Presolicitation Notice for Upper Wide-Angle Viewing System (UWAVS) In-Vessel Subsystem

The Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), on behalf of the Department of Energy, is issuing a pre-solicitation notice for the manufacture of subsystems for the Upper Wide-Angle Viewing (UWAV) diagnostic system designated for the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER) project. The UWAVS In-Vessel Subsystem will provide real-time visible and infrared imaging capabilities of the ITER divertor region to support machine protection, plasma control, and physics measurements. PPPL plans to issue three separate Request for Proposals (RFPs) with open competitive calls by May 2026, and this pre-solicitation notice serves to make draft procurement documentation available to potential suppliers for review and advance preparation. The government welcomes voluntary comments, questions, and suggestions regarding the Statements of Work and technical requirements, which should be directed to Khalif Stripling at kstripli@pppl.gov with reference to PPPL RFI_26_012_KS UWAVS In-Vessel Subsystem in the subject line. Responding to this pre-solicitation notice is not required to maintain eligibility for submission when the RFPs are released. The deadline for submitting comments or questions is April 30, 2026, providing potential bidders with approximately five months to review the draft documentation and prepare their proposals.

This procurement carries no set-aside designations and does not identify any current contractors or incumbents in the available documentation. The contract scope encompasses two distinct phases: Phase 1 involves preparation for manufacturing including documentation development, CAD work, and prototyping activities, while Phase 2 covers actual manufacturing, assembly, testing, shipping, and acceptance of the equipment. The supplier will be responsible for fabricating three first article assemblies and conducting factory acceptance tests, with a notional project timeline extending approximately 173 weeks from receipt of order through site acceptance and integration into the Diagnostic Shield Module. The procurement is classified under NAICS code 334511 (Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing) and PSC code 5985 (Antennas, Waveguides, and Related Equipment), indicating the technical sophistication and specialized nature of the required manufacturing capabilities. No specific budget range or award value is disclosed in the pre-solicitation documentation at this stage of the procurement process.