In preparation for an upcoming procurement, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Region Acquisition Division, Norfolk, VA on behalf of National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), Southeast Regional Office (SERO is conducting market research to determine potential sources for providing Right Whale Early Warning System Survey Support Services.

The solicitation number is 02126.

The main objectives of the requirement are:

• Use aerial survey methods to collect North Atlantic right whale location data in nearshore continental shelf waters of the Southeast U.S. coast.
• Use established photographic identification techniques to collect photographs for use in photo-identification of individual whales.
• Communicate sighting locations to marine users consistent with EarlyWarning System (EWS) survey protocols.

Information collected during the course of this work will be used in management plans, to monitor the right whale population, and implement ship collision mitigation efforts. This data collection and notification effort will compliment other mitigation data collection activities planned along the U.S. East Coast.

A draft Statement of Work (SOW) is provided for informational purposes only. All businesses are encouraged to submit a brief, no more than six (6) pages, typed Capability Statement in response to this sources sought announcement. Firms that believe they have the capability to satisfy the requirements as described in this notice must provide detailed information concerning their capabilities. Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice.

Submitted Capability Statements shall include the following:

1. Company name and address
2. DUNS number
3. Type of business (e.g., large business, small business, 8(a), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business,
small disadvantaged business, and/or women owned small business) as validated via the System for Award Management (SAM)
4. Company point of contact – name, phone, and e-mail address
5. Description of capabilities for meeting the requirements outline in the attached SOW.

Interested sources shall submit an electronic copy of their Capability Statement Kristy Dixon, Contract Specialist, via email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. no later than 3:00 p.m. Eastern on Tuesday August 27, 2019. This is not a request for technical or cost proposals. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Notice or reimburse for costs incurred by interested parties providing the information requested herein. Capability Statements will not be returned. Information received will be considered solely to make an informed decision regarding a potential procurement. Any questions or responses to this Sources Sought announcement shall be directed to Kristy Dixon via the email address above. Responses to the Sources Sought announcement are not offers and cannot be accepted by NOAA to form a binding contract.