SAM #26-3064

Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary Vessel Charter Services

NOAA is seeking small-business sources for vessel charter services supporting Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary missions in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. - Government buyer: Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries; Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary. - Requested service: Provide a vessel, crew, equipment, supplies, supervision, and operational support for research, ecosystem monitoring, marine debris removal, resource protection, and education activities. - Transport 10–21 science personnel, up to four 16–30-foot small boats, and scientific gear. Individual operations may last up to 30 sea days and begin and end in Honolulu. - Provide berthing and meals, laboratory and storage space, small-boat launch and recovery support, fuel handling, communications, and safety provisions. - NOAA will provide the Chief Scientist and Dive Master, who coordinate mission execution with the vessel’s Captain. - Notable requirements: Vessel operations must meet applicable U.S. Coast Guard and sanctuary requirements. Operations are generally seasonal, with emergency response potentially required outside the usual operating season. - OEMs and vendors: No manufacturers, OEMs, or vendors are named; no specific products, part numbers, or product quantities are requested. - Opportunity context: NOAA is conducting market research for small businesses with relevant vessel-charter capabilities.

Description

This Sources Sought Notice is not a Request for Quote and does not constitute a commitment by the Government. The Government is currently conducting market research in accordance with Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul (RFO) Part 10 to identify potential small business sources to fulfill the requirement and gather information on current capabilities of businesses within the market. All information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice is voluntary and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the Government. Proprietary information submitted should be marked appropriately. All submitted information shall remain with the United States (U.S.) Government and will not be returned.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Acquisition and Grants Office, Eastern Acquisition Division is conducting market research to identify small business sources capable of providing the services relevant to the requirement needs described herein for the National Ocean Service, Office of National Marine Sanctuaries (ONMS). The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 483114, “Coastal and Great Lakes Passenger Transportation.” The small business size standard for this NAICS code is 550 employees.

This requirement is for resource protection and monitoring missions to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands (NWHI) that supports requirements for the Papahānaumokuākea National Marine Sanctuary (PNMS). The Contractor supports three major tasks for these management projects, including transit to study locations, providing meals and berthing accommodations, and operations during research. NOAA will provide the Chief Scientist and Dive Master, who will have overall responsibility and decision-making authority for safely executing the projects during the vessel charter, in coordination with the vessel’s Captain.

For informational purposes, a draft performance work statement (PWS) is attached to assist sources in gaining a more in-depth understanding of the overall requirement. Small Business sources that believe they have the capabilities to provide the required services stated herein, are requested to provide a response of no more than 5 pages that must address the following:

Company name and address Company point of contact - name, phone and email address System for Award Management Unique Entity Identification Number     Company’s Size in relations to NAICS Code 483114 (e.g., large business, small business) any and all small business socioeconomic status’ (e.g. 8(a), service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, and/or women owned small business), as validated via the System for Award Management and/or SBA’s Dynamic Small Business Search (DSBS). Clear demonstration of the capability to provide the supplies listed in detail in the attached PWS, to include the warranty requirements. Any Government Wide Acquisition Vehicle held contracts and their respective contract numbers, if applicable, such as GSA. What would you estimate as a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)?

Standard brochures will not be considered a sufficient response to this notice. Interested sources shall submit an electronic copy response to the information requested above to Sarah Appleman, Contract Specialist, via email at sarah.appleman@noaa.gov, no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) Tuesday, November 17, 2026. The electronic copy of your response must be in pdf format and readable by Adobe. Any questions or responses to this Sources Sought announcement shall be directed to Ms. Appleman via the email address provided. Information received will be utilized solely for market research purposes.

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