[Federal Register Volume 80, Number 243 (Friday, December 18, 2015)]
[Notices]
[Pages 79055-79056]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2015-31909]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2015-1050]


Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Diesel Outboard 
Engine Development

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces its intent to enter into a 
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with Mercury 
Marine (Mercury) to evaluate and test the advantages, disadvantages, 
required technology enhancements, performance, costs, and other issues 
associated with diesel outboard engine technology. A test schedule has 
been proposed in which Mercury will provide and install two of their 
diesel outboard engines onto a selected Coast Guard boat platform; the 
Coast Guard Research and Development Center (R&D Center) will outfit 
the platform with the necessary instrumentation to monitor power, 
speed, and fuel consumption; and a Coast Guard field unit will operate 
the boat for performance testing over a six-month period to collect 
information on reliability, maintenance requirements, and availability 
data. While the Coast Guard is currently considering partnering with 
Mercury, the agency is soliciting public comment on the possible nature 
of and participation of other parties in the proposed CRADA. In 
addition, the Coast Guard also invites other potential non-Federal 
participants to propose similar CRADAs.

DATES: Comments must be submitted to the online docket via http://www.regulations.gov, or reach the Docket Management Facility, on or 
before January 19, 2016.
    Synopses of proposals regarding future CRADAs must reach the Coast 
Guard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) on or before January 19, 
2016.

ADDRESSES: Submit comments online at http://www.regulations.gov 
following Web site instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice 
or wish to submit proposals for future CRADAs, contact LT Keely Higbie, 
Project Official, Surface Branch, U.S. Coast Guard Research and 
Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320, telephone 
860-271-2815, email [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We request public comments on this notice. Although we do not plan 
to respond to comments in the Federal Register, we will respond 
directly to commenters and may modify our proposal in light of 
comments.
    Comments should be marked with docket number USCG-2015-1050 and 
should provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You 
should provide personal contact information so that we can contact you 
if we have questions regarding your comments; but please note that all 
comments will be posted to the online docket without change and that 
any personal information you include can be searchable online (see the 
Federal Register Privacy Act notice regarding our public dockets, 73 FR 
3316, Jan. 17, 2008). We also accept anonymous comments.
    We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal eRulemaking 
Portal at http://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be 
submitted using http://www.regulations.gov, contact the Coast Guard 
(see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT). Documents mentioned in this 
notice, and all public comments, are in our online docket at http://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following that Web site's 
instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up 
for email alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted or a 
final rule is published.
    Do not submit detailed proposals for future CRADAs to the Docket 
Management Facility. Instead, submit

[[Page 79056]]

them directly to the Coast Guard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT).

Discussion

    CRADAs are authorized under 15 U.S.C. 3710(a).\1\ A CRADA promotes 
the transfer of technology to the private sector for commercial use, as 
well as specified research or development efforts that are consistent 
with the mission of the Federal parties to the CRADA. The Federal party 
or parties agree with one or more non-Federal parties to share research 
resources, but the Federal party does not contribute funding.
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    \1\ The statute confers this authority on the head of each 
Federal agency. The Secretary of DHS's authority is delegated to the 
Coast Guard and other DHS organizational elements by DHS Delegation 
No. 0160.1, para. II.B.34.
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    CRADAs are not procurement contracts. Care is taken to ensure that 
CRADAs are not used to circumvent the contracting process. CRADAs have 
a specific purpose and should not be confused with procurement 
contracts, grants, and other type of agreements.
    Under the proposed CRADA, the R&D Center will collaborate with one 
non-Federal participant. Together, the R&D Center and the non-Federal 
participant will collect information/data for performance, reliability, 
maintenance requirements, and other data on diesel outboard engines. 
After an initial performance test, the Coast Guard plans to operate to 
test and evaluate the designated platform outfitted with the diesel 
outboard engine technology for a period of six months.
    We anticipate that the Coast Guard's contributions under the 
proposed CRADA will include the following:
    (1) Work with non-Federal participant to develop the test plan to 
be executed under the CRADA;
    (2) Provide the test platform, test platform support, facilities, 
and seek all required approvals for testing under the CRADA;
    (3) Prepare the test platform for diesel outboard engine install 
and operations;
    (4) Provide fuel and test platform operators for the performance 
and reliability, maintenance, and availability testing;
    (5) Collect and analyze data in accordance with the CRADA test 
plan; and
    (6) Work with non-Federal participant to develop a Final Report, 
which will document the methodologies, findings, conclusions, and 
recommendations of this CRADA work.
    We anticipate that the non-Federal participants' contributions 
under the proposed CRADA will include the following:
    (1) Work with R&D Center to develop the test plan to be executed 
under the CRADA;
    (2) Provide the technical data package for all equipments, 
including dimensions, weight, power requirements, and other technical 
considerations for the additional components to be utilized under this 
CRADA;
    (3) Provide for shipment, delivery, and install of diesel outboard 
engines required for testing under this CRADA;
    (4) Provide technical oversight, technical engine, and operator 
training on the engines provided for testing under this CRADA; and
    (5) Provide/pay for travel and other associated personnel costs and 
other required expenses.
    The Coast Guard reserves the right to select for CRADA participants 
all, some, or no proposals submitted for this CRADA. The Coast Guard 
will provide no funding for reimbursement of proposal development 
costs. Proposals and any other material submitted in response to this 
notice will not be returned. Proposals submitted are expected to be 
unclassified and have no more than five single-sided pages (excluding 
cover page, DD 1494, JF-12, etc.). The Coast Guard will select 
proposals at its sole discretion on the basis of:
    (1) How well they communicate an understanding of, and ability to 
meet, the proposed CRADA's goal; and
    (2) How well they address the following criteria:
    (a) Technical capability to support the non-Federal party 
contributions described; and
    (b) Resources available for supporting the non-Federal party 
contributions described.
    Currently, the Coast Guard is considering Mercury for participation 
in this CRADA. This consideration is based on the fact that Mercury has 
demonstrated its technical ability as the developer and manufacturer of 
diesel outboard engines. However, we do not wish to exclude other 
viable participants from this or future similar CRADAs.
    This is a technology assessment effort. The goal for the Coast 
Guard of this CRADA is to better understand the advantages, 
disadvantages, required technology enhancements, performance, costs, 
and other issues associated with diesel outboard engines. Special 
consideration will be given to small business firms/consortia, and 
preference will be given to business units located in the U.S. This 
notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).

    Dated: December 2, 2015.
Dennis C. Evans,
USCG, Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development 
Center.
[FR Doc. 2015-31909 Filed 12-17-15; 8:45 am]
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