Intent_to_Award_Notice_DOIGFBO260001_1.pdf

Intent to Award Notice – DOIGFBO260001

The US Geological Survey (USGS) Center for Earth Resources Observation and Science (EROS) has unique requirements for the capture, processing, monitoring, reporting, and distribution of scientific data in a timely manner in accordance with the National Satellite Land Remote Sensing Data Archive (NSLRSDA) missions established by the Land Remote Sensing Policy Act of 1992. EROS has a statutory requirement to ingest satellite data from active Landsat missions via ground stations across the globe connecting to the Landsat Ground Network (LGN), a USGS High Value Asset (HVA) supporting Mission Essential Functions (MEF) 3-6 and 3-8, and Essential Supporting Activities (ESA) 7. EROS also has a requirement for the Landsat Archive and Landsat Product Generation System (LPGS) HVAs to ingest and distribute Landsat data and products to the public in support of MEFs 3-6, 3-7, 3-8, and ESA-7. This data is stored both on-premise at EROS and in the AWS cloud.

These ingest and distribution activities necessitate unique wide-area-network (WAN) requirements for connectivity to LGN, the cloud, and partner institutions, especially the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) N-Wave network, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) and international partners such as European Space Agency (ESA) and Australian Space Agency (ASA). Internet2’s WAN backbone and regional sites, particularly in Chicago, IL and Seattle, WA, provide unique interconnectivity between these institutions and is purpose built for use by scientific, research, education, and government institutions along with direct connect to Cloud Service Providers (CSP).

The total anticipated period of performance will be 02/01/2026 - 01/31/2027

The USGS is aware of no other source that can provide the above. Therefore, it intends to make an award to Internet2 unless it is contacted by any vendor who believes they have similar technical expertise and can provide the same service(s). Vendors are invited to contact the Contracting Officer, Leah Williams via email at lwilliams@usgs.gov no later than 09:00 AM ES, Monday, January 26, 2026 with an affirmative answer. Email shall include “Notice DOIGFBO260001” in the subject line.

The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) considers employee signatures to be Personal Protected Information, and therefore all employee signatures have been redacted. By posting this document, the Contracting Officer attests all appropriate signatures have been obtained.

JUSTIFICATION FOR OTHER THAN FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION (FAR 13.1)

The following information is provided to demonstrate the proposed contractor’s unique qualifications:

Internet2 is the only known source capable of meeting the requirements for the capture, processing, monitoring, reporting, and distribution of scientific data in a timely manner. The Internet2 network uniquely provides a primary leg of the LGN connection between the EROS facility in Sioux Falls, SD and Seattle, WA where it connects to the Internet2 partner network NOAA N-Wave through to the satellite ground station in Gilmore Creek, AK (GLC). This is critical to the ingest of Landsat data captured from GLC. The Internet2 provides the required routing to NASA GSFC where the Landsat Mission Operation Center (MOC) is located and where ingest from other NASA missions originates. Internet2’s other partner networks allow for connectivity to ESA, ASA, and institutions based on mission driven requirements without the need to establish a direct connection or circuit. Furthermore, 70% of EROS data distribution mailto:lwilliams@usgs.gov traffic, a total of 12 Petabytes in FY24, utilizes the Internet2 network which is purpose built for this type of use case. Thus, enabling Internet2 to be the sole provider of a backup path in the event of a failure of EROS primary ingest/distribution WAN circuit.

Efforts to identify alternative sources for network services similar to Internet2 included a comprehensive market research analysis of potential WAN service providers tailored for scientific, research, education, and government institutions and testing of existing alternative WAN connections provided by the DOI. This evaluation revealed that while several companies offer general WAN services, none possess the specific capabilities required by EROS for providing LGN connectivity and data ingest/distribution. Many Regional Research and Education Networks (RRENs) provide connectivity to the Internet2 backbone, but do not provide the full spectrum of services that meet EROS unique requirements. Key factors considered included Internet2's unique regional routing points in Chicago, IL, and Seattle, WA, which are critical for LGN connectivity; its capacity to manage the substantial data distribution traffic required by EROS; and its ability to provide a reliable backup path for data ingest and distribution through its established presence in Kansas City, MO.

Additionally, Internet2 facilitates direct connections to cloud services, an essential feature for EROS’s operational mission. The lack of similar infrastructure and connectivity options from other vendors further narrows the field of potential alternatives. Internet2’s member community enables efficient establishment of routing between EROS and other institutions such as NASA, ESA, and ASA in support of NSLRSDA missions. Internet2’s past performance for reliability and quality of service has been exceptional. Other general WANs have been tested and have not been able to keep up with data ingest/distribution leading to degradation of the EROS mission. Overall, the market research indicates that no other vendor can meet EROS's unique WAN service requirements, and while EROS will continue to monitor the market for new entrants or potential partnerships that could provide comparable services, Internet2 remains the only viable source at this time.

EROS will continue to monitor the marketplace for the emergence of other competitive providers of network routing services similar to the Internet2 Network, or the possibility of Internet2 Network authorizing re-sellers. At such time when other sources become available, EROS will vigorously compete the procurement of these services to the maximum extent practical.

(End of Notice)