NOTICE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY.
The information provided in response to this notice will assist the Government in determining the extent of the business size and socio-economic market for the type of work described herein. All firms qualified, capable, and interested, without restriction to size standards, should submit the requested information. The intent of the announcement is to identify sources that are qualified business concerns able to will provide technical support to NOAA, through the Assessment and Restoration Division (ARD) headquartered in Silver Spring, Maryland and Seattle, Washington, on an as-needed basis.

The objective of this contract is to support the maintenance, application, and development of NOAA's environmental databases, which serve as a repository for environmental sediment chemistry, tissue residue chemistry, and sediment toxicity data. These databases have three general applications: 1) to serve as an integral component of NOAA's Watershed Database and Mapping Projects, 2) to support site-specific investigations, including evaluations of risk or injury to NOAA resources, derivation of cleanup goals, and evaluations of remedial alternatives at hazardous waste sites or spills, and 3) to provide the foundation for conducting specialized analyses, such as exploring innovative approaches for the evaluation of sediment chemistry and toxicity data and developing new guidelines for screening sediments in support of risk assessments.

The goal of NOAA's Watershed Database and Mapping Projects is to collect, summarize, and graphically display the available information on sources of contamination, sediment chemistry, observed biological effects, contaminants in biological tissue, habitat and natural resource information, and information on potential habitat restoration projects for key watersheds of interest to NOAA. These databases share a common relational database structure, which includes surface and subsurface sediment chemistry, tissue chemistry, and sediment toxicity data.

The Contractor shall develop tools, procedures, and forms for reporting, record keeping, and program management. In general, the Contractor shall be responsible for performing the following tasks:

Task A: Management of watershed databases
The Contractor shall maintain and manage multiple large relational databases in Microsoft Visual FoxPro in support of this task. In support of NOAA's approximately 15-20 watershed database and mapping projects, new data must be added to these databases at frequent intervals, often with rapid turnaround time required. The new data may originate in a variety of electronic formats, which must be translated and imported into the watershed database structure. The contractor shall be responsible for 1) conducting a high level of QA/QC review on each new data set to make certain that the imported data match the original data provided and to identify potential problems (e.g., missing values, inconsistent units, or outliers) with the original data and 2) developing documentation for each dataset (e.g., project source, analytic methods, coordinate data projection and datum, and other critical data elements, as well as detailed records on changes and data treatment decisions). The contractor shall also be required to 3) develop or refine automated systems for importing and checking data added to the existing databases, which are maintained in Microsoft Visual FoxPro format. Because each of the approximately 20 watershed databases has the identical relational database structure, the contractor shall be responsible for 4) maintaining consistency of the common dictionary files as an essential aspect of the database management. The contractor will need to 5) develop or assist in developing database programs and procedures to query the database for a variety of uses, including tabular and graphical presentations, and create output in specific formats for export to mapping programs, such as ArcGIS.

Task B: Database queries and specialized analyses
The contractor shall 1) develop database queries and reports to meet a variety of objectives relating to the watershed databases, site- or regional-specific investigations, or specialized analyses such as the evaluation of the relationship of sediment chemistry to sediment toxicity. This will require the contractor to 2) generate of a wide variety of specialized queries and data outputs, often with little advance notice. Most of these queries and analyses will be conducted on NOAA/ARD standard watershed databases, but analyses of external environmental databases in a variety of structures and formats will be required. The contractor shall also conduct statistical analyses, such as the determination of significant difference between toxicity test samples and control or reference samples.

Task C: Development of database tools and applications
NOAA's ARD worked with EPA's Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO) and EPA Region 1 on a database project to make it easier for external users to put data into the relational database structure compatible with the Query Manager application. As part of this ongoing project, NOAA developed automated tools to both import data from pre-defined data templates and to conduct quality assurance checks on imported data. To support this activity, the Contractor shall continue development of this application, which includes a variety of screens, forms, and queries using Microsoft Access. The Contractor shall also provide maintenance and potential future development of this system, including linking of the imported data to the FoxPro watershed database.

Water chemistry data associated with ecological exposures to hazardous substance sites is not currently managed in Query Manager. The Contractor may need to develop a parallel structure for managing water data, manage the data, and conduct queries for ecological assessment, remediation, and restoration.

Natural resource damage assessments spill response data has not previously been tracked or managed in Query Manager. The Contractor shall be required to develop a consistent approach for sample tracking, including chain of custody information, developing electronic field sample data collection forms, developing electronic data deliverables (EDD) for laboratory analyses, developing methods for automating import of lab EDDs and associated field data into standard structures compatible with Query Manager, developing a structure for managing and providing data in a form to facilitate electronic data validation.

Task D: Database application and data management training
The Contractor shall 1) provide training in the use of both existing and newly developed data tools, templates, and data translation applications. The contractor shall 2) conduct general or project-specific database training.

Experience: NOAA is seeking firms with experience in the development and management of large environmental databases that include sediment chemistry, tissue chemistry, and sediment toxicity data. Key personnel shall have a minimum of 5 years experience managing, designing, and developing environmental databases and database applications using (1) Microsoft FoxPro or Microsoft Visual FoxPro and (2) Microsoft Access. Technican(s) shall have a minimum 3 years technical experience in Microsoft FoxPro/Microsoft Visual FoxPro and Microsoft Access and a minimum 3 years experience with contaminant and waste site data, including environmental sediment chemistry, tissue contaminant-residue chemistry, and environmental contaminant toxicity data. All tasks require a high level of documented environmental database management expertise and programming experience in both Microsoft FoxPro (and/or Microsoft Visual FoxPro) and Microsoft Access.

This work may be performed from any location in the continental United States, but the Contractor will be required to meet in Seattle (WA) with technical staff on a periodic basis (e.g., 3-4 times / year). Training of regional staff in coastal EPA regional offices, including the Great Lakes, in the use of the database tools may also be required. The environmental data included in the watershed databases will originate from studies conducted primarily in coastal areas of the United States, territories, and protectorates.

It is anticipated that a firm-fixed price, labor hour or time-and-material task order IDIQ type contract will be for the eventual solicitation. The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) is 541990 with a size standard of $7 M. All contractors doing business with the Government are now required to be registered with the Central Contractor Registry (CCR). NOTE: THIS SYNOPSIS IS NOT CONSIDERED A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL BUT A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. No solicitation document is available. No contract will be awarded on the basis of responses received to this notice.

Interested firms should submit in writing, its name, address, point of contact, telephone number, business type and size (meeting the NAICS code 541990), and a brief narrative that demonstrates the contractor's relevant experience, expertise, and qualifications with environmental database management expertise and programming experience in both Microsoft FoxPro (and/or Microsoft Visual FoxPro) and Microsoft Access. The information that must be addressed in the response will assist the Government in determining the availability of qualified HubZone and small business concerns for the requirement. Detailed information must be submitted by mail to the U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, WRAD, 7600 Sand Point Way N.E., Seattle, WA 98115-6349, ATTN: Sharon S. Kent, or to the email address below by 4:00 p.m. PDT, September 29, 2008. Questions of any nature may be addressed in writing to Sharon.S.Kent@noaa.gov. NO TELEPHONE INQUIRIES WILL BE HONORED.