International Monitoring System (IMS) Operations and Maintenance RFI

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE; there is no solicitation available at this time. No response will be provided to requests for solicitation. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS PUBLISHED FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has a requirement as follows: DTRA is the Department of Defense (DoD) executive agent for the Nuclear Arms Control Technology (NACT) program which supports one of the safeguard assurances associated with the original U.S. Senate ratification effort for the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The IMS was established to detect worldwide nuclear weapons tests via an extensive network that includes radionuclide, seismic, infrasound, and hydroacoustic monitoring technologies. The IMS station locations and types, and high level standards for the operation of these stations are specified by the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT). The NACT program directly manages, operates, and sustains 24 of these US IMS stations, involving primary and auxiliary seismic, infrasound, and radionuclide monitoring stations. These NACT managed US IMS stations are located across a wide range of disparate and extreme environments in the continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, USG-controlled Pacific Territories, and Antarctica. Relevant to this Sources Sought Notice, the seismic and infrasound stations are often grouped together and referred to as waveform stations. Further, all of the NACT radionuclide stations have an installed IMS particulate monitoring system and four of these NACT radionuclide locations also include the installation of an IMS noble gas monitoring system. Additional details on the US portion of the IMS and further descriptions of the various monitoring technologies are available at the following link: www.ctbto.org DTRA seeks a performer to operate and sustain the 13US IMS waveform monitoring stations (7 Infrasound (IS), one Primary Seismic (PS), and 5 Auxiliary Seismic (AS)) beginning on 1 February 2017. Additionally, beginning on 17 August 2017, DTRA seeks a performer to operate and sustain 11 US IMS radionuclide monitoring stations (11 radionuclide particulate with four collocated noble gas monitoring systems). Each of these US IMS stations was designed and installed under supervision of the NACT program and according to the technical requirements specified in the relevant IMS Operational Manual. Each of these US IMS stations has also been formally certified by the PTS for IMS operations. Each station is a custom design and various site-specific requirements were taken into consideration in the station design and installation so as to optimize data quality, data availability, and improve long-term operations and sustainment. Following station certification by the PTS, the configuration of each of the IMS stations have been strictly controlled and all changes in configuration since certification have been approved and documented according to the procedures outlined in the associated station operational manuals. The US IMS stations are operated in accordance with provisional operational guidance defined by the PTS for the entire IMS network of stations. Under provisional operations, all IMS station operators are required to achieve station data availability and data quality levels as high as possible. In the future and at an unspecified time and likely prior to the entry into force of the CTBT, the stations will be required to be operated at 98% data availability for the seismic and infrasound stations, and 95% data availability for the RN stations. The US IMS station operations are generally automated and do not require a continuous daily on-site presence of a highly skilled station operator or engineer. In general, the achievement and sustainment of a sufficient level US IMS station performance during provisional operations periodically requires the efforts of a local caretaker to accomplish light housekeeping tasks, replenish consumables, and make minor adjustments as required to the monitoring facilities and systems. These station caretaker activities are typically performed under the supervision and direction of the station operator. Further, the US IMS stations occasionally require varying levels of preventative and unscheduled maintenance or upgrades which must be carried out by the system operators to sustain required data availability and quality. If these required maintenance activities are of a significant level of complexity, the station's technical parameters and monitoring performance may need to be reviewed and revalidated by the PTS following completion of the maintenance activity. Station operators are responsible for the provision of continuous and timely monitoring data and IMS station state-of-health data from each US IMS station to the International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna Austria. Station operators are also responsible for the provision of station technical documentation and problem reporting, and any configuration updates as required by the operations manuals and the PTS. Each US IMS station has a Global Communications Infrastructure (GCI) satellite communications system which is installed and maintained by the PTS. The GCI system is used to transmit all of the required IMS station data between the station and the IDC. The CGI system also enables two-way communication between the IDC and station operators for receiving and executing command and control actions from the IDC or other operational troubleshooting between the station and the IDC as required. Additional requirements are as follows: 1. Operate and maintain seven infrasound stations for the U.S. monitoring effort at the following locations: Fairbanks, Alaska (IS53); Windless Bight, Antarctica (IS55); Newport, Washington (IS56); Pinon Flat, California (IS57); Kona, Hawaii (IS59); Midway Island (IS58); and Wake Island (IS60). 2. Operate and maintain one primary seismic station at Mina, Nevada (PS47). 3. Operate and maintain five auxiliary seismic stations at the following locations; Tuckaleechee Caverns, TN (AS107); Pinon Flat, CA (AS108); Yreka, CA (AS109); Kodiak Island, AK (AS110); and Shemya, AK (AS112). 4. Operate and maintain eleven radionuclide particulate stations at the following locations: Sacramento, CA (RN70); Sand Point, AK (RN71); Melbourne, FL (RN72); Palmer Station, Antarctica (RN73); Ashland, KS (RN74); Charlottesville, VA (RN75); Eielson AFB, AK (RN76); Wake Island (RN77); Midway Island (RN78); Oahu, HI (RN79); Anderson AFB, Guam (RN80). 5. Operate and maintain four radionuclide noble gas systems at the following locations: Ashland, KS (RN74); Charlottesville, VA (RN75); Wake Island (RN77); Oahu, HI RN79. Note, these four radionuclide noble gas systems are collocated with the corresponding radionuclide particulate stations listed in the above paragraph, and share local station infrastructure. 6. Perform additional operations and maintenance tasks associated with radionuclide stations including but not limited to: sample collection, handling, archiving, chain of custody, and dispatch of select samples to IMS analysis labs. 7. Provide all necessary logistical support and sustainment for each US IMS station structure and installed monitoring system, including but not limited to: system and component repairs, spare and depot management, hardware and software upgrades, and recapitalization planning for stations and systems listed in paragraphs 1-5. 8. Perform preventive and unscheduled corrective maintenance of the station structures and equipment to enable the continuous operational capability of the station and optimal data availability and quality. 9. Perform system and sensor calibrations and tuning as necessary to ensure stations meet operational data quality requirements specified in the operations manuals. 10. Conduct NACT O&M activities in accordance with existing or planned support and lease agreements. Ten NACT US IMS stations are located on private, State, or other non-Federal properties which typically require the O&M performer to establish a lease arrangement with the land owner for the operators access to the property. The lease agreement also provides a vehicle for the local operator to make cost reimbursements to the land owners for select station operations costs such as utilities or rents. The ten stations are as follows: Sand Point, AK (RN71); Melbourne, FL (RN72); Ashland, KS (RN74); Charlottesville, VA (RN75); Fairbanks, AK (IS53); Pinon Flat, CA (AS108); Pinion Flat, CA (IS57); Hawaii, HI (IS59); Mina, NV (PS47); Tuckaleechee Caverns, TN (AS107). 11. Support the PTS GCI performer and IDC as required in troubleshooting and resolution of occasional satellite communications problems at any US IMS stations, so as to most efficiently resolve the GCI issue and minimize the negative impact to timely data transmission and communication between the US IMS stations and the IDC. 12. Conduct engineering and development tasks to operationalize prototype IMS system components or test and evaluation tasks to validate prototype performance of IMS system components against IMS operational requirements. Parties submitting a response to this RFI are encouraged to offer input regarding what they perceive as the most efficient way to operate and maintain the US IMS stations, whether that be combined under one waveform and radionuclide contract vehicle, or separate contract vehicles for the waveform and the radionuclide technologies, or any other efficient solution. Sources having the capability and/or concept to meet these requirements are invited to respond to this notice by Friday, 11 March 2016. Responses should be limited to a five (5) page white paper in 12 point Courier New font for any given capability and concept, not including cover page, cover letter and table of contents. Any proprietary concepts of information should be clearly identified as such. Submitted data and information will not be returned. Any information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice is strictly voluntary. This notice is for information planning purposes and the Government will not pay or otherwise reimburse respondents for information submitted.