Intent to Sole Source - Final.pdf

SYNOPSIS: NOTICE OF INTENT TO AWARD A SOLE-SOURCE CONTRACT

ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: ACQ-24-0767

PROJECT TITLE: AIRCRAFT-BASED OBSERVATIONS

The US Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), Eastern Acquisition Division (EAD) and the National Weather Service (NWS), using the procedures set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12 - Acquisition of Commercial Products and Commercial Services and FAR Part 15 - Contracting by Negotiation, intends to negotiate on a sole source basis with Collins (formerly ARINC) Incorporated, for a firm-fixed price procurement for observations of wind, temperature, and humidity Meteorological Data and Reporting System (MDCRS) and Water Vapor Sensor System (WVSS) data which includes atmospheric observations from commercial aircraft, through the use of commercial aircraft and on-board meteorological sensors, leading to the improved understanding of the structure of the atmospheric water vapor, temperature, wind, and pressure, as these data are critical to the prediction of thunderstorms, flash floods, hail, tornados, clouds, icing, and climate. The Key elements of this requirement are to:

• Continue data stream from commercial aircraft operated by major commercial airlines providing up to 3.2M vertical profiles of wind and temperature worldwide on an annual basis, with at least 1.5M annually over the Continental United States; a subset of those aircraft numbering 135 providing approximately 1000 vertical profiles of humidity per day along with wind and temperature in and around major airport hubs; and en route observations of wind and temperature every 14 minutes worldwide, primarily on transoceanic flights.

• Provide full and open disclosure of sensor characteristics (e.g., metadata), data processing and sampling techniques.

• Maintain high data delivery availability and reliability.

• Support the capability to communicate the data availability status to NOAA and other designated users including sensor and circuit status.

• Provide meteorological observational data to the Government consistent with an open--system architecture model.

• Provide data to NOAA without intellectual property or distribution restrictions, whereas NOAA is the sole owner of the data and is free to distribute data in real time to other member governments of the World Meteorological Organization

The statutory authority permitting other than full and open competition is 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1) as implemented by the FAR Subpart 6.302-1 entitled, Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements.

The North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS) for this acquisition is 518210 – Data Processing, Hosting, and Related Services, with a business size standard of $40 million. This notice does not constitute a solicitation, Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quotation (RFQ), or an Invitation for bid (IFB) and it does not restrict the Government in any way regarding its ultimate acquisition approach. However, if any other interested party believes that it can meet the requirements, it may submit a statement of capabilities, which, if timely received, will be considered by NOAA.

A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed requirement based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement in the future. Evidence must be provided of ability to provide the required services. The capability statement and any other information furnished must be in writing and must contain material in sufficient detail to allow NOAA to determine if the party can meet all of the requirements. Capability statements and related materials must be e-mailed to Contract Specialist Nicole Verway at Nicole.Verway@noaa.gov by 5:00PM EST, April 2, 2024.

mailto:Nicole.Verway@noaa.gov