Notice of Intent to Sole Source: Planet Labs Sea/SkySAT Ice Imagery

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC), Cold Regions Research Laboratory (CRREL) intends to award a contract on a sole source basis Planet Labs, Inc. upon the basis of the authority provided at FAR 13.106-1(b).

ERDC-CRREL requires the collection of repeat Planet Labs Inc. SkySat brand imagery of the sea ice around drifting Arctic buoys accurately targeted to 25 drifting sites, with coordinates provided by CRREL researchers, daily, to produce one (1) cloud-free scene per week, atmospheric conditions permitting.

The primary aspect of the project is the ability of the Contractor to collect clear imagery at specified locations over the Arctic Ocean from 1 March 2024 – 30 October 2024, accurately collecting imagery that contains the drifting buoy assets at a cadence of at least one (1) successful image per week for each site. The unique imagery collection activities necessary to create a clear SkySat image of the surface, requires the following:

• A successful SkySat image is defined as one that shall be centered within 1km of the coordinate location entered into the Contractor’s tasking API by Government representatives and captured within six (6) hours of the request entry, or, which includes the drifting asset in frame if taken later than six (6) hours from the request.

• Must be cloud-free (i.e., no more than 15% cloud cover) if atmospheric conditions permitted cloud-free (i.e., no more than 15% cloud cover) acquisition for at least twenty-four (24) daylight hours in a calendar week.

• Collection cadence of one (1) successful image per calendar week must be met twenty (20) of twenty-four (24) weeks for a site to be considered imaged successfully for the season.

• Performance of required successful imaging collection over twenty (20) of the twenty-five (25) sites is required for full compensation. Contract value will be diminished on a pro-rata basis for each site less than twenty (20) which does not meet successful image collections ($5,000 per site).

• If a drifting asset ceases to report its location, the Government will substitute another drifting asset in its place.

Planet Labs, Inc. has been identified as the only source capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirement. Planet Labs has the technical expertise, experience, and most importantly, the fleet of satellites and an interface for rapid image tasking necessary to fulfill outline tasks. CRREL partnered on a project with Planet Labs, Inc in to develop a complete library of code tools and processing routes that interface with Planet Lab's image tasking API to handle the specific spectral characteristics of the imagery returned by Planet Lab. These code tools are specific to Planet Lab's satellite systems. The code library collects position data from positioned buoys at specific times that coincide with satellite passes of Planet Lab’s satellites. Additionally, the developed code tools handle the imagery produced and then analyzes it to yield data on the true surface reflectivity, which can be interpreted to understand the ice conditions around CRREL’s buoy assets. Since each satellite type has unique attributes in its spectral response, the Government would not be able to replicate these codes or the calibrations that are needed to meet the imaging cadence and latency specification for this requirement’s timeframe. Due to the unique nature of the requested imagery and specific code tools and processing routes already established, Planet Labs, Inc. is the only provider capable of fulfilling the Government’s requirement in the allotted timeframe.

This Notice of Intent is not a request for competitive quotations.  However, interested parties may identify their interest and capability to respond to this requirement. Any interested party that believes they can fulfill this requirement should submit a capability statement to be reviewed. All submissions will be considered, however there is no guarantee that submissions in response to this notice will in any way alter the Government's acquisition strategy.

Responses to this notice shall be submitted NLT 12:00 PM CDT, 10 January 2024 to Latosha.N.Rodgers@usace.army.mil.

Telephone responses will not be accepted.

Responses to this notice will not be considered as a response to any solicitation, a request to be added to a

prospective offerors list, or to receive a copy of any solicitation. A determination by the Government not to compete the contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.

Note: In order to be eligible for award of a Government contract, vendors must be actively registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), have no active exclusions, and complete the FAR and DFARS representations and certifications.