LMR VTS Port Assessment

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) BEING RELEASED PURSUANT TO FEDERAL ACQUISITION REGULATION (FAR) PART 10: MARKET RESEARCH. 

This RFI is issued solely for informational, market research, and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals.

Respondents are advised that the United States (U.S.) Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the responding party’s expense. At this time, proprietary information is not being requested, and respondents shall refrain from providing proprietary information in response to this RFI. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued.

Background: The Lower Mississippi River (LMR) is a dynamic waterway that provides for crucial shipping of products into and out of the United States. Comprised of 37 federal anchorages, 5 ports, and approximately 220 regulated facilities, Sector New Orleans Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) LMR oversees a VTS Area (VTSA) in which over 170,000 vessel transits occur each year. VTS LMR’s AOR extends almost 300 miles, from a 12 nautical mile radius around the Southwest Pass Entrance Light to Mile Marker 254.5 just north of Baton Rouge, LA. VTS LMR monitors two permanent Vessel Movement Reporting Systems (VMRS); New Orleans Harbor and Eighty-One Mile Point, and one temporary VMRS at Wilkinson Point (during extreme high-water situations only). The below figure displays the entirety of the VTS area for VTS LMR, with the red highlighted line reflecting the Mississippi River.

Purpose: The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is seeking information from potential offerors who are interested in and are able to improve coastal maritime domain awareness for USCG Sector New Orleans by conducting a technical assessment of VTS LMR technologies and operations and then provide a technical demo for government/ industry partners encompassing the VTS LMR VTS Area demonstrating the offeror’s turnkey transformation of VTS operations and technology and the rough order of magnitude (ROM) costs to include replacement and sustainment. The offerors must be willing to provide the following with zero cost to the US Government:

• Provide evidence as a current Industrial member to the International Association of Marine Aids to Navigation and Lighthouse Authorities (IALA)
• Conduct a port assessment of the existing VTS systems to include:
  • Remote Sensor Sites
  • Radio/AIS Equipment & Voice Communications Systems
  • Maritime Control Systems (or Vessel Traffic Management Information System (VTMIS))
• Develop a proposed turnkey transformation plan addressing the following:
  • Laydown of replacement sensors

o    Vessel Traffic Center with VTS Watchstander Interfaces

o    VHF transceivers with integrated recording

o    Network/Sensor connection 

o    Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS), Racks, etc.

• • Sustainment Plan
  • Training Plan
  • Other proposed transformation plans
• All VTS equipment and system processes must comply with IALA-standards
• Presentation to US government reps/industry port partners, providing the following:
  • Technical demonstration displaying proposed VTC interfaces 
  • Proposed turnkey transformation plan
  • Provide ROM costs for full turnkey transformation to include system replacement and training
  • Provide ROM costs for annual sustainment costs (5-year estimate)

Request 1-2 page submissions from vendors, who will be able to conduct the port assessment and the follow-up tech demo/transformation plan presentation for evaluation during the third or fourth quarter of fiscal year 2026.  

There is no solicitation at this time. This RFI is not a request for proposals; submission of any information in response to this request is purely voluntary; the Government will not pay for any costs incurred nor is obligated to respond. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned. 

The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code assigned to this procurement may be 541519.

After reviewing RFI responses to this RFI, and if the USCG still plans to proceed with the acquisition, a solicitation announcement may be published on the Contract Opportunities (formerly FedBizOpps) website or distributed to contract holders if a strategically sourced vehicle is deemed appropriate. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor the Contract Opportunities website.

Failure to respond or submit sufficiently detailed information may result in a company not being considered a likely offeror when making a decision on whether or how to set aside a solicitation for restricted competition. Regardless of the information submitted, the Government reserves the right to consider any arrangement as determined appropriate for this requirement.

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

Request: Please provide the following information:

1. Organization name
2. Address
3. Website
4. Point of contact name
5. Point of contact email address
6. Point of contact telephone number
7. Unique Entity Identifier
8. What information and/or resources would you typically need from the government to perform this effort?
9. Provide any general comments, thoughts, and feedback your company would like to share regarding this RFI.

Submission Instructions:  Interested parties are invited to submit a response to the above questions by February 20 at 3:00 PM EST. All responses and questions regarding this RFI must be emailed to Patrick.w.mccuen@uscg.mil. You may also submit supplemental materials such as brochures and product literature to the above email address.