Request For Information (RFI) - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) ...

SummaryThis is a Request for Information (RFI). The National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) seeks information from interested parties on specific tools, services, and capabilities that commercial, government or academic entities might currently and in the future provide that support the transition from gov’t-owned and operated satellite services to a partnership between NOAA and Commercial Service Providers for a mixed-satellite-services solution.This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a commitment for an RFP in the future, and it is not considered to be a commitment by the Government to award a contract. The Government will not pay for any information or administrative cost incurred in response to this announcement. No basis for claim against the Government shall arise as a result from a response to this RFI

or Government use of any information provided.Disclaimer and Important NotesNOAA is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. The information is requested for planning purposes only, subject to FAR Clause 52.215-3, entitled "Request for Information for Planning Purposes." Only material suitable for internal government distribution shall be submitted. Any proprietary information should be marked accordingly. The U.S. Government will protect all proprietary information received from respondents, and distribution of any material will be based on a strict need-to-know basis. No classified, confidential, or sensitive information should be included in your response to this RFI. 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.  However, note that the submissions may be subject to review by experts outside of the civil service such as NOAA contractors, each of whom would sign non-disclosure agreements as required. This exchange of information must be consistent with procurement integrity requirements (See FAR 3.104).BackgroundNESDIS is formulating plans for transition to a Common Services-based Enterprise Ground Architecture that is both supportive of NOAA’s next generation satellite observing systems and responsive to new and evolving threats and opportunities. This next-generation operating paradigm requires a more efficient, agile, and scalable end-to-end information system that can ingest, harmonize, and integrate data from any source into easily accessible and usable products. To facilitate this transition, NESDIS is performing feasibility analysis for leveraging new and matured technologies/solutions to improve and/or expand the current satellite Space-Ground Communications (SCM) and Mission Operations (MOP) capabilities for scalability, adaptability, and resilience. Space-Based Data Relay (SBDR) is one potential cost-effective solution for satellite space-ground communications (including both Space-to-Space and Space-to-Ground) through commercial satellite communication capabilities. NOAA’s satellite observation missions include Earth-Facing Persistent Observations of which require high availability and low latency (e.g., Geostationary Orbit (GEO) satellites), Earth-Facing Global Observations that can view all parts of the earth through the orbits close to the earth (e.g., Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellites), and Space Weather Observations (SWO) that encompass interactions between the heliospheric and the earth systems at all altitudes (e.g.,  LEO, GEO, the Earth-Sun Lagrange Points (L1, L4, L5), and all other orbits). The following figure shows the notional NOAA space architecture for today and some potential future mission programs where commercial Space-Based Data Relay (SBDR) capabilities/services could be utilized to support some satellite missions.Please see attached Notional NOAA Space Architecture for today and futureThe NESDIS Commercial Services Integrated Product Team (IPT) was established to investigate the next steps regarding the viability of incorporating commercial sector capabilities into its future Enterprise Architecture.  The Commercial Services IPT has identified the utilization of SBDR’s as an emerging technology that may serve to greatly reduce latencies while increasing the scalability, adaptability, and resilience of NESDIS Space-to-Ground Communication capabilities, which includes command and telemetry data uplink/downlink. This RFI is scoped to conduct market research and collect industry feedback and responses for the incorporation of commercial SBDR capabilities within a future NOAA/NESDIS Enterprise Architecture. Specifically, the IPT is investigating the feasibility of integrating existing commercially available communications capabilities or capabilities deployable within the next five years  into in-development NOAA satellite platforms and or to facilitate out-of-the box communications to existing on-orbit NOAA satellites (S/X/Ka-Band), to improve NOAA satellite data availability, reduce data latency, and increase SCM scalability, adaptability and resilience in support of NOAA satellite missions. The scope being analyzed is both the relaying of critical Telemetry & Commanding (T&C) data and separately higher rate science mission data (SMD) to and from the NOAA satellites via a SBDR capability provided by industry. Terms“Government” or “Government representatives” means federal Government personnel and Government support contractor personnel.“NCCF” means the NESDIS Common Cloud Framework“Vendor” means all Contractor, Subcontractor and or Academia support utilized within the scope of this RFI. “SCM” means Space to Ground Communications.“SBDR” means Space-Based Data Relay.“TT&C” means Telemetry, Tracking, and Command.PurposeThis RFI is soliciting information from commercial sources for tools, services, and capabilities that support the future NOAA/NESDIS enterprise architecture. The RFI focuses on the commercial services that could be leveraged for improving NOAA’s space-to-space and space-to-ground satellite communication capabilities. The Government is looking to gain further market research on current commercial services and technical solutions in order to develop a technical roadmap and understand cost tradeoffs and risks associated with transition to a NOAA Ground Enterprise architecture. The Government is not intending to prescribe nor preclude specific technical solutions in response to this RFI. The following objectives/priorities should be considered in responses to this RFI’s identified scope.The responses should address the following desired characteristics:Capability to adapt and scale to NOAA’s satellite observation missions; Multi-Missions/Spacecrafts support (e.g., LEO, SWO, and GEO)Support for global low latency (including polar regions)Open and resilient architecture for multi-use interoperability and evolvable space infrastructure Standardization of interfaces between NOAA assets and commercial capabilities to minimizing unique developmentCompatibility with emerging DoD standardsData Integrity/Encryption CapabilitiesSpace communication network and/or ground communication network architectures that will be used for SBDR and their performance expectationsNew Satcomm technologies with high Technology Readiness Level (TRL 6+) (e.g., Optical comm, phased array) and other emerging technologies with anticipated high TRL level (TRL 6+) by 2027.Cost and Schedule supporting implementation of Commercial CapabilitiesDemonstrations, Referenced Contracts/CRADAs/OTA’s, use cases, and or lessons learned are encouraged. Request for InformationThis RFI is soliciting information from commercial, government, and academic sources on potential technical solutions to best support the development and transition from the Government owned and operated SCM business model to a mixed business model with utilization of both Government Owned and Commercial SBDR capabilities. Sources intending to respond to this RFI should thoroughly review the aforementioned and are encouraged to submit responses detailing their ability to support the following items:  Proposed Reference Architecture and Concept of Operations for SBDR, including details pertaining to software applications, space/ground network topologies, requested physical equipment or facilities. If or how the proposed solution meets, or has the potential to meet through modifications, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101 Definition of a "commercial item." Describe if or how a solution can meet the FAR 2.101 definition of a commercial item if modifications are required, and discuss the time frame involved. Provide technology roadmap describing the steps and timing by which the proposed architecture will be realizedIdentification of any requested Government Furnished Property (GFP) and any expected modifications required to support the Vendor’s Reference Architecture and Concept of OperationsHow would interfaces to Government-provided Encryption solutions be supportedDo vendor solutions exist that could provide Comparable NIST 140-2 Encryption capabilities natively within their own productsProcesses, including assumptions for transition from the existing legacy NOAA SCM capabilities to a Vendor-provided capability, as well as any associated timeframe for integration based off of past performanceProcesses, including assumptions for integrating Vendor-provided SBDR capabilities into NOAA’s In-Development or planned satellites, as well as any associated timeframe for integration based off of past performance Any Potential Risks and or Issues for the Government to consider, including, but not limited to, Information Technology (IT), Security, and or Programmatic considerationsRecommended approaches to reduce, or otherwise mitigate, risk for the Government's considerationRough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Cost Estimate to any required flight and ground system modifications necessary for using SBDR. The estimate should include any assumptions and should highlight major cost drivers and opportunities for cost savings such as trade-offs between development costs for automation and operations costs/staffing.Please detail any published catalog pricing, as applicable.Feasibility for costing versus anticipated ingest and sampling rates required for LEO and SWO missions  Any additional Special Considerations and or Opportunities the Government should otherwise considerInterest in supporting a demonstration of capabilities with the Commercial Services IPT. Interest in supporting a Funded Study of capabilities with the Office of System Architecture and Advanced Planning (OSAAP) and the Office of Satellite Ground Systems (OSGS)    Identification of existing services available under current Government contract vehicles that could be utilized by NOAA A.3 RFI Submission InstructionsResponses are limited to no more than 25 pages (applicable document comments spreadsheet not included) and must be submitted via email by September 22, 2022 at 12:00 PM Eastern Time to the point of contact listed below. The subject line of the submission should start with “RFI for SBDR” and attachments should be in PDF format (except the applicable document comments spreadsheet). If your organization is interested in a potential opportunity to provide additional information via virtual one-on-one discussions in the September/October 2022 timeframe, please indicate your interest by contacting the point of contact listed below.All questions about the RFI shall be directed by email to the point of contact listed below. Please include the following:Identification of your firm's business size and identification of your firm’s CAGE Code and UEI number. Note: The NAICS Code for this requirement is 541330 – Engineering Services.Capability statements expressing your experience in this requirement, describing your company and its capability to meet the requirements (desired characteristics) stated in this RFI with a description of your proposed services and/or supplies that would meet the requirements.Interested parties should provide sufficient detailed information which demonstrates the technical capability of the proposed solution. This shall include a discussion on your firm’s estimated timeframe for delivery or performance.Responses may be sent via electronic mail to:Jame ChangContracting Officerjame.chang@noaa.gov