WEST COAST GROUNDFISH BOTTOM TRAWL SURVEY

The National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Northwest Fisheries Science Center (NWFSC), Fisheries Resource Analysis and Monitoring (FRAM) Division has a requirement to charter  up to two vessels (under separate contracts) to conduct a bottom trawl survey of the groundfish resources of the continental shelf and slope of the United States West Coast region.  The survey will be conducted in two passes, one vessel is required for each pass. The first pass vessel will commence survey operations on or around May 15 and complete survey operations approximately 72 days later on or around July 26 of each contract period.  The second pass vessel will commence survey operations on or around Aug 15 and complete survey operations approximately 72 days later on or around October 26 of each contract period. The charters will begin and end in Newport, Oregon, with survey operations proceeding from north to south. The vessels shall conduct an

independent survey of the shelf and slope zone from 30 fathoms to 700 fathoms, extending from the Canadian border around Cape Flattery, Washington to the Mexican border near San Diego, California. Survey stations will be designated in the sampling manual to representatively sample the above range of depths, and will be randomly pre-selected within a geographical area and depth strata.  It is anticipated awards will consist of a one year base period and four one-year option periods.The Contractor shall furnish the necessary vessels, personnel, equipment, and services to perform the statement of work/specifications.  Vessel requirements include, but are not limited to:The vessel shall be at least 65 feet and no more than 109 feet in registered length.  The vessel shall be seaworthy and safe for trawling operations in the geographic region previously specified during the season indicated.The vessel’s main engine shall be rated at a minimum continuous horsepower of 450 to 1200 horsepower.The vessel shall be able to maintain a cruising speed of at least 8.0 knots in low sea states.The vessel shall be completely rigged for stern trawling, including the following:Stern ramp or roller and gantry.Two powered net reels each capable of accommodating a commercial-scale bottom trawl together with its footrope and rigging. Alternatively, if there is room on deck (12’ X 8’ X 8’), the second net can be stacked but accessible in case there is catastrophic damage to the primary net, in which case the second net reel would not be required.Trawl winches with a minimum capacity of 1250 fathoms of NMFS-supplied 5/8” diameter steel core wire on each drum. Winches shall have the ability to tow cable length for trawling at depths up to 700 fathoms (1225 fathoms scope). Winches shall feature a heaving rate such that they are capable of recovering the trawl and doors from a fishing depth of 500 fathoms (1000 fathoms scope) within 30 minutes, or 33 fathoms per minute.The vessel shall have trawl cable runs that progress directly from the winches to the aft towing blocks on the rear gantry.The vessel shall have a hydraulic crane or boom and lifting gear for dumping catches and handling fishing gear and experimental equipment are required.  Lifting capacity of such equipment shall be sufficient to lift a codend containing a catch of up to 20,000 pounds into position over an on-deck bin to permit the drawing of a sub-sample from the catch.The vessel shall be equipped with a railing with a working height (from deck boards to the top of the rail) of no less than 40 inches.The vessel shall have a dedicated hydraulic motor with a minimum of 100 horsepower and 50 gallon capacity.The vessel shall be equipped with two radars with a minimum coverage of 18 miles and at least one radar with a minimum 4kW transmitter.The vessel shall have a minimum of two depth sounders with a minimum coverage requirement to 700 fathoms on soft bottom.The vessel shall have minimum of two GPS units.The vessel shall have clean and sanitary living conditions and adequate berthing accommodations for the vessel crew and three scientists.One head and a functional shower shall be available for use by the scientific party.  Doors to toilet or bathing facilities shall be fitted with an operational lock or latch to ensure the user’s privacy.Within the past 12 months the vessel shall have been actively used for commercial trawling or for research where trawl gear was used.The vessel and crew shall have all permits and licenses required to sell fish in all ports entered during the charter in Washington, and Oregon.Vessel shall be approved by the United States Coast Guard and have a current placard displayed which allows the vessel to exceed 200 miles from land.The minimum crew shall consist of a Captain, an engineer-fisherman, cook-fisherman and a night watch.The Captain shall have a minimum of five (5) years of trawl fishing experience as master of a comparable-sized trawler in Pacific coastal waters. The Primary Captain shall have been the operational Captain of the Vessel being offered in the proposal for the previous 18 months.The engineer-fisherman shall have a minimum of three (3) years’ experience in trawl fishing and in rigging, repairing and operating bottom trawls. The crewman shall be trained in the execution of all facets of the ship board mechanical and electrical functions.The cook-fisherman shall have a minimum of one (1) year experience in trawl fishing and in repairing bottom trawl gear.The night watch crewman shall have a minimum of 3 months experience at sea in any capacity.The vessel staff shall have at least one crew member with a valid and current first aid and CPR training certificate.The vessel shall have a minimum of three deckhands available for use during the charter (although only two shall be onboard at a time).The vessel shall have two capable captains available for use during the charter (although only one is onboard at a time). It is necessary to have a back-up Captain to alleviate long-term exhaustion and to provide an emergency replacement.A comprehensive list of actual requirements will be included in the Statement of Work within the solicitation package document.The proposed contract action is set aside 100% for small business.  The NAICS code for this procurement is 483114 and the business size standard for this requirement is 500 employees.  It is highly encouraged that any small business meeting this size standard and desiring to be considered for award be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) using this NAICS code or a NAICS code with an equivalent size standard.   It should be noted that offerors must be registered in SAM prior to submission of an offer.  For additional information and to register in SAM, please access the following web site: www.sam.gov.  In order to register with the SAM, all offerors must also have a Dun & Bradstreet Number. A Dun & Bradstreet number may be acquired free of charge by contacting Dun & Bradstreet on-line at https://iupdate.dnb.com/iUpdate/viewiUpdateHome.htm or by phone at (866) 969-8491. It is also preferred that offerors to complete the electronic representations and certifications at the SAM website.Solicitation documents will be made available for download on or about January 9, 2020 at https://beta.sam.gov/. Paper copies of this solicitation will not be issued. Interested parties may use the “follow” feature to monitor changes to this notice, including Request for Quote (RFQ) posting as well as all postings of information associated with this solicitation thereafter. Each potential offeror is responsible for checking the beta.sam.gov website to gain all current information related to the solicitation. The solicitation and any further announcements regarding the solicitation will be posted only at https://beta.sam.gov/.  The date offers are due will be stated within the solicitation documents and will be adjusted based upon the actual release date of the solicitation.  All questions of any nature regarding this procurement should be sent in writing to the Contracting Officer, Crystina Jubie at Crystina.R.Jubie@noaa.gov or via fax at (206)526-6025.