SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study
- Notice Date
- 12/8/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541620
— Environmental Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Region Acquisition Division, 7600 Sand Point Way, Northeast, Seattle, Washington, 98115-6349
- ZIP Code
- 98115-6349
- Solicitation Number
- AB133F-11-RP-0050
- Point of Contact
- Mimi Antonio Hetzel, Phone: 206-526-6032
- E-Mail Address
-
Mimi.A.Hetzel@noaa.gov
(Mimi.A.Hetzel@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The scope of this requirement is to provide field coordination, information on the diet and energetics of bowhead whales, and boat-based operations to assist with a NOAA-supported study of the feeding ecology of bowhead whales. NOAA's National Marine Fisheries Service's National Marine Mammal Laboratory is conducting a Bowhead Whale Feeding Ecology Study (BOWFEST) in the western Beaufort Sea. The goals of this requirement shall be to document patterns and variability in the timing and locations of bowhead whales feeding in the western Beaufort Sea and estimate temporal and spatial patterns of habitat use by bowhead whales in the study area. The Contractor shall provide assistance with boat-based operations from the Barrow, Alaska (local) community. The Contractor shall hire local Inupiat hunters to conduct boat-based surveys of the study area. The resultant contract shall provide payments only for days in which crews are operational, not for stand-by days. Relocation costs to the place of performance will not be reimbursed under this contract. Travel may be required during the period of performance of this contract to include a one day BOWFEST workshop and other meetings in Anchorage, Barrow, Fairbanks, AK or Seattle, WA, to be determined. To provide required information on the diet and energetics of bowhead whales, the Contractor must have access to the pertinent data by attending the scene where bowhead whales have been brought on shore and collect measurements and samples as appropriate. The Contractor shall to show experience with this type of study and shall be able to demonstrate the ability to work intimately with the local community, being sensitive to local customs and practices, and serve as liaisons to scientists and other groups. The Contractor shall collect samples from bowhead whales landed during subsistence hunts by Alaska Natives in Barrow, Kaktovik, and up to 9 other villages along the Chukchi, Beaufort and Bering Sea. Access to these villages shall be by commercial air. Stomachs shall be examined as soon as practical, usually within a few hours after an animal is brought to shore. The stomachs shall be evaluated relative to amounts and types of prey. An estimate of the total stomach contents volume shall be made and a sample of contents shall be collected from the forestomach whenever possible. Samples from these stomachs shall be kept frozen and shipped to the Alaska Department of Fish and Game office. Each sampled whale shall be classified as 'feeding', 'not feeding', or 'uncertain' based on methods described in Lowry et al. (2004). Analysis of stomach contents data shall be compared with an existing time series of diet data and shall be reported as scheduled for the BOWFEST quarterly reports. The Contractor shall conduct analysis on the "digestive efficiency" of bowhead whales. Samples of free-swimming prey shall be compared to samples from bowhead forestomach, duodenum, and colon. Analysis shall examine caloric and isotopic content. Comparing data from these samples may help make estimates of the "energy extraction" efficiency of bowhead whales. The period of performance shall be from April 2011 to April 2013. The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) is 541620 with a size standard of $7 million. A Request for Proposal (RFP) solicitation may be available on or about January-February 2011 at http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. The estimated response due date will be February-March 2011; however, the actual date offers are due will be stated within the solicitation documents. Paper copies of this solicitation will not be issued. Interested parties should use the FedBizOpps [Add To Watchlist] and [Add Me To Interested Vendors] features which provide a notification when the RFP becomes available for download as well as all postings of information associated with this solicitation, thereafter. Each potential contractor is responsible for checking the FedBizOpps website to gain all current information related to the solicitation. The solicitation and any further announcements regarding the solicitation will be posted only at http://www.fedbizopps.gov/. All questions of any nature regarding this procurement are to be sent to Contract Specialist, Mimi Antonio Hetzel at mimi.a.hetzel@noaa.gov.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOC/NOAA/WASC/AB133F-11-RP-0050/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Along the Chukchi, Beaufort and Bering Sea, Barrow, Alaska, 99723, United States
- Zip Code: 99723
- Zip Code: 99723
- Record
- SN02340576-W 20101210/101208234104-6bb1c5c88e7b5484f7093d6b00df77ca (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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