Notice of Intent to Sole Source: Argos Satellite Data Transmission Service
Closed Special Notice Posted
- Solicitation number
- REQUIREMENTS-25-0671
- Agency
-
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Department of Commerce
- Responses due
- Set-aside
- No set-aside
Opportunity facts
- NAICS code
- 517410 Satellite Telecommunications
- Place of performance
- Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Notice details come from SAM.gov. Updated .
About this opportunity
The Department of Commerce's National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries has issued a Special Notice of Intent to Sole Source a contract with The Woods Hole Group, Inc. for Argos Satellite Data Transmission Services. The notice, published on March 6, 2025, with a response deadline of March 12, 2025, outlines a Firm-Fixed-Price Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract. The Woods Hole Group is identified as the sole provider of these specialized satellite communication services in the United States, specifically for receiving transmissions from wildlife platform transmitter terminals (PTT). The contract is categorized under Satellite Telecommunications (NAICS 517410) and focuses on satellite communications and telecom access services.
The primary objective of this contract is to support NOAA Fisheries' critical marine research and conservation missions, enabling real-time monitoring of marine mammals, sea turtles, and other marine species. The satellite data transmission service will provide high-quality location accuracy to track marine life movements, monitor environmental changes, and support ecological research. Services include Argos platforms, data access, satellite data collection, location tracking, and value-added services such as web access, data archiving, and post-processing capabilities. The sole-source justification is based on The Woods Hole Group's unique position as the U.S. subsidiary of CLS Group and the only provider capable of delivering the required standardized PTT data transmission format. Researchers will use this service to deploy satellite transmitting devices that help understand habitat needs, movement patterns, and ecological parameters of protected marine species.
Notice text
Notice of Intent to Sole Source
The US Department of Commerce (DOC), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries, Acquisition and Grants Office (AGO), Western Acquisition Division (WAD) and Office of Protected Resources (OPR), using the procedures set forth in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 13.501(a), intends to award on a sole source basis with The Woods Hole Group, Inc, for a Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP), Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) for Argos satellite Data Transmission Services.
Background/Overview:
NOAA Fisheries requires a satellite data transmission service that is compatible with wildlife platform transmitter terminals (PTT) and is capable of providing data transmitted by PTT in near-real time, in a standardized format. The Woods Hole Group is the United States-based subsidiary of CLS Group and is the sole provider of the Argos satellite communication services for receiving transmissions from PTT and providing those data in a standardized format.
NOAA Fisheries will utilize this service for multiple critical missions including to conserve and recover marine mammal and sea turtle populations and to obtain data on other species and environments. Researchers will deploy satellite transmitting devices to provide real-time monitoring and obtain data necessary to implement effective conservation and recovery efforts and manage other marine species.
The PTT used by NOAA Fisheries are designed for transmitting data through the Argos system and are used to track marine life movements and monitor water temperatures.
In general, marine life are secretive, wide-ranging and are difficult to track directly. To understand the habitat needs, movements, home ranges and other ecological parameters of protected species, we rely on remote tracking techniques. The service will specifically provide critical satellite data transmission and high-quality location accuracy to improve monitoring how these species use their habitats and respond to environmental changes.
The vendor shall provide the following support:
PLATFORMS
- ArgosService
- Argos locations
- Data Access
- Satellite Data Collection and Location for Transmitting Platforms
VALUE ADDED SERVICES
- ArgosDirect
- ArgosArchive (CD-Rom or Email)
- Regular Monthly Data Bank
- ArgosWeb: Free Secured Web Access
ARGOSMONITOR
- ArgosMonitor
- Moored Buoy Monitoring (MBM)
- Silent PTT Monitoring
- Sending Alerts
ARGOS POST-PROCESSING SERVICES
- Track & Loc
- On-demand Multipass Location
- Argos Doppler Location Reprocessing
- Enrich your tracks with contextual data
Notice history
| Notice | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| This notice | Special Notice | |
| Request for Information: Argos Satellite Data Transmission Service | Pre-Solicitation |
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