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THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) is issuing this Sources Sought Synopsis as a means of conducting market research or as a market survey to determine the availability of potential qualified... THE U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (NRC) is issuing this Sources Sought Synopsis as a means of conducting market research or as a market survey to determine the availability of potential qualified vendors with the technical capability to provide all management, supervision, administration, and labor for update to decommissioning guidance found in NUREG-1507, Rev. 1, “Minimum Detectable Concentrations with Typical Radiation Survey for Instruments for Various Contaminants and Field Conditions.” Specific activities include updating NUREG-1507, Rev. 1, to include a priori scan minimum detectable concentration (MDC) methods for continuously collected data that is supported by calculations, modeling, and field validation methods as necessary. Services are to be provided to the NRC in Rockville, Maryland. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement is 541620 Environmental Consulting Services. THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. This request for sources and vendor information does not constitute a request for proposal; submission of any information in response to this market survey is purely voluntary; the Government assumes no financial responsibility for any costs incurred. NUREG-1507, Rev. 1, was published in August 2020. Among other updates, Rev. 1 contained new guidance on radiological surveys conducted with data logging systems that recorded location information from global positioning system (GPS) instrumentation along with the radiological survey data. The a priori scan minimum detectable concentrations (MDC) in NUREG-1507, Rev. 0, used for surveys conducted with audible surveyor vigilance were stated in NUREG-1507, Rev. 1, to not apply to this alternative paradigm where radiological data are collected without the surveyor listening to the audible count rate and pausing to count longer upon an audible increase in counts. While NUREG-1507, Rev. 1, did not provide an a priori scan MDC method, the updated guidance did present alternative methods for use of upper tolerance levels (UTL), upper simultaneous limits (USL), and z-scores to identify areas for follow-up investigation using a posterior methods. Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) published two reports related to this task: Recommendations for VSP Enhancements for Continuously Collected Survey Data, PNNL-32664, Rev. 1 Overview of a Methodology for Calculating the A Priori Scan Minimum Detectable Concentration for Post-Processed Radiological Surveys, PNNL-34211, Rev. 1 In the second report, PNNL developed an a priori method for scan MDC calculation of radiological survey data, which will hereafter be referred to as “continuously collected data (CCD).”[1] PNNL also considered alternative methods for a priori scan MDC in the first report and completed a literature review to support recommendations for future work to develop guidance in this area. The latest version of the PNNL reports should be considered in updating NUREG-1507 in what will be Revision 2 of the document. NRC also issued a Federal Register Notice on “Modern Approaches for Radiological Measurement, Data Collection, and Data Analysis of Surface and Subsurface Residual Radioactivity To Support NRC License Termination,” (88 FR 28618). Several responses to the FRN were received and provided information on current use, and guidance gaps related to design and processing of CCD-based surveys, which should be considered in updating guidance. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES (if applicable): The technical personnel proposed for this contract shall, collectively, have experience in developing federal decommissioning guidance on radiological surveys and namely, calculation of scan MDCs and experience with field validation methods. The technical personnel proposed for this contract shall, collectively, have experience with conducting modeling and calculations to calculate detector efficiencies and/or scan MDCs or minimum detectable activities (MDAs). More specifically, personnel shall, collectively, have the following education and experience: Education Requirement: A degree in health physics, nuclear engineering, or other physical science or engineering; Experience Requirement: 1. Experience performing radiological assessments; and 2. Experience developing federal agency radiological survey guidance for decommissioning 3. Experience performing modeling to estimate detector efficiencies and/or scan MDCs or MDAs 4. Experience performing field validation methods for survey design optimization and support The purpose of this announcement is to provide potential sources the opportunity to submit information regarding their capabilities to perform work for the NRC free of conflict of interest (COI). For information on NRC COI regulations, visit NRC Acquisition Regulation Subpart 2009.5 (http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/contracting/48cfr-ch20.html). All interested parties, including all categories of small businesses (small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) firms, women-owned small businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses, and HUBZone small businesses) are invited to submit a response. The capabilities package submitted by a vendor should demonstrate the firm's ability, capability, and responsibility to perform the principal components of work listed below. The package should also include past performance/experience regarding projects of similar scope listing the project title, general description, the dollar value of the contract, and name of the company, agency, or government entity for which the work was performed. Organizations responding to this market survey should keep in mind that only focused and pertinent information is requested. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. Submission of additional materials such as glossy brochures or videos is discouraged. HOW TO RESPOND TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE If your organization has the capability and capacity to perform, as a prime contractor, one or more of the services described in this notice, then please respond to this notice and provide written responses to the following information. Please do not include any proprietary or otherwise sensitive information in the response, and do not submit a proposal. Proposals submitted in response to this notice will not be considered. Organization name, address, emails address, Web site address and telephone number. What size is your organization with respect to NAICS code identified in this notice (i.e., "small" or "other than small")? If your organization is a small business under the aforementioned NAICS code, what type of small business (i.e., small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business, economically disadvantaged woman-owned small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, 8(a), or HUBZone small business)? Specify all that apply. Separately and distinctly describe how your organization meets each of the capabilities requirements specified in the above section, REQUIRED CAPABILITIES. Please also provide the contract number, contract type, customer name, address and point of contact phone number and email address, contract value, thorough description of supplies and services included in the scope of that contract, indication of how they differ from the required capabilities described in this notice, period of performance (for services), your organization's role (prime contractor, first tier subcontractor, and/or supplier) in the related contracts, and any other relevant information. Indicate whether your organization offers any of the required capabilities described in this notice on one or more of your company's own Federal Government contracts (i.e., GSA Federal Supply Schedule contract or Government wide Acquisition Contracts) that the NRC could order from and, if so, which services are offered. Also, provide the contract number(s) and indicate what is currently available for ordering from each of those contract(s). Provide a standard, non-proprietary commercial price list or similar standard non-proprietary commercial pricing information for how your company sells, as a prime contractor, required capabilities described in this notice that your organization has experience providing. Also, indicate what is included in that pricing. Is your organization currently performing or have in the past performed same or similar services as those listed above for any of the licensees regulated by the NRC? If so, which licensees? See http://www.nrc.gov/about-nrc/regulatory/licensing.html for more information on NRC licensing. Has your organization previously faced organizational conflict of interest issues with NRC? If so, what were they and how were they mitigated or resolved? Interested organizations responding to this Sources Sought Synopsis are encouraged to structure capability statements in the order of the area of consideration noted above. All capability statements sent in response to this notice shall not exceed 10 pages in length and must be submitted electronically, via e-mail, to Scott Comeau, at Scott.Comeau@NRC.gov, either MS Word or Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF), on 29 May 2024 by 2:00 PM Eastern Time. The subject line of the transmittal email must reference the notice ID number NMSS-24-0073. DISCLAIMER AND NOTES: Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization’s potential capability and capacity to perform the subject work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. After a review of the responses received, a pre-solicitation synopsis and solicitation may be published in Federal Business Opportunities. However, responses to this notice will not be considered adequate responses to a solicitation. [1] Continuously collected data systems generally use one or more detectors (e.g., NaI or gas proportional) of varying sizes, and a data logger. CCD is typically collected at a constant scan speed determined as part of the data quality objective process in a pre-planned area along a survey path, transect, or set of transects producing a roughly evenly spaced set of data points. For spectroscopic systems, the scan rate and the acquisition interval between gamma spectra should be determined using the data quality objective process and are also influenced by the capabilities of the system. CCD systems display the data (e.g., spectra or count rate) on the system computer for potential real-time analysis and data are saved for offline use and analysis.