The Department of Commerce National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/National Marine Fisheries Service, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Woods Hole, MA is issuing notice of intent to negotiate a sole source procurement with Rutgers, The State University located in New Brunswick, NJ. This requirement is for commercial surfclam dredge depletion experiments. The project will improve estimates of efficiency of commercial surfclam dredges over a range of habitats. Commericial dredge efficiency estimates are needed to convert commercial vessel survey indices into estimates of absolute abundance, and to scale commercial vessel survey indices to research vessel indices, as part of stock assessments of surfclams. Rutgers, The State University has been directly involved as part of a Joint NEFSC/Industry Surfclam/Ocean Quahog Working Group providing planning and execution of the experiments for the last 10 years. Rutgers, the State University has a unique understanding of the objectives and goals of this field effort. Rutgers has provided the majority of the academic leadership for the cooperative research efforts with the regional surfclam Industry in the area of depletion experiments and dredge efficiency estimates. The statutory authority is 41 US 253(c)(3), Industrial mobilization; or engineering, developmental, or research capability; or expert services - it is necessary to award the contract to a particular source or sources in order to establish or maintain an essential engineering, research, or development capability to be provided by an educational or other nonprofit institution or a federally funded research and development center. The government intends to award a firm-fixed price purchase order for this requirement utilizing Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR 13. The proposed contract action is for supplies and services for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under the authority of FAR 6.302(c)(1). The applicable NAICS code is 541620. Interested parties may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by the agency. Responses shall be submitted by 11:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time August 26, 2008. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. Inquiries will only be accepted via email to [email protected].