SOURCES SOUGHT
B -- B--SUB-FOSSIL POLLEN ANALYSIS
- Notice Date
- 2/23/2021 12:12:36 PM
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541380
— Testing Laboratories
- Contracting Office
- OFC OF ACQUISITION GRANTS-DENVER DENVER CO 80225 USA
- ZIP Code
- 80225
- Solicitation Number
- 140G0221R0008
- Response Due
- 3/1/2021 1:30:00 PM
- Archive Date
- 03/16/2021
- Point of Contact
- Carter, Christopher, Phone: 303-236-9337
- E-Mail Address
-
cjcarter@usgs.gov
(cjcarter@usgs.gov)
- Description
- SOURCES SOUGHT: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. The U.S. Geological Survey is conducting a MARKET SURVEY to determine the interest and capability of any firm eligible to to compete under NAICS code 541380 with a Small Business Size Standard $16.5 M for an upcoming requirement. This is not a solicitation. All cost associated with providing information as requested by this notice shall be the responsibility of the contractor. Submission is voluntary. It is anticipated that a firm fixed priced contract will be awarded that will consist of a base year and for one-year options periods. 1.0 INTRODUCTION The USGS requires analysis of sub-fossil pollen preserved in lake sediments to be used to understand the long-term dynamics among climate change, wildfire, and human impacts in forest ecosystems. 2.0 BACKGROUND Drought and fire are powerful agents of change in forests of the western US. Over the last decade, observed increases in fire size and severity coincided with warming, drought, and earlier snowmelt, factors that projected climatic changes are likely to exacerbate. Therefore, managing western forests in a warming climate requires understanding factors that (1) promote ecological resiliency and (2) thresholds for ecological change. Long-term data are crucial for developing such understanding. Recent observations are brief relative to the lifespans of trees and include limited examples of rare events that can define successional processes for decades (e.g., sustained droughts, extensive fires, episodic regeneration). The USGS Climate Research & Development Program funds reconstructions of past ecological changes that span tens to thousands of years. Analysis of sub-fossil pollen preserved in geological archives such as lake sediments is a prominent technique used to understand long-term changes in forest ecosystems. Pollen analysis is performed by specialists who identify and count individual pollen grains on microscope slides. These data are then used to reconstruct past vegetation dynamics and understand the causes and consequences of vegetative change. When combined with evidence of past disturbance (e.g., abundance of sedimentary charcoal) or climate change (e.g., isotopic composition of lake sediments), pollen data can provide quantitative understanding of the drivers and consequences of ecological change. 3.0 SCOPE Pollen and microscopic charcoal counts are sought for lake-sediment samples from Santa Fe Lake, NM. The data will (1) provide an overview of vegetation changes during the Holocene in the Southern Rocky Mountains, and (2) be used for quantitative analysis of interactions among climate, wildfire, humans, and vegetation. Pollen counting will proceed in two steps. An overview analysis at approximately 200-year resolution (50-75 samples) will be used to identify focus sections for contiguous high temporal-resolution pollen counts (100-150 samples). Sediment cores were obtained during field work in September 2020. USGS personnel will subsample these cores, and process the samples for pollen analysis. 4.0 REQUIRED TASKS The contractor will receive processed sediment samples that are ready for pollen counting and include a known quantity of an exotic tracer and an inventory of the samples and sample depths. Task 1: The contractor will mount pollen samples on slides and count pollen and exotic under a microscope. Counting will proceed to a minimum of 300 pollen grains per sample and use high taxonomic specificity, including the identification of different types of Pinus pollen (i.e., separation of P. ponderosa, P. flexilis, and P. edulis types. Task 2: The contractor will count microscopic charcoal and exotic on each pollen slide for charcoal analysis. Counting will proceed until a minimum count of 200 microscopic charcoal particles per slide is reached. Task 2: The contractor will record all pollen counts on a paper counting sheet, and enter counts into a spreadsheet format (e.g., Tilia). Counting sheets should be clearly labeled with the sample depth. Task 3: The contractor shall return all leftover sample materials for archiving by the USGS upon completion of the work. 4.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS N/A 5.0 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The contractor will provide a facility to perform pollen counting including a microscope for pollen analysis. Preference will be given to an analyst near the Denver Federal Center so that the analyst may be readily engaged in the interpretation of results through in-person meetings. For consistency among samples, we require that a single analyst completes all pollen counts. This aspect is critical given the need for quantitative analysis of the pollen counts, including time-series analysis that combines pollen with other paleoecological proxies. The pollen analyst will be an expert the analysis of pollen from sedimentary archives, as demonstrated by peer-reviewed scientific publications. 6.0 DELIVERABLES The contractor will provide written pollen counting sheets and a spreadsheet of all pollen and microscopic charcoal counts. The USGS may ask for delivery of a portion of the counts in electronic form before the completion of all work. 7.0 PERFORMANCE STANDARDS AND MONITORING METHODS The completion of counts for the Holocene vegetation overview will be used to assess performance by the contractor. Successful completion of the overview will result in additional samples for high temporal-resolution analyses. The USGS may ask for delivery of a portion of the counts in electronic form before the completion of all work. 8.0 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE The period of performance of the tasks detailed above will be five years. Following the first year of the contract, use of the contract by the U.S. Geological Survey will be optional. Interested small business firms shall submit (1) NAME, ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER OF THE FIRM (including DUNS NUMBER); (2) a CAPABILITY STATEMENT including (a) RECENT (within the last three fiscal years) RELEVANT (similar projects to this requirement) performance history (identify the name of the owner and their point(s) of contact with telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses; and (b) in what capacity (e.g., prime, subcontractor etc.) they performed the work; and (3) their SIZE STATUS. Your company must have a DUNs number and be registered on-line at the System for Award Management (SAM). You will also be required to provide your small business status information either via the RFP or the On-line Representations and Certifications (ORCA) also located at the SAM website before an award to your company can be made. Your on-line ORCA registration will cover any/all of your offers to the Federal Government, and only needs updated annually. All responses must be submitted NLT March 1, 2021 at 13:00 ET via e-mail to: cjcarter@usgs.gov
- Web Link
-
SAM.gov Permalink
(https://beta.sam.gov/opp/29fba0f0f4f2412eb7042f3cd74fca12/view)
- Record
- SN05924712-F 20210225/210223230116 (samdaily.us)
- Source
-
SAM.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
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