AWARD: NOAA Commercial Weather Data Program Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB) -2

The Department of Commerce’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) modified two existing indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contracts—1332KP23DNEEP0001 and 1332KP23DNEEP0002—to support the Radio Occultation Data Buy II (RODB-2) program, awarding the modifications through other than full and open competition under the statutory authority of 41 U.S.C. 3304(a)(1), implemented via FAR Subpart 6.103-1(b), which permits sole-source procurement when only one responsible source exists and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements. These modifications, executed by NOAA’s Commercial Data Program under the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service’s Systems Architecture and Engineering office, were justified based on the unique and irreplaceable technical capabilities of the two existing contract holders—Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc. and Space Sciences and Engineering LLC dba PlanetIQ—whose proprietary satellite constellations and data processing systems deliver near-real-time global GNSS Radio Occultation (RO) measurements essential for NOAA’s numerical weather prediction, climate monitoring, and space weather operations. Data must be delivered with strict latency, quality, and format compliance to the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework, meeting minimum daily thresholds for bending angle profiles, total electron content, and scintillation indices, with delivery orders extending through March 26, 2028. The IDIQ ordering period spans from March 27, 2023, to March 26, 2028, with individual delivery orders, such as DO-6 and DO-7, covering specific performance windows from September 2026 through March 2028. While delivery orders are competitively awarded between the two contractors, the underlying IDIQ framework was established through sole-source justification due to the absence of alternative providers meeting the technical, operational, and continuity requirements. Contract performance is centered in Silver Spring, Maryland, with all data delivered electronically via the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework under the authority of the PROSWIFT Act. Payment and accounting details, including specific appropriation codes, invoicing systems, and payment office addresses, are not disclosed, nor are detailed evaluation factors, clause language, or socioeconomic certifications provided in the publicly available documentation, with key administrative contacts partially redacted or omitted. The modification increased the contract ceiling by 95%, unders