Unmanned Vehicles

The Fleet Logistics Center Norfolk, under the Department of the Navy Naval Supply Systems Command, is conducting market research to identify qualified sources for remotely operated unmanned vehicles designed to collect oceanographic data including temperature, pressure, and optional sensor configurations such as conductivity, transmissivity, and bioluminescence. These air-rigged or air/surface-deployable profiling floats must support the Naval Oceanographic Office mission globally and be capable of deployment via both vessel and air platforms, with air-deployed systems requiring hardening to withstand forces from 500 to 10,000 feet altitude at speeds up to 500 miles per hour. Key requirements include an 18-month shelf life for batteries and sensors, power systems utilizing alkaline or lithium batteries with minimum one-hour longevity, and compliance with ocean pressure specifications equivalent to instrument crush depth. Interested parties must submit responses limited to 10 pages by February 18, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. EDT, providing company information, CAGE code, business size category, contracting capability, and specific documentation of qualifications; responses should reference solicitation number N0018926UV and be directed to Katie Hildebrandt and Stephanie Lent. This is a sources sought notice for planning purposes only and does not constitute a commitment by the government to award a contract.

No set-aside designations are being used for this procurement, and no incumbent contractors or current sources have been identified in the notice. The anticipated acquisition will be structured as a firm-fixed-price, single-award, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with a 24-month base period commencing October 1, 2026, with individual delivery orders specifying particular delivery dates and quantities. The NAICS code is 334511 (Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing) with a 1,350-employee size standard, and the PSC code is 6605 (Navigational Instruments). While no specific award value or budget range is disclosed in this sources sought notice, contractors must be prepared to provide complete technical documentation, encoder/decoder instruments, calibration services, maintenance support including battery replacement and minor repairs, and a one-year warranty covering instrument replacement for manufacturer defects. All deliverables must comply with Military Specification LM_MIL-STD-129R shipping and marking standards and be classified as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) under DoD security directives.