Airborne Gravity Collection and Processing System

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. This is a Sources Sought Notice for a commercial acquisition. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Notice or reimburse the costs incurred by potential offerors in providing the information requested herein. In preparation for an upcoming procurement for two (2) new gravity meters, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), National Ocean Service (NOS), National Geodetic Survey (NGS) and Eastern Region Acquisition Division are conducting market research to determine potential sources capable of providing the required products/supplies described herein. The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 334513, "Instruments and Related Products Manufacturing for Measuring, Displaying, and Controlling Industrial Process Variables;" small business standard for this NAICS code is < 500 employees. This is not a request for technical or cost proposals. All types of business concerns, both large and small, are encouraged to submit a brief, typed Capability Statement in response to this sources sought announcement demonstrating their capability to provide the products/supplies described below. Background: The goal of NOAA's Gravity for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) project is to collect airborne gravity data to support a 1 centimeter geoid where possible. To achieve this, the project is aiming to reduce the final uncertainty of the gravity measurement to below 1 mGal. The uncorrected acceleration measured by the gravimeter is processed to obtain gravity values using NOAA software designed for a beam-spring sensor and evaluated using cross over analysis, agreement of adjacent lines, and a comparison with the Earth Gravitational Model (2008). The accuracy of the meter and stability of the platform are critical to reducing uncertainty. To fulfill annual performance metrics at least one of the two current meters is operating all year long with the second conducting a different survey simultaneously for about five to six months out of the year and serving as a backup for the remaining time. The project flies about 750 flight hours per year. Flights are conducted at 20,000 feet at 200-250 knots. The project uses a variety of aircraft, including King Air 200s, a Pilatus PC-12, and a Gulfstream Turbo Commander. One of the challenges for the project is finding aircraft where the autopilot and the aircraft's natural motion in the sky are conducive for gravity data collection. In order to efficiently provide the entire country with high quality gravity data, NOAA is interested in replacing the current Turnkey Airborne Gravity System (TAGS) gravimeters with newer, smaller technology. The current units are manufactured by Micro-g Lacoste, TAGS Serial Numbers S-137 and S-161. The goal is to increase the number and variety of aircraft that are suitable for gravity collection to reduce costs and more efficiently collect data in difficult-to-reach places. This includes the potential to place the gravimeter on an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). This requires higher accuracy and stability as well as a smaller, lighter instrument. Requirements: All submissions shall show that the proposed relative gravity system meets the following minimum requirements: A. The system should have a full feedback beam-spring sensor with at least a 10 Hz recording rate B. Static repeatability of 0.02 mGals and dynamic repeatability of 0.75 mGals C. Power requirements of 240 Watts or less D. Dimensions should not exceed 60 centimeters in any dimension and a not exceed a weight of 100 kg E. Maximum drift of the meter raw data will be 3 mGals per month F. Because the GRAV-D project cannot afford delays in data collection, the unit must be a commercial, off-the-shelf product and have been in production for at least one year G. The instrument output must be able to provide uncorrected gravity or the company able to provide an algorithm for back-calculating uncorrected gravity from the meter output. In addition the Government requests capability statements to include information about the vendor's warranty and maintenance structure for its systems. Lastly, NOAA is looking to obtain a trade-in buy arrangement. The vendor shall address the viability of a trade-in of NOAA's current units - Micro-g Lacoste TAGS Serial Numbers S-137 and S-161. How to Respond: Firms who believe they have the capabilities to provide the requirements as described in the requirements above, must furnish detailed information demonstrating their capabilities to fulfill the requirements. Submitted Capability Statements shall include the following: (1) Firm name and address (2) DUNS number (3) Type of business (e.g., large business, small business, 8(a), veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, and/or women owned small business, as validated via the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (4) Company point of contact - name, phone and email address (5) Point of contact, phone and email address of individuals who can corroborate the demonstrated capabilities identified in the responses (6) Demonstration of the capabilities possessed for meeting the requirements, including knowledge of and experience with constructing and maintaining CORS installations. (7) Three (3) references whereby same or similar services were provided to any entity to include federal, state, local, private or non-profit. Businesses shall submit an electronic copy using PDF or Microsoft Word of the requested information (not to exceed 10 pages, including appendices, diagrams, and examples using one inch margins, and pages numbered consecutively) to Katie Carter, Contract Specialist, via email at katie.carter@noaa.gov and Melissa R. Sampson, Contracting Officer via email at melissa.r.sampson@noaa.gov no later than 10:00 A.M. (EDT) February 17, 2015. Responses will not be returned. Any questions or responses to this Sources Sought announcement shall be directed to Katie Carter via the email address provided. No feedback will be provided regarding individual Capability Statements. Information received will be considered solely to make informed decisions regarding a potential procurement. Responses to the Sources Sought announcement are not offers and cannot be accepted by NOAA to form a binding contract. No reimbursement for costs will be made associated with providing information in response to this Sources Sought announcement or follow-up information requests, if applicable.