Unmanned Systems (UMS) Support Services and Equipment to Conduct Benthic Surveys of Coral Reef Habitats

This Sources Sought Notice from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration seeks statements of capabilities from firms for unmanned systems support services and equipment to conduct benthic surveys of coral reef habitats. The NOAA requires platforms capable of operating at coral reef and mesophotic reef depths down to 300 meters, with configurations suitable for surveying deep sea features to 1,000 meters. Platforms must be able to acquire 4K video and 12 megapixel still images with low light cameras and onboard lighting, provide positional data with DVL and underwater GPS, collect scientific images and data for SfM photogrammetry, autonomously execute mission plans with collision avoidance, support connector-less charging and data transfer for open-cabin boat surveys, remain in-situ for extended autonomous surveys of over 30 days, accept machine learning models, and be carried and deployed by a single person. Interested firms must submit a capabilities statement not exceeding 15 pages by April 12, 2023 to the points of contact provided, with specification sheets and research articles for any described instruments.

There is no set-aside designation specified. Potential NAICS codes may include 541715 and 541330, while possible PSC codes include R425 and R425. No incumbent contractors or budget ranges are mentioned.