B--TRADITIONAL USE STUDY

The Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Oregon State Office, proposes to negotiate a noncompetitive award to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation to conduct an ethnographic study along the proposed and alternative alignments of the Indian Power Company's Boardman to Hemingway 500kv Transmission Line Project (B2H). The goal of the study is to identify the historical, traditional, contemporary, and ongoing religious and cultural significance within the yet to be defined B2H area for consideration in future cultural resource protection decisions to be made by the BLM.The basis for this Notice of Intent to Award Sole-Source to the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation is due to the proprietary nature of the information the BLM seeks. The data to be gathered is considered culturally sensitive to the Native American Community and is protected from all members outside of the Tribe. Therefore, an award without competition is deemed necessary.This acquisition is pursuant to 41 USC 253 (c), Justification for Other than Full and Open Competition. The applicable NAICS code is 541720. This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations; however interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement by 3:00pm (PST), April 06, 2012 via email to [email protected] or facsimile at 503-808-6312. Submittals should include the solicitation number L12PS00328, qualifications to fulfill this requirement, and contact information. Information received will be used solely for the purpose of determining whether a competitive procurement is needed.