This announcement is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE for Market Research only; this is not a Request for Quotation (RFQ) or Request for Proposal (RFP). This announcement is for information and planning purposes only and is not a commitment by the government, implied or otherwise, to issue a solicitation or award a contract. The purpose of this sources sought notice is to determine interested parties, socioeconomic status availability, and capabilities. The Government intends to use responses to this sources sought notice to make an appropriate acquisition decision for this project.The small business size standard for this NAICS Code is 541620 for Environmental Consulting Services. The small business size standard for this NAICS is $19 million, and the Project Service Code is B510 for Specials Studies/Analysis - Environmental Assessments. The Period of Performance is anticipated to be May 01, 2027 through April 30, 2030. PROJECT DESCRIPTION: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), San Francisco District is the primary user of the San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site (SF-DODS), located 50 miles offshore of the Golden Gate. As such, USACE is frequently required to conduct benthic sampling in accordance with the site monitoring plan. Box cores and sediment vertical profile imaging are collected to assess the sites chemical, physical and biological condition. Chemistry samples are taken from the box cores and the top 10 centimeters are sieved and the biota are preserved for future taxonomic assessment. Due to frequent inclement conditions at the site, a larger (over 150 ft) vessel is required to perform operations safely. Physical, chemical and biological data will be analyzed and presented in a detailed report. The Contractor shall provide all personnel, tools, materials, vehicles, supervision, and other items and services necessary to conduct the benthic surveys. This includes supplying a suitable vessel (over 150 ft) to work from that includes a crew, marine technician and a cook. The vessel must have a galley, lab and sleeping space for the sampling team, an ample work deck, appropriate winches and cabling for deep water sampling and appropriate electronics to track a 12 megahertz pinger. The contractor will supply an 8-man crew which will be accompanied by 2 scientists from the USACE and USEPA respectively. Operations will be conducted around the clock, weather permitting, with two shifts of 5 scientists. It is imperative that the team has documented experience in sampling at depths over 2500 meters and the types of troubleshooting that are usually necessary to maximize success in achieving sampling goals. Specific experience in the use and troubleshooting the Sandia MK-III 0.25 meter box corer broken into 25 10 cm x 10 cm sub-cores is very important. In addition, the contractor will need to provide this type of box corer, which will take some effort to locate. The sampling cruise for the base year is proposed to occur in September / October 2027. LOCATION OF SERVICE: San Francisco Deep Ocean Disposal Site (SF-DODS), located 50 miles offshore of the Golden Gate. The coordinates of the site center are 370 39.0 min N, 123 0 29.0 min W SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS FOR RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICEPotential offerors having the skills and capabilities necessary to perform the described services above should response with the following information. The submission is limited to no more than 10 pages. 1. Point of Contact name, email address, and phone number. 2. CAGE Code and UEI number if available. 3. In the event that the organization is a small business, state the category of small business, such as 8(a), HUBZone, Veteran Owned Small Business, Woman Owned Small Business, or SDVOSB. 4. Statement of Capability (SOC) a. Send a statement demonstrating skills, equipment, and personnel required to perform the specified type of services are available, or can become available if the contract is awarded. b. Recent and relevant experience in deep-sea sampling, especially with respect to the above narrative, within the last five (5) years. Anticipated solicitation issuance date is around October 2026. An official synopsis citing the solicitation number will be issued on PIEE (https://piee.eb.mil) and SAM (https://sam.gov/). Submission of interest to this sources sought announcement is not a prerequisite to any potential future offerings, but participation will assist the San Francisco District in identifying sources with required capabilities. Firms responding to this sources sought announcement, who fail to provide ALL of the required information requested, will not be used to assist the Government in the acquisition decision, which is the intent of this announcement.Interested firms shall respond to this Sources Sought Synopsis no later than 03:00pm Pacific Daylight Time (PDT) on 18 September 2026. All interested firms must be registered in sam.gov to be eligible for award of Government contracts. Email your response to Lisa Ip at lisa.i.ip@usace.army.mil and Nairi Freeman at nairi.freeman@usace.army.mil.
