Hydrographic Services Contracts

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Hydrographic Services Contracts

• Brief History of Program
• Where we are today
• Time Charter
• Future Plans
• Challenges

Jeffrey Ferguson Program Analyst/COTR Hydrographic
Surveys Division
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The Early Days (pre-1998)

• Small projects through COE contracts
• First major NOAA contract awarded 1994
• Best Value to government
• Awarded to SAIC for 1.24 Million
• Side Scan Sonar and Multibeam
• LI Sound
• Vineyard Sound

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Current Program (post-1998)

• HSIA 1998
• shall award contracts for the acquisition of
  hydrographic data in accordance with title IX of
  the Federal Property and Administrative Services
  Act of 1949 (40 U.S.C. 541 et seq.)
• Brooks Act
• A/E Services
• Qualification Based Selection

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Contractor Selection

• Source Evaluation Board meets to evaluate
  submissions on the following criteria
• Professional qualifications,
• Specialized experience,
• Capacity to accomplish the work,
• Past performance,
• Location and knowledge of locality,
• Small business subcontracting opportunities.

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Contract Awards
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Current Program (post-1998)

• 14 Contracts Awarded
• Regional, 2-5 years, 4-40 Million.
• 8 Different Firms
• Gulf of Mexico
• SAIC, JECA, CC
• Alaska
• Terra, Racal Pelagos
• Other
• OSI, DEA, SAIC, Tenix LADS

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Current Program (post-1998)

• 102.5 Million
• 4,955 square nautical miles
• 100 bottom coverage
• Shallow Water Multibeam (SWMB)
• Side Scan Sonar

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Today

• 5 Contracts in place
• AK - Fugro Pelagos
• AK SB - Terra Surveys
• TX - CC Technologies
• Hydro Anywhere (except AK) - SAIC
• Lidar Anywhere - Tenix LADS

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Future Contracts

• Number dependent on funding.
• Fugro Pelagos Contract expires Aug 2004.
• Advertise replacement next month
• CC TX contract may reach ceiling
• Advertise GOM contract late summer
• Tenix LADS lidar contract may reach ceiling
• Advertise replacement early next year

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Time Charter

• 2002 Appropriations
• ...the Committee directs NOAA to enter into a
  long-term lease or charter of a U.S.
  purpose-built, U.S. flag hydrographic survey
  vessel which is capable of performing the full
  scope of necessary hydrographic services.
• MOU with MSC
• August 2002 - Advertise for vessel complete with
  all equipment and operators.

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Time Charter

• MSC legal opinion on Brooks Act
• Procurement split
• MSC acquire vessel
• NOAA acquire surveyors via A/E
• MSC proposal evaluation begins - Jan 2003
• Several protests and GAO review/decisions
• Ocean Services cleared to work April 2004
• NOAA selects SAIC as A/E provider

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Time Charter

• One year contracts w/ options
• Ocean Services provides vessel and two launches
  with hull mounted multibeams
• SAIC provides all other equipment and equipment
  operators
• NOAA provides 3-5 individuals for contract
  oversight, quality control, planning, etc.

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Time Charter
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Challenges

• Constraints on spending Contract funds
• ...address the hydrographic survey backlog
  detailed in the National Survey Plan.
• Test/Development of new technologies?
• Supporting activities?
• Homeland Security, other events?
• Pros/Cons

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Challenges

• Meaningful Performance Measures
• The Square Nautical Mile trap
• Not all squares created equal
• Remote, shallow, AK vs Deep GOM
• Large price variations
• Normalize effort/costs?
• Other performance measures?

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Challenges

• Developing Hydrographic Expertise
• Mandate to maintain expertise within NOAA
• Should that extend to private sector?
• Role of Contract funding?
• Training
• Small business, 8a, disadvantaged, etc. set
  asides?

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Challenges

• Efficient Administration of Contracts
• Contract award time lines
• HSD review
• Contract Office review
• Legal review
• Ways to streamline?
• Project planning, COTRs, data acceptance, etc.

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