Sole Source: PureHM U.S. Inc.- Hypack Software Maintenance and License Renewal

NOAA, AGO, Eastern Acquisition Division (EAD) intends to issue a new firm-fixed-price (FFP) purchase order to PureHM US, Inc. on a sole source basis for the purchase of maintenance and renewals of currently-owned Hypack perpetual software licenses in support of the National Ocean Service (NOS) Coast Survey Development Laboratory in Silver Spring, MD.

The Government intends to utilize the authority under the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 13.106-1(b)(1), Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services will satisfy agency requirements, unless, as a result of this announcement, acceptable responses to this notice are received and a determination is made by the Government to issue a competitive solicitation.

The Government intends to award a purchase order to PureHM US, Inc. via “Hypack- A Xylem Brand” on a sole source basis in support of the National Ocean Service (NOS) Coast Survey Development Laboratory based on the continued requirement to access critical security patches, software new releases and updates, feature enhancements, and technical support for this mission-essential software.

Sole Source Justification: NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey (OCS) manages the production of NOAA nautical charts and its nautical data collection and information programs. This integrated suite of programs in hydrography and cartography helps protect life and property, supports economic growth and development, and protects the environment, in addition to the overall mission of promoting safe navigation.

Hypack software is used by OCS and all NOAA hydrographic survey ships for critical mission activities including, but not limited to, survey planning and acquisition of survey data (e.g., multibeam sonar bathymetry). NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey intends to procure an extended maintenance renewal contract for perpetual licenses of Hypack software products including Hysweep, Hypack Max, and Hypack Survey.

The extended maintenance renewal contract will include service items including critical software security patches, new software releases and updates, feature enhancements, and technical support. In addition, OCS intends to procure two (2) additional Hypack software licenses (specifically, Hypack ECHO) for use by NOAA’s Ocean Exploration Office of this contract.

Hypack, Inc. is the sole owner and distributor of Hypack hydrographic survey software packages, including Hysweep, Hypack Max, Hypack Survey, and Hypack ECHO. These packages are an industry standard for marine surveying, positioning, and navigation, and are critical in NOAA’s mission to accurately collect single beam and multibeam sonar bathymetric datasets.

This software also allows hydrographers to precisely navigate survey lines using NOAA raster charts and ENCs as background files to safely collect navigationally significant data. NOAA’s hydrographic fleet currently has more than 40 licenses of Hypack software in use, and has a continued requirement to access technical support and program updates for this mission-essential software.

Without the purchase of the yearly support agreement, NOAA users would not have access to necessary updates and support for continued quality data acquisition. Due to the significant investment that Office of Coast Survey has already incurred with the procurement of Hypack perpetual software licenses, replacement of this software would not be advantageous to the Government. In addition, PureHM US, Inc. must be authorized to maintain the Hypack software so as to not invalidate the warranty.

Manufacturers that propose a solution using other than PureHM US, Inc. software maintenance and renewals, must furnish detailed specifications and descriptions to demonstrate their capability to provide the required supplies that satisfy the Government’s needs.

To be considered, interested parties must be able to demonstrate their ability to provide comparable software solutions that meet the specific characteristics of the full package of Hypack products, including Hysweep, Hypack Max, Hypack Survey, and Hypack ECHO. Capability information shall include, at minimum, name, telephone number, address of customers for which you have previously furnished the required supplies, and a detailed narrative that describes your ability to provide the required supplies as specified.

The Government will give price preference to US made products. Interested parties must respond via email to Nikki.radford@noaa.gov prior to the closing of this notice. The NAICS code for this requirement is 513210, with a business size standard of $47M. The government intends to solicit and negotiate with the only known source (PureHM US, Inc.) that can provide the required supply. This is not a request for quotes or proposals and there is no solicitation available at this time.

The Government reserves the right to solicit quotes based on the receipt of affirmative responses to this posting without further notice. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Information received will normally be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to open competition to businesses other than PureHM US, Inc. All contractors doing business with this Contracting Office (Eastern Acquisition Division – Kansas City) must be registered with a valid Unique Entity Identification (UEI) number with the System for Award Management (SAM) website. Vendors can register with SAM at the following website https://www.sam.gov.