A -- SATELLITE DATA ROUTING AND RETRIEVAL SERVICES -- 52-SPNA-9-RFI-1 This information is being requested by the Government in accordance with the provision in the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 52.215-3-Solicitation for Information or Planning Purposes (APR 1984), as prescribed in FAR 15.402(c), 15.402(e), and 15.405. The scope of this Request for Information (RFI) covers "turn-key" data routing and retrieval (DR&R) communications systems, services, and maintenance. Turn-key is defined as comprising the satellite uplink (e.g., ground station facilities and associated electronics), the communications satellite (SATCOM) transponders, and the satellite down-link to users either directly or through a teleport facility, including all equipment necessary at the users' site. These electronics and communications services will eventually be applied to support data retrieval and routing for the National Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite System (NPOESS) and for the planned (but not yet approved) NPOESS Preparatory Project. The NPOESS is a proposed systemof polar orbiting weather satellites and ground equipment to be used for the collection, analysis, and dissemination of weather data to government and civilian users. It will eventually replace the Department of Defense's Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP) and the Department of Commerce's Polar-orbiting Operational Environmental Satellite (POES) systems. The NPOESS satellite project is managed by the NESDIS/Integrated Program Office (IPO), an office under the U. S. Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). In addition to the NPOESS project, plans are also underway for a potential early spaceflight of some of the NPOESS instruments through the NPOESS Preparatory Project (NPP). If approved the NPP will be a jointly managed project of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the NPOESS/IPO. It is designed as a risk reduction precursor to NPOESS, and is planned to be launched as early as 2005. The timing of this special notice to industry is based on the knowledge that a substantial investment and extended period of preparation may be needed by industry to prepare for the eventual notice, solicitation, and award of the DRR services to support these projects. Therefore, the purpose of this NPOESS/IPO RFI is: (1) To inform industry of this emerging commercial data routing and retrieval opportunity; (2) To outline the schedule, volume and delivery requirements for this potential requirement; (3) To receive Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) costs; and (4) To encourage industry to commit to a future business strategy that will eventually be competed and awarded by the Government. Depending on overall costs for this turn-key service, the NPOESS DR&R communications infrastructure will commence in June 2005, and operate through 2018. The responses that the Government obtains from industry as a result of this RFI will not be used to award a binding contract. These responses will, however, be treated as Contractor business, financial and technical proprietary information, as defined in FAR 3.104-3 and will be protected from disclosure. The budgetary costs and planning information being solicited anticipate relay of data from three mission ground stations: Fairbanks, Alaska, Svalbard, Norway, and McMurdo, Antarctica. Stored Mission Data, Telemetry, and Command Data will be relayed to multiple users in CONUS, notably the operational control centers at Suitland, MD and Schriever AFB, CO, and including FNMOC, AFWA, and NAVOCEANO. Phased increments of bandwidth are being planned starting in 2005, using SATCOM transponders and fiber optics over a network of five simplex and duplex channels. T1, T3, and OC-3 links will be used. Capacity will be increased over time. Data reliability is a paramount objective. IMPORTANT!! Those interested in supporting the Government with this study and learning more about the eventual requirement are encouraged to contact Mr. Jay W. Moore, NPOESS/Integrated Program Office, 8455 Colesville Road, Suite 1450, Silver Spring, MD 20910; Tel. 301-427-2126, ext. 112; e-mail: jmoore@ipo.noaa.gov. Requests by e-mail and by letter will be honored with a rapid reply containing a 12-page full description of the potential requirements synopsized above. See Note #25. The Government will entertain and respond to all replies to this notice. Documentation in response to this RFI, including the 12-page DRR-RFI, is due to the above address by no later than 3 October 1999. Industry interest in this NOAA program is appreciated. Collect calls not accepted. E-MAIL: Contracting Officer, jmoore@ipo.noaa.gov. Posted 08/19/99 (W-SN370298).

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