B -- NORTHEASTERN GULF INTEGRATED STUDY OF PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSESS

Notice Date

February 16, 2001

Contracting Office

Department of the Interior, Minerals Management Service, Procurement Operations Branch, MS2500, 381 Elden Street, Herndon, Virginia 20170-4817

ZIP Code

20170-4817

Solicitation Number

1435-01-00-RFP-31134

Response Due

March 19, 2001

Point of Contact

Betty M. Estey Contracting Officer, (703)-787-1352 or Lane Donley (703) 787-1346

E-Mail Address

The Contracting Officer's email address (Betty.Estey@mms.gov)

Description

The Department of Interior, Minerals Management Service (MMS), intends to competitively award a contract for a study titled "NORTHEASTERN GULF INTEGRATED STUDY OF PHYSICAL AND BIOLOGICAL PROCESSES"The northeastern Gulf of Mexico (NEGOM) has been described as "a network of spatially and temporally interconnected ecosystems " The NEGOM northern and eastern boundaries contain estuaries and bays acting as point sources of nutrients and freshwater of varying magnitudes. The eastern boundary connects the NEGOM to the West Florida shelf. At this boundary, exchanges of unknown strength and temporal scales seem to occur. To the south, DeSoto Canyon and its physical oceanographic complexity exerts a dominant influence on the NEGOM region. Thus, the NEGOM is a locus where mixing, advection, and exchange processes are active. These physical processes in turn influence biological processes. Biological processes of interest in this region include nutrient cycling, productivity, taxonomic and trophic structure of shelf communities, coupling between water column and benthic communities, larval dispersal, impact of catastrophic events, and fisheries resources. Presently, more integration between physical and biological processes in the NEGOM region is required. Knowledge about physical/biological interactions can help improve impact assessments of oil and gas operations in this region. The objectives of this study are to make: (1) first order estimates of fluxes of nutrients, freshwater and biologically relevant materials; (2) initial estimates of primary and secondary productivity, biomass, and how these quantities are affected by physical processes; (3) initial assessments of transport of biological materials; (4) initial studies of biological community structure and life history of relevant species in the region; and (5) complete initial studies of trophic ecology of selected dominant deep-reef species and their temporal shift in food habitats related to hydrographic events. The performance period of this study shall be forty eight (48) months, but the fieldwork of this study shall last twelve (12) months at the beginning of this contract. The remaining 36 months shall be devoted to analyses, synthesis of results, and completion of all deliverables. The study area is the region between the Chandeleur Islands (88.75W), Louisiana, and Lighthouse Point (84.34W), Florida, in water depths ranging from 10 to 500 m. The western boundary is from 10 to 500 m along longitude 88.75W. The eastern boundary is from Lighthouse Point passing through the 10-m isobath to the southwest until intersecting the 500-m isobath at 28N. The northern boundary is the 10-m isobath, and the southern boundary is the 500-m isobath. Cost of this study is estimated to be between $7,500,000 to $8,000,000. This study consist of five (5) main tasks: (1) establishing a Science Review Group; (2) conducting a post award meeting; (3) performing field sampling (moorings, hydrographic, and biogeochemical) over six cruises at intervals of 60 days; (4) coordinating with studies being performed by the U.S. Geological Survey; and (5) completing all data analyses and report preparation. To respond: In order to compete for this contract, interested parties must demonstrate that they are qualified to perform work by providing Capabilities Statements by March 19, 2001 by 4:00 PM Eastern Standard Time. Detailing (1) Your key personnel, scientific and technical, (those who would have the primary responsibility for performing and/or managing the project) with their qualifications and specific expertise and experience. Particularly relevant is their expertise in the fields of marine benthic biology, physical, biological, geological, chemical oceanography, and remote sensing; (2) Your organization's experience with this type of work and a description of your facilities; and (3) Specific references (including project identifier/contract number and description, period of performance, dollar amount, client name, and current telephone number) for work of this nature that your personnel or organization is currently performing or has completed. Also, please include any negative references and your rebuttal explaining your side of the story. All references will be checked to validate the information provided. Offerors shall submit an original and five (5) copies of the Capabilities Statement to Ms. Betty Estey, Contracting Officer, Minerals Management Service, Procurement Operations Branch, 381 Elden St., MS 2510, Herndon, VA 20170-4817. In addition to the 5 copies above please send ten (10) additional copies to Ms. Connie Landry, Minerals Management Service, Gulf of Mexico OCS Region, 1201 Elmwood Park Boulevard, MS 5431, New Orleans, Louisiana 70123-2394. It is the responsibility of the Offeror to ensure that the Capabilities Statements are received by the dates and time set forth above. Timeliness of receipt of submissions will be determined by the time received in the Procurement Operations Branch, Herndon, Virginia. Your capabilities statement will be evaluated based on: (1) Past performance which includes: adherence to schedules and budgets, effectiveness of cost control, the acceptability of previous products delivered, effectiveness of program management, and the Offeror's willingness to cooperate with the customer in both routine matters and when confronted by unexpected difficulties. (2) The degree of comparability of past projects to the current project, including number, complexity, and size; (3) The experience and expertise of all scientific and technical Key Personnel. Evaluation factors include the length and quality of experience for each person assigned to perform specific tasks, their experience and expertise in the fields applicable to the performance of this study. (4) Your Project Manager's demonstrated leadership ability and experience with managing a multi-disciplinary team and the interdisciplinary processes required for this study, and ability to control costs and to keep project performance and document preparation on schedule. Following Step (1) which is the review and evaluation of all Capabilities Statements, only those determined from the evaluation factors described above to be most qualified to successfully perform the effort will be invited to Step (2) which will require a submission of a proposal. Only the most qualified will receive a detailed Request for Proposal. All offerors will be contacted after Step (1) by telephone or email. Please send questions as soon as possible to Betty.Estey@mms.gov and send a cc to Lane.Donley@mms.gov. Please include your RFP Number 1435-01-00-RFP-31134, as well as your full name, organization name, address, phone and FAX numbers. Offerors are strongly encouraged to submit their questions by E-mail or faxed inquires. However, if it is necessary to call for information contact Betty M. Estey or Lane Donley between the hours of 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m. EST Monday-Friday at (703) 787-1354 or by FAX on 703-787-1357. Please note this is not a set-aside but for information purposes this applies: SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS (SDB) REGULATORY CHANGE NOTICE: The Federal Acquisition Regulation authorizes the use of price and evaluation credits in industries where SDB prime contractors and subcontractors have been underutilized. We ask that you inform your SDB subcontractors that they should contact SBA's Office of Certification and Eligibility at 800-558-0884 to obtain an application, or to log on to SBA's website (http://www.sba.gov/sdb). If you are an SDB prime contractor who is not SBA-certified, we also ask that you apply for certification. Effective October 1, 1999, certified SDB prime contractors were eligible for a price credit when bidding on Federal prime contracts. Effective January 1, 1999, prime contractors who subcontract with SBA-certified or self-certified SDBs are eligible for evaluation credits. Please note that prime contractors may continue to rely on self-certification of their SDB subcontractors through June 30, 1999. For solicitations issued on or after July 1, 1999, prime contractors must use SDB-certified SDB subcontractors in order to be eligible for evaluation credits.

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20010221/BSOL002.HTM (W-047 SN50D937)