NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT PLEASE NOTE THAT NO CALLS WILL BE ACCEPTED REGARDING THIS NOTICE. ANY INQUIRIES MUST BE SUBMITTED ELECTRONICALLY TO: Noah Nielsen, CONTRACTING OFFICER AT
[email protected] National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), hereby gives public notice of the intent to negotiate a sole-source, five-year Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract pursuant to the statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition (including brand name) under 41 U.S.C. 1901, using Simplified Acquisition Procedures (SAP) up to $7M as authorized by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.500(a) and implemented by FAR 13.501(a), which allows for "sole source (including brand name) acquisitions." NMFS requires the services of an on-call contract veterinarian to provide veterinary services for marine mammals and sea turtles in the Pacific Islands region. Veterinary services are frequently needed during marine mammal or sea turtle stranding responses and rehabilitation efforts. In many cases this need can be met by an in-house veterinarian (federal employee) who works for NMFS PIFSC. However, there are some situations when veterinary services are required on an on-call basis that cannot be met by existing NMFS resources. These situations can occur when multiple strandings, injuries and/or disease incidents happen simultaneously or when services are needed in remote locations. NMFS is seeking to meet this additional need through a contract with a qualified entity. The Government is only aware a of few qualified individuals that may be able to perform this requirement. However, these individuals either have full-time employment or have entered retirement, which precludes them from meeting the requirement of being available on a 24/7 on-call basis. Present market research shows that there is only one individual that meets the necessary qualifications and is available on the required 24/7 on-call basis on the island of Oahu. This individual, Dr. Gregg Levine, is therefore determined to be the only qualified private sector veterinarian capable of meeting the requirements of the intended contract. Dr. Levine has provided the required services to NOAA Fisheries under previous contracts and has valuable experience in providing veterinarian services to animals in the Pacific Islands region. Due to these facts, Dr. Levine is the only source available that will satisfy the requirement. Vendors who believe they can meet this requirement are required to submit, in writing, an affirmative response demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the requirement. All written responses must include proof of possessing permits and a written narrative statement of capability, including detailed technical information, demonstrating their ability to meet the requirement. The response must be sufficient to permit agency analysis to establish a bona fide capability to meet the requirement. Failure to submit such documentation will result in the Government proceeding as previously stated. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Affirmative written responses must be received no later than 8:00 AM (Pacific Standard Time), Monday, January 8, 2018. The responses must be submitted via e-mail to Michael Drummond, Contract Specialist, at
[email protected]. NOTHING HEREIN SHOULD BE MISCONSTRUED AS A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS, QUOTES OR BIDS. NO SOLICITATION DOCUMENTATION IS AVAILABLE OR WILL BE ISSUED. The National Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 541940, and the size standard is 7.5M. The provisions and clauses to be incorporated in any solicitation and proposed Firm-Fixed-Price contract shall be those currently in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-96, published 6 November 2017.