GRAY WHALE PHOTO IDENTIFICATION

***NOAA'S ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, WESTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-BOULDER, NATIONAL MARINE FISHERIES SERVICE (NMFS) ALASKA FISHERIES SCIENCE CENTER (AFSC), MARINE MAMMAL LABORATORY (MML) INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), WITH CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE OUT OF OLYMPIA, WA FOR GRAY WHALE PHOTO IDENTIFICATION AND REPORTING.

***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'S (NOAA) REQUIREMENT THAT CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE IS THE SOLE PROVIDER OF THESE RESEARCH AND REPORTING NEEDS. Cascadia Research Collective has been collecting photographs of gray whales since 1979 and they collect gray whale photographs of gray whales from researchers working along the US and Canadian coast. Cascadia Research Collective is the only vendor that has a catalogue that covers gray whales along the entire west coast. The Cascadia Research Collective catalogue is the longest collected data set in terms of time and in geographic coverage. They also have the necessary expertise to conduct the photoidentification to the existing catalogue that no other vendor can provide. The catalogue that has been used for this ongoing long term project is was created by and is only available to Cascadia Research Collective, so it is critical that the work continue with Cascadia Research Collective so the data being collected does not change.

MARKET RESEARCH FOUND THERE ARE OTHER INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE SMALL PHOTO-CATALOGS (JIM DARLING, DAWN GOLEY, DAVID DUFFUS, WILLIAM MEGILL) BUT THEY ARE LOCAL TO THEIR UNIQUE AREA AND PARTS OR ALL OF THEIR CATALOGS HAVE BEEN PROVIDED TO CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE. NONE OF THESE OTHER CATALOGS COVER THE ENTIRE WEST COAST OR THE ENTIRE RANGE OF THE EASTERN NORTH PACIFIC GRAY WHALE; THEY ARE FOCUSED ON SMALL GEOGRAPHIC AREAS ONLY. AFTER MARKET RESEARCH THROUGH THE INTERNET, COLLEAGUES, AND CHECKING WITH SMALL BUSINESSES, CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE IS THE ONLY VENDOR WHO HAS THE GRAY WHALE PHOTOGRAPHIC CATALOG AND EXPERTISE THAT ARE NEEDED TO ACCOMPLISH THE RESEARCH THAT IS VITAL TO THE CONTINUED SUCCESS OF THE RESEARCH PROJECT

CASCADIA RESEARCH COLLECTIVE HAS CONFIRMED THAT THEY ARE THE ONLY PROVIDER OF THESE SERVICES.

***THIS NOTICE OF INTENT IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS SYNOPSIS. SUCH DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.