MAREL SCALES MAINTENANCE SERVICES 2026-2031

NOTICE OF INTENT TO NEGOTIATE A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, hereby gives public notice of the intent to negotiate a sole-source contract pursuant to the authority of 41 U.S.C. 1901, using simplified procedures up to $9M, in accordance with Revolutionary Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Overhaul (RFO) 12.201-1, as the services required by the agency are available from only one responsible source and no other services will satisfy agency requirements  The government seeks services from John Bean Technologies Corp and Subsidiaries Marel Corporation (JBT Marel) for the acquisition of marine digital motion-compensating scale maintenance, calibration and repair. The procurement period of performance includes one (1) Base Year and four (4) 1-year Option Periods.

Northeast Fisheries Science Center (NEFSC), Fish Monitoring and Research Division (FMRD), has a requirement to procure a Preventative Maintenance Package for the maintenance, calibration, upgrade, and repair of approximately 150 marine digital motion-compensating scales, of which 140 are the JBT Marel M1100/PL2262 and 10 are the JBT Marel M1100/PL3260. All bench testing and service must be performed by technicians certified by JBT Marel. The certified technicians must have technical expertise in testing electronics, load cells, and Bluetooth communication hardware.

The Government intends to negotiate a contract with JBT Marel for non-personal services to collect data on commercial fishing vessels to support fisheries management as mandated by the Magnuson-Stevens Fishery Conservation and Management Act. Accurate catch weight data is mission-critical for calculating quota monitoring and discard rates. Therefore, if a third-party (non-Marel certified technician) modifies or repairs Marel equipment, the warranty obligation currently in place on Marel equipment would be void.

Responses to this notice must be provided within fifteen (15) calendar days from the date of this notice. Vendors who believe they can meet this requirement are required to submit in writing an affirmative response demonstrating a comprehensive understanding of the requirement. All written responses must include a capabilities statement that determines the ability to provide a Preventative Maintenance Package and JBT Marel certified technicians. The response must be sufficient to permit agency analysis to establish a bona fide capability to meet the requirement. Failure to submit such documentation will result in the Government proceeding as previously stated. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement to competition based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Affirmative written responses must be received no later than 2:00 P.M. Pacific Standard Time, July 2, 2026. The responses must be submitted via e-mail to Contract Specialist, Jamie Abu Shakrah, at Jamie.AbuShakrah@noaa.gov and Contracting Officer, Rachel Stone, at Rachel.Stone@noaa.gov.