Sole Source Radiosonde Train Regulators

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) intends to award a firm fixed-price contract for 100 boxes of Train Regulators for the National Weather Service (NWS) Upper Air Manual Radiosonde Observation System (MROS) program. These regulators will replenish spares at the National Logistics Support Center (NLSC).

Sole Source Justification: This acquisition is for InterMet Systems Train Regulators, part number 900316. InterMet Systems, located in Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the sole source capable of delivering these flight train regulators, which are critical for the NWS upper air program. These regulators ensure the collection of essential upper air data, especially during surface wind conditions of 25 mph or greater. InterMet Systems is the only known qualified source for this product.

This acquisition is vital to support the collection of atmospheric sounding data, which aligns with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) data collection and sharing agreements. Due to the proprietary nature of this product, market research was deemed not applicable. The spare components for the Upper Air observing system flight train must meet the NWS qualification standards to be considered for purchase.

InterMet Systems has consistently met these standards based on the performance of part number 900316. Considering another vendor would necessitate extensive NWS qualification testing and acceptance, which is currently not feasible due to the significant funding and labor resources required at the NWS Sterling Field Support Center (SFSC).

The SFSC is actively evaluating and testing new data acquisition systems for Upper Air, reinforcing the necessity of using part number 900316 from InterMet Systems for this procurement.

Registration Requirement: The DOC, Eastern Acquisition Division, requires all contractors doing business with this office to be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). No award can be made to a company not registered in SAM. Contractors active in SAM have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) issued for doing business with the federal government. The Government has transitioned to a new, non-proprietary identifier that must be requested and assigned by SAM.gov. To register and access the site, please visit www.sam.gov.