SOLICITATION NOTICE
R -- NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT
- Notice Date
- 7/10/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541710
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Region Acquisition Division, 7600 Sand Point Way, Northeast, Seattle, WA, 98115-6349, UNITED STATES
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- AKR-7-006
- Response Due
- 7/25/2007
- Archive Date
- 8/9/2007
- Description
- NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE SOURCE CONTRACT WITH HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION FOR NOAA FISHERIES, ALASKA REGION. PURPOSE OF PROPOSED CONTRACT IS FOR TWO TASKS. TASK ONE: TO ANALYZE MOLECULAR GENETICS FOR THE POPULATION STRUCTURE AND STOCK IDENTITY IN GULF OF ALASKA BELUGAS. THE CONTRACTOR?S SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) COMPLETE LABORATORY ANALYSIS OF MTDNA AND MICROSATELLITE VARIATION IN TISSUE SAMPLES COLLECTED FROM GULF OF ALASKA BELUGA WHALES. 2) CONDUCT A BRIEF, EFFICIENT BIOPSY EFFORT IN YAKUTAT BAY IN AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2007 AND COMPLETE LAB ANALYSIS OF NEW SAMPLES. 3) COMPLETE A THOROUGH ANALYSIS OF POPULATION GENETIC STRUCTURE AND DISPERSAL IN ALASKAN AND NORTHWESTERN CANADIAN BELUGA WHALES WITH AN EMPHASIS ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COOK INLET AND ALL OTHER POPULATIONS AND THE YAKUTAT BAY GROUP, AND ON THE DPS STATUS OF COOK INLET POPULATION. 4) WRITE-UP FINDINGS AND SUBMIT A MANUSCRIPT TO A PEER REVIEWED SCIENTIFIC JOURNAL. 5) PRESENT FINDINGS AT RELEVANT CO-MANAGEMENT AND SCIENTIFIC MEETINGS. TASK TWO: TO USE ANCIENT DNA AND MODERN GENOMICS TECHNOLOGY TO INVESTIGATE PATTERNS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY IN COOK INLET BELUGAS, IN ORDER TO MODEL HISTORICAL POPULATION SIZE AND DETERMINE WHETHER THERE HAS BEEN A LOSS IN NEUTRAL AND ADAPTIVE POLYMORPHISM OVER TIME. THIS WILL HELP NMFS DETERMINE THE COOK INLET BELUGA POPULATION?S FUTURE VIABILITY IN CONSIDERING THE PROPOSED LISTING UNDER THE ENDANGERED SPECIES ACT. THE CONTRACTOR?S SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES ARE TO: 1) USE ANCIENT COOK INLET BELUGA PARTS, TO ESTIMATE THE PRISTINE POPULATION SIZE AND HISTORICAL CARRYING CAPACITY, K, FOR THE COOK INLET BELUGAS. DETERMINE THE GENETIC CONSEQUENCES OF THE RECENT DECLINE AND HOW INBREEDING AND LOSS OF GENETIC DIVERSITY MIGHT AFFECT THE VIABILITY OF THIS POPULATION. 2) SELECTIVELY NEUTRAL OR NEAR-NEUTRAL MARKERS (MTDNA AND MICROSATELLITES) WILL BE USED TO RECONSTRUCT POPULATION HISTORY INCLUDING RELATIONSHIPS TO OTHER POPULATIONS AND ESTIMATION OF PRISTINE POPULATION SIZE, PARAMETERS ESSENTIAL TO DESIGNING EFFECTIVE RECOVERY STRATEGIES. 3) PATTERNS OF VARIATION IN GENES DIRECTLY RELATED TO FITNESS WILL BE EXAMINED, BEGINNING WITH THE MAJOR HISTOCOMPATABILITY COMPLEX (MHC). VARIATION AT THESE GENES IS ESSENTIAL TO COMBATING NEW AND DIVERSE ARRAYS OF PATHOGENS. LOSS OF VARIATION HERE COULD REDUCE INDIVIDUAL VIABILITY AND SURVIVAL. HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION IS UNIQUELY QUALIFIED DUE TO THEIR EXTENSIVE EXPERTISE IN THE FIELDS OF BELUGA WHALE MOLECULAR GENETICS AND MANAGEMENT. THIS RESEARCH FACILITY HAS CONDUCTED. THIS GROUP HAS CONDUCTED EXTENSIVE GENETIC RESEARCH ON COOK INLET BELUGA WHALES FOR MORE THAN 14 YEARS. THEY HAVE DEVELOPED ANALYTICAL METHODS IN STOCK IDENTIFICATION INCLUDING THE ASSESSMENT OF THE DISTINCTNESS AND SIGNIFICANCE OF GROUPINGS UNDER ESA GUIDELINES, AND HAVE PUBLISHED A NUMBER OF SCIENTIFIC PAPERS THAT HAVE INFLUENCED BELUGA CO-MANAGEMENT IN ALASKA, INCLUDING THE COOK INLET POPULATION. THEIR LONG AND CONSISTENT INVOLVEMENT IN THE RESEARCH AND MANAGEMENT OF COOK INLET BELUGA WHALES HAS INCLUDED SEVERAL FIELD TRIPS TO COLLECT TISSUE SAMPLES AND REGULAR VISITS EACH YEAR TO THE REGION TO PRESENT RESEARCH FINDINGS AND TO PARTICIPATE IN CO-MANAGEMENT FORA. DURING THESE YEARS DR. O?CORRY-CROWE OF HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION HAS DEVELOPED STRONG AND PRODUCTIVE RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE COOK INLET COMMUNITY, INCLUDING THE ALASKA NATIVE COMMUNITY, THE COOK INLET MARINE MAMMAL COUNCIL, AND THE ALASKA BELUGA WHALE COMMITTEE. MORE RECENTLY HE HAS WORKED WITH THE CITY OF YAKUTAT AND THE YAKUTAT TLINGIT TRIBE TO INITIATE A COMMUNITY-BASED RESEARCH PROGRAM ON THE BELUGA WHALES IN YAKUTAT BAY, THE ONLY OTHER AREA IN THE GULF OF ALASKA WHERE BELUGAS ARE REGULARLY ENCOUNTERED. DR. O?CORRY IS THE ONLY PERSON TO HAVE DEVELOPED AN ANCIENT DNA FACILITY WITH ESTABLISHED PROTOCOLS FOR EXTRACTING DNA FROM HISTORICAL AND PREHISTORICAL MARINE MAMMAL OSTEOLOGICAL MATERIAL, INCLUDING BELUGA WHALE TEETH AND BONE. BASED ON THE ABOVE, NOAA BELIEVES HARBOR BRANCH OCEANOGRAPHIC INSTITUTION IS THE ONLY VENDOR AVAILABLE THAT CAN MEET THE ABOVE REQUIREMENTS AND IS UNIQUELY QUALIFIED TO WORK ON THIS CRITICAL PROJECT. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE IS FOR AUGUST 1, 2007 THROUGH JULY 31, 2008, NOTWITHSTANDING THE GOVERNMENTS INTENT TO NEGOTIATE THIS REQUIREMENT WITH THE PACIFIC STATES MARINE FISHERY COMMISSION., UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF 41 USC 253(C)(1), ONLY ONE RESPONSIBLE SOURCE, ANY OTHER RESPONSIBLE SOURCES MAY SUBMIT A STATEMENT OF QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE WHICH, IF TIMELY RECEIVED, WILL BE EVALUATED BY NOAA TO DETERMINE IF A COMPETITIVE SOLICITATION SHOULD BE ISSUED. RESPONSES MUST BE RECEIVED BY JULY 25, 2007. RESPONSES MAY BE FAXED TO (907) 586-8726 OR E-MAILED TO SUZANNE.JOHNSTON@NOAA.GOV. QUESTIONS CONCERNING THIS PROPOSED ACQUISITION MAY BE DIRECTED TO SUZANNE JOHNSTON. THIS IS A SIMPLIFIED ACQUISITION WITH AN ESTIMATED TOTAL AWARD VALUE OF LESS THAN $100,000.
- Place of Performance
- Address: ANCHORAGE, ALASKA
- Zip Code: 99513
- Country: UNITED STATES
- Zip Code: 99513
- Record
- SN01337935-W 20070712/070710220337 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
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