The due date for responses to this RFI is extended from November 1, 2002, to November 8, 2002. Request for Information (RFI) of Networking Services I. INTRODUCTION: The Department of Commerce (DOC)'s Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) program will commence operational support for a new joint program for the exchange of weather satellite data with the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT) in October of 2004. This RFI in intended to solicit industry input for networking services to operate a Local Area Network (LAN) for DOC in Suitland (Maryland) in October of 2003. The services shall also include a Wide Area Networking extension to interface with a telecommunication service provider to manage data flows from both EUMETSAT (in Darmstadt, Germany) and from NOAA (in Suitland (Maryland), Wallops Island (Virginia), and Fairbanks (Alaska)). II. SCOPE: DOC is seeking information that will allow DOC to acquire and operate a Network Operating Center designated as "IJPS NOC" in Figure 1. The "IJPS NOC" will interface to four separate DOC entities indicated by SOCC, CEMSCS, Fairbanks CDA, and Wallops CDA in Figure 1. The dashed lines in Figure 1 will only be used for SOCC backup operation - where traffic will be re-routed from IJPS Networking Infrastructure to respective CDAs. The NOC will also interface to distinct telecommunication carriers contracted by EUMETSAT and NOAA to exchange the data between the two organizations. The NOC contractor will be responsible for both the installation of NOC LAN infrastructure, operations and maintenance of the NOC infrastructure, and the interface to the telecommunications carriers. The NOC will be used to distribute the weather satellite data indicated in Table 1. Table 1 provides a listing that characterizes the different data streams of weather data that will be exchanged between SOCC, CEMSCS, CDAs and telecommunication carriers via the NOCC . All communications exchanges listed shall involve duplex communications. All interfaces shall be considered a local interface at the respective facilities in this document. Specifically, this RFI seeks the following information: " Ideas and suggestions that proposes an implementation plans for NOC operations. " Approximate cost information (Rough Order of Magnitude Estimates) for services and infrastructure. " Services delivery schedule and infrastructure deployment schedule. III. REQUIREMENTS: This section enumerates the high-level functional requirements for IJPS NOC. " The NOC contractor shall be able to provide state-of-the art NOC infrastructure including systems hardware, software, furnishings, and accessories to sustain NOC operations, maintenance of equipment, and support staff. All infrastructures shall use industry standard network components and protocols. " The IJPS NOC shall evolve to maintain a technology to the maximum extent practical. The NOC contractor shall ensure that the NOC is designed to provide an environment that meets or exceeds industry standards and all state, local, and federal regulations and standards as well as environmental control standards. " IJPS NOC shall support mission critical functions and provide the highest levels of reliability and availability for all infrastructures provided. The contractor shall be able to develop contingency/disaster recovery plans and procedures addressing operations in the event of shutdown or lapse in service for any reason. The contractor shall assume an alternate DOC facility will be provided for backup. NOAA will be responsible for communications services transactions and fees required for contingency/service recovery plans. It is essential that the respondent include a clear definition of availability including a description of the tools that will be used to measure it. IJPS NOC shall be operated on a 24X7 basis for 365 days a year. " All IJPS NOC interfaces to SOCC, CEMSCS, and NOAA and EUMETSAT service providers shall operate on a TCP/IP protocol suite and a 100 BT interface as indicated in table 1. The applications used for data streams exchanges between the IJPS NOC and the respective organization will use a TCP/IP socket connection. The IJPS NOC shall not introduce delays to degrade the performance of the local interface for TCP/IP operations. " The contractor shall be able to support physical security requirement including on-site security monitoring, access controls, and satisfy personnel and physical requirements of DOC. " The contractor shall be able to support DOC computer network security requirements for a firewall to provide isolation of the NOC LAN from both the SOCC as well as the NOAA and EUMETSAT service provider networks. " For every session between the SOCC, CEMSCS, and EUMETSAT, the NOC LAN infrastructure shall support Network Address Translation (NAT). DOC expects LAN NOC infrastructure to support the translation transparently. " The contractor shall provide ROM estimates for the non-recurring and annual recurring using for the IJPS network. Assume a 3 year guaranteed contract. " The contractor shall provide a deployment schedules with the technical details on the infrastructure that will be implemented. " A contact phone number and e-mail address shall be included with the response as a point of contact for the DOC evaluation team to discuss IV CONTACT INFORMATION: The Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) for this RFI: Les Shipley NOAA, E/OSD3, Room 3308, FB4 5200 Auth Drive Suitland, MD 20746
contact@example.gov Please submit response via e-mail in Corel WordPerfect format by 5:00 PM on November 1st, 2002, to the TPOC. You may also submit supplemental hardcopy materials (3 copies each) to the TPOC. Responses to this RFI should be submitted: U.S. Department of Commerce/NOAA, AG/NESDIS Acquisition Management Division, SSMC3 - Rm. 10124, 1315 East West Highway, Silver Spring, Maryland 20910.
