This is a NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE SOURCE PURCHASE ORDER and is not a request for competitive proposals. NOAA intends to negotiate with and issue a sole source, firm-fixed price award to Florida Atlantic University, Harbor Branch for Benthic Invertebrate Identification and Analysis - US South Atlantic, under Simplified Acquisition Procedures in accordance with FAR Part 13. This project involves field- and lab-based components associated with a fishery independent survey of Marine Protected Areas in the U.S. South Atlantic between St. Lucie, FL and Cape Lookout, NC. The applicant will be responsible for identifying, quantifying, analyzing and reporting upon the benthic invertebrate macrofauna encountered during Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) dives along the outer continental shelf between depths of 60 and 300m.
The at-sea identifications, combined with observations and categorizations of habitat geomorphology, must be entered into an Access-based database which incorporates observation time and location during the ROV dives. Time and location will be supplied by the ROV operators via a RS-232 connection. All invertebrate collections shall be processed and preserved by the applicant and, once the at-sea portion of the mission is completed, forwarded to appropriate museum curators and/or project collaborators.
Shore-based components of the project include: 1) review of all high definition video from ROV dives to detect any invertebrates overlooked during the real-time at-sea observations; 2) density calculations of all major taxa based upon point counts from downward looking high resolution still images (must use CPCE method); and 3) promulgation of a written report using the NOAA SEADESC format. The SEADESC report must contain sections for each ROV dive and include: 1) georeferenced dive track overlaid upon multibeam bathymetry; 2) images taken from ROV video depicting representative habitat and any outstanding observations; 3) description of geomorphology; and 4) detailed analyses and descriptions of presence, abundance and distribution of observed benthic invertebrate macrofauna. The applicant will have 180 days after completion of the at-sea portion of the project to complete the SEADESC report.
The applicant's personnel must be present at the Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, FL on 10 June 2020 for the at-sea component of the project. These dates are tentative and are subject to change due to weather conditions or ship non-availability. This component will end at the Mayport Naval Station on 23 June 2020. The applicant's personnel must pass a NOAA medical screening and be declared fit to sail. The applicant's personnel must also pass NOAA and U.S. Navy security screenings. The applicant may have two personnel on the ship, gender of personnel is at the applicant's discretion. 

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