Sources Sought AR392.pdf

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Salinometer

This Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Proposal or Quotation. It is not considered to be a commitment by the Government to award a contract nor will the Government pay for any information provided;

no basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result from a response to this Sources Sought Notice or Government use of any information provided.

Pursuant to FAR Part 10 (Market Research), the purpose of this notice is to:

1. Determine if sources capable of satisfying the agency's requirements exists.

2. Determine whether the acquisition should utilize any of the small business programs in accordance with FAR Part 19.

Pursuant to FAR Part 6 and FAR Part 19, competition and set-aside decisions may be based on the results of this market research. This notice in no way obligates the Government to any further action.

Requirement: This notice is issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR), Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory (AOML) to identify sources capable of providing the following:

The requirement is to provide one Salinometer for use at the Miami, FL laboratory.

Anticipated Period of Performance: The anticipated delivery date is 11/7/2026. A Firm Fixed price contract is anticipated for award.

NAICS Code/Size Standard: The applicable NAICS Code is 334519, NAICS Description, and the size standard is 600 employees.

Required Supplies:

The requirement is for the procurement of one (1) laboratory-grade Salinometer (Model 8400B).

This instrument is critical for processing discrete salinity water samples collected at sea and serves as the primary calibration baseline to correct real-time Conductivity, Temperature, and Depth (CTD) sensor profiles during long-term oceanographic research cruises.

Key Performance Requirements

● Extreme Measurement Precision: The salinometer must achieve laboratory precision thresholds with an accuracy of ±0.002 Salinity to meet the strict standards required by international hydrographic research communities.

● Historical Data Continuity: The system must adhere to the exact thermodynamic measurement standard and engineering tolerances of historical profiles to maintain the scientific integrity of a continuous, multi-decadal baseline of oceanographic salinity data.

● Technical Stability: The instrument must feature a unique dual-bath temperature control system that effectively isolates water samples from ambient laboratory fluctuations, guaranteeing unmatched conductivity measurement stability.

● Operational Interoperability: The specific architecture and stability outputs must be inherently compatible with the mathematical models and data processing pipelines utilized by the scientific community to cross-reference and correct real-time CTD sensor profiles at sea.

Submission of Information: Companies having capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to provide information to contribute to this market survey/sources sought notice including commercial market information and company information.

Companies may respond to this Sources Sought Notice via email to: darrin.moore@noaa.gov no later than 13 August 2026 at 1200 Eastern Time.

Please provide the following information/documentation:

1. Name of Company, Address and Unique Entity ID.

2. Point of Contact and Phone Number.

3. Business Size applicable to the NAICS Code: 8(a) Small Business Concern, Hub Zone Small

Business Concern, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business Concern (SDVOSBC) or a Small Business Concern.

4. Statement for Proposal Submission:

• Evidence of experience in providing supplies similar in type and scope to include contract numbers, project titles, points of contact and telephone numbers.

• Brief statement on the supplies you intend to supply, with country of origin.

• Confirmation that your company WILL submit a proposal as a prime contractor if a solicitation is issued as a result of this Sources Sought Notice.

Interested parties: Need to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). Failure to submit sufficient detailed information may result in considering a company as not a viable source and may influence competition and set-aside decisions. Regardless of the information obtained from this Sources Sought Notice, the Government reserves the right to consider any arrangement as deemed appropriated for this requirement.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response to this Sources Sought Notice. The Government reserves the right to use any information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate, including using technical information provided by respondents in any resultant solicitation.

After a review of the responses received from this notice, a pre-solicitation notice and solicitation may be published on the Governmentwide Point of Entry (GPE). It is the potential offeror's responsibility to monitor the GPE for release of any future solicitation that may result from this Sources Sought Notice. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice will not be considered adequate responses to any resultant solicitation.