Maintenance and Support of High Speed Network Connectivity for the U. S. Naval Observatory

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE, pursuant to FAR Part 10 (Market Research) and is not a pre-solicitation notice or solicitation for proposals/quotations. This synopsis does not constitute a request for a proposal/quotation, nor does its issuance in any way restrict the Government as to its ultimate acquisition approach. The Government will neither award a contract solely on the basis of this notice, nor will it reimburse the contractor for any costs associated with preparing or submitting a response to this notice. Any information provided by the Government at this time is preliminary and may be updated or changed prior to release of a formal solicitation.
The purpose of this Sources Sought Notice is to identify potential sources to provide high speed network connectivity to the point of presence (PoP) at the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope stations at Pie Town, NM and Mauna Kea, HI.
This requirement, for the United States Naval Observatory’s (USNO’s) Astrometry Department, Fundamental Reference Frame Division, is for contractor services for maintenance and support necessary to maintain high speed network connectivity to the point of presence at the Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) radio telescope stations at Pie Town, NM and Mauna Kea, HI.
The contractor will provide maintenance and support of fiber connections, station recording, and networking equipment as well as the connection of Saint Croix VLBA site to and maintenance of its high-speed connection to the PoP. The contractor will provide VLBA observations provided by the Long Baseline Observatory (LBO) in support of Earth Orientation Parameter (EOP) determination at the U.S. Naval Observatory and support for networks transporting observational data from LBO to support EOP determination at USNO.
A draft copy of the Government’s Statement of Work (SOW) is provided with this synopsis.
A Firm Fixed Priced contract is anticipated to satisfy this requirement. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code for this acquisition is 541715.
Firms possessing the requisite skills, resources, and capabilities necessary to perform the stated requirement as a prime contractor are invited to respond to this notice via the submission of an executive summary.
Submissions are not to exceed five (5) typewritten pages in no less than 12 font size. All responses will be considered, although any questions/comments/ideas will not be responded to directly. The goal of such feedback is to determine if a) a small business would be able to perform as a prime contractor, or b) any other sources are able to perform as a prime contractor.
The submission should include the following information and reference N0018918QZ763:
1. Company name, address, and point of contact with corresponding phone number and e-mail address
2.
DUNS number, Cage Code, business size and classification
3. Capability statement displaying the contractor’s ability to provide the required supplies to include past performance information.
If past performance information is provided, please include only relevant past performance for the same/similar item within the last five (5) years. This relevant past performance information should identify the applicable contract number; total contract dollar amount; capacity performed (Prime or Sub); contract delivery date; description of the supplies provided AND the relevancy of the supplies to the requirement; and a customer point of contact with corresponding telephone number and e-mail address (up to two references).
Relevant past performance is past performance of the same or similar scope and magnitude to the described requirement.
Standard brochures and/or paraphrasing of this notice will not be considered sufficient to demonstrate the capabilities of an interested party.
The Government requests that interested parties respond to this notice if applicable.
The Government will use information received to determine the best acquisition strategy for this procurement. Data submitted in response to this notice will not be returned.
All submissions are required to be submitted via e-mail to bridget.blaney@navy.mil no later than 1200 EST (local time/Philadelphia, PA) on 29 Aug 2018.
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