International Monitoring System (IMS) Waveform Operations and Maintenance

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 six safeguard assurances associated with the original U.S. Senate ratification effort for the 1996 Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT). The NACT program manages, operates, and sustains the U.S. segment of the International Monitoring System (IMS) monitoring stations for the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO). The IMS was established to detect worldwide nuclear weapons tests via an extensive monitoring network that includes seismic, infrasound, hydro-acoustic and radionuclide monitoring technologies. Relevant to this Sources Sought Notice are infrasound and seismic monitoring stations (collectively called "waveform" stations) located in the continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, U.S.-controlled Pacific Territories and Antarctica. For planning purposes, and likely by the start of FY15, 25 of 26 required US IMS waveform stations will be fully installed and operating. However, DTRA seeks a performer to operate and sustain only 13 of the U.S. IMS waveform stations (7 Infrasound (IS), one Primary Seismic (PS), and 5 Auxiliary Seismic (AS)) monitoring stations beginning on 1 October 2014. The remaining twelve US IMS waveform stations will be operated and maintained by the US Air Force (USAF) or the US Geological Survey (USGS). The USAF will operate and maintain four PS and one Hydro-acoustic stations, and USGS will operate and maintain seven AS stations. Each of the US IMS waveform stations is necessarily a custom design and installation intended to optimize data quality and availability and to control long-term sustainment costs of the US IMS. Once installed, the configuration of these stations is strictly controlled and all changes must be approved and documented. The monitoring station locations, specified by the Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, include a wide range of disparate and extreme environments. The US IMS station operations are generally automated, but, stations also require preventative and occasional unscheduled maintenance. Station operations also include the routine provision and maintenance of technical documentation and timely station and data reporting as required by CTBTO Provisional Technical Secretariat. Additional requirements are as follows: 1. Operate and maintain seven infrasound arrays 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. Provide all necessary engineering and logistical support and configuration management for waveform station structures and installed systems, including component repair, procurement of spare parts, hardware and software upgrades, tools and consumables and support the configuration change process for 13 stations listed in paragraphs 1-3. 5. Advise the NACT program office on operational and technical and performance issues arising from USGS supported Auxiliary Seismic IMS stations in Albuquerque, NM (AS111); Elko, NV (AS113); South Pole, Antarctica (AS114); Newport, WA (AS115); San Juan, Puerto Rico (AS116); Guam (AS105); and Palmer Station Antarctica (AS106). 6. Provide all necessary configuration management for the 7 AS US IMS stations and structures and installed systems listed in paragraph 5. 7. Perform preventive and unscheduled corrective maintenance of the station structures and equipment to ensure optimum operation of the station. a. Preventive maintenance to be performed routinely to prevent a fault occurring with a particular piece of equipment. b. Unscheduled maintenance to repair or correct a fault in a particular piece of equipment, and the timely restoration of the station to fully operational condition. 8. Provide coordination for and conduct NACT waveform O&M support activities in accordance with all existing or planned support agreements with the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Antarctic stations and the U. S. Geological Survey (USGS), US Fish and Wildlife Services, and other entities for various other stations. Sources having the capability and/or concept to meet these requirements are invited to respond to this notice. Responses should be limited to a two (2) page white paper in 12 point Courier New font for any given 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. Electronic responses are required and shall be submitted to Mr. Jerry "Buddy" Woods at jerry.woods@dtra.mil. All emails should include in the subject line the Reference Number and the submitting organization's name. All documentation shall become the property of the Government. Unless otherwise stated herein, no additional information is available. Requests for same will be disregarded. There is no commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, to make award or awards, or to be responsible for any monies expended by any interested parties in support of any effort in response to this Sources Sought Notice. Information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit or award a contract.