The U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), located in Gloucester, MA., intends to issue a fixed price purchase order for the design, testing and delivering of a lifelike juvenile humpback  whale tail for disentanglement training purposes. Listed below are some of the salient feature that are needed in this

Life-size juvenile humpback whale tail model

Model must withstand being towed under water, tow flat, depth adjustable (no more than 8 feet at 4 knots)

Outer layer of model must simulate crush and friction characteristics of whale epidermis and blubber

Model must withstand rigors of tight line/rope entanglements, disentanglement attempts including blunt and sharp trauma from disentanglement tools

Model must be transportable in the back of a standard full-size pickup

Model weight must allow two adults to hand-lift

Model outer layer must be repairable on-shore for repeated use

We would also expect the contractor to provide a small prototype to prove the design which would require at least two meetings in person at our Gloucester, MA office.  Given the high likelihood that no contractor will be able to construct the model full-time we would expect a delivery date of 6-9 months.

To be considered, firms must furnish detailed information concerning their capability statement which should show their knowledge of Atlantic Large Whale Disentanglement Network ( ALWDN)   disentanglement tools, techniques and protocols including how this knowledge was gained. Selection for this contract will be bases on this capability statement, past performance, knowledge of the whale anatomy, including characteristics such as skin texture, buoyancy, flexibility swimming speed etc... Selection will also include evaluation of the  proposal itself and pricing.

Budget and Invoicing

The contract will be a fixed cost contract.  Prospective respondents must submit a cost estimate to complete all of the work specified in the statement of work and successfully provide NMFS with the items identified in the Deliverables section of the state of work.

Invoicing

•·         50 % payment at 50% completion point

•·         Final payment upon completion and acceptance of final product

The performance period is date of award through one year. Information should provide sufficient detail that demonstrates the firm's knowledge and ability to perform the requirement. Only affirmative responses to this notice will be evaluated to the extent necessary for the Government to determine whether it is feasible to conduct a competitive acquisition considering demonstrated knowledge and experience.  Submissions received in response to this notice shall be evaluated based on demonstrated technical ability to successfully provide the required services as stated herein. This notice is for service for which the Government intends to solicit and negotiate with only one source under authority of FAR 6.302. Interested parties must respond within (10) days after publication of this notice. If no affirmative responses are received, the government intends to issue a purchase order to Whales and Nails.   Faxed responses can be sent to 978-281-9117, Attn: Francena Monell-Simard. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed acquisition based upon the response to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. The NACIS code for this action is 238990. The NOAA Acquisition office requires that all contractors doing business with the 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 website: http://www.ccr.gov/. In order to register with the CCR and to be eligible to receive an award from this acquisition office, all offerors must have a Dun & Bradstreet Number.  A Dun & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dun & Bradstreet on-line at https://www.dnb.com/product/eupdate/requestOptions.html or by phone at (800) 333-0505.  The government now requires all contractors submit their Certification and Representation thru the on-line Business Partner Network (BPN). The BPN is the single source for vendor data for the federal government. Contractors should go on-line at www.bpn.gov. Award will not be made to any contractor that is not registered in CCR and BPN. Responses should be faxed to 978-281-9117. Attn: Francena Monell-Simard.