A -- Highly Sensitive and Fast Airborne Formaldehyde Measurements during the TEXAQSII 2006 Field Study

In the absence of other qualified sources, it is the intent of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)/Earth System Research Laboratory (ESRL)/Climate Science Division (CSD) to negotiate with the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR), located at 1850 Table Mesa Drive, Boulder, CO 80305 for Highly Sensitive and Fast Airborne Formaldehyde Measurements and Analysis during the TEXAQSII 2006 Field Study. BACKGROUND: NOAA is conducting a major field study in east Texas during the summer of 2006 in collaboration with several U.S. federal agencies, foreign research institutions, and university researchers. During this study a NOAA WP-3D research aircraft will be used to perform chemical and meteorological measurements throughout the study region. To meet the study objectives this aircraft will be equipped with a comprehensive array of chemical and meteorological sensors. The measurement of formaldehyde will be part of NOAA's effort during this field study. REQUIREMENT: NOAA requires a contractor with a flight-ready instrument capable of providing formaldehyde measurements during the 2006 field study in eastern Texas August 1 – September 15, 2006. The contractor shall also provide preliminary services leading up to the study (instrument calibration, integration into the aircraft payload. etc.) and data reduction and analysis after the collection of the data. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The contract to be negotiated shall run from 04/15/2006 through 12/31/2007. There will be two periods of performance. The base period (04/15/2006 - 09/30/32006) will cover the following three tasks: (1) Instrument Preparation and Integration, (2) Field Deployment and (3) Instrument Disintegration. The option period (10/01/2006 - 12/31/2007) will cover the final task (4) Data Reduction and Analysis. SOLE SOURCE: The only contractor that can provide these services for the 2006 field study is the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research (UCAR). UCAR’s formaldehyde instrument is currently available for use in the 2006 Texas Air Quality Study and meets the following necessary technical features and capabilities: A. Response time less that 1 second. B. High Sensitivity that is less than 1 ppb. C. Selectivity - The UCAR instrument is not subject to interferences from other species present in the atmosphere. D. Suitabile for Aircraft Use. Equipment is less than 750 lbs. and robust. The instrument meets the certification requirement since it is certified for use on the NOAA WP-3D research aircraft. E. Demonstrated expertise in the interpretation of atmospheric formaldehyde data, including an understanding of the role of this molecule in the complex chemistry of ozone and fine particle formation. Accordingly, UCAR is the only one responsible source to provide the data collection and analysis services. This is not a formal solicitation. This notice may represent the only notice. See numbers note 22. AWARD WILL BE SUBJECT TO THE AVAILABILITY OF FUNDS.