ROSEMOUNT 858AJ115 HEATED AIR DATA PROBES FOR G550 AIRCRAFT

THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION’S (NOAA) ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, EASTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-NORFOLK, OFFICE OF MARINE AND AVIATION OPERATIONS (OMAO) AIRCRAFT OPERATIONS CENTER (AOC), INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE AND AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF RFO FAR 6.103-1, WITH GMS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION OUT OF RESTON, VA FOR TWO (2) ROSEMOUNT 858AJ115 HEATED AIR DATA PROBES FOR G550 AIRCRAFT. NO SET ASIDE IS TO BE USED FOR THIS SOLE SOURCE REQUIREMENT. THE ASSOCIATED NAICS CODE IS 334511.

THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON NOAA’S REQUIREMENT THAT GMS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION IS THE SOLE, WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTOR OF ROSEMOUNT AEROSPACE PRODUCTS EXCEPT IN JAPAN. GMS INTERNATIONAL CORPORATION HAS NO AUTHORIZED PARTNERS OR RESELLERS. ROSEMOUNT 858AJ115 HEATED AIR DATA PROBES ARE MISSION-CRITICAL COMPONENTS FOR THE NEW GULFSTREAM G550 ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH AIRCRAFT, SPECIFICALLY FOR THE MEASUREMENT OF THREE-DIMENSIONAL WIND VECTORS AND “TRUTH” PRESSURE DATA.

THIS ACQUISITION IS VITAL FOR NOAA TO ACCOMPLISH ITS MISSION OF HIGH-ALTITUDE TROPICAL CYCLONE SURVEILLANCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL SAMPLING. THE ROSEMOUNT 858AJ115 HEATED AIR DATA PROBE IS ESSENTIAL TO THE G550 ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH MISSION. THIS SPECIFIC BRAND NAME ITEM FEATURES A UNIQUE FIVE-PORT HEMISPHERICAL HEAD GEOMETRY THAT ALLOWS FOR THE SIMULTANEOUS MEASUREMENT OF PITOT-STATIC PRESSURE, ANGLE OF ATTACK (?), AND ANGLE OF SIDESLIP (?).

THESE FEATURES ARE ESSENTIAL FOR CALCULATING 3D WIND VECTORS IN THE TURBULENT ENVIRONMENTS OF TROPICAL CYCLONES. MARKET RESEARCH INDICATES THAT STANDARD "BRAND NAME OR EQUAL" PITOT-STATIC TUBES ARE DESIGNED FOR LEVEL-FLIGHT NAVIGATION AND CANNOT MAINTAIN CALIBRATION OR STRUCTURAL INTEGRITY AT THE HIGH FLOW ANGLES ENCOUNTERED DURING HURRICANE RECONNAISSANCE.

WITHOUT THIS SPECIFIC BRAND NAME SENSOR, THE G550 WOULD BE UNABLE TO PROVIDE "TRUTH" METEOROLOGICAL DATA, RENDERING THE AIRCRAFT'S MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR SCIENTIFIC SUITE INCAPABLE OF MEETING NOAA’S MISSION REQUIREMENTS. THE REQUIRED SUPPLIES MUST BE COMPATIBLE IN ALL ASPECTS (FORM, FIT, AND FUNCTION) WITH THE EXISTING G550 NOSE BOOM INSTRUMENTATION SYSTEM.

THE G550 NOSE BOOM EXTENSION WAS SPECIFICALLY ENGINEERED, MACHINED, AND WEIGHT-BALANCED TO ACCEPT THE UNIQUE BOLT PATTERN AND PNEUMATIC PORT SPACING OF THE ROSEMOUNT 858AJ SERIES. FURTHERMORE, THE AIRCRAFT’S SPECIALIZED DE-ICING POWER BUS IS CONFIGURED TO INTERFACE WITH THE 115V AC INTERNAL HEATER ELEMENTS OF THIS EXACT MODEL.

OTHER COMPANIES’ PRODUCTS, SUCH AS STANDARD COMMERCIAL PITOT TUBES, UTILIZE DIFFERENT MOUNTING FOOTPRINTS AND 28V DC HEATING ARCHITECTURES, WHICH CANNOT BE MODIFIED TO INTERFACE WITH THE G550’S RESEARCH-SPECIFIC NOSE BOOM AND ELECTRICAL RACKS WITHOUT EXTENSIVE AND COST-PROHIBITIVE AIRFRAME RE-ENGINEERING AND RECERTIFICATION THE 858AJ115 IS A HIGHLY SPECIALIZED, LOW-VOLUME INSTRUMENT USED ALMOST EXCLUSIVELY BY THE INTERNATIONAL ATMOSPHERIC RESEARCH COMMUNITY.

AFTER AN EXHAUSTIVE MULTI-YEAR SEARCH, THE IDENTIFIED SOURCE IN VIRGINIA WAS FOUND TO BE THE ONLY VENDOR CURRENTLY CAPABLE OF PROVIDING THIS HARDWARE WITH THE NECESSARY FAA AIRWORTHINESS DOCUMENTATION (FORM 8130-3). THIS SOURCE WA IDENTIFIED THROUGH TECHNICAL COLLABORATION WITH THE GERMAN AEROSPACE CENTER (DLR), WHICH UTILIZES THE SAME PROBE ON AN IDENTICAL G550 PLATFORM.

NO OTHER DOMESTIC SOURCE WAS FOUND CAPABLE OF PROVIDING A SENSOR THAT MEETS THE REQUIRED SAMPLE RATES AND ENVIRONMENTAL TOLERANCES AT THE LEVEL OF QUALITY NECESSARY FOR HIGH-ALTITUDE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH. DELIVERY WITHIN 80 WEEKS FROM DATE OF AWARD

THIS PRESOLICITATION NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION OR A REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE.

SUCH REQUESTS AND DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.