NWS Expansion of WSR-88D (NEXRAD) Weather Radar Network

NOTICE: THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. The following Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for Market Research purposes in planning of a possible requirement for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admintration (NOAA). It does not constitute a Request for Quote. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admintration is not accepting offers at this time nor will the information provided be evaluated or considered as an offer. This RFI does not commit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admintration to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Admintration will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred by a contractor in response to this RFI. The National Weather Service (NWS) is investigating available options to add up to 13 (1 immediate w/options for 12 additional) radars to the current NEXRAD network of WSR-88D radars. The NWS is seeking options to expand the NEXRAD network using radars of; (1) a new design, (2) existing commercial design, (3) a hybrid design including elements of new design and existing commercial design, or (4) a hybrid design using elements of a new design and/or existing commercial design along with current WSR-88D design elements. The objective of this effort will be to expand the network with a number of S-band; dual polarized radars that are compatible with the NEXRAD fleet and provide data of a comparable quality to the WSR-88D. The system will be operated by NWS personnel and the equipment will ultimately be maintained by technicians familiar with maintenance of the WSR-88D, or by contract. In addition to performance, operability, and compatibility, "cost of ownership" will also be considered in selecting an option to support this requirement. The timeline for the procurement of the first radar is relatively short. FY09 funding is programmed for preliminary planning with the bulk of funding programmed in FY10 to support contract award for design, build, and install of the first radar. The first system is scheduled to be operational in FY12. 1.0 GENERAL: Since deployment in the 1990's, the WSR-88D design has been upgraded to improve performance, remove obsolete parts, and insert new technology. This design evolution has resulted in the migration from dedicated computers and display systems to an "open architecture" using commercial digital signal processors and commercial servers running Redhat Enterprise O/S, commercial displays, and commercial network communication equipment including routers. However, there are critical subsystems such as the transmitter, pedestal, and pedestal electronics that have received only incremental design changes and generally reflect design elements typical of the late 1980s. These are referred to as legacy design elements. These legacy elements are no longer commercially available, which removes the option of expanding the NEXRAD network using additional WSR-88D radars. 1.1 Additional WSR-88D information is available at an FTP site managed by the WSR-88D Radar Operations Center. The address is: ftp://ftp.roc.noaa.gov/Pub/RFI 2.0 DESIRED RADAR CHARACTERISTICS: 2.1 Compatibility- The design must provide data that is compatible with, and comparable to that produced by the existing NEXRAD radar fleet. The radar design must not induce any faults in the portions of the legacy design proposed to be retained. 2.2 Effectiveness- The design must provide data of a quality comparable to that of the WSR-88D. 2.3 Operability- The design must be capable of being operated by meteorological personnel familiar with operation of the WSR-88D following 80 hours of instruction. 2.4 Supportability- The design must minimize the use of restricted data rights or otherwise provide the government with sufficient license to procure parts from other than a single source. The Government must have sufficient rights to maintain and modify, as necessary, a technical data package reflecting the design. The design should use technology that will be broadly commercially available for at least 5 years beyond system delivery. 2.5 Ease of Maintenance- The proposed design must provide elements (self-diagnostics, modular design, etc.) that would support the identification and replacement of failed components with minimal specialized tools, training, or test equipment required. 2.6 Reliability- The proposed system must achieve an Operational Availability of not less than 96%, as is required of the WSR-88D. 3. RESPONSES. Responses to this RFI must include discussions of a commercial, or hybrid design or design strategy, which meets the intent of NWS objective and addresses the characteristics listed in paragraph 2.0 above. Responses must also include a statement regarding current availability, estimated time to deliver after contract award (if not currently available), estimated price of the product. This RFI does not constitute an invitation for Bids, Request for Proposals or Request for Quotes. The responses to this RFI will be evaluated to determine solution options available in the commercial marketplace. A follow-up RFI will likely be issued prior to the RFQ. The RFQ would have to be published in FY10 to support the current schedule. This is not a request for proposal and there is no solicitation available. Responses shall be submitted via email by June 15, 2009 by 1:00 p.m. MST. Telephone responses are not acceptable.