Inactive

Sources Sought Notice THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought for planning purposes only and is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.215-3 Request for Informa... Sources Sought Notice THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought for planning purposes only and is issued in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.215-3 Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (OCT 1997) provided at: https://www.acquisition.gov/far/52.215-3. No solicitation document exists at this time. Issuance of this notice does not constitute any obligation on the part of the Government to procure these items or services or to issue a solicitation. In addition, the Government is under no obligation to pay for information submitted in response to this Request for Information (RFI), and responses to this notice cannot be accepted as offers. Any information that the vendor considers proprietary should be clearly marked as such. The Government shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified. In preparation for an upcoming procurement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Acquisition Division, Norfolk, VA on behalf of the Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO), Platform and Infrastructure Acquisition Division (PIAD) is conducting market research to determine potential sources for designing and building Class-C Vessels. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 336611, Ship Building and Repairing. The small business size standard for this NAICS code is 1,300 employees. Businesses are encouraged to submit a brief, typed Capability Statement in response to this source sought announcement. Work will take place at the contractor's shipyard. NOAA has a requirement to design and build one vessel with individual options to build an estimated two more vessels meeting the requirements listed below: Class C High-level Requirements Primary Mission Bottom Trawling Secondary Mission Charting and Mapping General note Steel monohull less than 175 ft Draft less than 20 feet. Will be classed with the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) with the notations listed below as well as the other regulatory requirements listed below: Hull notation A1 & Machinery notation AMS with approval for Unrestricted Service. The Maltese Cross ? notation is not required for A1 or AMS. Vessels shall have Ocean Load Lines issued. ABS Ice Classification of C0. Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Dry-Docking (UWILD) notation. Dynamic Positioning System notation DPS-1. Workboat Habitability Plus (HAB+(WB)) SFA(40) Code of Federal Regulations, Title 46 Shipping, Chapter I, Subchapter U. Code of Federal Regulations, Title 46 Shipping, Chapter I, Subchapter W for a Subchapter U Research Vessel. Flagged in the United States. Marine Pollution (MARPOL) Annexes I, IV, V and VI. Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS). Life Cycle Cost Class C will focus on economy of operation, including enhanced crew efficiency derived from better accommodations, and equipment. It will also provide consideration for potential future adaptability to alternative fuels to reduce the vessel’s carbon footprint. Equipment will be installed with due regard for maintenance, replacement, access, and cost. Structural Requirements Designed to meet or exceed ABS structural rules and will focus on capabilities for pelagic and benthic trawling. There may be an area on the aft working deck with sufficient structural strength to support a 20’ 10 tonne maximum weight International Organization of Standards (ISO) van in a location which will not interfere with any operations. Propulsion The propulsion system will be diesel powered, capable of infinite, continuous and unrestricted speed control. The components of the propulsion system will be designed to function continuously in the required modes of operation including the cyclical variations imposed by dynamic positioning. The propulsion system will include features for operation in rough weather. Electrical Ship service power systems will meet the requirements of IEEE Standard 45 and will utilize U.S. standard nominal voltage and frequency ratings. Laboratories A suite of modern, reconfigurable, climate-controlled laboratories adequate in size, quantity and type to support scientific sampling and survey operations. Stern Trawling Capability The vessel will be outfitted with all equipment and space(s) needed for stern auto-trawling operations using a double warp. The vessel will require a stern trawl ramp and net reel. The stern trawl will have 25,000 lb bollard pull. Working Deck Area(s) Working deck area(s) will be provided for launch, recovery, and stowage of mission equipment. The working deck may have up to 1200 square feet of deck area provided for trawl operations. Marine Mammal Observation Area A Marine Mammal Observation Area will be provided with two locations, each with obstruction-free visibility in an arc of 120° from dead ahead. The observation area will be located on both port and starboard of the centerline. Observation area will be protected and free from radiation hazards and safe for regular human occupancy to conduct observations. Acoustic Characteristics The hull design, location of any hull mounted transducers and centerboard shall minimize bubble sweepdown interference with the transducers. Radiated noise will permit full operation of installed sensors and equipment. Speed, Range, and Endurance Transit Speed: Minimum 10 knots fully loaded in calm seas. Maximum Speed: 12 knots fully loaded in calm seas. Range: 6,000 Nautical Miles at transit speed. Endurance: 21 days of continuous at-sea operation (24 hours per day). Seakeeping The vessel shall be mission capable through Sea State 5 and survivable through Sea State 8. Temperature and Humidity The ship, subsystems, and installed equipment will have full capability within the exterior air temperature and humidity ranges of -13F to +113F and seawater temperature of +28F to +90F. Berthing Accommodations shall be provided for 35 personnel. The design considers increased use of single person staterooms. Fixed Aft Deck Crane(s) A Person rated crane(s) will be provided that can reach the Working Deck areas, deploy and recover equipment overboard, load and offload boats, and other mission equipment. Stern Frame An aft A-frame/gantry will be provided that is capable of towing and lifting operations off the stern. The dimensions shall be at least 25 ft H x 20 ft W with a 15,000 lb capacity. The A-frame will have the ability to launch and recover “small” uncrewed maritime systems, i.e. Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) Mohawk, and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) Remus 100 from the Aft Working Deck. Winches: Trawl and Hydrographic Two Hydrographic winch system(s) will be provided and will support side-station operations. Fairleads will be installed to support using them in conjunction with the aft A-frame. Trawl winches using an auto trawl system will be outfitted to support stern deck operations. Side Station Handling System Conductivity, Temperature and Depth (CTD) and other over the side operations will be conducted from a dedicated area which provides adequate protection from the weather for safe handling with dedicated handling equipment and landing area. Workboat Launch and Recovery Class C will have a single dual point davit which is capable of launching and recovering boats/vessels. In addition, one SOLAS approved Rescue Boat (including associated davit) with a diesel engine will be provided. The Rescue Boat will be equipped with approved single point rigid pick point, cradle, and United States Coast Guard (USCG) required equipment, and will be certified by USCG. One 6M rigid-hull inflatable boat (RHIB) workboat shall be provided. Sewage System Black and Gray water systems will accommodate the total complement to allow the ship to operate in No-Discharge Zones for 4 days. Transducers Class C will have a standard suite of scientific transducers commensurate with research vessels. NOAA is planning to execute a Phase I Preliminary Design/Contract Design, to include CFD analysis and bubble sweepdown model testing. This phase will have a midpoint for the transition from Preliminary Design to Contract Design. NOAA is seeking input from Industry regarding the recommended duration of this Phase I. Please include the factors you considered for the duration of this phase and any evidence to support your recommendation. NOAA may consider a parent design but this would not be a design requirement. Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice. Submitted Capability Statements shall include the following: Company name and address, System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) number, Type of business (e.g. large business, small business, 8(a),veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and/or women owned small business) as validated via SAM, A Rough Order Magnitude (ROM) Cost to design and build one vessel meeting the requirements above with individual options to build, an estimated, two more vessels, Company point of contact – name, phone, and e-mail address, Demonstrate capabilities for meeting the requirements listed above. Responses are requested by July 24, 2024 at 4:00PM Eastern Standard Time. Please submitted responses to Contracting Specialist, Mr. Christopher Meconnahey at chris.meconnahey@noaa.gov and Contracting Officer, Mr. Ashley Perry at ashley.perry@noaa.gov. Question 1: The sources sought request indicates the vessel is to be mission capable though Sea State 5 and survivable through Sea State 8 but the sea state scale is not identified. Please confirm the applicable sea state scale required and provide the significant wave height intended for clarity. Answer: Sea states as defined by STANAG 4194, with "through" intending to indicate the upper end of the range of significant wave heights defined in STANAG 4194. The Government will consider defining significant wave heights in the RFP release. It should be noted that the requirements in the RFP may deviate from those in the sources sought. Question 2: The Class C High-level Requirements specifies that the propulsion system will be diesel powered, capable of infinite, continuous and unrestricted speed control. Is this requirement intended to restrict propulsion to traditional “mechanically driven” direct diesel engine propulsion configurations only or will electric motor driven propulsion with diesel driven generators for electrical power be considered meeting the “diesel powered” requirement? Please advise. Answer: The intent of the wording in the sources sought that is quoted within the question was to limit the fuel type considered, but not to restrict against the use of a diesel electric system. The Government will provide clarification in the RFP as to which propulsion systems will be acceptable in meeting the requirement that the propulsion system be diesel powered, capable of infinite, continuous and unrestricted speed control. It should be noted that the requirements in the RFP may deviate from those in the sources sought.