Intent to Sole-Source Orca Basin Brine Pools

Summary (Newest Update)

Background The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) is pursuing a sole-source contract to support its statutory responsibilities under the Outer Continental Shelf Lands Act (OCSLA) related to evaluating mineral resources on the Outer Continental Shelf (OCS). The University of Mississippi has been identified as the only responsible source capable of providing the necessary supplies and services due to its specialized capabilities and previous work with BOEM. Work Details The contract involves continuation of work initiated under Cooperative Agreement M23AC00006, focusing on the ecological characterization of marine minerals in the Gulf of America’s brine-pool systems. Key tasks include: - Integration and real-time operation of deep-rated Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) and Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) systems equipped with various sensors for operations in dense, anoxic brine environments at depths of approximately 2,400 meters. - Conducting safe and compliant surveys in Orca Basin or similar deep hypersaline basins, including implementing environmental hazard controls and vehicle-survivability protocols. - Delivering geophysical datasets that comply with NOAA standards, BOEM metadata standards, S-100 conventions, and geological & geophysical permitting requirements. - Providing integrated geological, geophysical, and geochemical laboratory capabilities for critical-mineral analysis, including rare earth elements (REE), major/trace elements, isotopes, and brine-pool geochemistry. - Producing AUV-grade high-resolution deepwater mapping products compatible with BOEM’s resource evaluation workflows. Period of Performance The geographic location(s) the contract will be performed (if provided) Place of Performance The work will be performed in the Orca Basin and potentially other locations within the Gulf of America. Bidder Requirements Bidders must demonstrate specialized capabilities in deepwater AUV and ROV operations, critical-mineral-focused geophysical and geochemical expertise, and prior field experience in Gulf of America brine pools. They must also provide evidence of successful past performance on similar BOEM-funded projects. Incumbent Analysis (see Incumbents section for more detail) This opportunity appears to have a closely related prior contract, with Aptim Federal Services as the awardee under 140M0121D0006 (07/22/21–07/21/26) valued at $13,181,212. The prior work supported BOEM’s OCS marine minerals stewardship through geophysical, geological, and environmental data collection and analysis, including critical mineral evaluations and AUV-based mapping/field tests. The current effort similarly focuses on ecological characterization and integrated geophysical/geochemical data collection for brine-pool systems (Orca Basin), suggesting a continuation of the same type of BOEM mineral resource assessment and monitoring activities.