SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Workshop on the Status & Applications for Acoustic Marine Mammals
- Notice Date
- 9/25/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Procurement Operations, MMS Procurement Branch, HQ381 Elden Street, MS 2102HerndonVA20170-4817US
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- M08PS00138
- Response Due
- 10/22/2008
- Archive Date
- 11/21/2008
- Point of Contact
- Bridge, Debra M. 703-787-1070, debra.bridge@mms.gov<br />
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Please read this notice carefully as it constitutes the only notice that will be issued. This procurement is being conducted in accordance with FAR Part 15. The Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS), intends to competitively award a Firm Fixed Price contract entitled Workshop on the Status and Applications for Acoustic Marine Mammals. The Minerals Management Service, 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 NAICS Code for this procurement is 541690-Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services. The contractor must be capable of performing all of the tasks described below. The period of performance of the resultant contract is anticipated to be not more than 18 months, with an estimated cost range between $170,000 - $190,000. Background-Project Description: Under the Endangered Species Act (ESA) and the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), marine mammals are given particular legal status. The potential impacts of seismic and other noise-producing activities are subject to thorough review by the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), the Marine Mammal Commission (MMC) and the Minerals Management Service (MMS). Oil and gas exploration, sand and gravel resource assessment, future offshore wind turbine placement, and other alternative energy projects may include noise-producing operations. Any potential impacts that MMS-regulated activities may have on these populations are significant program concerns and require mitigation and monitoring under the ESA and the MMPA. Although a variety of monitoring tools are currently employed, the most promising tool to date is acoustic monitoring. Both passive and active acoustic monitoring systems are currently available and in use for a variety of applications. Passive Acoustic Monitoring (PAM) for marine mammals has been used for several years with varying degrees of success. PAM uses hydrophones in the water to detect vocalizations or other sounds that indicate the presence of animals. Continuing development of both hardware and software for PAM has resulted in a choice of systems and a great deal of confusion and misinformation on system capabilities and requirements. The MMS and other Federal agencies are increasingly relying on PAM to meet monitoring needs. Active Acoustic Monitoring (AAM) is another method of determining the presence of marine mammals and other animals. Sonar is actively used to locate animals, thus, unlike PAM, non-vocalizing marine mammals are detectable with AAM. Different species can require multiple frequency bands and species identification has been a hurdle when using AAM. The requirement to add sound to the ocean with AAM has presented environmental and regulatory problems. However, systems are becoming more accurate with less noise output. Units similar to the very ubiquitous fish finders found on many vessels are proving useful in some cases for marine mammal monitoring. Both PAM and AAM systems have been technologically improved and many of the previous limitations of the systems are becoming less of a hindrance. Generally, acoustic monitoring is not considered a stand-alone monitoring method, but rather may be a valuable tool to use in a suite of mitigation and monitoring techniques. Acoustic monitoring has also become an important and even critical tool when monitoring in conditions where visibility is limited (i.e., night time, inclement weather). Given the need for marine mammal monitoring and the misinformation and/or lack of unbiased information on available and developing acoustic monitoring systems, MMS plans to conduct a workshop on the Status and Applications for Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals. The broadly-stated purpose of the workshop will be to facilitate an informed understanding of the capabilities, applicability, and availability of current acoustic monitoring systems, the potential developments and improvements in future acoustic monitoring systems, and ways in which industry, MMS, and other regulatory agencies could use acoustic monitoring as a required monitoring tool. A thorough examination of hardware and software available, the capabilities and limitations of the systems, the requirements for operation and use, the current and future applications to offshore industries and the potential impact of system reliability on industry and the marine animals will allow MMS as well as other regulatory agencies to determine the usefulness and appropriateness of PAM and AAM for a variety of mitigation and monitoring situations. The latest monitoring technology will also be discussed and the current regulatory position on AAM will be examined.The objectives of the Status and Applications for Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals Workshop are to: identify available software and hardware systems and their uses and limitations; review recent developments in acoustic monitoring technology and equipment;evaluate effectiveness of PAM and AAM for detecting marine mammals and assessing potential impacts; evaluate industry cost and other liabilities of incorporating acoustic monitoring; andprovide MMS, other federal agencies, and industry with guidance on the applicability, feasibility and usefulness of these technologies as monitoring tools. As a secondary objective and as time allows in the agenda, this workshop will also briefly examine other emerging marine mammal monitoring technologies currently available or in development (e.g., radar, unmanned aerial aircraft). The workshop will be held at an appropriate location to be determined by mutual agreement between MMS and the contractor. The selected location should not typically be subject to weather-related travel delays at the time of the workshop. The study consists of four (4) main tasks: Task 1: Identification of key issues and personnel; Task 2: Planning and coordination of the workshop; Task 3: Conducting the workshop; and Task 4: Preparation of the proceedings. How to Respond: If you are interested in participating in this acquisition, please e-mail your organizations name, point of contact, address, telephone and fax numbers, e-mail address and DUNS Number not later than 2:00 p.m. E.T., October 23, 2008, to debra.bridge@mms.gov., or send this same information to Debra Bridge, Minerals Management Service, 381 Elden Street, MS-2101, Herndon, VA 20170. Please reference M08PS00138, Workshop: Acoustic Monitoring of Marine Mammals, in your document. Those organizations responding to this announcement will receive a copy of the full Request for Proposal (RFP). Telephone inquiries are strongly discouraged.
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