FreoOceans Sharkbuoy Tide Buoys and Moorings

THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION’S (NOAA) ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, EASTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-NORFOLK, NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE (NOS) CENTER FOR OPERATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHIC PRODUCTS AND SERVICES (CO-OPS) INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE AND AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF RFO FAR 6.103-1, WITH FREOOCEANS PTY LTD OUT OF AUSTRALIA FOR SHARKBUOY TIDE BUOYS AND MOORINGS. 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 FREOOCEANS IS THE MANUFACTURER AND SOLE PROVIDER OF SHARKBUOY PRODUCTS. FREOOCEANS DOES NOT HAVE ANY AUTHORIZED PARTNERS OR RESELLERS. CO-OPS WILL ACQUIRE TWO (2) SHARKBUOY GNSS-BASED TIDE BUOYS MANUFACTURED BY FREOOCEANS, AS A PROTOTYPE SYSTEM TO SUPPORT CRITICAL TIDAL DATA COLLECTION NEEDS. THIS ACQUISITION IS INTENDED TO ENHANCE NOAA'S CAPABILITIES FOR COASTAL SURVEYING, CHARTING UPDATES, AND SUPPORT FOR PORTS? PARTNERS.

THE SHARKBUOY IS A STATE-OF-THE-ART BUOY SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR GNSS TIDE MEASUREMENTS UNDER HARSH ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS. THIS SYSTEM ADDRESSES THE CRITICAL NEED FOR ACCURATE AND RELIABLE GNSS TIDE DATA COLLECTION IN COASTAL AND OFFSHORE ENVIRONMENTS. NOAA REQUIRES AN EASILY DEPLOYABLE, COST-EFFECTIVE, AND DURABLE TIDE BUOY SYSTEM TO FILL CURRENT OPERATIONAL GAPS AND MEET THE DEMANDS OF COASTAL OBSERVATIONS AND CHARTING PROGRAMS.

THE SHARKBUOY’S UNIQUE FEATURES AND SPECIFICATIONS MAKE IT THE OPTIMAL CHOICE FOR NOAA’S OPERATIONAL NEEDS. EXTENSIVE MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY CO-OPS HAS SHOWN THAT THE SHARKBUOY IS THE ONLY SYSTEM CURRENTLY AVAILABLE THAT MEETS NOAA’S SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR GNSS TIDE MEASUREMENTS. OTHER SYSTEMS EVALUATED LACK THE COMBINATION OF AFFORDABILITY, RUGGED CONSTRUCTION, AND INTEGRATED GNSS CAPABILITIES NECESSARY FOR NOAA’S COASTAL SURVEYING AND PORTS? APPLICATIONS.

FIELD EXPERIENCE AND FEEDBACK FROM METOCEAN SPECIALISTS FURTHER UNDERSCORE THE SHARKBUOY’S UNIQUE SUITABILITY FOR THE INTENDED APPLICATION. THE SHARKBUOY WILL SUPPORT ONGOING TESTING AND EVALUATION OF GNSS-BASED TIDE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS. IT WILL BE INTEGRATED INTO COOPS' OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK TO ENHANCE COASTAL AND CHARTING SURVEYS AND PROVIDE CRITICAL DATA FOR SAFE AND EFFICIENT MARINE NAVIGATION, THE PROTECTION OF INFRASTRUCTURE ALONG THE COAST, AND NOAA’S FORECAST MODELS.

DATA COLLECTED FROM THE SHARKBUOY WILL HELP IMPROVE NOAA'S ABILITY TO DELIVER ACCURATE, RELIABLE, AND TIMELY TIDE AND WATER LEVEL DATA TO A WIDE RANGE OF USERS. THE SELECTED SHARKBUOY GNSS TIDE BUOY, MANUFACTURED BY FREOOCEANS, IS THE ONLY KNOWN SYSTEM AVAILABLE THAT MEETS NOAA’S OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCURATE, RELIABLE, AND LOW-MAINTENANCE GNSS TIDE MEASUREMENTS.

THIS DETERMINATION IS BASED ON EXTENSIVE CO-OPS MARKET RESEARCH, WHICH REVEALED NO OTHER MANUFACTURERS OFFER A COMPARABLE BUOY SYSTEM THAT COMBINES THE UNIQUE FEATURES OF THE SHARKBUOY WITH THE ASTERX-M3 FG RECEIVER, SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED FOR MARINE APPLICATIONS. THE SHARKBUOY’S INNOVATIVE DESIGN AND UNIQUE CAPABILITIES MAKE IT THE ONLY PRACTICAL SOLUTION FOR CO-OPS' NEEDS FOR SPECIALIZED GNSS TIDE MEASUREMENT.

THE BUOY’S INTEGRATION OF THE ASTERX-M3 FG GNSS RECEIVER OFFERS STATE-OF-THE-ART FEATURES, INCLUDING FULL-CONSTELLATION, TRIPLE FREQUENCY SATELLITE TRACKING, REAL-TIME MARINESTAR G4+ PPP TIDE MEASUREMENTS, AND RAW DATA LOGGING ON A 32 GB FLASH MEMORY. NO OTHER PRODUCT PROVIDES THIS COMBINATION OF HIGH-ACCURACY TIDE MEASUREMENT AND REAL-TIME PROCESSING IN A SINGLE, DEPLOYABLE SYSTEM. THE SHARKBUOY’S RUGGED DESIGN ENSURES RELIABLE PERFORMANCE UNDER HARSH ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS, ESSENTIAL FOR NOAA’S OPERATIONS.

IT IS SUBMERGIBLE, LOW-MAINTENANCE, SOLAR-POWERED, AND EQUIPPED WITH REPLACEABLE BATTERIES, MAKING IT IDEAL FOR BOTH SHORT- AND LONG-TERM DEPLOYMENTS. AT 190 LBS WITH A 22 LB COUNTERWEIGHT, THE SHARKBUOY IS EASY TO HANDLE AND DEPLOY COMPARED TO LARGER, MORE CUMBERSOME ALTERNATIVES. ITS COMPACT DESIGN MINIMIZES DEPLOYMENT LOGISTICS AND COSTS WHILE MAXIMIZING OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY.

THE INTEGRATED AIM+ ANTI-JAMMING AND ANTI-SPOOFING TECHNOLOGY ENHANCES THE SYSTEM’S SECURITY AND RELIABILITY IN AREAS WITH POTENTIAL INTERFERENCE, ENSURING THE INTEGRITY OF COLLECTED DATA. THE SHARKBUOY PROVIDES PERPETUAL POWER VIA SOLAR ENERGY, WI-FI ACCESS TO RAW AND PROCESSED DATA, AND IRIDIUM-BASED GNSS TRACKING. THESE FEATURES STREAMLINE OPERATIONS, REDUCE MAINTENANCE, AND ENSURE CONTINUOUS DATA COLLECTION WITH MINIMAL INTERVENTION.

MARKET RESEARCH REVEALED NO OTHER GNSS TIDE BUOY SYSTEM THAT OFFERS THIS LEVEL OF INTEGRATION, PERFORMANCE, AND OPERATIONAL READINESS. THE SHARKBUOY’S UNIQUE FEATURES, INCLUDING ITS ASTERX-M3 FG RECEIVER, ARE CRITICAL FOR MEETING NOAA’S REQUIREMENTS FOR ACCURATE TIDE MEASUREMENTS AT COASTAL AND OFFSHORE LOCATIONS. OTHER SYSTEMS LACK THE SHARKBUOY’S FULL-CONSTELLATION TRACKING, REAL-TIME TIDE CAPABILITIES, AND ROBUST DESIGN, MAKING THEM UNSUITABLE FOR NOAA’S OPERATIONAL NEEDS.

FURTHERMORE, THE SHARKBUOY’S COMPATIBILITY WITH NOAA’S EXISTING WORKFLOWS AND ITS ABILITY TO DELIVER RELIABLE DATA FOR CHARTING, SURVEYING, AND STAKEHOLDER SUPPORT PROVIDE SIGNIFICANT VALUE. ADOPTING THIS SYSTEM REDUCES THE NEED FOR EXTENSIVE MODIFICATIONS TO EXISTING INFRASTRUCTURE OR PROCESSES, ENSURING COST-EFFECTIVE INTEGRATION. FOR THESE REASONS, THE SHARKBUOY REPRESENTS THE BEST VALUE TO THE GOVERNMENT AT THIS TIME, AND NO OTHER SOURCE IS REASONABLY AVAILABLE TO FULFILL THIS REQUIREMENT.

NOAA CO-OPS ROUTINELY ASSESSES EQUIPMENT AND EVALUATES REQUIREMENTS AND OTHER MANUFACTURER’S SYSTEMS. IF EQUIPMENT REPRESENTING A BETTER VALUE TO THE GOVERNMENT THAT MEETS CO-OPS’ REQUIREMENTS IS IDENTIFIED, CO-OPS WILL THEN CONSIDER TAKING ACTION TO BEGIN PROCURING THE NEWLY IDENTIFIED EQUIPMENT FOR USE. EXTENSIVE MARKET RESEARCH CONDUCTED BY CO-OPS CONFIRMS THAT THE SHARKBUOY GNSS TIDE BUOY, MANUFACTURED BY FREOOCEANS, IS THE ONLY SYSTEM CURRENTLY AVAILABLE THAT MEETS NOAA’S SPECIFIC OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS.

THIS RESEARCH INCLUDED A REVIEW OF ALTERNATIVE GNSS TIDE BUOY SOLUTIONS, CONSULTATIONS WITH INDUSTRY EXPERTS, AND EVALUATIONS OF TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS. NO OTHER MANUFACTURERS OFFER A COMPARABLE SYSTEM THAT COMBINES HIGH-ACCURACY GNSS TIDE MEASUREMENTS, RUGGED DESIGN, EASE OF DEPLOYMENT, LOW MAINTENANCE, AND REAL-TIME DATA CAPABILITIES. THE SHARKBUOY'S INTEGRATION OF THE ASTERX-M3 FG RECEIVER AND UNIQUE FEATURES MAKES IT THE SOLE VIABLE OPTION FOR FULFILLING NOAA’S OPERATIONAL NEEDS. DELIVERY WITHIN 12 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.