SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Dynamics of the Loop Current in U.S. Waters
- Notice Date
- 2/6/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- MMS Procurement Branch, HQ 381 Elden Street, MS 2102 Herndon VA 20170-4817 US
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- M08PS00019
- Response Due
- 2/21/2008
- Archive Date
- 3/22/2008
- Point of Contact
- Coleman, Mary E. 703-787-1070, mary.coleman@mms.gov
- E-Mail Address
-
Email your questions to Coleman, Mary E.
(mary.coleman@mms.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- PLEASE READ THIS NOTICE CAREFULLY AS IT WILL BE THE ONLY NOTICE THAT WILL BE ISSUED. The U.S. Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS), Procurement Operations Branch, is the contracting office for this procurement and the resultant contract administration. All vendors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (www.ccr.gov) in order to receive Government contracts. The Government intends to award a cost reimbursement type contract for the effort described herein. The NAICS code for this acquisition is 541620, ?Environmental Consulting Services.? SCOPE OF WORK: The Loop Current (LC) in the eastern Gulf of Mexico enters as the Yucatan Current through the Yucatan Channel carrying about 30 Sv and extends northward to its maximum latitude close to 28˚N, where it turns eastward and exits through the Florida Straits. The LC is the principal current and source of energy for the Gulf of Mexico and is the upstream portion of the Gulf Stream system. The LC is well known to undergo northward extensions, followed by southward contractions that induce much of the upper-layer mesoscale variability of the eastern Gulf. During these incursions, the LC sheds warm eddies or rings at an average interval of ~ 9 months. The shedding of a LC ring has important repercussions on the entire water column of the Gulf?s circulation. At depths shallower than ~800 m, LC rings dominate the mesoscale circulation and link the otherwise weakly connected basins of the Gulf, transporting mass, heat, momentum, and salt from the eastern to the western half. The LC is hypothesized to be a source of bottom-trapped topographic Rossby waves that predominate in the deep Gulf circulation. Some numerical models suggest that LC rings can also induce near-bottom eddy pairs that affect the circulation of the deep Gulf. While its importance is well accepted, there have been no real dedicated studies of the LC. The proposed study will be the first dedicated and systematic study of the Loop Current with sufficient spatial and temporal coverage to start answering some important questions about the dynamics of this system. Because the LC crosses three international territories and because the dynamical aspects we need to understand also expand over these territories, the study will be divided into the American and Mexican territories. This proposed study will concentrate its efforts on the American Sector, while Mexican oceanographers from CICESE, Ensenada will cover the Mexican territory. Scientists from AOML will also work in coordination with this study. All groups need to cooperate and collaborate to successfully complete the study and increase our understanding of this current. The proposed study will consist of two main activities, the Field Work to be completed by the Field Team and the Numerical Modeling Work to be completed by the Modeling Team. The overarching goal of this study is to increase our knowledge of the dynamics of the Loop Current (LC) in the eastern Gulf of Mexico through a combined analysis of observations and numerical modeling output. Specific objectives are: 1- To increase our understanding of the causes of the LC incursions into the Gulf; 2- To describe oceanographic conditions leading to and during eddy shedding and reattachment and to cast light on the dynamics of these processes; 3- To understand how the LC interact and drives the lower layer circulation; 4- To provide statistics from in situ observations supplemented by numerical modeling output that describes the general circulation patterns inferred from remote sensing and geostrophic calculations; 5- To analyzed the available data and model output to test the several hypotheses; and 6- To provide information for MMS to fullfill its regulatory mission and comply with NEPA requirements. The period of performance (POP) is anticipated to be sixty (60) months after award. MMS envisions the POP broken into of six (6) months pre-deployment, thirty (30) months of data gathering, and twenty-four months (24) for analyses, synthesis and report preparation. The POP will encompass all tasks from initial planning, through and including the MMS?s final acceptance of all deliverables. The study area will consist of the region in the eastern Gulf of Mexico in USA waters north of the EEZ in the south, east of 89?W, and seaward of the 200 m isobath. The study area may include the internationally disputed area known as the ?doughnut hole? which can be view in recent NOAA?s nautical charts of the Gulf of Mexico. MMS encourages Offerors to limit planning the deployment of moorings to the northern sector of this problem area, these mooring locations will have to be cleared by MMS through the State Department to ensure that no conflict with international territorial claims arises. Cost of this study is estimated to be between $5,000,000 and $5,500,000. This study consist of eight (8) main tasks: (1) establishing a Science Review Group; (2) conducting a post award and mid-term meetings; (3) field work consisting of an array design, data collection (moorings deployments) over thirty (30) months and conducting processes studies in coordination with Modeling Team; (4) select, implement, and operate a numerical model to conduct process studies of the LC in coordination with the Field Team; (5) complete all data and model output analyses (6) gather and analyzed remote sensing and ancillary data to enhance the study?s data; (7) complete and prepare a synthesis report of all findings; and (8) set procedures to successfully cooperate and coordinate with interested groups. HOW TO RESPOND: For a full copy of the Request for Proposal(RFP), please contact Mary Coleman via email at mary.coleman@mms.gov Please include in your request the RFP Number M08PS00019 and title ?Dynamics of the Loop Current in U.S. Waters?, your organizations name, point of contact, Dunn & Bradstreet number, address, telephone and fax numbers and email address. Requests must be made no later than 5:00 P.M. Eastern Time, Thursday, February 21, 2008.
- Record
- SN01501980-W 20080208/080206232516 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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