NOAA Jason Ground Sysetm Mission Operations Support

The Government intends to negotiate a noncompetitive follow-on Delivery Order with the Avaya Government Solutions, Inc. under GSA Schedule GS-35F-4366G for the augmentation of the existing Jason-2 Ground System to enable support for the operations of both the Jason-2 and Jason-3 satellites. This augmented Ground System is referred to as the NOAA Jason Ground System (NJGS). The anticipated noncompetitive award shall be for one base year with two one-year option periods. The Government anticipates that the base period will commence on or about December 1, 2012 through November 30, 2013. The total period of performance shall not exceed 36 months. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Environment Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS, in conjunction with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the European Organization for the Exploitation of Meteorological Satellites (EUMETSAT), and France's Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES), has decided to launch the Jason-3 mission as a follow-on to the Ocean Surface Topography Mission (OSTM/Jason-2). The primary objective of this upcoming radar altimetry mission is to provide precise sea surface height measurements for determining global sea-level rise, ocean currents, and upper ocean heat content with equal or better performance than Jason-2. This project's objective is to complete the development, testing and implementation of the Jason Ground System to support the simultaneous operations of both the Jason-2 and Jason-3 satellites. The augmented ground system is referred to as the NOAA Jason Ground System (NJGS) and is currently being developed by the NJGS incumbent contractor, Avaya Government Solutions, Inc. under the United States Department of Commerce contract DG133E11NC0168, which was originally competed. The following activities are some of the items to be performed by the contractor according to the Jason Ground System Mission Operations Support Performance Work Statement (PWS): NJGS Acceptance Tests - Following completion of onsite integration and test activities, the contractor shall conduct a series of formal Acceptance Tests at each site (1. NSOF; 2. Wallops; 3. Fairbanks and 4. Darrow) to verify the functionality and performance of the NJGS. The acceptance tests will consist of a series of component acceptance tests, followed by an end-to-end NJGS acceptance test. 4-Partner Verification and Validation - Following the completion of end-to-end acceptance testing, the NJGS will enter a period of verification and validation by the four (4) Jason-3 partners (NASA, NOAA, CNES, and EUMETSAT). The verification and validation phase of the program will consist of four major activities including Four-Partner Compatibility Testing, Four-Partner Technical Qualification, Four-Partner Operational Qualification, and Four-Partner End-to-End Testing. These activities will be conducted at both Command Data Acquisition Stations (CDAS) sites and at the Satellite Operations Control Center (SOCC), and will demonstrate the compatibility of the NJGS with the interfaces and requirements of the external partners, as well as the ability of NJGS to support four-partner operations with both Jason-2 and Jason-3 spacecrafts. The contractor shall provide full support of each testing and qualification activity during the 4-partner verification and validation phase of the program. Transition to Operations - Following the successful completion of the 4-partner verification and validation phase, the contractor shall support the transition of the operations and maintenance of the NJGS to NOAA personnel. The transition will include a range of training activities that will ensure that NOAA operations personnel have the knowledge necessary to fully operate and maintain every element of the NJGS. Transition to operations includes transitioning the current Jason-2 operations to NJGS operations. This transition shall be carried out such that it will have no impact to the continuing day-to-day operations of Jason-2. In the occurrence that Jason-2 is transitioned into NJGS prior to the Jason-3 launch, the Contractor shall support the transition of Jason-2 to NJGS system hardware, software, and network configuration, which may have to be modified to support the simultaneous operation of Jason-2 and the testing of NJGS. This will include a refresh of certain ground system hardware. While the NJGS is being tested and Jason-2 operations are concurrently being performed using NJGS the system shall be designed to ensure that the Jason-2 operational data and the Jason-2 test data are isolated from each other. Training and Documentation - The contractor shall ensure that NOAA personnel are adequately trained in all aspects of NJGS operations, maintenance, and management. A key objective of our knowledge transfer efforts is to ensure that NOAA personnel are able to operate the NJGS independently of ongoing support from the Avaya Government Team, enabling a successful transition to full NOAA responsibility for the NJGS. Contractor shall complete all documentation according to the NJGS Contract Deliverable Requirements List (CDRL). Hardware and Software Maintenance - The contractor shall perform maintenance (including repair) of all installed hardware on all equipment throughout the contract's period of performance. This support includes security hardening of hardware components. The contractor shall retain full responsibility for maintenance of newly installed software following acceptance testing. Software maintenance support shall be provided on a 24x7 on-call basis. IT Security - The contractor shall support the NOAA Assessment and Authorization (A&A) activities and the implementation of NJGS security controls using methods described in NIST SP 800-53A, Guide for Assessing the Security Controls in Federal Information Systems; NIST SP 800-53, Revision 3, Recommended Security Controls for Federal Information Systems; and guidance from Federal Information Processing Standard (FIPS) 200, Minimum Security Requirements for Federal Information and Information Systems. The contractor shall ensure that system components meet the applicable security control requirements for high-impact systems as defined in NIST SP 800-53, Revision 3. Furthermore, the contractor shall support and participate in the security controls assessment by validating the management, operational, and technical controls of the NJGS in accordance with NIST SP 800-53A, as well as assist in the development of documentation artifacts including but not limited to the System Security Plan (SSP), Contingency Plan (CP), and Security Test and Evaluation Plan (STP). International Partners - This task carries with it an International partnering component for the United States where NOAA is keeping up with the implementation schedule established by NOAA and its international partners. Because NOAA is working with France's CNES Space Program and the European Union's EUMETSAT Program for Meteorological Satellites, a change in Contractor would cause a ripple effect in the schedules of all three organizations with both national and international consequences. Jason-2 Satellite and Ground System near end-of-life -The existing Jason-2 ground system is quickly approaching its end of life due to hardware obsolescence and ageing equipment. The most likely scenario is that the operations of the Jason-2 satellite will be transitioned to NJGS prior to the launch of the Jason-3 satellite. Hence a change in Contractor will not only affect the readiness and launch of the future Jason-3 satellite but will also negatively impact the operations of the existing Jason-2 satellite and associated transition to NJGS. Availability of launch vehicle - Currently NOAA through NASA/KSC (Kennedy Space Center) has contracted with Space Exploration Technologies Corporation (SpaceX) to launch the Jason-3 satellite. If Jason-3 launch is delayed beyond the contractually-agreed launch date in December 2014, the satellite will be removed from SpaceX launch manifest. The new launch date will have to be negotiated and it would also incur additional costs. Schedule delays based on use of a new Contractor show a potential launch readiness date of January 2016. Avaya Government Solutions has been involved from the inception of the Jason-3 mission ground system implementation with the planning, design, implementation, and integration and testing at the NOAA operational facilities. Avaya's intricate knowledge of the system configuration, software code and hardware would be difficult for any other Contractor to simply transition into at expert integration level. This task will start in the middle stages of ground system integration and award to another Contractor produces tremendous risk to the program that will result in schedule delays and a lack of proper training. Avaya is the only source capable of providing the unique and specialized services required for the completion of NJGS in preparation for Jason-3 launch due to their unique knowledge and hands-on expertise of the NJGS system configuration; Jason-2/Jason-3 telemetry and commanding; ground system software and hardware; specialized operational environment at NOAA facilities; Jason-2/Jason-3 Assessment and Authorization (A&A) and associated Security Testing and Evaluation (ST&E); NJGS Data Communications Network (DCN) infrastructure; and external telecommunication interfaces with the other 4-partners. The success of the project relies on the success of each component, and the implementation of the satellite ground system is a key part of this project. This is also the only part of the project that is faced with any delay in schedule. Being that the NJGS ground system components are currently being integrated and tested at the various NOAA operational facilities, award to another Contractor would produce a tremendous risk to the program and the readiness for Jason-3 launch. All responsible sources may submit a capability statement, proposal, or quotation, which shall be considered by NOAA. Any submission must be received not later than 15 calendar days from the date of the posting of this announcement. Any response must include sufficient information to allow the government to evaluate its capability relative to the technical requirements stated herein. A determination by the Government not to open the requirement for competition based upon responses to this notice is solely within its discretion. Responses are to be submitted to Robin.Prather@noaa.gov. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION.