RADIO FREQUENCY INTERFERENCE MONITORING SYSTEM (RFIMS) SYNOPSIS POSTING (IAW FAR 5.207) Action Code: NEEG1100-16-01621 Date: February 15 Year: 2017 Contracting Office Zip Code: 20910 Product or Service Code: 5895 Contracting Office Address: 1315 East-West Highway, Silver Spring, MD Subject: Radio Frequency Interference Monitoring System Proposed Solicitation Number: AB-1330-17-RP-0040 Draft RFIMS RFP: https://www.fbo.gov/index? s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a5379236cb993b7f361e4d549d253040&tab=core&_cview=1 Closing Response Date: TBD Contact Point or Contracting Officer: Michael Blumenfeld (Michael.blumenfeld@noaa.gov) (240) 628-1349 Contract Type: Cost Plus Fixed Fee Contract Award and Solicitation Number: TBD Contract Award Dollar Amount: TBD Contract Award Date: TBD Place of Contract Performance: Multiple Locations listed in RFP Set-aside Status: N/A, Full & Open Competition Description: The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is an agency that enriches life through science. NOAA plays several distinct roles within the Department of Commerce (DOC) and focuses on the condition of the oceans and the atmosphere. NOAA is comprised of various line, staff, and program offices that serve as vital contributors to NOAA's mission. NOAA's Mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) is a NOAA line office dedicated to providing timely access to global environmental data from satellites and other sources to promote, protect and enhance the Nation's economy, security, environment and quality of life. To fulfill its responsibilities, NESDIS acquires and manages the Nation's operational environmental satellites, operates the NOAA National Data Centers, provides data and information services including earth system monitoring, performs official assessments of the environment, and conducts related research. Within NOAA/NESDIS, the Office of Satellite Ground Services (OSGS) is responsible for consolidating the development and sustainment of all satellite ground systems. OSGS leverages common ground services and guides development of an integrated ground enterprise. The National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), in coordination with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and NOAA, identified 15 megahertz (MHz) of Radio Frequency (RF) spectrum between 1675 MHz and 1710 MHz that was deemed suitable for sharing with Long-Term Evolution (LTE) wireless carriers. On January 29, 2015, the FCC completed an auction of Advanced Wireless Service (AWS-3) licenses to enable sharing of the AWS-3 spectrum with NOAA satellites. Following proper coordination with Federal agencies, licensees will be authorized to use that shared spectrum beginning in April 2018. To help protect the data downlink of the NOAA satellites that will be sharing the AWS-3 spectrum with the LTE wireless carriers, the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) transferred a portion of the proceeds from the AWS-3 auction to NOAA through the DOC to fund the Radio Frequency Interference Monitoring System (RFIMS) project. The RFIMS project will deliver an interference monitoring system that will detect, classify and identify the source of potentially detrimental RF Interference (RFI) that may impact the data downlink of the NOAA satellites that will be sharing the AWS-3 spectrum with the LTE wireless carriers. In the event that detrimental RFI has been accurately detected and classified, and the source of the RFI is correctly identified, notifications will need to be sent to the responsible party or parties so that an appropriate mitigation response can be implemented. NESDIS/OSGS is responsible for the management and execution of the RFIMS project. The principal objective of the RFIMS project is to select a vendor capable of successfully designing, developing, testing and deploying an operational RFIMS and a centralized monitoring solution. This RFP is being issued to acquire the professional services of a contractor to design, develop, test and deploy an operational RFI monitoring system at 17 NOAA earth stations. The resulting contract will be executed in phases over a five year period of performance beginning with a base CLIN (Concept Exploration) followed by multiple option CLINs (e.g., Demonstration, Deployment/Installation, and O&M and Sustainment). NTIA's Institute for Telecommunications Sciences (ITS), Spectrum and Propagation Measurements Division, will serve as OSGS's Developmental Test and Evaluation, Operational Test and Evaluation, and Independent Verification and Validation agent for the detect, classify, and identify aspects of the RFIMS acquisition effort. NTIA/ITS has provided years of RF signal collection, analysis, and expertise to government agencies as well as overseeing and conducting electromagnetic signal collection activities at the DOC Table Mountain Facility in Boulder, Colorado. NOAA will expect the contractor to coordinate with ITS regarding in-house and field test and evaluation activities of the RFIMS, for subsystems and the complete system, during the design, development, and operational phases of this acquisition effort. Following successful deployment, the operational RFIMS will enable government operators to detect potentially detrimental RFI, classify the nature of RFI, identify the source(s) of the RFI, and notify NOAA government operators and wireless carriers sharing the AWS-3 spectrum about the RFI. These operational capabilities should enable the OSGS to work cooperatively with licensed LTE wireless carriers in successfully mitigating potentially detrimental RFI within the protection zones established around the 17 NOAA satellite earth stations where RFIMS will be deployed. The Department of Defense (DOD) and Department of Interior (DOI) may wish to leverage the NOAA contract to protect their sites as well. Once developed, the RFIMS will provide a real-time data collection and monitoring capability to enhance Radio Frequency (RF) protection of the 17 NOAA ground earth stations and potentially up-to 18 DOD and up-to 5 DOI sites. The RFIMS monitoring system must operate continuously to monitor performance at each of the ground stations. For additional details concerning the Government's objectives, please see the draft RFP located at the following link: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=a5379236cb993b7f361e4d549d253040&tab=core&_cview=1 Competitive proposals will be solicited on a full and open competitive basis per FAR 6.101, 6.102(b) and 6.401(b)(1). In accordance with the procedures at FAR 15-101-1, a Best Value tradeoff process will be used in determining contract award(s) with an anticipated contract award by September 2017.
