Development of a Biologging Cetacean Dorsal Fin Tag that Measures Conductivity or Salinity

Active

Contract Opportunity

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

AGENCY: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Office of Protected Resources (OPR)

NOTICE TYPE: Sources Sought

NAICS CODE: 541715 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)

SIZE STANDARD: 1,000 employees

PRODUCT/SERVICE CODE: AJ12 - General Science and Technology R&D Services; General Science and Technology; Applied Research

SUBMISSION DUE DATE: July 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM MDT.

SUBMISSION EMAIL: Contract Specialist - casey.morrison@noaa.gov; Contracting Officer - Hillary.stansfield@noaa.gov

1. DISCLAIMER

This is a Sources Sought Notice issued for informational purposes only. This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or an announcement of a solicitation. This notice does not obligate the Government to issue a solicitation or make an award. The purpose of this notice is to conduct market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10 to determine the availability of qualified sources and to gain knowledge of industry capabilities to meet the requirements of the Statement of Work (SOW) for the development of a biologging cetacean dorsal fin tag that measures conductivity or salinity. Responses to this Sources Sought will not be considered as offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this notice, and all costs associated with responding to this Sources Sought will be solely at the interested party's expense. Any information provided by respondents is voluntary.

2. INTRODUCTION/PURPOSE

The NOAA Fisheries Office of Protected Resources (OPR) is seeking to identify potential sources capable of developing a novel biologging cetacean dorsal fin tag that measures conductivity or salinity. This development effort is critical to monitoring the health and behavior of bottlenose dolphins in Barataria Bay, Louisiana, in response to freshwater influx from the Mid-Barataria Mississippi River Sediment Diversion project, and to inform national decision-making for other cetaceans in low salinity situations.

The market research conducted to date indicates that while individual components (e.g., miniaturized CTD sensors, satellite telemetry, UHF transmitters, and cetacean finmount designs) are available, a single, off-the-shelf solution fully integrating all precise requirements is not currently available. Therefore, this is anticipated to be a Research and Development (R&D) effort focused on engineering a novel solution.

The Government anticipates the estimated budget for this requirement is $176,000.00 for the development of the tag and $325,000.00 (Altogether, $501,000.00) for the total effort (prototype, 1st article, and initial batch of tags). Vendors are encouraged, in their statement, to notify the Government if the estimated budget is reasonable.

3. REQUIREMENT OVERVIEW (Reference SOW Document: 25-1506-SOW_Salinity Tag_16July2025_revised.docx which is attached to this notice)

The Government intends to acquire a three-year R&D effort to develop a biologging tag capable of measuring or inferring water salinity exposures for dolphins. The tag must:

• Archive, process, and transmit data products to Argos satellites.


• Fit into a single-pin finmount dolphin dorsal fin tag.


• Provide transmittable data (conductivity or salinity) in both salt and freshwater environments (0-40 PSU range) with an accuracy of +/- 1.0 to 2.0 PSU.


• Collect, archive, process, and transmit fine-scale location (Fastloc GPS), time, temperature, conductivity or salinity, and possibly dive depth.


• Include a UHF transmitter for real-time tracking (low-power, unmodulated pings when at surface).


• Have a user-programmable duty cycle to conserve battery life, striving for transmission periods through the entire 130-day battery life.


• Be comparable in size and design to currently available Wildlife Computers (SPOT or SPLASH) single-pin finmount dolphin dorsal fin tags, with a weight of approximately 90g or less.


• Minimize fouling (including biofouling), interference, power use, and size.

The project will include development, validation, and testing of hardware and software platforms. This effort will result in providing 16 prototype tags (3 Version I, 3 Version II, 10 Version III) for testing under field conditions and on wild dolphins, and 10 final tags for deployment.

Key Technical Challenges Identified:

• Integrating a precise salinity sensor (+/- 1.0 to 2.0 PSU accuracy across 0-40 PSU) into a miniaturized tag.


• Meeting the stringent weight (≤ 90g) and battery life (130 days) requirements simultaneously with new sensor integration and satellite telemetry.


• Achieving a single-pin finmount design comparable to existing commercial products while incorporating new sensor and power management technologies.


• The requirement for Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) permits for live dolphin field testing is critical and will necessitate partnerships or subcontractors with appropriate authorization.


• The expected lowest conductivity range in field locations will be between 200-400 µS/cm. The depth range of the field locations will range from 1m to 100m depending upon the specific study site.

Period of Performance: September 30, 2025 – September 29, 2028 (3-year period). (Subject to change)

4. REQUESTED INFORMATION

Interested parties are requested to submit a capability statement (maximum 5 pages) that demonstrates their ability to successfully perform the requirements outlined in the SOW, with particular attention to the identified technical challenges. Responses should address the following:

4.1. General Company Information:

• Company Name, Address, and Point of Contact (POC) with phone number and email address.


• Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and CAGE Code.


• Business size (e.g., Small Business, Large Business, 8(a), HUBZone, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) under NAICS 541715, along with any relevant GSA Multiple Award Schedule (MAS) SIN(s) and contract number if applicable.

4.2. Technical Capability & Approach:

• Describe your proven track record and technical expertise in developing miniaturized biologging tags for small cetaceans. Specifically address your ability to integrate precise salinity/conductivity sensors (0-40 PSU range with +/- 1.0 to 2.0 PSU accuracy), meet the stringent weight (≤ 90g) and battery life (130 days) requirements, and achieve a single-pin finmount design.


• Outline your capabilities in integrating complex hardware and software platforms for data collection, archiving, processing, and transmission within a compact tag design, including experience with Argos satellite and UHF transmission systems.


• Detail your strategies or design considerations for minimizing biofouling, environmental interference, and their impact on data accuracy and tag performance.


• Describe your approach to developing a tag that can operate effectively in varying conductivity ranges (200-400 µS/cm) and depths (1m-100m) as expected in the field locations.

4.3. Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Compliance & Field Testing Plan:

• Clearly articulate your plan for securing or leveraging existing MMPA permits required for conducting field testing on wild dolphins. Identify any established partnerships or subcontractors with relevant authorization and experience in live dolphin health assessments or similar projects in the Southeast U.S. Indicate your willingness and ability to provide prototype tags (Versions I, II, and III) for testing.

5. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Responses to this Sources Sought Notice should be submitted electronically via email to Contract Specialist - casey.morrison@noaa.gov and Contracting Officer - Hillary.stansfield@noaa.gov by July 25, 2025 at 1:00 PM MDT.

Submissions should be limited to a maximum of 5 pages, 12-point font, in PDF format. The page limit does not include a cover page, table of contents, or references. Please include "Sources Sought Response: Biologging Cetacean Dorsal Fin Salinity Tag" in the subject line of your email.

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