SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- Passage Environment Characterization and Acoustic Telemetry Evaluation of Juvenile Salmonid Survival Through New Turbines Installed at Ice Harbor Dam
- Notice Date
- 7/15/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, USACE District, Walla Walla, Attn: CENWW-CT, 201 North 3rd Avenue, Walla Walla, Washington, 99362-1876, United States
- ZIP Code
- 99362-1876
- Solicitation Number
- W912EF-15-R-SS60
- Archive Date
- 9/1/2015
- Point of Contact
- Mary M. Van Sickle, Phone: 509-527-7204
- E-Mail Address
-
mary.m.vansickle@usace.army.mil
(mary.m.vansickle@usace.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Advisory and Assistance Services - Biological Studies in the Snake and Columbia River Basins Sources Sought 15-R-SS60 Study Title: Passage environment characterization and acoustic telemetry evaluation of Juvenile salmonid survival through new turbines installed at Ice Harbor Dam This Sources Sought announcement is a tool to identify businesses with the capability to accomplish the work. This is not a solicitation. This notice neither constitutes a Request for Proposal, nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach. It should not be construed as a commitment by the Government for any purpose. Responses to this Sources Sought notice will be used by the Government in making appropriate acquisition decisions. Therefore, no contract award will result from this Sources Sought Notice. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow up information requests. [Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation]. The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Walla Walla District is issuing this notice to measure the interest and availability of other than large business firms, including HUBZone, 8(a) or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Women Owned Small Business (WOSB) or other Small Business (an individual, a group of individuals or a business) concerns that are capable of performing the services requirement entitled: "Multi-Year Biological Research at Ice Harbor Dam: Turbine Characterization and Acoustic Telemetry". A Firm Fixed Price contract may be issued at a later date. The North American Industry Classification code (NAICS) 541712 applies to responding entities. The Small Business size standard for this NAICS code is 500 employees as determined by 13 CFR 121.104. To make an appropriate acquisition decision for this project, the Government may use responses to this Sources Sought synopsis. The type of solicitation issued and the manner of advertisement will depend on the responses to this Sources Sought synopsis. Professional Services in Physical, Engineering and Life Sciences: The intent of this Source Sought is to identify and potentially secure sources of high quality expertise in fish passage studies requiring electrical engineering and biological data collection and statistical analysis. Turbine passage studies to date have resulted in a wealth of data that may be used to recommend turbine operations and applied to turbine designs for safer fish passage. Since 2010, efforts have been focused on the design of a new fixed blade propeller and a new Kaplan turbine runner to be installed at Ice Harbor Dam. It is expected that the fixed blade turbine runner will be installed in Unit 2, and the Kaplan runner will be installed in Units 1 and 3 beginning with Unit 2 in 2017. Biological testing of these new runners will take place upon installation. Characterization of the turbine environment is important to evaluate the mechanisms of injury and mortality associated with turbine passage. The "Multi-Year Biological Research at Ice Harbor Dam: Turbine Characterization and Acoustic Telemetry" study will provide information important for validating the design process, quantifying improvements in the design in terms of reduced barotrauma and strike potential, and estimating turbine passage survival through risk assessment of barotrauma and blade strike injury and mortality that juvenile salmonids may experience during turbine passage. Furthermore, turbine characterization data for these new runners is of importance to the Corps' Turbine Survival Program for establishing operating curves and recommending turbine operations for safer fish passage. These studies will be conducted over a number of years (tentatively FY16 - FY19) to include baseline data with existing turbines and subsequent years to evaluate the new turbine runners as they are installed. The following is a tentative expected timeline for study implementation including the options for conducting acoustic telemetry studies. Fiscal Year Expected Tasks 2016 Develop detailed study plan, QA/QC plan; engineer drawings and calculations for the development and installation of equipment; procure/develop turbine characterization instruments and other necessary equipment (e.g. release pipes) to implement these studies 2017 Equipment mobilization; collect turbine characterization data on the existing Unit 1 and the new propeller turbine runner in Unit 2; collect acoustic telemetry fish passage survival data on the new Unit 2 runner; equipment demobilization; Preliminary Reporting 2018 Equipment mobilization; collect turbine characterization and acoustic telemetry fish passage survival data on the new Kaplan turbine runner in Unit 3; equipment demobilization; Draft Final Reporting 2019 Complete equipment demobilization (if necessary); Final Reporting 1.0 Objectives 1. Collect sufficient pressure and acceleration data within the turbine passage environment at Ice Harbor Dam turbine units 1, 2 and 3 to include one year of baseline data for the existingUnit 1 Kaplan. a. Define the pressures and forces (both impacts and shear) that may be experienced as fish pass through the turbines. 2. Determine the probability of fish exposure to the distribution of nadir pressures and the risk of experiencing physical turbine blade strike or severe shear events. 3. Estimate fish passage survival through turbine units and through the immediate tailrace using three-dimensional acoustic telemetry methods 4. Work interactively and cooperatively with other contractors on site as necessary a. It should be expected that other contractors will be implementing studies in the same vicinity during the same time period. This should be accounted for in planning. Task Descriptions Fiscal Year 2016 Task 1 - Prepare and submit a detailed study plan for implementation of the "Multi-Year Biological Research at Ice Harbor Dam: Turbine Characterization and Acoustic Telemetry" study. The detailed study plan will be reviewed by the Corps' Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) and the region's Study Review Work Group and will require approval by the Corps' TPOC. The detailed study plan shall provide a thorough discussion of all methods, equipment, specific equipment placement locations, data screening and analysis and Quality Assurance/Quality Control for all data collection, interpretation, and presentation. Task 2 - Prepare and submit a staff training and selection plan to include fish selection, handling and tag implantation techniques. Surgical training will require the contractor to acquire study fish for surgical training. Surgical tagging guidelines are documented in Surgical Protocols for Implanting Juvenile Salmon Acoustic Telemetry System (JSATS) Transmitters into Juvenile Salmonids for Studies Conducted for the USACE. Task 3 - Acquire all necessary permits (i.e., ESA, WA state collection, and fish transport permits). Task 4 - Procure/build appropriate instrumentation to collect data characterizing the turbine passage environment a. Instrumentation shall have a sampling frequency not less than 2,000 Hz. Any instrumentation package passing through the turbine shall be neutrally buoyant and have significant shock survivability to withstand up to 5,000 g-force. b. Instrumentation shall be capable of accurately recording pressures from 0-60 psia, pressure changes occurring within ≤ 0.5 seconds and with precision of ±0.2 psia. c. Instrumentation shall be capable of recording acceleration data with a range of approximately 0-400 ft/s with an accuracy and precision of ±2.5 ft/s. Task 5 - Fish and sensors will be directly released through pipes into the turbine unit. Construct (if necessary) and install appropriate release apparatus to ensure that the fish and appropriate instrumentation pass through the turbines and the desired data is collected. Engineer drawings and calculations must be submitted for Walla Walla District engineer review and acceptance for any equipment to be installed at the dam. See Deliverables for further details. Fiscal Year 2017 - 2019 Task 1 - Release appropriate instrumentation into the specified turbine units at Corps approved turbine operations to collect desired turbine characterization data. Data collection will be conducted on a schedule and methods presented in the approved study plan (Task 1 FY2016). a. Collect turbine characterization data with appropriate instrumentation capable of recording linear acceleration, the three components of angular velocity and absolute pressure. Task 2 - Estimate turbine passage survival rate of acoustic tagged juvenile Chinook salmon passing through the appropriate turbine unit(s) specified by the Corps' TPOC. a. Survival estimates must have a standard error of ±0.015 with 95% confidence i. Previous studies have required up to 12,000 tagged fish to achieve the required precision. The Contractor must be capable of mobilizing crews of over 40 employees to accomplish this task. b. Detection efficiency must be ≥ 98% c. Three-dimensional tracking in the powerhouse tailrace vicinity is required i. Three-dimensional points must have sub-meter accuracy with sub-meter root mean square errors on x, y and z planes d. Develop and maintain an inventory database that includes the location and status of all acoustic telemetry components that is accurate at any time during the study and correspond to the USACE NWW database. Task 3 - Detailed reporting of data collected and results. Reports will be delivered on a schedule which may be proposed and agreed upon between the Contractor and the Corps' TPOC in the detailed study plan (Task 1 FY2016). Deliverables 1. A detailed study plan (FY2016 Task 1) 2. Staff Training Plan (FY2016 Task 2) 3. A Quality Assurance/Quality Control (QA/QC) plan to include all details relative to equipment installation and calibration, data collection, analysis and reporting. a. QA/QC plan must include an acceptance plan for calibration and testing of acoustic telemetry components and systems to ensure meeting the objectives of the study. Acceptance testing results must be documented. 4. Design drawings of fish release pipes, mounting requirements and locations, install locations of water supply pumps for fish holding pools, electrical requirements and placement of equipment such as utility trailers must be submitted no later than 4 weeks post contract award. Drawings of release pipes must include: type and dimensions of all materials, estimated hydraulic load bearing on the apparatus, specifics of all welds and specifics of attachment of the pipes to the existing structures. Electrical requirements must be specified to include voltage, desired location of power hook-ups (not guaranteed to be possible), step-down transformer type and design (if applicable, the transformer will require inspection by a Corps Electrical Engineer) and how power cords and data cables will be placed along the work area. 5. The Contractor shall prepare and submit a Preliminary Data Report describing preliminary findings of the study within 90 days after the last fish release. The report shall be in sufficient detail that future biological study designs and implementation plans or project operations may be drafted using the data and results. 6. The Contractor shall prepare a Draft Final Report for Government review. The Draft Final Report shall provide a detailed description of data analysis. Data processing and analysis methodology shall be described in sufficient detail for the Government to understand the temporal and spatial level of data analysis and summarization. Quality Assurance and Quality Control measures and methodology for screening out errant data shall be described in detail. The results of this study should be discussed relative to similar turbine survival studies, applicability to results to turbine operations and the application of the report for use in making future turbine operating recommendations. 7. Upon review, the Corps' TPOC will provide reviewer comments to the Contractor. The Contractor shall provide the TPOC with written response to each Government comment on the Draft Final Report. The response shall include a description how the Final Report addresses the comments, changes made to the Draft Final Report, or rationale for allowing original information to stand in the Final Report. 8. The Contractor shall prepare a Final Report for the Government incorporating changes to the Draft Final Report as agreed upon by the Contractor and the Government TPOC. Comments and responses shall be included in the Final Report as an appendix. A cleaned data set from the study will be archived and delivered in a Corps specified electronic format at this time as well. Acoustic telemetry data shall be supplied on external hard drive(s). Government-furnished Services/Equipment The Government will provide acoustic telemetry equipment (JSATS). Calibration, installation, maintenance, and repairs of the components will be the responsibility of the contractor. The contractor shall be self sufficient. Corps Project personnel will not be available for support. The TPOC will be available during the study to assist as needed. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR SOURCES SOUGHT: Interested statements shall be limited to five pages and shall include the following information: a. Firm's name, addresses, point of contact, phone number, and email address. b. Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number and CAGE code. c. A brief capability statement expressing interest in proposing on the solicitation when it is issued, describing the company and its specialized experience with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and public utilities. d. A statement detailing any special qualifications or certifications applicable to the scope of services requested held by the in-house personnel of the firm expressing interest. e. A list of the firm's current or past specialized experience similar to or the same as the summary scope of services for this requirement performed in the last five years. Include a brief description of each project scope, schedule, and dollar value. Provide specifics on acoustic telemetry precision and accuracy and citations for peer-reviewed literature and reports resulting from past efforts. f. A statement of your firm's business size to include designation as: SBA certified 8(a), SBA certified HUBZone, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Woman-Owned Business, or a Large Business. The response to this notice shall be in summary format and shall not exceed seven (7) pages. No basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this sources sought or Government use of any information provided. The Government will not pay for information or comments provided and will not recognize any costs associated with submission of comments. Where and how send responses: Companies or individuals interested in responding are invited to submit their information via email ONLY to Mary M. Van Sickle at mary.m.vansickle@usace.army.mil. All attachments must be provided in either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat PDF format. Responses should be received by 4:00 p.m. PDT, 17 August 2015. PLEASE REFERENCE quote mark SOURCES SOUGHT Passage environment characterization and acoustic telemetry evaluation of Juvenile salmonid survival through new turbines installed at Ice Harbor Dam quote mark IN THE SUBJECT LINE. Respondents will not be contacted regarding their submission or information gathered as a result of this sources sought notice. All responsible sources may respond to this notice and all responses will be considered. Telephonic responses will not be honored. Response deadline: 17 August, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. (Pacific Time Zone) This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation for Bid (IFB), nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the Government; it is only to obtain market capabilities/industry comments and is to be used for informational purposes only. The Government does not intend to make an award on the bases of this sources sought synopsis/request for information, nor will the Government pay for the information solicited herein.
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