NOAA: Deep Argo, Core Argo, and Biogeochemical Argo Floats

SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE

Deep Argo, Core Argo, and Biogeochemical Argo Floats

REQUIREMENTS-25-3115

This Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Proposal or Quotation. It is not considered to be a commitment by the Government to award a contract nor will the Government pay for any information provided; no basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result from a response to this Sources Sought Notice or Government use of any information provided.

Pursuant to FAR Part 10 (Market Research), the purpose of this notice is to:

1. Determine if sources capable of satisfying the agency's requirements exist.
2. Determine whether the acquisition should utilize any of the small business programs in accordance with FAR Part 19.

Pursuant to FAR Part 6 and FAR Part 19, competition and set-aside decisions may be based on the results of this market research. This notice in no way obligates the Government to any further action.

Requirement: This notice is issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Western Acquisition Division (WAD) and Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory (PMEL) to identify sources capable of providing the following:

PMEL, located in Seattle, WA, is seeking sources capable of providing Deep Argo Floats, Core Argo Floats, and Biogeochemical Argo Floats for NOAA ocean monitoring, observing and prediction.  PMEL is not seeking vendors to design, develop, and then produce this requirement; PMEL is seeking vendors already capable of providing working floats.

The Argo program is a mission-critical NOAA program that provides oceanographic data used in operational weather and ocean nowcasting, forecasting, and seasonal outlooks. These uses of the data have immediate applications for protecting life and property, as well as for supporting both commerce and national security. The output from ocean nowcasts and forecasts are used by industry (for shipping, fisheries, subsea telecommunications infrastructure, oil and gas exploration and exploitation, and offshore energy production), by the military (for submarine warfare and general operations), for search and rescue operations, and other applications. Argo data are vital for improving hurricane forecasting, and are used in routine weather and coupled (ocean-atmosphere) forecasts, as well as seasonal weather outlooks. 

The anticipated number of floats to be procured are as follows: 

Deep Argo Floats: 1-31 Per Year

Core Argo Floats: 1-50 Per Year

Biogeochemical Argo Floats: 1-34 Per Year

Additional information on the program and PMEL’s needs can be found in Attachment 1 - Statement of Need, Argo Floats. 

Anticipated Period of Performance: An Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) Contract with Firm-Fixed-Price Delivery Orders is anticipated for award. The IDIQ is anticipated to have an ordering period of five (5) years. 

Delivery Schedule: The floats must be delivered by the vendor to NOAA/PMEL no more than 12 months after receipt of order.

Additional information on NOAA’s global ocean observing system can be found here: https://globalocean.noaa.gov/celebrating-25-years-of-argo-the-crown-jewel-of-ocean-observing-systems/ and https://www.aoml.noaa.gov/argo/ 

NAICS Code/Size Standard: The applicable NAICS Code is 334519, Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing, and the size standard is 600 employees. 

Submission of Information: Companies having capabilities necessary to meet or exceed the stated requirements are invited to provide information to contribute to this market survey/sources sought notice.

Companies may respond to this Sources Sought Notice by using the Google Portal Link below.

https://forms.gle/TDEBSieaekFq1c3P7  (Copy and paste into web browser)

Responses shall be received no later than March 19, 2026 at 10:00 AM Mountain Time.

Interested parties: Need to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).  Failure to submit sufficient detailed information may result in considering a company as not a viable source and may influence competition and set-aside decisions. Regardless of the information obtained from this Sources Sought Notice, the Government reserves the right to consider any arrangement as deemed appropriate for this requirement.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. No proprietary, classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response to this Sources Sought Notice. The Government reserves the right to use any information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate, including using technical information provided by respondents in any resultant solicitation.

After a review of the responses received from this notice, a pre-solicitation notice and solicitation may be published on the Governmentwide Point of Entry (GPE). It is the potential offeror's responsibility to monitor the GPE for release of any future solicitation that may result from this Sources Sought Notice. Responses to this Sources Sought Notice will not be considered adequate responses to any resultant solicitation.