Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Procurement Operations Branch, MS2500, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 22070-4817

B -- ENVIRONMENTAL SURVEYS OF POTENTIAL SAND RESOURCE SITES OFFSHORE: NEW JERSEY, DELAWARE, AND MARYLAND SOL 1435-01-RP-97-30853 DUE 031597 POC Contract Specialist, Wallace O. Adcox, (703) 787-1354 WEB: click here for information about the Minerals Management Service; its mission, structure, etc., http://www.mms.gov/. E-MAIL: click here to contact the contracting officer via e-mail, wallace.adcox@MMS.GOV. The Minerals Management Service (MMS) of the Department of Interior intends to competitively award a contract to conduct environmental surveys of potential sand resource sites offshore New Jersey, Delaware, and Maryland. PLEASE READ THIS ENTIRE NOTICE CAREFULLY AS IT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY NOTICE THAT WILL BE ISSUED. MMS has jurisdiction over all mineral resources on the Federal Outer Continental Shelf (OCS), a zone which extends from three miles seaward of the coastal State boundaries out to one hundred miles. Until recently only oil and gas resources were harvested from within this area. However, the potential for exploitation of sand resources located on the OCS as a source of material for beach and barrier islands restoration has grown rapidly in the last several years as similar resources in State waters are being depleted or polluted. Several OCS areas are also being examined as possible sources of aggregate for construction purposes. Resources in U.S. Federal waters may also be environmentally preferable, due to concerns over changes in resident physical oceanographic conditions as large quantities of material are extracted from areas within the existing wave base. This has generated a need for technical information and environmental studies to ensure that offshore minerals are developed in a safe and environmentally sound manner. The MMS's Office of International Activities and Marine Minerals (INTERMAR) has been developing and procuring contracts to provide needed environmental information in regards to environmental management of these resources. The main purpose of this proposed study is to address environmental questions raised by the potential for dredging sand from the inner continental shelf offshore the States of New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware for the purposes of beach nourishment. There are six (6) potential areas offshore New Jersey and two (2) offshore Maryland and Delaware in federal waters suitable as borrow areas for beach nourishment. Significant components of this study are: (1) Collection and analysis of field data. The Contractor will design and carrying out an oceanographic field program to address the following elements: (a) assessment of the baseline benthic ecological conditions in and around the proposed sand borrow areas that will identified in the Request for Proposal (RFP); (b) evaluation of the benthic infauna resident in the five potential borrow sites and assessment of the potential effects of offshore dredging activity on these organisms, including an analysis of the potential rate and success of recolonization following cessation of dredging activities; (c) development of a schedule of best and worst times for offshore dredging as regards transitory, pelagic species; (d) evaluation as to the potential modifications to waves that cross within the study area due to offshore dredging within the proposed sand borrow areas; and (e) evaluation of the impacts of offshore dredging and consequent beach nourishment in terms of the potential alteration in sediment transport patterns, sedimentary environments, and impacts to local shoreline processes. As a guide to the prospective Contractor, MMS entered into a cooperative agreement with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) in 1995 to conduct a multi-disciplinary study to address these same elements relative to the potential dredging of sand in identified borrow areas offshore Virginia Beach and Sandbridge, Virginia. The following description should be used only for information purposes, as the Contractor should devise a field program specific to the offshore Alabama area. Certain elements of the VIMS project may not be relevant towards analysis for this particular project. The VIMS work is composed of the following specific tasks: (a) Benthic resource and habitat mapping using a sediment profile camera; (b) Collection of available wave height, period, and directional data from the Coastal-Marine Automated Network stations located within the study area as well as Atlantic wave hindcast data. The data is being used during wave propagation studies using a combined wave refraction and diffraction model, REF/DIF-S; (c) Collection of supplemental bathymetric data for use during the modeling effort described above; (d) A literature search and data synthesis to evaluate historical shoreline change along the Virginia coast and the compilation of existing data to assist in describing the sedimentary environment on the beach and nearshore. Additional sediment sampling is being conducted in areas of potential or active beach nourishment to aid in the evaluation of the existing sedimentary climate; (e) Synthesis of existing data and reports on the nature of the sites of offshore borrow material; (f) Evaluation of the potential impact of the placed material assessed in light of the other elements and the results of the wave climate analysis; (g) Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) current measurements /observations /modeling to define the currents at the potential sand mining sites and to define the physical regime between these sites and the shoreline. A numerical model will be used to fill in the current field in areas not observed and to predict the effects resulting from alterations to the local bathymetry on the local current field.; (2) Coordination with the respective state geological surveys and collection of relevant data. Prior to initiation of any field work, the Contractor will visit with and discuss any field work conducted or relevant data collected by each of the involved State's Geological Surveys within the potential borrow areas and obtain any data or information that might be used during the conduct of these projects. The Contractor will also search the available literature base for additional relevant field data or information. This information will be used to the maximum extent possible to address the study elements outlined under Item (1). Primary study products will include bi-monthly progress reports, a series of draft and final reports (paper and electronic copies), presentation slide sets, and submission of a draft scientific paper describing the project to an appropriate refereed journal. HOW TO RESPOND: In order to compete for this contract interested parties MUST demonstrate that they are qualified to perform the work by providing, WITHIN 21 CALENDAR DAYS of publication of this notice, a Capabilities Statement detailing: (1) your key personnel (those who would have primary responsibility for performing and/or managing the study) with their qualifications and specific experience; (2) your organizational experience and facilities; and (3) specific references (including contract number & project description, period of performance, dollar amount, client identification with point of contact & telephone number) for previous work of this nature that your key personnel or organization have performed within the last two years. (References will be checked). Following review of all Capabilities Statements, a list of those deemed most qualified to perform the work will be established and the qualifiers will be notifiedand provided additional proposal instructions. Proposals will essentially consist of an oral technical presentation and written cost/business proposal. Further details of proposal requirements and logistical considerations will be provided at a later date. Your Capabilities Statement will be evaluated based on your key persons' skills, abilities and experience; your organization's experience and past performance (including number, size, and complexity of similar projects, adherence to schedules and budgets, effectiveness of program management, willingness to cooperate when difficulties arise, general compliance with the terms of the contracts, and acceptability of delivered product.) Questions should be faxed or Emailed as soon as possible to fax (703)787-1009 or Email "wallace.adcox@mms.gov." Please include with your question(s) your full name, the RFP number & title, your organization, complete address, and phone and fax numbers. Telephonic questions or requests are strongly discouraged. Note: Any conflict in the due dates shown in this notice shall be governed by this narrative (i.e. capabilities statement ARE due 21 days from publication of this notice.) (0051)

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