Monitoring the Population of Razorback Sucker in L

Active

Contract Opportunity

The Bureau of Reclamation (Reclamation), Lower Colorado Region has a requirement for monitoring of the Razorback Sucker, one of four large bodied river fish species native to the Colorado River Basin. This requirement will be for a base and four (4) one (1) year option periods. This fish is currently listed as endangered under the authority of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. The Razorback Sucker was historically abundant throughout the Basin and was predominantly found in the main stem river and major tributaries of Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. Tasks for monitoring the razorback sucker population(s) in Lake Mead, AZ-NV, shall include:

Intensive Monitoring
1) Locating and capturing larval, juvenile/subadult, and adult razorback suckers
2) Identifying annual spawning site locations within the study area
3) Marking of captured juvenile/subadult and adult razorback suckers for individual identification (to be accomplished only when no preexisting means of
identification are present)
4) Monitoring movements and/or movement patterns of adult razorback suckers within the study area and identifying general habitat types where these fish are found
5) Recording biological data (e.g., sex, total length, weight, etc.), examining, and documenting the general health and condition of captured adult razorback suckers
6) Collecting tissue samples from captured juvenile/subadult and adult razorback suckers for genetic analysis (samples may be provided to the designated Contracting Officer's Representative [COR] or shipped directly to a lab of Reclamation's choosing. The contractor is not responsible for reporting results of these analyses.)
Additional Monitoring
7) Monitoring movements and/or movement patterns of adult razorback suckers within the study area and identifying general habitat types where these fish are found

Reporting
8) Providing monthly and annual reports detailing the results of the above tasks
9) Providing an estimate of the current Lake Mead razorback sucker population using data from all sources, e.g., the contractor, State agencies, Federal agencies, etc.
10) Providing mean daily and/or mean annual growth rates for recaptured razorback suckers
11) Characterizing the age structure of the Lake Mead razorback sucker population through appropriate aging techniques
12) Summarizing and incorporating remote monitoring data collected by Reclamation into annual reports
13) Providing copies of all data sets to the designated Reclamation Contracting Officer's Technical Representative
Meeting Attendance and Oral Presentations
14) Attending the annual Colorado River Aquatic Biologist (CRAB) and Lake Mead Work Group (LMWG) meetings and presenting project updates

Contractor shall possess within no later than 10 days after award, all necessary permits and permissions to conduct this work. Copies of the permits or letters include the following:

1) Scientific collecting permits for Lake Mead National Recreation Area
2) U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Permit to cover take of Endangered Species Act covered species in the study area
3) Scientific Collection Permit from Arizona Game and Fish Department
4) Scientific Collection Permit from Nevada Department of Wildlife

Capability Statement/Package

All qualified concerns may submit capability statements for consideration. Capability statements received will be reviewed to determine the technical, administrative, management, and financial capability of such offerors to perform this type of work. The capability statements will be used to determine appropriate procurement strategy, in particular whether a set-aside or an alternate procurement strategy is warranted.

Capability statements should demonstrate the firm's experience and capability to perform the principal components of services listed above. Packages should include the following information:

1) Capturing multiple life stages of native, endangered fish
2) Recording standard biological data for captured fish species
3) Marking juvenile and adult fish for individual identification
4) Implanting sonic telemetry tags internally
5) Monitoring the movements of fish using sonic telemetry technology
6) Providing ages of captured fish using appropriate ageing techniques
7) Estimated population size or abundance

Interested sources are welcome to submit a capability statement package to include the following information:

1. Capability statement shall address your company experience performing the work listed above and identify available resources (specifically equipment & personnel) for performing this type of work.
2. Provide your business name, UEI number, address, point of contact, phone number and email address.
3. Provide your business size & type: 8(a), HubZone, Service Disabled Veteran, Women-Owned, Small Business or Large Business, etc.
4. The capability statement shall demonstrate that your company is capable of performing under a contract of this magnitude and complexity. Please provide a list of ALL RELEVANT projects (projects of a similar size, scope, and complexity of the proposed project are considered relevant), either Government or commercial, performed within the last five (5) years, with a brief description of the project; contract number, project title, dollar amount, timeliness of performance, and customer satisfaction. Include the customer's name, address, telephone number, e-mail address, and points of contact with phone numbers. Indicate whether or not you were the prime contractor, and, if you were a subcontractor, provide the name and point of contact information for the prime contractor. Include the percentage of self-performed work, how the work was accomplished, and the performance rating for the work.

All businesses are encouraged to limit responses to not more than 6 pages in length. The purpose of this notice is to gain knowledge of interest, capabilities and qualifications of potential contractors for solicitation planning purposes only.

Information provided by industry in response to this announcement is voluntary. The Government will not pay for any information submitted in response to this sources sought notice.

Interested sources should submit their capability statement on or before 2:00 PM local time, October 9, 2024. All responses to this sources sought notice shall be provided to Colleen Samuels, Contract Specialist, via e-mail at csamuels@usbr.gov. The subject line shall clearly reference the Solicitation Number associated with the announcement. No phone calls will be accepted.

When it is determined that a formal solicitation will be issued, a pre-solicitation notice will be posted on System for Award Management (SAM), as required by FAR 4.1102, will apply to any resulting procurement. Prospective contractors must be registered in SAM at the time an offer or quotation is submitted. Lack of registration in the SAM database may make an offeror ineligible for award. Information on SAM registration can be obtained at the following web address: https://www.sam.gov.

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