USV_Charter_Statement_of_Work_v2.pdf

STATEMENT OF WORK

Hydrographic Survey Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) Charter

NCNJ1000-16-00910

1 GENERAL INFORMATION

1.1 Background

The Office of Coast Survey (Coast Survey) is responsible for NOAA's nautical charting program and provides nautical charts and related products for the coastal and adjacent ocean areas of the United States (including possessions and territories), the Great Lakes, and other inland navigable waters. Accurate and reliable charts are essential to the safety of those who go to sea for commerce, defense, or recreation.

NOAA's Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) operates a wide variety of specialized aircraft and ships to complete NOAA's environmental and scientific missions. OMAO is also responsible for the administration and implementation of the NOAA Diving Program, Small Boat Program and Aviation Safety Program, to ensure safe and efficient operations in NOAA-sponsored underwater activities and aviation and small boat operations.

Coast Survey and OMAO are jointly conducting a project to evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of long-endurance, sea-worthy Unmanned Surface Vehicles (USVs) equipped with hydrographic survey equipment suites for conducting hydrographic survey operations from, and in cooperation with, NOAA’s hydrographic survey ships.

1.2 Purpose

The purpose of this contract is to charter an Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) equipped with fully integrated suite of hydrographic survey equipment, including multibeam echosounder, along with qualified operators and technicians to sail aboard a NOAA hydrographic survey ship for 12-14 days at sea to conduct hydrographic survey operations in coordination with the ship.

The objective of the charter is to allow NOAA to evaluate the answers to the following questions:

• What resources, including personnel, shipboard infrastructure, and handling systems are necessary to safely and effectively operate a USV from a NOAA hydrographic survey vessel?

• What are the operational capabilities and limitations of a USV?

• Under what concept of operations will USVs provide a meaningful benefit to

NOAA hydrographic survey operations?

Additionally, the data collected by the USV during the evaluation should provide NOAA with modern, accurate hydrographic survey data with which to update the nautical charts of the assigned area.

1.3 Statement of Work

This Statement of Work (SOW) contains requirements specific to the USV charter and is intended to supplement the NOS Hydrographic Surveys Specifications and Deliverables (HSSD).

1.4 Survey Specifications

The contractor shall perform all survey work on this project in accordance with the 2015 edition of the HSSD. This document may be viewed at:

http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsd/specs/specs.htm and is incorporated by reference into this SOW as if fully set forth.

1.5 Host Vessel and Survey Area

The expected host vessel for the USV charter is the NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson, and the planned survey area is the offshore approaches to Savannah, GA. The expected time frame is mid to late September 2016.

2 SHIPPING AND PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The period of performance is to be 09/12/2016 – 09/23/2016 and the delivery location (embarkation on NOAA Ship Thomas Jefferson) is 439 West York Street, Norfolk, VA, 23510 and debarkation is in Savannah, GA. These dates and locations may be altered pending ship availability.

The Point of Contact for Delivery is:

Eric Younkin LT/NOAA HSTB Liaison - East Marine Operations Center - Atlantic 439 W York St Norfolk, VA 23510 Office: 757-441-6746 x105

3 SCOPE OF WORK

3.1 Contractor Responsibilities

3.1.1 General

The Contractor shall provide all labor, material, and equipment necessary to operate the USV and supply the Government with hydrographic data acquired in accordance with the requirements and technical specifications stated herein. The Contractor shall be responsible for the following tasks, although this list is not to be deemed as all inclusive

• mobilization and de-mobilization of the equipment to and from the port of embarkation and debarkation http://nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/hsd/specs/specs.htm

• supplying all equipment, spares, and supplies necessary for the conduct of survey operations

• all necessary calibrations of equipment needed to conduct the survey work

• determining that the static transducer draft, and the settlement and squat of the vessel has been measured and remains properly accounted for throughout the survey

• conducting accuracy testing and accounting for sensor alignment and biases

• determining, processing and applying necessary data corrections

• submission of raw multibeam bathymetry, backscatter, positioning data, and ancillary sensor data, including surface speed, required to process the bathymetric data in accordance with the HSSD

• planning survey operations of the USV in coordination with the shipboard survey personnel

• operation and monitoring of the USV to safely meet the survey requirements

• maintenance of the USV

• on-the-job training and familiarization of the USV system for designated NOAA personnel, not to interfere with the safe operation of the USV

3.1.2 Personnel

The Contractor shall be responsible for providing personnel experienced in the maintenance and operation of the USV and collection of hydrographic data.

The personnel must be U.S. citizens and meet the requirements, including medical clearance, for sailing aboard a NOAA vessel.

The proposal should specify the number of personnel required to sail aboard the NOAA vessel to operate and maintain the USV and describe their roles and responsibilities.

Due to shipboard berthing the number of personnel is limited to no more than three.

3.2 Hydrographic Survey Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV)

The Contractor is responsible for providing and operating a USV that meets the following functional and technical requirements:

3.2.1 Physical Characteristics

The USV will be operated from a NOAA hydrographic survey ship with standard shipboard handling systems, so it is preferable that the USV be as compact and as lightweight as possible while meeting all other requirements. Below are the maximum dimensions which must not be exceeded:

Maximum Length Overall (LOA): 20 feet

Maximum Weight: 4800 pounds fully loaded and fueled.

The USV must be equipped with a single point lift for launch and recovery from the shipboard handling system.

3.2.2 Propulsion & Energy System

The power system for the USV should be sufficient to operate all sensors and maintain survey speed for a minimum of 3 days without recharging or refueling. Battery powered or diesel powered systems are acceptable. Gasoline powered systems are unacceptable

3.2.3 Endurance

At Survey Speed: Minimum of 3 days

Station Keeping or Loiter: Minimum of 7 days

3.2.4 Survey Speed

The USV and integrated sensors should be capable of conducting hydrographic surveys in accordance with the specifications at least 7 knots.

3.2.5 Operating Environment Capabilities

The USV must be capable of operating in open ocean conditions. Additionally, the USV may be operated in areas frequented by vessel traffic, including commercial shipping, fishing, and recreational vessels. The expected survey area in the offshore approaches to Savannah, GA has an average wind speed of 7-16 knots and average wave height of .75-1.5 meters for the month of September.

(See http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=41008 for detailed environmental data for Station 41008 (LLNR 833) Grays Reef)

• The USV must be capable of collecting bathymetric sonar data in water depths up to 100 feet.

• The USV must be able to be safely launched, recovered, and operated in sea conditions up to, and including, significant wave height of 1.5 meters and wind speeds of 15 knots.

• The USV must be able to station keep or loiter if conditions are unfavorable for a safe recovery of the USV aboard the ship.

• The USV must be capable of operating in precipitation and low visibility.

• The USV must be capable of safe operation in coastal waterways that are frequented by vessel traffic.

The proposal must describe the features of proposed USV that will allow it to safely operate in these conditions, describe any operational environment limitations, and should describe technical and navigational safety features of the USV, including, but not limited to, line-of-sight and over-the-horizon communications, collision avoidance, and emergency failsafe features.

http://www.ndbc.noaa.gov/station_page.php?station=41008

3.2.6 Communications & Control

The USV should be capable of operating autonomously (without operator intervention) to follow pre-programmed survey instructions, as well as being remotely controlled by an operator over short or medium range wireless communication. Additionally, over-the-horizon communications are desirable to receive USV position and status in the event of an emergency.

The contractor shall supply all necessary communications and control equipment necessary for the safe operation and monitoring of the USV. The communications and control systems and capabilities must be described in detail in the response to this solicitation.

3.2.7 Operator Interface

The USV system should include an operator interface that provides mission planning tools, system configuration, system monitoring, and remote control operation.

The mission planning tools should be graphic chart-based tools capable of displaying background files, such as Raster Charts, Electronic Nautical Charts, and geo-referenced TIFF images, to aid in mission planning.

The proposal should provide a detailed description of the Operator Interface functions and features, including physical space requirements for operators and equipment.

3.2.8 Ancillary Equipment

The USV system should include all the necessary ancillary equipment necessary for the operation of the USV, including, but not limited to, battery charging equipment and topside communications equipment.

The proposal should provide a detailed description of all ancillary equipment provided with the system.

3.2.9 Survey Equipment and Instrumentation

The Contractor is responsible for maintaining and calibrating all equipment necessary to comply with this Statement of Work. The Contractor shall calibrate equipment requiring annual calibration such as sound speed profilers, Conductivity-Temperature- Depth (CTD) probes, water level measurement systems, and other related instruments and instrumentation systems, no earlier than six months prior to the commencement of survey operations.

3.3 Discussion of Operations

The purpose of this charter is to evaluate the suitability and effectiveness of operating a USV from a NOAA hydrographic survey ship. NOAA is interested in developing an understanding of the logistical, operational, and maintenance requirements associated with USV operations, as well as evaluating benefits and limitations of possible concepts of operation. To accomplish this, the contractor and the shipboard personnel must work in close collaboration.

The contractor will have the ultimate responsibility for the safe operation of the USV when it is off of the NOAA vessel, including command and control, monitoring, risk management and navigation safety.

The NOAA ship’s personnel will have ultimate responsibility for the safe launch and recovery of the USV, but will coordinate closely with contractor to manage the system’s safe handling.

In the event that conditions make it unsafe to recover the USV, the system must have the ability to maintain a general location and seaworthiness until conditions improve and the NOAA ship’s personnel determine that is safe to make a recovery.

NOAA personnel will provide geographic boundaries and desired data requirements to the contractor for survey planning. The contractor has the responsibility for determining whether or not the USV can safely and effectively operate.

The contractor should provide on-the-job training on system operation and maintenance to designated NOAA personnel not to interfere with the safe operation of the USV.

3.3.1 Proposed Concepts of Operations

NOAA believes that one area where a USV could be beneficial to its hydrographic survey operations is if the systems can operate for extended periods between launch and recovery to minimize the impact on shipboard operations. The operational modes that NOAA would like to see demonstrated on this project are:

Autonomous Survey: The USV would be pre-programmed to complete a hydrographic survey within given geographic boundaries and require only monitoring or minimal operator intervention for safety to complete the survey. Operator intervention should only be necessary to address faults, override onboard navigation safety and collision avoidance if necessary, and modify mission parameters if desired.

Autonomous Survey Formation: The USV would be programmed to maintain a standoff distance and direction from the ship, while the USV and the ship simultaneously conduct hydrographic surveys. In this scenario, the USV would respond to ship’s behavior to manage survey coverage and respond to vessel traffic.

Additional Concepts: Other possible concepts of operation include contact development, where the USV is programmed to conduct a survey over a single or multiple points of interest, and survey gap coverage, where the USV is programmed to survey gaps (holidays) in previously acquired coverage.

The proposal shall discuss the USV capabilities and limitations in regards to the proposed concepts and operation, as well as provide a detailed discussion of the USV’s general operational capabilities.

4 SURVEY REQUIREMENTS

4.1 Hydrographic Survey Data

The Contractor shall acquire hydrographic survey data according to the coverage and equipment requirements in the Project Instructions. The importance of maintaining and documenting data flow integrity cannot be overstressed. A description of the data processing routines for converting from raw sounding data to the final sounding values shall be included in Section B of the Data Acquisition and Processing Report (DAPR).

See HSSD Section 8.1.5.1.

The Contractor shall provide raw multibeam bathymetry, backscatter, positioning data, and ancillary sensor data, including surface speed, required to process the bathymetric data in accordance with the HSSD.

4.2 Data Format

See HSSD Section 8.4.2, 8.4.3, and 8.4.4.

4.3 Quality Control

The Contractor shall make available to the NOAA, the same quality control/quality assurance tools and products used by the USV operators.

4.4 Positioning System Confidence Checks

See HSSD Section 3.4

4.5 Water Level Systems Checks and Verification

See HSSD Section 4.4.4.

4.6 Multibeam Confidence Checks

See HSSD Sections 5.2.3.1.

4.7 Speed of Sound Confidence Checks

See HSSD Section 5.2.3.3.

5 Pre-Deployment Meeting

Following award, a pre-deployment meeting to include contractor and NOAA personnel will be held to discuss mobilization and demobilization logistics, launch and recovery options, host vessel requirements, and planned operations.

6 Proposal Requirements

Proposals must include a detailed response to the items included in this statement of work and detailed cost breakdown, including mobilization and demobilization, equipment, personnel, and day rate.

7 Security Requirements

The Assessment and Authorization (A&A) requirements of Clause 48 CFR 1352.239- 72 do not apply, and a Security Accreditation Package is not required.

The contractor will not access, store, process or transmit any government privileged information. The contractor will not have access to any non-public government systems or networks.