142083-27-0002_NOAAPort_RFI.pdf

**THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR QUOTE**

**THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR MARKET RESEARCH ONLY –

NO AWARD WILL BE MADE FROM THIS NOTICE. **

Sources Sought Notice (SSN) for Request for Information (RFI) No. 142083-27-0002

NOAAPort Replacement Capabilities

1. INTRODUCTION

The Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

(NOAA), National Weather Service (NWS), Office of Mission Systems and Technology (MST) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) to obtain information from industry in support of market research and acquisition planning for potential approaches to replace the capabilities currently provided by the legacy NOAAPort Satellite Broadcast Network (SBN).

This RFI is being conducted in accordance with the Revolutionary Federal Acquisition

Regulation Overhaul (RFO) Part 10, ‘Market Research,’ and RFO 15.101(c), ‘Requests for

Information.’ The Government is seeking information to improve its understanding of available industry capabilities, technical and operational approaches, commercial solutions, market conditions, implementation considerations, and other factors relevant to the contemplated

NOAAPort SBN replacement capability.

The NWS is interested in commercially available, cloud-based, terrestrial, satellite, hybrid, or other innovative approaches capable of distributing NWS data and products to a geographically dispersed user community with the reliability, availability, resiliency, performance, and operational continuity necessary to support mission-critical weather services. The NWS is also seeking information regarding approaches to establish, deploy, operate, maintain, scale, and evolve the replacement capability over its lifecycle, including the ability to efficiently incorporate new technologies, data products, users, and distribution methods as NWS requirements change. The replacement capability will need to support the exchange, ingestion, processing, and distribution of NWS data and products. The replacement capability will also need to interface and integrate with the NWS Hydrometeorological Interactive Virtual

Environment (HIVE) application environment and the Centralized Integrated Real-Time

Repository for Unified Services (CIRRUS) data environment through common internet protocols like APIs (Application Programming Interface) and/or MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry

Transport) protocols.

This RFI does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or other solicitation, nor does it represent a commitment by the

Government to issue a solicitation or make an award. The Government does not currently intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI. Responses will be treated as information only and not as proposals, quotations, bids, or offers. Responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.

Participation in this RFI is voluntary and is not a prerequisite for participation in any future acquisition that may result from this market research. The Government will not pay for, reimburse, or otherwise compensate respondents for costs incurred in preparing or submitting a response or for information provided in response to this RFI.

The Government may, at its discretion, contact respondents to request clarification or additional information concerning their submissions and may conduct additional exchanges with industry as part of its continuing market research and acquisition planning activities. Any such exchanges are for informational and planning purposes only and do not constitute discussions, negotiations, or a request for proposal or quotation.

The information presented in this RFI reflects the Government's current understanding of the contemplated requirement and is subject to change. The Government may use information received in response to this RFI, as appropriate and consistent with applicable law and regulation, to inform its requirements development, market research, acquisition strategy, and preparation of future acquisition documents, including Statements of Work (SOWs), Performance Work Statements (PWSs), or Statements of Objectives (SOOs).

Nothing contained in this RFI is binding on the Government. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this contemplated effort.

2. PROPRIETARY INFORMATION AND FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA)

The Government encourages responses that minimize proprietary, confidential commercial, or other protected information. The Government is not requesting proprietary, confidential, or commercially sensitive information; however, it recognizes that respondents may determine that inclusion of such information is necessary to meaningfully respond to this RFI.

Respondents should clearly and appropriately identify and mark any proprietary, confidential, or commercially sensitive information included in their submissions and, to the extent practicable, segregate such information from non-proprietary content. Respondents are encouraged to limit the inclusion of such information to that which is necessary to support their response.

Information submitted in response to this RFI may be subject to disclosure under the Freedom of

Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. § 552. The Government will safeguard properly marked information from unauthorized disclosure and will handle any request for disclosure in accordance with FOIA and other applicable laws and regulations.

Respondents are responsible for providing any markings or statements they believe are necessary to identify information for which protection from public disclosure is requested.

3. INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT

The Government may contact respondents to request clarification or additional information concerning their submissions. Following its review of RFI responses, the Government may conduct additional industry engagement activities, which may include an industry day, one-on-one meetings, demonstrations, presentations, or question-and-answer sessions. Participation in any such exchange is voluntary and is solely for market research and acquisition planning purposes.

Respondents are requested to indicate in their submissions whether they would be interested in participating in such activities if conducted. Any indication of interest is for planning purposes only and does not obligate the Government to conduct additional industry engagement activities or to invite any particular respondent to participate. Respondents invited to participate in additional exchanges will be notified by the Government.

A response to this RFI is not required to participate in any future acquisition. Participation in this RFI, or in any subsequent industry exchange, will not determine eligibility to respond to any future Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or other solicitation that may result from this market research.

4. SPECIFIC SMALL BUSINESS CONSIDERATIONS

The Government encourages responses from small business concerns. Information received through this RFI may be used to inform the Government’s market research, acquisition strategy, and consideration of potential small business set-aside opportunities.

If your company does not currently possess the full capability to fulfill the requirement independently, please indicate any teaming arrangements, joint ventures, subcontracting partnerships, or other business arrangements that could be used to provide the required capabilities. Evidence of these arrangements, such as letters of intent or agreements, is encouraged but not required.

5. QUESTIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS

Questions regarding this notice should be submitted via email to the Government points of contact identified below no later than OCTOBER 15, 2026, 12:00 P.M Eastern Time.

Questions should reference the applicable RFI section or attachment question number.

Government Points of Contact:

● Supervisory Contracting Officer: Jennifer Roesner, jennifer.roesner@noaa.gov

● Contracting Officer: Timothy Wampler, timothy.wampler@noaa.gov

Respondents should submit questions by email to both Government points of contact identified above.

Email Subject Line: Company Name__NOAAPort_RFI_Questions

The Government does not guarantee a response to questions submitted after the established deadline. Responses to questions of general interest, as well as any amendments, updates, or additional information concerning this RFI, may be posted on SAM.gov. All communications concerning this RFI during the response period shall be submitted in writing to the Government points of contact identified above. Respondents are encouraged to monitor SAM.gov for subsequent notices or changes related to this market research.

6. RESPONSE SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

Respondents should submit their RFI responses by email in accordance with the submission instructions provided herein. To facilitate Government review, respondents are encouraged to organize their submissions as follows:

RFI Response Instructions

1. Respondent Information – Page Limit - 1-Page

2. Existing Federal Contracting Vehicles and SBIR/STTR Information – Page Limit - 2-pages

3. NAICS Code Recommendation (if applicable) Page Limit - 2-pages

4. Response to RFI Questions – Page Limit - 12-pages

5. Supporting Reference Material - No page limit*

6. Case Studies - No page limit*

*No page limitation is established for this section. Respondents should provide sufficient information to address the requested information while limiting their response to material that is necessary, relevant, and directly responsive to the Government’s market research needs.

6.1.Respondent Information

Respondents should provide the following information in their Cover/Transmittal Letter:

A. Company Information

1. Legal business name and, if applicable, division or business unit.

2. Mailing address.

3. Company website, if applicable.

4. Unique Entity Identifier (UEI).

5. Current System for Award Management (SAM.gov) registration status.

B. Point of Contact

1. Name and title.

2. Telephone number.

3. Email address.

C. Business Size and Socioeconomic Status

Identify each North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code under which the respondent qualifies as a small business for the capabilities described in its response.

For each NAICS code identified, provide:

1. NAICS code and corresponding industry description;

2. Applicable SBA small business size standard; and

3. Applicable small business or socioeconomic status, including, as applicable:

● Small Business;

● HUBZone Small Business;

● Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB);

● Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB);

● Economically Disadvantaged Women-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB);

● 8(a) Business Development Program Participant; and

● Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB).

Respondents may present this information in a table or other concise format.

D. Industry Engagement

Indicate whether the respondent would be interested in participating in future industry engagement activities, if conducted.

6.2.Existing Federal Contracting Vehicles and SBIR/STTR Information

A. Government Contract Vehicles

If applicable, identify any existing Federal contract vehicles through which the respondent believes the contemplated requirement could potentially be acquired, including GSA Multiple Award Schedule contracts, Governmentwide Acquisition

Contracts (GWACs), Best-in-Class contract vehicles, or other applicable indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contracts. For each vehicle identified, provide the contract or schedule name, contract number, and applicable scope, category, Special Item

Number (SIN), or other relevant ordering information.

B. SBIR/STTR Information

If applicable, identify any Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business

Technology Transfer (STTR) awards, technologies, products, or capabilities relevant to the contemplated NOAAPort replacement capability. For each relevant effort, provide:

1. Sponsoring Federal agency;

2. Award or contract number;

3. Applicable SBIR/STTR phase; and

4. A brief description of how the resulting technology, product, or capability relates to the approach described in the respondent's RFI submission.

If applicable, respondents should also indicate whether they believe any proposed technology, product, or capability may qualify as SBIR/STTR Phase III work and briefly identify the basis for that determination.

6.3.North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code:

The anticipated NAICS code for this requirement is 541512 – Computer Systems Design

Services (Size Standard of $34 Million). This is a preliminary determination. The final

NAICS code will be specified in the solicitation.

Industry is encouraged to suggest alternative NAICS codes that may better align with the requirements. If the respondent recommends an alternative NAICS code, identify the recommended code and explain why the principal purpose of the contemplated acquisition is more appropriately represented by that code.

All suggestions will be considered; however, the Government reserves the right to determine the final NAICS code and solicit the required services in accordance with applicable procurement regulations. NAICS code recommendation responses should not exceed 2 pages inclusive of text, tables, and graphics.

6.4.Response to RFI Questions

Responses should use Times New Roman font no smaller than 10 point, with 1-inch margins.

Text contained within tables, figures, and graphics may be no smaller than 9 point.

Respondents should organize their submissions in accordance with the numbered questions and subject areas identified in this RFI and provide concise, directly responsive information.

Respondents are encouraged to provide complete, legible, and directly responsive information sufficient to support the Government’s market research. Information that is incomplete, illegible, or otherwise insufficient to support meaningful market research may not be considered.

Respondents are encouraged to address each RFI question. If a question is not applicable to the respondent’s capabilities, products, technologies, or experience, the respondent should indicate “Not Applicable” and, where appropriate, briefly explain the basis for that response.

If the respondent does not possess the capability addressed by a question, the respondent should clearly state that limitation.

Respondents offering a partial solution or addressing only a portion of a question should clearly identify the specific capability, function, or requirement addressed and describe the scope and limitations of their response.

6.5.Supporting Reference Material

Respondents may submit supporting technical literature, product information, architecture diagrams, data sheets, or other reference materials separately from the response to the RFI questions. Supporting materials should supplement, rather than substitute for, the substantive response and should be limited to information directly relevant to the contemplated

NOAAPort replacement capability. General corporate marketing materials are discouraged.

6.6.Case Studies:

Respondents are encouraged to provide case studies demonstrating experience with projects or solutions similar in scope, complexity, scale, or technical characteristics to the contemplated NOAAPort replacement capability. For each case study, respondents should briefly identify:

● Customer or organization supported;

● Project or effort title;

● Period of performance or implementation timeframe;

● Scope and principal capabilities provided;

● Technical or operational approach;

● Scale, complexity, or other characteristics relevant to the NOAAPort requirement;

and

● Key outcomes, lessons learned, or demonstrated results.

Supporting artifacts, such as architecture diagrams, technical summaries, or other relevant reference materials, may be submitted as separate attachments.

Submissions may include case studies for similar projects. Please include artifacts as separate attachments. Case study materials do not count against response limits described above.

7. RFI SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Responses should be submitted electronically by email no later than OCTOBER 29, 2026, at

12:00 P.M. Eastern Time in Microsoft Word or PDF format.

Submit responses to both Government points of contact:

● Supervisory Contracting Officer: Jennifer Roesner, jennifer.roesner@noaa.gov

● Contracting Officer: Timothy Wampler, timothy.wampler@noaa.gov

Email Subject Line: Company Name__NOAAPort_RFI_Response

File Size and Transmission

The Government’s email system cannot receive messages exceeding 25 megabytes (MB) in total size, including attachments. If a submission exceeds this limit, respondents should divide the response into multiple emails and clearly identify the sequence in the subject line or message body (e.g., Email 1 of 2, Email 2 of 2).

8. RESPONSE REVIEW AND CONFIDENTIALITY

Responses may be reviewed by Government personnel and, as necessary, by authorized non-

Government personnel supporting the Government’s market research and acquisition planning activities. Any non-Government personnel provided access to respondent information will be subject to appropriate confidentiality and non-disclosure requirements.

The Government does not intend to provide respondents with individual evaluations, assessments, or other results of its review, and submissions will not be returned.