Opportunity: NON-COMPETITIVE AWARD FOR METHANE HYDRATE RESEARCH

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) intends to enter into a non-competitive, sole source procurement with Petrotechnical Resources Alaska (PRA) in order to execute activities established in memorandums of understanding (MoU) with the Japan Oil, Gas and Metals Corporation (JOGMEC) and the Alaska Department of Natural Resources (ADNR). Background Information: NETL issued Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) DE-FOA-0001023 entitled, FY 2014 Methane Hydrates, on March 4, 2014 which included an area of interest for Extended Duration Testing of Arctic Gas Hydrate Deposits. Upon review, DOE established that there were no viable respondents to this portion of the FOA. On November 6, 2014 NETL and JOGMEC signed a MoU to establish a cooperative working arrangement in the area of gas hydrate production testing on the land set aside by the ADNR on the North Slope of Alaska. The MoU enables the Office of Fossil Energy to leverage substantially greater financial contributions which JOGMEC has indicated that it will make available pursuant to hydrate production testing on the North Slope through this partnership In January of 2015, JOGMEC released a solicitation for proposals for the planning and drilling of stratigraphic test wells on the land set aside by the ADNR in collaboration with NETL/DOE. Through the tendering process, PRA was awarded the JOGMEC contract in April 2015. NETL plans to issue a separate non-competitive, cost type contract to PRA in order to collaborate on activities established under its MOU with JOGMEC. This is an attractive opportunity to the DOE Hydrate Program given current budget constraints and limited financial resources and partnership opportunities related to hydrate production testing on the North Slope of Alaska. These arrangements will support the evaluation of and potentially enable the long term production testing of gas hydrate deposits, which is a major goal of the Hydrate Program. EFFORT: The contract will be for the performance of specific planning, analytical and engineer services associated with potential drilling of stratigraphic test wells on the North Slope of Alaska in preparation for long-term methane hydrate projection tests. The Contract will include Phase I activities, with a Government option for Phase II activities. It is expected that the magnitude of the award will be for approximately $8.5 million, which includes the base and all options. NETLs contract with PRA in Phase I of the project shall include support for required environmental and archeological permitting and the development of comprehensive plans and associated costs for the completion of up to five (5) stratigraphic test wells. PRA shall conduct a series of geologic and engineering studies designed to assess the nature of prospective acreage set aside for gas hydrate in Alaska by the ADNR in association with a MoU signed between the ADNR and the Office of Fossil Energy on April 16, 2013. Phase II of the project, if exercised, shall include the drilling of up to three (3) stratigraphic test wells and analysis of the sites for their appropriateness for long term production testing. NETL will enter into this non-competitive procurement, under the sole source authority 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) pursuant to FAR 6.302-1(a)(2) in which the services are only available from one responsible source for the work to be performed. This notice of intent is not a request for quote/proposal. Any interested party that believes it is capable of meeting the NETL requirement described herein may identify themselves and must provide evidence of their capability to fulfill the requirement being requested by 2:00 PM local time on May 27, 2015. Responses must be submitted in writing to lucas.payne@netl.doe.gov no later than the time and date noted above. Telephone responses and requests will not be accepted. A determination by the Government not to compete this requirement based on responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.