support present and future information needs for science and management and provide guidance on potential improvements in information and information systems to allow statistical parameters to be incorporated into estimation processes. The objectives of this project are to: (1) Evaluate available data and current data systems to meet the in-season needs of NMFS Alaska Region and fishery assessment needs of the AFSC, (2) Identify the type of data available and its limitations, including statistical assumptions associated with all estimation procedures, (3) Provide recommendations for practical system design that incorporates statistical uncertainty into estimates of catch and bycatch, and (4) Develop comparable recommendations for optimal system design identifying any new information needed to inform it. The period of performance will be three years. The only known source to perform the required work is PSMFC. PSMFC is uniquely qualified to perform this work because of their role in coordinating and maintaining the required information from state and federal fisheries agencies through their office in Alaska. Their staff have intimate knowledge of a range of confidential data sets which are stored in PSFMC databases. A key role performed by PSFMC staff is providing custom integration of these disparate data sets so they can be used by authorized analysts. The data they manage are used in Alaskan fisheries management and will be necessary to complete this work. The data stored by PSFMC are confidential and PSFMC staff have received authorization to handle this confidential information from several different agencies in an agreement negotiated between them. NMFS lacks the authority to grant access to the data from agencies other than NMFS. The data from other agencies are necessary to complete this work and PSMFC has that unique access in their role as a Commission. In addition, their staff and Counsel already have expertise and knowledge of the confidentiality requirements applicable to the different sets of data they store. NMFS only has knowledge of the NMFS confidentiality requirements, which differ from state requirements. Because the data in the PSMFC databases are confidential, no outside contractor can obtain access to the required data. All interested parties must respond to this announcement by August 13, 2007. Responses must include the contractor's name, contact information, and information indicating the contractor's capability to perform the services and can obtain access to the required data described herein. Documentation to support the contractor's capability to perform these services must also be submitted which includes the contract number, point of contact and phone number, and a description of services performed under previous contracts for the same services. Any response that does not include this information will not be considered. The Government will evaluate each response to determine if the contractor has the experience, knowledge and capability to perform these same services. No solicitation is available at this time. All contractors doing business with this Acquisition Office must be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). No award can be made unless the vendor is registered in CCR. For additional information and to register in CCR please access the following web site: http://www.ccr.gov/. In addition, completion of the online representation and certifications application (ORCA) is required. The applicable NAICS is 541990 with a small business size standard of $6.5 M. All interested concerns must submit documentation by email at [email protected] by August 13, 2007.

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