This announcement is not a request for proposals and there is no solicitation available. The Bureau of Reclamation- Pacific Northwest Region, Boise, Idaho, per the authority of FAR 6.001(a) and using FAR Parts 13 procedures, intends to negotiate a non-competitive contract with RD Schmidt and Associates in Isanti, MN 55040 to develop a coupled groundwater/surface water/economic spatial water allocation model for Eastern Snake River Plain Aquifer. Reclamation, the University of Idaho (U of I), and the Idaho Water Resources Research Institute (IWRRI) are collaborating with the Idaho Dept. of Water Resources (IDWR) in a hydrologic and economic modeling study (collaborative study) aimed at developing a special water allocation model for the ESP and evaluating various alternatives for balancing water supply and demand in the ESP.The authority for Reclamation's participation in this project comes from Reclamation Act of June 17,1902. The overall objective of this study is to provide state and federal water managers with new modeling tools which will enable them to evaluate both the hydrologic and economic outcomes of various water management alternatives for the ESP. Reclamation's involvement in this collaborative study will be to provide expertise in the area of groundwater hydrology to fulfill technical needs to accomplish the development and application of the spatial water allocation model. Reclamation will contract with RD Schmidt to provide the necessary groundwater expertise to accomplish this work. RD Schmidt (former Reclamation employee) is a groundwater hydrologist doing research in the area of coupling hydrologic models and economic models. He has extensive experience and understanding of the GAMS economic trading model used by U of I through research done on the Boise Valley Water Use Study Spatial Allocation Model. While working for Reclamation RD Schmidt developed the procedures by which a conjunctive hydrologic model (MODFLOW or GFLOW) could be mathematically coupled to an economic trading model (GAMS). The development of the mathematical expressions necessary to couple these models is unique work developed by Reclamation groundwater specialists (RD Schmidt) and U of I economists while working on the Boise Valley model.This work is unique research and development work and has not been duplicated elsewhere.The mathematical expressions developed by RD Schmidt and U of I are not standard knowledge for hydrologist or economists in the field and has not been published. RD Schmidt's research experience in coupling hydrologic and economic models and his unique knowledge of the GAMS economic trading model used by U of I will be essential to successfully interfacing the MODFLOW hydrologic model outputs with the GAMS model. RD Schmidt's has unique developmental knowledge and experience and understanding of the GAMS model and MODFLOW models and the mathematical expressions necessary to couple these models. Working knowledge of the MODFLOW, GAMS and the mathematical expressions necessary to couple these models is instrumental in evaluating and utilizing demand management tools. Utilizing a different groundwater specialist would require that specialist to replicate the research accomplished under the Boise Valley Water Use study with IDWR and U of I specialist. This would take additional time and investment on Reclamation's part and would also require the cooperation of our partners. This acquisition is classified under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541690 Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services. The size standard as defined by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) for this NAICS code is $6.5 M. Although this notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals, questions or inquiries may be sent to
[email protected]. No telephone inquiries will be accepted.