NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PROGRAM—1965 109 
Mr. Rogers. It might help us to know the competency of the people 
involved in actually doing this contract work and the amount of the 
contract. 
Commander Nyeren. Yes, sir. 
(The information follows :) 
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE, 
COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY, 
July 1, 1964. 
To: Chief, program planning staff. 
From: Deputy Assistant Director, Office of Oceanography. 
Subject: Cost of ORI contract. 
The contract with Operations Research, Inec., for “Services to conduct an 
operations research study of the national ocean surveys program” (contract No. 
CGS-1138 (neg.) invitation No. 2892) is for the amount of $280,108. It was 
signed on June 18, 1963, with the work thereunder to commence on July 1, 1963, 
and to be completed in 18 months. 
H. B. Stewart, Jr. 
CHRONOLOGICAL BACKGROUND OF OPERATIONS RESEARCH STUDY OF OCEAN SURVEYS 
As early as April 1962, the Ocean Surveys Panel of the Interagency Committee 
on Oceanography discussed the practicality of carrying out an operations research 
study of ocean surveys. In July of 1962, an ad hoc panel of consultants to the 
OST, chaired by Dr. Howard Wilcox, recommended that the operations research 
technique be applied to the ocean survey program. At the August 20, 1962, meet- 
ing of the Federal Council for Science and Technology action was recommended. 
Item 4-2, page 9, of the minutes of that meeting reads as follows: 
“ICO should immediately develop survey objectives, plans, and systems analy- 
sis with procedures to review and update them as new techniques and information 
become available. Planning should be accomplished by the ICO Ocean Surveys 
Panel.” ; 
About that same time the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Science and 
Technology also urged that the operations research and systems analysis ap- 
proach be made to Coast an Geodetic Survey’s activities. This was reported in 
the September 12 letter from the Chief Scientist, U.S. Coast and Geodetic Survey, 
to the Director. 
The Ocean Surveys Panel of the ICO discussed operations research at some 
length in January 1963. By now the Bureau of the Budget approval of the oper- 
ations research approach was obvious by the fact that during October 1962, at the 
Bureau of the Budget level $300,000 had been added to the Coast Survey’s fiscal 
year 1964 proposed budget specifically for operations research studies. Dr. Wenk 
of the Federal Council for Science and Technology in December 1962, or January 
1963, in discussions with ICO members specifically urged that these studies be 
initiated immediately so that their results could be used in the formuiation of 
oceanographic budgets for fiscal year 1965. The ICO Surveys Panel continued 
discussions through January 1963. By then it was known that the Coast and 
Geodetic Survey felt that such a study could be funded by that agency with fiscal 
year 1963 funds. During several survey panel meetings the format of a request 
for proposals was developed and sent to all agencies concerned for comments. 
The final request for proposals was sent out on April 1, 1963, requesting that man- 
agement proposals be received prior to April 23. These propesals were evaluated 
by the Coast Survey and nine other agencies by April 29 and the six companies 
selected for final submission were notified on May 1: Each was requested to sub- 
mit final technical proposals by June 3. These were similarly evaluated in writ- 
ing by each Survey Panel member, and the final decision was made by the Coast 
and Geodetic Survey on June 11, 1963. A 
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