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The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Chesapeake Bay Di... The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory (CHL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis to Chesapeake Bay Diving, Inc. upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b). ERDC's Coastal & Hydraulics Laboratory in Vicksburg, MS intends to procure the services of a professional dive team to provide the maintenance of existing underwater sensors and installation of new sensors in the near-shore regions of the Atlantic Ocean and adjacent sounds, most often at the USACE Field Research Facility (FRF) in Duck, NC, but also along the coast and inland waterways of the Mid Atlantic Seaboard. Due to the weather dependencies, a minimum of three and up to a maximum of twenty dives are required per year. The diving services to be performed for FRF projects include, but are not limited to the following: a. Install and secure to ocean bottom different instrumented structures containing oceanographic equipment (either hardwired to the beach or free standing); b. Inspect, clean, remove or replace oceanographic equipment from structures for servicing or repair (instrumentation may be hardwired or self-contained); c. Water-jet in mooring pipes for buoys and to secure instrument structures to the bottom; d. Assist in the removal and replacement of data cables running from structures to pier or beach; e. Install and repair mounts attached to pilings, pipes or anchors under FRF pier; f. Collecting sand samples or monitoring the movement of simulated ordinances over a specific location. Diving will be in open water and will not require entry into confined spaces or enclosures. Most dive sites are accessible by boat but some dives may be accessed from the shore. Water depths for dives may vary from three feet to one hundred feet. Divers should expect to encounter conditions that affect the ease or safety of operations. Some challenging conditions that may be encountered include reduced or zero visibility, cold water, wind, waves, and strong currents. Divers are expected to be observant and attentive to details to meet safety requirements and scientific mission objectives. Typically, divers will be fully briefed on-site by the dive contract monitor and/or a member of the FRF staff on how equipment is to be deployed, and the techniques for the correct installation and maintenance procedures. To provide continuity, it is preferred that at least one member of the dive team be familiar with the project and equipment from prior dives or training. See the attached DRAFT Performance Work Statement (PWS) for a full list of requirements. Chesapeake Bay Diving, Inc. is the only source reasonably available to satisfy the Government's requirement because of their knowledge of the FRF instrument array configurations, historical cable configurations, and the locations of trunk lines and splice points. Chesapeake Bay Diving, Inc. has performed the dive services for the FRF in Duck, NC for over ten years. The FRF personnel have invested considerable time in training and conveying required local knowledge of its instruments and ancillary configurations/terminations. Chesapeake Bay Diving, Inc. not only have the qualifications, certifications and expertise required for professional divers, but also have the critical knowledge and experience that can only come from working with this unique research project and specialized instruments. A different vendor would have to redevelop those steps, resulting in a delay in the completion of existing and future ERDC projects. In order to maintain consistency in the nationally important data record of coastal climate change results, it is critical that the chain of custody remain consistent. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 561990 - All Other Support Services, which has a size standard of $11.0M. 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. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy. Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CST, 26 September 2019 to Kim Roberson at e-mail: Kim.D.Roberson@usace.army.mil. Telephone responses will not be accepted. Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.