Non-personal annual life raft inspection services
Overview
Buyer
Place of Performance
NAICS
PSC
Set Aside
Original Source
Timeline
Qualification Details
Fit reasons
- NAICS alignment with historical contract wins in similar service areas.
- Scope strongly matches core technical capabilities and delivery model.
Risks
- Past performance thresholds may require one additional teaming partner.
- Potential clarification needed on staffing minimums before bid/no-bid.
Next steps
Validate eligibility requirements, assign capture owner, and schedule partner outreach to confirm teaming strategy before submission planning.
Quick Summary
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Great Lakes Environmental Research Lab (GLERL) Lake Michigan Field Station (LMFS) is seeking non-personal annual life raft inspection services. This Total Small Business Set-Aside opportunity requires contractors to provide all labor, equipment, and materials for inspecting 12 assigned vessel life rafts at their own facility. Quotes are due by February 2, 2026.
Scope of Work
The contractor will perform annual inspections of 12 assigned vessel life rafts, ensuring compliance with 46 CFR 160.051-6(e). Services include testing, resetting devices, replacing expiring items, correcting deficiencies, and providing certification. All rafts must be equipped with SOLAS B Packs. Repairs are to be conducted at the contractor's location, which also involves the transport of life rafts to and from the designated inspection site. The contractor must provide inspection certificates in both hard copy and electronic formats.
Contract Details
This is a Combined Synopsis/Solicitation (RFQ) for a Firm-Fixed-Price Purchase Order. The contract includes a base year, with services to be completed by April 1, 2026 (for the base year), and four subsequent option years, with services for option years to be completed by March 1st of each respective year. The associated NAICS code is 811310 with a small business size standard of $12.5M. The place of performance is the contractor's facility. Invoices will be billed monthly in arrears, and the Department of Commerce will utilize the FedConnect® web portal for contract administration.
Eligibility & Submission
This solicitation is a Total Small Business Set-Aside. Offerors must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) and provide their UEID/CAGE CODE with their quote. Additionally, offerors must be certified by each raft manufacturer to provide the described services. Quotes must be submitted electronically via email to Kirsten.keen@noaa.gov no later than 12:00 PM MST on February 2, 2026. Quote pricing may be provided on the attached SF18 form or company letterhead. Questions regarding this solicitation must be submitted electronically to the same email address by 10:00 AM MST on January 28, 2026.
Evaluation Criteria
The Government intends to award a purchase order based on a Best Value trade-off, where the Non-Price Technical Solution (Technical Approach and Past Performance) is significantly more important than price. However, as technical solutions become more equal, price will become a more determining factor. Evaluation factors include:
- Technical Approach and Capability: A detailed write-up describing how the Offeror will perform the tasks, not just reiterating the Statement of Work.
- Past Performance: At least two references for similar and relevant services within the past two years. References will complete a provided Past Performance Questionnaire.
- Price: Completeness and reasonableness in relation to RFQ requirements.
- Certifications: Offeror must be certified by each raft manufacturer.
- Turn-around Time: Ability to meet the tight turn-around timeframe for services.