Starlink Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Satellite Communications System – Equipment and Service Procurement

The National Science Foundation Division of Acquisition and Cooperative Support is preparing to procure Starlink Low Earth Orbit satellite communications equipment and services, with a sources-sought response deadline of July 29, 2026 at 9:00 AM ET. This is not a set-aside procurement.

Installation and configuration will occur at NSF Office of Inspector General Headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia, with system deployment at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. The solution must deliver within 30 days of contract award and comprise three Starlink Gen 3 Performance Kits, three Starlink Gen 3 Routers, one Global Priority 2 TB Service Plan, one Global Priority 1 TB Service Plan, and associated mounting hardware, power equipment, connectors, and cabling.

Performance requirements include minimum bandwidth of 100 Mbps download and 10 Mbps upload speeds, latency under 100 milliseconds, simultaneous multi-user access, secure transmission of sensitive investigative data, and reliable operation in extreme Antarctic cold-weather conditions. The contractor must provide service activation and provisioning support, 24/7 technical support, configuration and operational testing, technical documentation, and ongoing maintenance including software and firmware updates throughout the one-year contract period.

Contractor personnel must comply with NSF personnel security requirements prior to system or facility access; all work is considered sensitive. The anticipated NAICS code is 517410 with a $44 million size standard. Respondents to the sources sought (not to exceed five pages, 12-point Times Roman) should address technical capability questions including equipment delivery by August 21, 2026; data usage dashboards and billing capabilities; Starlink Portal management responsibility; and confirmation of minimum performance specifications. Submit responses to dbowks@nsf.gov. Qualified vendors of all sizes, including small businesses in all socioeconomic categories, joint ventures, 8(a) firms, service-disabled veteran-owned, and women-owned small businesses, are encouraged to respond.