On Ramp Opportunity: NOAA Commercial Weather Data Program Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB) -2

Background

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Commercial Data Program (CDP) is conducting market research for the on-ramping of additional vendors to the Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB-2) multiple award vendor Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) pool. To facilitate this, the Government is requesting interested vendors to submit a capabilities package in response to this announcement for review of possible market capabilities to perform all requirements of the RODB-2 Statement of Work (SOW).

The CDP’s RODB-2 requires the continuation of commercially sourced operational Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) radio occultation (RO) data to meet NOAA’s operational weather needs for neutral atmosphere and ionosphere data. To meet this need, NOAA established two multiple-award IDIQ contracts with a five-year ordering period.  The maximum value amount for all orders is $59,312,954.00 and is shared amongst all contract holders in the IDIQ pool. See original Notice ID: 1332KP22RNEEP0003 for the original request for proposal details, as well as Notice ID: NEEP-FY24-RODB2-ONRAMP for previous on-ramp opportunity requests.

NOAA is requesting interested vendors to submit a capabilities package in response to this announcement for a review of possible market capabilities to perform under its RODB-2 IDIQ award pool. The description of the work is provided below in the attached SOW.

Submission Instructions

The applicable NAICS code 518210 is provided as part of this announcement.  This is a Sources Sought open to all qualified Small Business contractors only. All interested vendors are encouraged to respond to this announcement with submission by June 5, 2024 1400 EST to the Points of Contact listed in this announcement.

Interested vendors should submit a capabilities package (not exceeding 10 pages) demonstrating the ability to perform and meet the requirements listed in the attachment. Packages should include the following information:

(1) Business information including: Company name, address, Unique Entity ID number, and CAGE Code; Point of contact with email and phone number; Size of company to include number of employees and revenue for the last three years; Office locations; any current SBA small business designations

(2) A description of the corporate history, resources, affiliations, other markets being served, and any other information to demonstrate the viability of providing sustained operations and stable data services.

(3) Projected costs and associated business models, including the degree of government commitment required and the extent of non-government markets for the services.

(4) Business risks to the proposed approach and the means for mitigating those risks.

(5) Cost models for proposed services, and associated licensing terms for redistribution by NOAA to partner agencies (to include US and foreign) and academia for the purpose of forecasting and research. Attachment 1 provides examples of licensing options for which NOAA is interested in understanding costs,

(6) Proposed provisions for providing service assurance with data supply contracts against technical (e.g., launch, spacecraft, or payload) failures and business risks.

(7) Approaches to meeting complex data requirements, such as precise and accurate calibration, latency, continuity between system generations, quality assurance, independent verification and validation, and to structuring data/metadata to facilitate fusion with other sources.

Use of Information Received

This RFI is for informational purposes only; it is not a request for proposals or a solicitation for a contract or grant award and it does not obligate the Government in any way. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with responding to this request. This request serves as an opportunity for industry to provide input on their proposed capabilities, as well as the earliest date of on-orbit collection capabilities to deliver data, and future satellite launch schedules to be considered in a current operational state.

Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable government regulations. Any material received will be considered to be public domain unless clearly marked (on each page) as proprietary. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for proprietary information not properly identified.

Respondents are hereby notified that as part of this evaluation, NOAA intends to share the information obtained from this market research with members of the Office of the Federal Coordinator for Meteorology Working Group for Interagency Coordination of Commercial Weather Data (OFCM/WG-ICCWD), which comprises representatives from NOAA, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Department of Defense, the National Science Foundation, the Department of Energy, and the Department of the Interior. The OFCM/WG-ICCWD intends to use this information to foster interagency coordination on approaches to purchasing space-based commercial weather data for operational use within the Federal Weather Enterprise. Respondents are also notified that in the process of evaluation, agencies may use Federally Funded Research and Development Centers and support contractors.

Not responding to this RFI will not preclude an entity from submitting a proposal to any subsequent NOAA solicitations.