F--UNMANNED SURFACE VEHICLES (USW)

SOURCES SOUGHT: This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is conducting a MARKET SURVEY to determine the interest and capability of any firm eligible to compete under NAICS 334511 Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing with a Small Business Size Standard in number of 1,250 employees for an upcoming requirement of Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USW).1.0 INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND:Estimation of fisheries abundances in the Great Lakes is a central part of the US Geological Survey Great Lakes Science Center¿s (GLSC¿s) annual commitments to fisheries managers in the Great Lakes. Data collected with down-looking fisheries echosounders from GLSC¿s ships combined with similar data from state, tribal, and Canadian provincial partners support predator stocking decisions, tracking of lake productive status, and restoration of native fishes. However, major sources of sampling bias reduce the accuracy of GLSC¿s

fisheries estimates, leading to data that are less reliable to managers.One of the major sources of bias in GLSC¿s fish abundance estimates is caused by the research vessels themselves. Low-frequency sound emanating from combustion engines is known to cause fish to flee the vicinity of the vessel, resulting to density estimates that are biased low. Quantifying and correcting for the effects of vessel-noise on density estimates is therefore a high research priority for GLSC and its science partners. Recent innovations in robotics and autonomy have resulted in ocean-going Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) that can carry fisheries echosounders equivalent to those on manned vessels, but with little to no noise generation. The magnitudes of bias caused by ship noise can be quantified by comparing fish abundance estimates collected with ¿noisy¿ ships to those collected with nearly silent USVs.2.0 SCOPE OF WORK:GLSC seeks to procure fisheries survey data gathered by USVs in Lake Erie, Lake Michigan, and Lake Huron that can be compared directly to data collected by the GLSC fleet, and vessels operated by GLSC partners. The service provider will transport and deploy USV(s) to the Great Lakes and operate them to gather down-looking split beam echosounder data for a total of 56 sampling days in Lake Erie and 56 sampling days in Lakes Michigan and Huron combined during the months of August and September 2023, with overflow work into October if necessary. Prior to data collection, the quality of data emanating from the fisheries echosounder(s) mounted on each of the USV(s) to be used in Great Lakes survey work must be verified to be of high quality and free of electrical interference or other sources of electrical noise that would result in failure to detect a -60 dB target at 150-m depth (Sv Noise at 1 m: -134 dB). Once the USV(s) arrive in the Great Lakes they will be calibrated in freshwater under the observation of GLSC staff prior to deployment. The contractor will enable monitoring of daily progress during the survey using a contractor-designed, near real time web interface that has interoperability with the USV(s) used in the surveys. During the survey, USV operations must be closely coordinated with crewed research vessels (e.g., USGS R/V Muskie on Lake Erie, USGS R/V Sturgeon on Lakes Michigan/Huron, and partner vessels), to include periodic ¿follow-the-leader¿ type surveys (USV followed by ship). All data shall be provided to GLSC within 60 days of mission conclusion.This requirement is for a base year and four option years to collect fisheries data with USVs on any of the five Great Lakes. Option years are dependent upon the suitable completion of work in prior years, best value to government, and the availability of funds.3.0 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS:¿ The Contractor shall have expertise with USVs equipped for oceanographic research. The USV(s) must be able to complete a continuous two-month mission at an average speed of 2 knots, operate with zero carbon emissions, and provide data at a comparable or better quality to ship-based surveys. The acoustic system used by each USV(s) must consist of a four-quadrant split-beam echosounder with a resonant frequency of 120 kHz, a circular beam width of 7 degrees, and a depth rating of at least 20m. The transducer must also be gimbled. Once a mission is underway, echosounder(s) must operate continuously during night and day. The required sensor suite in addition to the echosounder is provided in Appendix A.¿ The Contractor shall configure the USV¿s data acquisition systems to communicate with the requisite instrumentation. The instrument data must be logged onboard the USVs and transmitted to shore throughout the mission.¿ The Contractor will collect echosounder test data with each USV in water depths of at least 50 m and provide these data to GLSC for verification that the data have sufficient quality to discriminate individual organisms with a target strength > -66 dB in 150 m of water (Noise at 1m: -134 dB @ 1 m).¿ The USV(s) shall be shipped by the Contractor via commercial transport to suitable launch sites in Lake Erie and Lake Michigan or Huron on a timeline that is agreed upon with GLSC Point of Contact. The launch and recovery locations shall be chosen by the Contractor and will possess adequate shore-side infrastructure. The USV(s) shall be readied for deployment by the Contractor, including necessary installation, testing, and calibration of instrumentation. The USV(s) shall be deployed by the Contractor.¿ After launch, the Contractor will run a series of tests to ensure that their onboard systems are operating properly. During this testing period lasting the first two hours of deployment (or the time needed to verify all systems if more than 2 hours), all onboard systems shall be exercised, including fisheries echosounders. All data from the test period shall be provided to GLSC. These observations shall be tagged with time (either GPS or UTC) and location.¿ The 120 kHz split-beam echosounder shall be calibrated using the standard sphere method under the in-person or remote observation of staff scientists from GLSC. System calibrations should collect sufficient data to measure on-axis sensitivity and variations in beam pattern following methods described in Foote et al. (1987) and ICES Cooperative Research Report No. 326. To measure on-axis sensitivity, a minimum of 1,000 targets should be collected from a standard sphere within 0.5 degrees of beam center. To measure beam pattern consistency, an additional 500 targets should be collected from a standard sphere in each split-beam quadrant, distributed evenly within the half-power beam angle. Therefore, a single calibration routine should include a minimum of 3,000 pings. Calibration data should be collected pre- and post- mission for each collection ensemble in a freshwater environment. Calibration summaries should be performed using Echoview's calibration assistant, and all calibration materials (.raw files, Echoview files, and summary reports) will be provided to USGS. Acceptable accuracy will occur when the post-calibration mean compensated TS falls within +/-0.1 dB of the standard sphere with no concerning deviations in beam pattern.¿ The USV(s) shall be commanded to follow paths between a series of waypoints provided by GLSC to sample fisheries and near-surface atmospheric conditions in open waters. Chosen paths and locations shall be adapted during the mission, with up to two adjustments per day during normal business hours (including weekends) to accommodate science needs. Piloting shall be done remotely, ensuring the USVs do not interfere with other vessel traffic or endanger human life, while also meeting the science goals of the mission. Depending on navigational constraints and sampling needs, comparative vessel locations, vehicle speed, and transect length, the transect plan shall be modified adaptively during the mission.¿ The Contractor shall provide a user portal for real-time display of the USV(s) position(s) as well as plotted data for the full duration of scientific missions.¿ At the end of the mission, the vehicles will navigate to a predetermined recovery location to be recovered by the Contractor. The recovery site(s) may, or may not, be the deployment location(s). If all or part of the mission must be terminated prematurely, the Contractor will consult with and advise GLSC. The mission may be terminated due to degradation of vehicle performance, operating environment, or both. From the recovery site, the systems shall be returned to the Contractor for inspection, testing, and repacking.THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. ALL COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH PROVIDING INFORMATION AS REQUESTED BY THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE SHALL BE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE CONTRACTOR. Submission is voluntary.The full scope of work will be provided with any solicitation that may be issued. The Government is not required to issue a solicitation.Responses to this announcement are requested from (A) SBA certified Small Business HubZone firms; (B) Small Business firms certified by a Small Business Administration (SBA) district or regional office for participation in the 8(a) program; (C) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned small Business firms; (D) Small Businesses; (E) Women Owned Small Businesses; and (F) Large Businesses.In response to this announcement, please indicate your firm's socioeconomic status (e.g. small business, service-disabled veteran-owned, women owned, HUBZone, etc.) This information will assist the Government in determining how small businesses can fit into the acquisition strategy.Any information submitted is voluntary. If sufficient interest and capability is not received from firms in categories (A) through (E) above, any solicitation may be issued as unrestricted without further consideration.Interested business firms shall submit (1) NAME, ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER OF THE FIRM (including an active SAM Registration); (2) a CAPABILITY STATEMENT including (a) RECENT (within the last three fiscal years) RELEVANT (similar projects to this requirement) performance history (identify the name of the owner and their point(s) of contact with telephone and fax numbers, e-mail addresses; and (b) in what capacity (e.g., prime, subcontractor etc.) they performed the work; and (3) their SIZE STATUS, (4) Active SAM Registration.All responses must be submitted NLT December 9, 2022, at 12:00 PM ET Time via e-mail to: isuryaty@usgs.govThis is NOT a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation for Bid (IFB) and does not constitute any commitment by the Government. Responses to this sources sought notice will be used by the Government to make appropriate acquisition decisions. All interested sources must respond to future solicitation announcements separately from responses to this market survey. Any solicitation that may be issued will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website and no paper copies will be provided.If a solicitation is released, in order to receive an award your company must have an active SAM Unique Identification and be registered on-line at the System for Award Management (SAM). You will also be required to provide your small business status information either via the RFP or the On-line Representations and Certifications (ORCA) also located at the SAM website before an award to your company can be made. Your on-line ORCA registration will cover any/all of your offers to the Federal Government, and only needs updated annually.