***NOAA's Acquisition & Grants Office, Western Acquisition Division-Boulder, intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, under authority of FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), with Northwest Straits Marine Foundation (NSMF) to conduct a spatial analysis of Rockfish species IN Puget Sound.

***The sole source determination is based on the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) requirement to conduct data acquisition and compilation of data with standardization, analysis of pre-existing side-scan sonar data and spatial analysis of datasets using AcrGIS and summary of data analysis and final report preparation.

spatial analysis in ESRI ArcGIS of multiple datasets to prioritize areas in the Puget Sound where Rockfish species occur and occurred historically. The final product will include ArcGIS vector shapefiles and associated metadata designed as "Rockfish Priority Areas" within a final report. These sidescan sonar surveys provide a critical source of data for additional habitat-type mapping of the Puget Sound, but have not yet been processed and interpreted in Rockfish critical habitat and are not otherwise publicly available. The Northwest Straits Marine Foundation had proprietary rights to the data needed for this project.

***This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can fully meet the Government's requirements may submit substantiating documentation in writing to the identified point of contact within 15 days after publication of this synopsis. Such documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to conduct a competitive procurement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.