SOURCES SOUGHT
15 -- NOAA High Altitude Jet Aircraft, with Modifications
- Notice Date
- 5/15/2018
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 336411
— Aircraft Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Eastern Acquisition Division - Norfolk, Norfolk Federal Building, 200 Granby Street, Norfolk, Virginia, 23510, United States
- ZIP Code
- 23510
- Solicitation Number
- RFI-NOAA-Aircraft
- Archive Date
- 6/22/2018
- Point of Contact
- James Rall, Phone: 757.441.6886, Arthur A. Hildebrandt, Phone: 757.441.6865
- E-Mail Address
-
James.Rall@noaa.gov, andrew.hildebrandt@noaa.gov
(James.Rall@noaa.gov, andrew.hildebrandt@noaa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Disclaimer This announcement constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) only, as defined in FAR 15.201(e), for the purpose of determining market capability of sources or obtaining information. It does not constitute a Request for Proposals (RFP), a Request for Quotation (RFQ), or an indication that the Government will contract for any of the items and/or services discussed in this notice. Any formal solicitation that may subsequently be issued will be announced separately through Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps). Submission of a response to this RFI is entirely voluntary. The voluntary submission of a response to this RFI shall not obligate NOAA to pay or entitle the submitter of information to claim any direct or indirect costs or charges or any other remuneration whatsoever. All information received will be safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure. Please do not submit any proprietary or classified information. Purpose The purpose of this RFI is to obtain information about the capability and availability of purchasing up to two (2) high-altitude jet aircraft, with necessary modifications, to replace NOAA/AOC's Gulfstream G-IVSP aircraft, providing reliability and redundancy in performing the critical missions currently executed on the G-IVSP. Introduction The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Office of Marine and Aviation Operations (OMAO) is one of the significant operational arms of NOAA. Through its headquarters office in Silver Spring, MD and Aircraft Operations Center (AOC) in Lakeland, FL, OMAO operates, maintains and manages the aircraft used by NOAA programs to collect the critical airborne environmental observations essential to meeting NOAA's prioritized airborne requirements. Background The aircraft of the NOAA/AOC are flown in support of NOAA's mission to promote global environmental assessment, prediction and stewardship of the Earth's environment. NOAA's aircraft operate throughout the United States and around the world over open oceans, mountains, coastal wetlands, and Arctic pack ice. These versatile aircraft provide scientists with airborne platforms necessary to collect the environmental and geographic data essential to their research. The AOC owns, operates and maintains a Gulfstream G-IVSP (serial number 1246, tail designation N49RF), a highly modified twin-jet aircraft, primarily supporting two of NOAA's five Line Offices, the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR) office. NWS works to provide weather, water, and climate data, forecasts and warnings for the protection of life and property and enhancement of the national economy. OAR provides both the research foundation for understanding the complex systems that support our planet, and the unbiased science to better manage the environment, nationally and globally. While the G-IVSP has the infrastructure to support a wide variety of instrumentation and mission capabilities, its primary data collection equipment is designed to measure vertical atmospheric profiles using dropwindsonde expendables, 3-dimensional wind fields in the presence of radar returns using the Tail Doppler Radar, and flight level in-situ state parameters (pressure, temperature, humidity and winds) with fuselage-mounted sensors. Manufactured in 1994, the aircraft is exhibiting higher failure rates and reduced reliability, along with longer and more expensive maintenance cycles. To avoid further loss of mission performance and reduction in availability, OMAO is seeking to replace this aircraft with a new platform that has no less than the NOAA G-IVSP's performance and capabilities. When the NOAA G-IVSP was acquired there were gaps between its capabilities and the full set of NOAA science and operational mission requirements. With the increased capabilities of the current generation of high-altitude business jets, there is the opportunity to better fulfill these mission requirements. To that end, many of the specifications listed below consist of a minimum acceptable capability and a performance enhancement above or a desired capability in addition to that minimum. This RFI is issued to gauge industry interest as well as aircraft availability for this requirement. Aircraft Specifications I. Base Aircraft Description The basic airframe (‘green aircraft') shall be a new multi-engine, transport category jet aircraft meeting the requirements of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 25 (14CFR25) and that meets or exceeds the Capabilities listed below. The aircraft shall have a current and valid U.S. Airworthiness Certificate showing certification by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to 14CFR21. The aircraft shall be free of any significant damage history during manufacture and modification, and have all mandatory Airworthiness Directives, manufacturer's mandatory Service Bulletins and mandatory Aircraft Service Changes completed before delivery. All installations / modifications are to be FAA certified to part 25 or the aircraft type certificate whichever is more stringent. An approved FAA Form 337, or Supplemental Type Certificate, shall accompany all contractor-supplied modifications, to include supporting aeronautical documentation and engineering drawings and schematics. II. Aircraft Capabilities The aircraft shall have the following capabilities. Note that some terminology is based on the current NOAA G-IV; similar characteristics presented in a different format are acceptable, as long as they can be related to the terms listed below: A.A service ceiling of at least 45,000 feet International Standard Atmosphere (ISA). A higher service ceiling is desired. B.Long range cruise speed of at least.80 Mach (faster is desired). C.NBAA IFR range with Max. Fuel and available payload at least 4200 nautical miles (longer range is desired). D.Payload (cabin seats, racks, science equipment, baggage and cabin personnel) capacity of at least 4,500 pounds. E.Certified for flight in day and night Instrument Flight Rule and Visual Flight Rule conditions, and flight into known icing conditions. F.Capable of 14CFR91 Category II performance standards. G.Certified to 14CFR36 Stage 4 Noise Standards. H.Comply with ICAO Annex 8 for international operations, be certified for operation in the North Atlantic Track (NAT) system and be approved for Reduced Vertical Separation Minimum (RVSM) operation. I.Have seating, floor area and carrying capacity for at least ten (10) persons plus 3 crew (2 pilots plus jump-seat) plus floor space for eight (8) equipment racks (approx. footprint 37 by 21 inches), each weighing up to 386 pounds (rack plus equipment). III. Aircraft Equipment A.Have exterior and cockpit lighting as appropriate for this class of aircraft. B.Have radios, navigation systems, required safety avionics (e.g. TCAS, EGPWS, ADS-B and FANS-1/A) and weather avoidance radar as appropriate for this class of aircraft operating in the conditions and regions listed above. If not already standard, a multi-level scanning weather radar (examples are the Collins WXR-2100 and the Honeywell RDR-4000), integrated into the cockpit avionics display(s) is desired. A highly desired enhancement is to provide the radar display at one or more of the cabin seat locations, using a stand-alone display unit. An additional desired capability is to allow a cabin seat location to control the radar settings (range and tilt) at the pilot's discretion. These last two desired enhancements are similar to the capability currently available on the NOAA G-IV. C.Have interior closeout for cabin lighting and noise reduction, and an externally serviced lavatory. Provide an Internal Communication System for all cockpit and cabin seating locations, with at least two independent intraship audio channels and the ability to monitor all communication radios from each seating location. Provide lighting, gaspers, and other Personal Service Unit (PSU) facilities at all cabin seating locations. D.Have passenger oxygen (diluter/demand masks with bottle oxygen supply) and other safety infrastructure appropriate for this class of aircraft to operate over water and internationally. Capacity sufficient to provide 3 hours of emergency oxygen for all cockpit and cabin personnel at a cabin altitude of 25,000 feet is required. IV. Required Provisions for Scientific Systems The items on the list below are required, with optional desired enhancements as noted. A.Scientific Power a.At least 23 KVA of 115V 3-phase, 400 Hz power available for mission systems, higher power capacity from the standard aircraft configuration is desired, but specialized generating equipment is not desired. b.At least 4 KVA of 115V single phase 60 Hz power shall be available for mission use, provided by converting a portion of the available 400 Hz mission power. c.A minimum of 3 KVA of 115V single phase uninterruptable power (UPS) shall be available for mission use, either derived from the 400 Hz mission power or from a DC source that provides battery backup. d.A minimum of 20 amps of 28V DC power is required, derived from an aircraft 28 V DC bus or by converting a portion of the AC mission power, higher capacity is desired. e.Control and relay circuits shall be included to automatically deactivate all mission system power except the UPS in the event of single generator operation or manual deactivation by the pilot, with override provisions for ground operation on APU, single engine or external power. The UPS subsystem shall have a separate manual deactivation switch accessible to the pilot. f.Specifics of mission power distribution will be included in the RFP if/when it is issued. B.Floor attachments for racks and seats - appropriate seat track or other fittings to allow attachment of mission equipment racks and seats in the cabin. Desired to have flexibility in certified configurations and attach locations to allow for changing mission equipment requirements. Wall and/or ceiling attach points may be included if rack weight and Center of Gravity (CG) desired limits necessitate additional attach points. C.Satellite Communication a.An Inmarsat-based system for voice and data. Desired enhancement of a dual system for redundancy i.Two channels of voice communications, with one handset in the cockpit and at least one in the cabin. Both channels of audio to be available as listen-only selections on the ICS system. A desired enhancement is the ability to move location of cabin handset(s) to meet varying cabin configurations. ii.Data services with at least the speed provided by SwiftBroadband coupled with a High Gain Antenna, with Ethernet network connection. Desired enhancement of a higher speed service with similar coverage area and a single provider service, such as Global Xpress. b.An Iridium-based system for voice and data i.At least one channel of voice communications, with handset in the cabin. Desired enhancements: Second channel with handset in the cockpit, all channels of audio to be available as listen-only selections on the ICS system, and the ability to move location of cabin handset to meet varying cabin configurations. ii.Data services of at least 4800 bps with Ethernet network connection. Desired enhancement of a higher speed service, either through a multi-channel combiner or Iridium-Next. iii.Iridium based Sky Connect tracking system with automatic reporting of time stamped position, altitude, ground speed, and ground track information. D.Network Infrastructure - Runs of copper and fiber optic network cabling from rack and equipment locations to a patch panel, with provisions for network equipment (routers and/or switches) in the same location (network closet or similar); specifics of cable type, connectors and locations to be determined if/when an RFP is issued. E.Tail Doppler Radar (TDR) a.Tail-mounted radome to enclose antenna assembly for vertically scanning radar, similar to system installed on NOAA P-3 and G-IVSP. Includes vertical mounting plate for antenna pedestal base. The minimum radome size is sufficient to house current G-IVSP antenna assembly (current radome is approx. 44 inches interior diameter); radome to accommodate larger antenna assembly is desired, but may need to evaluate tradeoff with performance loss due to increased drag. b.Dual X-band (WR-112 or WR-90) waveguide runs from tail pedestal to pressurized cabin, including penetration of aft pressure bulkhead. Wiring run (motor drive and position, specific wire types and quantities to be determined if/when an RFP is issued) from pedestal to pressurized cabin, including bulkhead connector at aft pressure bulkhead. c.Depending on aircraft layout and limitations, it may be desired to mount TDR electronics (approx. 45 inches of vertical 19 inch EIA/ECA-310 rack space) in an aft baggage compartment to minimize waveguide length and reduce cabin noise. If not mounted in the baggage compartment, additional waveguide runs to the equipment location in the main cabin will be required. F.Airborne Vertical Atmospheric Profiling System (AVAPS) The AVAPS consists of an expendable unit (the dropsonde), a launch chute assembly in the aircraft, antennas for telemetry (400 MHz VHF, mounted under the aircraft) and GPS (L1/L2 band, mounted on top of aircraft), and a receiver/processor system, which is rack mounted in the cabin. More information about the AVAPS can be found at https://www.eol.ucar.edu/node/10082. a.A dropsonde launch chute is required, with location and design determined to allow for launch of expendables with adequate separation from the aircraft and without excessive g-loads or tumbling upon launch. If the launch chute location is in the baggage compartment or other area with limited access, it is anticipated that the Government would provide an automated launcher similar to that used on the NCAR HIAPER aircraft, to be attached to the chute provided. It is likely that the smaller ‘mini' dropsonde (1.75 inches diameter, by approx. 12 inches long) would be used, rather than the larger dropsonde currently used on the NOAA G-IVSP. b.Installation of up-looking (GPS) and down-looking (VHF Telemetry) antennas, with coaxial cabling to a cabin location to be determined if/when an RFP is issued. Antenna locations to be selected to maximize field of view and minimize coaxial cable distance to AVAPS rack-mounted receiver equipment. V. Optional Provisions for Scientific Systems The following items may be listed as either optional or required if a solicitation is issued: A.Cabin Seats - track-mounted, with fore-aft, lateral and vertical adjustments, FAA certified for takeoff and landing, with four- or five-point restraint systems. Quantity to be determined by cabin layout and number of unique seat types (e.g. if seats are designed for left- or right-side only). B.Equipment Racks - single-bay, conforming to 19" EIA/ECA-310 standards, minimum of 44" vertical height (higher is desired), minimum of 386 lbs. weight capacity with CG 25" above floor, decreasing to a minimum of 200 lbs. with equipment CG 47" above the floor, higher weight and CG limits desired, but not at the expense of excessive rack frame weight. Racks and rack limits are to be certified for FAA-required aircraft g-loads. Quantity to be determined by cabin layout and number of unique rack types (e.g. if racks are designed for left- or right-side only). C.Wing Hard Points - Up to six wing stations (three on each side) with threaded holes and wiring to allow for mounting pylons and instrument pods. Highly desired that the mounting provisions and capabilities be identical to the wing hard points on the NCAR HIAPER aircraft. See the HIAPER Investigator's Handbook https://www.eol.ucar.edu/content/nsfncar-hiaper-investigator-handbook, Chapter 5 for more information. D.Fuselage Mounting Provisions - Some combination of Aperture Pads and Plates (approx. 7"x10" opening), Mounts (plates for attaching inlets, etc.), Pads (plates with 2" diameter hole for sensors), Window Blanks, and Optical View Ports (20.5" ports) is desired. Specific types, quantities and locations are to be determined if/when an RFP is issued. It is highly desired that each type conform to the form factor and load capabilities of the equivalent provision on NCAR HIAPER aircraft, although the quantity and specific locations may vary from the HIAPER configuration. See the HIAPER Investigator's Handbook https://www.eol.ucar.edu/content/nsfncar-hiaper-investigator-handbook, Chapter 5 for more information. E.Secondary launch chute - Provisions for a launch chute in the cabin area, consisting of a circular tube from the floor to the external skin, approximately 7" internal diameter, angled similar to the chute on N49RF. Initial delivery would be with a plug installed that was flat to the cabin floor and contoured to the external skin. Provisions for installing a pressurized launch mechanism (e.g. circular flange at floor level with mounting holes) would be required, but the actual launch mechanism would not be included. VI. Aircraft Availability The desired time frame is delivery of the base (green) aircraft with Equipment and Required Provisions (as stated in Sections III and IV above) within 18 months of Contract award. It is understood that Enhanced and Optional provisions may extend that time line. Response Requirements Limit RFI responses to 25 pages. Responses must be unclassified and contain no proprietary information. Responses should include the company name, location of home facility, CAGE code, and DUNS number, as well as the telephone number, and mail and e-mail addresses of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss the submission. RFI responses should be submitted electronically in a pdf format to the point of contact in this notice. Information Requested in Responses : Please include with your response the following: A.The RFI number. B.If/when the aforementioned requirement for "High Altitude Jet Aircraft Purchase" is formerly solicited by the Government, would your company be interested in or are planning to provide a quote/proposal? C.Description of ability to meet the requirements of this RFI. D.Descriptive literature about your capabilities and successful execution of similar efforts. E.Suggestions for alternatives or deviations, based on current capabilities or previous experience. If known, respondent should identify impacts and additional resources required for proposed alternatives. F.Statement of basic (green) aircraft availability and any factors affecting that availability (e.g. availability that is dependent on which year the RFP is issued). Include a Rough Order of Magnitude estimate for timeline from availability of basic aircraft to completion of required modifications (basically, sections I-IV above, without any enhanced or desired capabilities/provisions. G.Business Size and any socio-economic status under NAICS 336411, or appropriate North American Industry Classification Code (NAICS), if different from this Sources Sought/RFI. H.Pricing Information: For planning purposes, vendors are requested to provide Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Pricing for the base aircraft plus required provisions stated in section I-IV of this RFI, without any enhanced or desired capabilities/provisions. It is also requested, if possible, for vendors to provide ROM pricing for the optional provisions in section V. It is recognized that there may be a variety of base platforms that can meet the required and desired capabilities listed in the RFI, with various tradeoffs for performance, ease of modification, cost, schedule and other factors. Respondents are encouraged to offer a variety of solutions if available. NOTE: If necessary and required based on responses to this RFI, the Government reserves the right to schedule vendor meetings and have discussions between vendor personnel and NOAA representatives regarding the capabilities of the vendor supplies/services being suggested. All vendor meetings will be authorized, approved, and conducted by the Contracting Officer to ensure they do not create a potential exclusive situation that gives competitive advantage or otherwise disadvantages participants in any potential future competition.
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