(Clean Copy) FINAL Class C Industry Day Brief 20250820.pptx

NOAA Class C Program Virtual Industry Day Briefing

NOAA, OMAO, PIAD

Andrew Hildebrandt, PIAD Director Sin Suen, Acting Deputy For Ships Chris Meconnahey, Contracting Specialist Gerardo Nixon, Class C Program Manager August 20, 2025

Leadership Remarks PIAD Director - Andrew Hildebrandt PIAD Acting Deputy for Ships - Sin Suen Protocol and Rules Contracting Specialist - Chris Meconnahey Agenda and Presentation Program Manager - Gerardo Nixon Welcome and Opening Remarks

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Leadership Remarks

Introduction NOAA Fleet Fleet Recapitalization Overview High-level Class C Role Fishing/Science vessel

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Purpose: This is an informational briefing to provide context for the draft solicitation and support the formal Class C acquisition process.

Communication: We will not be holding a live question and answer session today.

Audio and Chat have been disabled for participants.

All feedback/questions must be submitted in writing to the Contracting Specialist by the end of this week. <chris.meconnahey@noaa.gov> Official record: Today’s presentation and all formal acquisition documents will be posted on SAM.gov.

Virtual Event Protocol (Contracts)

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

This event is an Industry Day for market research purposes only and is not a solicitation for proposals or a Request for Proposal (RFP).

The information presented today is for planning purposes only and is subject to change.

The Government is not bound by any information presented or discussed during this event.

The Government is not obligated to award a contract as a result of this event, nor will it pay for any information received or costs incurred by attendees.

Any statements made by Government personnel during this event are not binding.

Disclaimer (Contracts)

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

13:00-13:20 - Opening Remarks and Agenda 13:20-14:20 - Operational and Technical Requirements 14:20-14:30 - Single-System Vendors, GFE, and GFI 14:30-14:45 - Break 14:45-15:10 - Acquisition Strategy 15:10-15:20 - Information Requested from Industry 15:20-15:30 - Closing Remarks and Path Forward

Agenda (PM)

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Articulate Mission Needs: Clearly communicate the requirements for the Class C vessels.

Stimulate Competition: Gauge industry's capacity and interest to ensure a robust and competitive procurement.

Reduce Program Risk: Clarify potential ambiguities in the draft solicitation documents to receive feedback and prevent future issues.

Receive Feedback: Requesting industry feedback on issued questions including likely Detail Design and Construction costs.

Goals

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Inform Business Decisions: Provide the detailed understanding of requirements necessary for your company to make critical business decisions.

Assess Program Alignment: Enable you to determine if this opportunity aligns with your corporate strategy and technical capabilities.

Encourage Partnership: Foster a clear understanding of our priorities to encourage innovative and effective solutions as we seek a partner to design and build the Class C vessels.

Encourage Teaming Agreements: Provide a great opportunity for industry entities to identify and reach out to potential partners, subcontractors, single system vendors, etc.

Desired Outcomes for Industry

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Secondary and Tertiary Missions Secondary:

Charting and Surveying to support safe navigation and coastal resource management Tertiary:

Emergency Response to provide data collection during natural or man-made disasters Primary Mission Assessment and Management of Living Marine Resources Fisheries Science and Management Protected Resources, Science and Management Habitat Conservation and Restoration Ecosystem Studies Scientific Missions

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Secondary Mission Capabilities Charting/Surveying:

Coastal bottom/habitat mapping.

Bathymetry surveys; support for gravimetry & magnetometry.

Physical, chemical, & biological oceanography.

Deployment & recovery of Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) & balloons.

Emergency Response:

Versatile data collection for oil/chemical spills, vessel groundings, hazardous waste, national security events.

Primary Mission Capabilities Nearshore/offshore shallow draft bottom trawl-based data collection.

Long-lining and pot-hauling operations.

Ocean/Coastal biomass & bottom mapping.

Water column profiling (CTD data collection).

Surface, midwater, & seafloor parameter sampling including underway pCO2.

Launch, tow, & recover tethered/autonomous scientific packages.

Basic diving operations support.

Deploy & recover moorings & free-floating instruments.

Mission Capabilities

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Operating Profile:

235 Days at Sea (DAS) per year.

Fully mission capable through Sea State 4.

Transit Speed: Minimum 10 knots.

Range: 5,500 nautical miles.

Endurance: 21 days continuous operation.

No-discharge zone operation: Up to 7 days.

Operating Environment:

Environment (Temperatures):

Air: -13°F to 104°F (Dry) / 90°F (Wet).

Seawater: 28°F to 95°F.

Operating Profile and Environment

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

A successful Class C design must resolve the competing requirements of two different vessel archetypes integrated into a single, shallow-draft hull.

An Acoustically-Quiet Survey Platform, requiring:

A low underwater radiated noise signature to meet the specified URN curve.

A hydrodynamically “clean” hull form that minimizes bubble sweep down over critical sonars.

Sensor Integration A Powerful, Robust Trawling/Fishing Platform, requiring:

High bollard pull (25,000 lbs) for mid-water and bottom trawling.

Durable and powerful deck machinery, including an A-frame, net reels, heavy-duty winches, CTD and over the side equipment.

Precise station-keeping and track-following using a Dynamic Positioning System.

A resilient structure and propulsion plant capable of sustained, high-load operations.

This fundamental balance is the primary driver for all major design decisions.

The Core Design Challenge

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

General Characteristics and Key Certifications Hull and Service Life:

Construction: Steel monohull, unrestricted open ocean service.

Service Life: Designed for a 25-year service life with a 40-year structural fatigue life.

Regulatory & Flag Status:

Flag: US Flagged USCG Certification: Must be delivered with a valid U.S. Coast Guard Certificate of Inspection (COI) and comply with 46 CFR Subchapter U (Oceanographic Research Vessels, Stability) & W (lifesaving for Research Vessel).

International Standards: Must be SOLAS compliant.

ABS Classed:

The vessel will be classed by the American Bureau of Shipping with the following minimum notations:✠A1, ✠AMS (Unrestricted), Ice Class IC, UWILD, ✠DPS-1, ✠ACCU.

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Operational & Physical Constraints:

Shallow Draft Requirement (< 15 ft).

Seakeeping performance (mission capable through Sea State 4).

Deck machinery and arrangement to support safe and efficient trawling and over the side operations (A-frame, winches, deck space).

Efficiency & Lifecycle cost: The design must focus on maximizing fuel economy and operational availability over a 25-40+ year service life.

Key Design Drivers

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

The vessel’s radiated noise signature in one-third octave bands shall not exceed the limits defined by this curve for all speeds up to and including 10 knots.

Radiated Noise Curve

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Scientific Sonar Suite & Performance:

The vessel will possess acoustic systems optimized to acquire data suitable for seafloor mapping and biomass assessments.

The design should incorporate a retractable centerboard/drop-keel or gondola to house key sonar systems and optimize data quality.

High-precision acoustic navigation & tracking is required to meet primary and secondary mission needs.

Acoustic Systems and Laboratories

Laboratories & Mission Spaces:

A full suite of modern, climate-controlled laboratories is required, including a Wet/Chemistry Lab, a Fish Lab, and a Dry Lab.

Space for Five (5) Scientists work at any time in each Lab ET Shop & dedicated, environmentally controlled Server Room(s).

Uncontaminated Scientific Seawater System (USSS) with integrated sensors & network connectivity.

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Trawling:

Equipped for stern auto-trawling (double warp) with dedicated winches.

Working Deck: >1,000 ft2 for trawl operations.

Trawl-way: Min 25 ft (L) x 15 ft (W).

Stern Trawl Bollard Pull: 25,000 lb.

Net Mensuration System for real-time trawl monitoring.

Deck & Over-the-Side Equipment:

Working deck(s) LARs, handling, stowage of mission equipment.

Winches with removable grooved shells & component commonality.

Aft A-frame/gantry: >25 ft (H) x 20 ft (W), 15,000 lb capacity.

Hydrographic winch system(s) for Side Station handling.

STBD side CTD Sampling Station (mid-ships, weather protected).

Trawling and Deck Operations

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

The following underwater acoustic systems are required as part of the design:

Single Beam Echosounder System (SBES) Multibeam Survey System – Shallow Water (MBSS-SW) Multibeam Survey System – Mid Water (MBSS-MW) Sub Bottom Profiler (SBP) Acoustic Doppler Current Profiler (ADCP) Acoustic Navigation and Tracking System (ANTS) Acoustic Net Mensuration System Transducers Self-Noise Hydrophones Ship’s Depth Finding System Dual Axis Doppler Speed Log System Scientific Sensor Suite

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Propulsion:

The propulsion plant shall be a diesel-electric system providing continuous and unrestricted speed control.

The system must be designed as an integrated plant capable of handling the cyclical load variations imposed by dynamic positioning operations.

Electrical:

The electrical system must ensure continuous and reliable power in accordance with IEEE Standard 45.

A key requirement is the inclusion of service life growth margins of at least 20% in generating capacity and 10% in switchboard distribution.

An Energy Storage System (ESS) must be provided integrated into shipboard power.

Machinery & Water Systems:

Auxiliary support systems required for continuous operation of propulsion machinery and generators shall be designed so that a single failure of any auxiliary equipment will not result in a loss of capability.

The vessel must have fully redundant freshwater production capability.

The vessel must have a centralized freshwater cooling system for auxiliary machinery.

Propulsion, Power, and Machinery

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Cranes & Vans:

Person-rated crane: reach to working decks, overboard deployment/recovery, boat/equipment handling.

Deck strength and space for one 20-ft, 10-tonne (max) ISO van.

Specialized Gear Handling:

Supports scientific longline and fish trap deployment, setting, & retrieval.

Boat Handling:

Capable of launch and recovery of various workboats, UMS, AUVs, & ROVs.

One SOLAS approved Rescue Boat (diesel) with davit.

One 6m workboat with permanent davit.

Space for an additional workboat cradle.

Cranes, Vans, and Specialized Gear

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Marine Mammal Observation Area:

Two locations above the pilot-house (port & starboard of centerline).

Obstruction-free visibility (110° arc each).

Free from radiation hazards, safe for human occupancy.

Unmanned Systems Support:

The vessel must have the capability to support the launch, recovery, and operation of small form-factor unmanned systems, including:

Uncrewed Marine Systems Remotely Operated Vehicles Autonomous Underwater Vehicles Unmanned Aircraft Systems Observation and Unmanned Systems

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Design Principles:

Standard: Accommodations shall be designed in accordance with the ABS Guide for Crew Habitability to meet HAB(G) requirements.

Human Engineering: Human engineering principles (ASTM F1166) shall be applied to the design to accommodate a range from the 5th percentile female to the 95th percentile male.

Automation: Automation shall be used where practical to reduce workload, manpower, and total ownership cost.

Vessel Complement:

Max Embarked Personnel: 35 Crew: 21 dedicated berths + 2 flex (cadets/trainees).

Scientists: 12 dedicated berths Required Onboard Facilities:

Minimum 15 single staterooms (CO & CE with private T/S). Other accommodations may be double.

Medical Facility (USCG/OMAO guidelines).

Public toilets on each deck / near support spaces.

Crew Lounge (may be shared with mess).

Gym/Exercise Space & Ship's Office Space.

Accommodations and Habitability

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Fully enclosed Bridge (including bridge wings) with attached deck head, Chart/Operations area, and aft conning station.

Reliable, integrated, regulatory-compliant communication systems.

Sufficient for all mission, operational, & safety needs (unrestricted ocean service).

Designed to accommodate future technology insertion.

ABS Navigational Integrated Bridge System (NIBS) Notation Communications and Navigation

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Maintenance Philosophy:

The vessel will be supported through a two-level maintenance approach utilizing both organic (ship's crew) and commercial resources.

The ship's crew will perform routine preventative and corrective maintenance.

Maintenance not able to be conducted at sea or beyond the crew's capability will be contracted through commercial or government resources.

Supportability by Design The vessel layout and machinery arrangement must provide an adequate maintenance envelope for inspection, repair, and equipment removal.

The design must include dedicated spare parts storage.

Storeroom sizing must be sufficient to accommodate the full complement for a 21-day mission without resupply at sea.

Keep in mind domestic supportability of all systems.

Maintenance, Logistics, and Supportability

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Mandated Single System Vendors (SSVs) To ensure critical system integration and reduce technical risk, the contract requires the use of the following government-directed SSVs:

Propulsion System SSV.

Scientific Electronic Systems (SES) SSV.

Trawl and Deck Handling System (TDHS) SSV.

Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) The Government does not intent to provide any GFE for this acquisition. The successful offeror is responsible for sourcing all material and equipment.

Government Furnished Information (GFI) GFI will be limited to the information provided within the solicitation package, such as the Statement of Requirements, and other operational and mission data.

Single-System Vendors, GFE, and GFI

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

We will be back in 15 minutes Break

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Phase I - Preliminary & Contract Design: The Government will award approximately three FFP contracts to conduct a competitive design effort over an 18-month period.

One small-business reserve Phase I Outcome: Each Phase I contractor will deliver a complete technical and price proposal for the Phase II effort.

Phase II - Detail Design & Construction: Following evaluation of Phase I proposals, the Government will down-select and award the option for DD&C phase to a single offeror for up to three vessels.

Single Acquisition - Two Phases

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Key Acquisition Highlights Award: Anticipate Phase 1 Award in late FY26 or early FY27 pending funding availability Competition: Full and Open Competition for Phase I award.

Contract Type: The Government intends to award Firm-Fixed Price (FFP) contracts.

Eligibility: This acquisition is limited to Offerors with shipyards domestic to the continental United States.

Source Selection: A Best Value Trade-Off process will be used, where technical factors are considered significantly more important than price.

Past-Performance will be included

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Phase I: Key Design Analysis & Validation Hydrodynamic Performance Analysis (Required Reports) Phase I design effort requires comprehensive engineering analysis to predict vessel performance.

Key Focus Area: Bubble Sweepdown Analysis A critical component of Phase I is a rigorous analysis to validate the hull’s acoustic performance.

This requires a two-stage Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) approach:

Flight 1: Steady-State (Calm Water) CFD Analysis.

Flight 2: Dynamic (In-Waves) CFD Analysis.

Physical Model Basin Testing & Validation The design analysis must be validated with a comprehensive model test program, including:

Bare hull and appended resistance tests.

Self-propulsion and wake survey tests.

Seakeeping and Propulsor Cavitation Performance tests.

Bubble Sweepdown Flow Visualization tests.

Modeling and Hull Testing

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Various physical mockups will be required as part of this acquisition:

Pilot House Mission Deck Equipment Handling Anchor Handling Mockups

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

The single offeror selected for Phase II will be responsible for the complete Detail Design and Construction (DD&C) of up to three Class C vessels. Key efforts and deliverables include:

Detail Design & Production Readiness Completing the detail design and achieving a state of production readiness, which will be verified through a comprehensive Production Readiness Review prior to the Start of Construction.

Vessel Construction & Outfitting Construction and outfitting of the vessel(s) shall be in accordance with the final, approved design and the Statement of Requirements.

Comprehensive Testing & Trials Program Executing a rigorous trials program to verify all requirements, including dedicated Builder's, Mission, Acoustic, and final Acceptance Trials.

Integrated Logistics Support (ILS) Delivering a complete ILS package, including technical manuals, spares, and all required support documentation.

Crew Familiarization & Warranty Providing 240 hours of comprehensive crew familiarization and training prior to delivery.

Delivering the vessel(s) followed by a 12-month warranty period.

Phase II: Detail Design, Construction, and Delivery

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Preliminary & Contract Design:

CLIN 0001: Firm-fixed price for the Preliminary/Contract Design effort.

The Government plans to award multiple contracts for Phase I.

A Price Cap of $3M is set for each Phase I award.

CLIN 0002: Data (Not-Separately Priced).

DD&C:

CLINs 0003, 0009, 0015: Option for Detail Design and Construction of Vessel #1, #2, and #3.

CLINs 0004, 0010, 0016: Option for Shore Based Spares.

CLINs 0005, 0011, 0017: Option for Shipboard Spares.

CLINs 0006, 0012, 0018: Not-To-Exceed (NTE) for Additional Government Requirements (e.g., GFE installs, yard support).

CLINs 0007, 0013, 0019: Not-To-Exceed (NTE) for Special Studies and Documentation.

CLINs 0008, 0014, 0020: Option for Outfitting Items.

Phase II: Detail Design & Construction

CLIN Structure (Draft RFP)

Data Rights (Phase I/II): The Government will have unlimited rights to use, disclose, reproduce, prepare derivative works, distribute, and publicly perform or display all data first produced in the performance of the contract, form, fit, and function data, and any manuals or instructional materials delivered under the contract.

Government Obtains Unlimited Rights:

To use, disclose, reproduce, and distribute:

Data first produced in the performance of the contract.

Form, fit, and function data delivered under the contract.

Manuals or instructional materials for installation, operation, and maintenance.

Phase I: Preliminary & Contract Design

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Production Readiness Review (PRR) The contract requires the successful completion of a comprehensive PRR, demonstrating design maturity, before the Government will authorize the Start of Construction (SOC) .

Liquidated Damages The contract includes liquidated damages for failure to deliver on time.

Program Protection & Cybersecurity Offerors must adhere to specific Program Protection and Cybersecurity requirements, including supply chain risk management for designated Critical Components.

On-Site Government Facilities The successful contractor will be required to provide and maintain on-site office and secure warehouse facilities for Government personnel and ship's crew throughout the period of performance.

Post-Delivery Availability (PDA) The vessel is required to remain at the contractor's facility for a 45-day Post Delivery Availability (PDA) period for final outfitting and support after delivery.

Key Considerations

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Your Feedback is Critical Your formal written feedback is a critical component of our market research and a key tool for our program to reduce risk for both the Government and our future industry partners.

Providing Context for Your Written Response The full set of questions has been released in the "Questions for Industry" RFI document.

We hope today provided additional context to help you prepare the most effective written responses.

Submission Reminder All responses must be submitted in writing in accordance with the RFI instructions.

Responses are requested by August 29th, 2025 and are limited to 10 pages.

Information Requested from Industry

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations

Our Commitment We are committed to a fair, transparent, and efficient procurement process to select the best-value mission partner for this critical national asset.

Your Next Step: Provide Written Feedback We look forward to receiving your written responses to the "Questions for Industry" Request for Information (RFI).

Your feedback is essential for refining the final RFP and is a critical part of our market research.

Please refer to SAM.gov for the official RFI posting and final response deadline.

Official Point of Contact Following today's event, all official communication regarding this procurement must be directed in writing to the Contracting Team at:

Ashley Perry, Contracting Officer <ashley.perry@noaa.gov> Chris Meconnahey <chris.meconnahey@noaa.gov> Thank you for your time and interest in the NOAA Class C Vessel Program!

Path Forward and Closing Remarks

U.S. Department of Commerce • National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration • Office of Marine and Aviation Operations image2.png image3.png image1.png