Fiducial Flashpole Product

Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC (LLNS), on behalf of the Department of Energy, is conducting a sources-sought inquiry to identify vendors capable of developing a next-generation fiducial flashpole system for marine raft applications, with responses due by June 26, 2026.

The current flashpole suffers from reliability and maintenance failures in harsh field environments driven by environmental exposure and humidity ingress. LLNS seeks vendors experienced in ruggedized electro-optical systems, embedded firmware, waterproof packaging, and field-deployable equipment to support assessment, design, prototyping, testing, and eventual delivery of a replacement system. This is a pre-solicitation market survey; LLNS is not requesting detailed technical solutions at this stage.

Technical requirements include optical output exceeding the incumbent 432-LED model's 500,000 lumens brightness, 1 Hz flash pulse timing with 50 millisecond ON and 950 millisecond OFF durations, uniform 360-degree visibility, and both external triggering via onboard instrumentation and internal photodiode-based triggering. The system must achieve IP67 saltwater protection or equivalent, operate at 100 percent relative humidity at 36°C and external temperatures from minus 5°C to 50°C, sustain a 3-year service life without repairs, weigh less than 14 pounds (isolated flashpole desired below 7 pounds), withstand 3-foot drops and vibration loads to 1.04 Grms at 5–500 Hz, draw power from a 24V bus with 12V and 48V compatibility desired, and include firmware that is either fully modifiable by LLNL or manufacturer-supported for updates.

The effort spans three phases over 26 weeks for Phase 1 (requirements and initial design), with Phase 2 and Phase 3 including detailed design, prototyping, testing, and production readiness. The contractor must demonstrate capacity to produce up to 100 units within 3 months of design completion and provide product support and replacement parts for a minimum 10 years.

Interested vendors should submit relevant experience, technical capabilities aligned with optical, electrical, environmental, mechanical, and field-operations requirements, timeline feasibility, and preliminary capability assessments.