International Monitoring System (IMS) Radionuclide Operations and Maintenance
This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE; there is no solicitation available at this time. No response will be provided to requests for solicitation. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS PUBLISHED FOR MARKET RESEARCH... This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE; there is no solicitation available at this time. No response will be provided to requests for solicitation. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS PUBLISHED FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has a requirement as follows: DTRA is the Department of Defense (DoD) executive agent for the Nuclear Arms Control Technology (NACT) program which operates, maintains, and improves the majority of the U.S. portion of the International Monitoring System (IMS) is support of the United States Government (USG) and Department of Defense (DoD) objectives and the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban- Treaty (CTBT) for nuclear detonation monitoring, mitigation of impacts from natural and other catastrophes, and other civil and scientific applications. The IMS was established to detect worldwide nuclear weapons tests via an extensive network that includes radionuclide, seismic, infrasound, and hydroacoustic monitoring technologies. The IMS station locations and types, and high level standards for the operation of these stations are specified by the CTBT. The NACT program directly manages, operates, maintains, and improves 24 of these US IMS stations, involving primary and auxiliary seismic, infrasound, and radionuclide monitoring stations. These NACT managed U.S. IMS stations are located across a wide range of disparate and extreme environments in the continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, USG-controlled Pacific Territories, and Antarctica. Relevant to this Sources Sought Notice, the radionuclide technology includes aerosol particulate and noble gas systems. Additional details on the US portion of the IMS and further descriptions of the various monitoring technologies are available at the following link: www.ctbto.org DTRA seeks a performer to operate and sustain the 11 US IMS radionuclide monitoring stations (all with particulate systems and four with co-located noble gas systems) beginning July 2022. Each of these US IMS stations was designed and installed under supervision of the NACT program and according to the technical requirements specified in the relevant IMS Operational Manual. Each of these stations has also been formally certified by the Provisional Technical Secretariat (PTS) of the Preparatory Commission for the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO PrepCom) for IMS operations. While the monitoring systems are standardized, each station has site-specific design considerations so as to optimize data quality, data availability, and improve long-term operations and sustainment. Following station certification by the PTS, the configuration of each of the IMS stations have been strictly controlled and all changes in configuration since certification have been approved and documented according to the procedures outlined in the associated station operational manuals. The US IMS stations are operated in accordance with provisional operational guidance defined by the PTS for the entire IMS network of stations. Under provisional operations, all IMS station operators are required to achieve station data availability and data quality levels as high as possible. The NACT program objective is for the radionuclide stations to continue to meet the operational requirement of 95% data availability. The US IMS station operations are generally automated and do not require a continuous daily on-site presence of a highly skilled station operator or engineer. The station operator should maximize the remote performance monitoring, troubleshooting, and repair of the stations. In general, the achievement and sustainment of a sufficient level US IMS station performance periodically requires the efforts of a local caretaker to accomplish light housekeeping tasks, replenish consumables, and make minor adjustments as required to the station facilities and systems. These station caretaker activities are typically performed under the supervision and direction of the station operator. Further, the US IMS stations occasionally require varying levels of preventative and unscheduled maintenance or upgrades which must be carried out by the system operators to sustain required data availability and data quality. If these required maintenance activities are of a significant level of complexity, the station’s technical parameters and performance may need to be reviewed and revalidated by the PTS following completion of the maintenance activity. Station operators are responsible for the provision of continuous and timely monitoring data and IMS station state-of-health data from each US IMS station to the International Data Centre (IDC) in Vienna, Austria. Station operators are also responsible for the provision of station technical documentation and problem reporting, and any configuration updates as required by the operations manuals and the PTS. Each US IMS station has a Global Communications Infrastructure (GCI) communications system which is installed and maintained by a contractor under the direction of the PTS. The GCI system is used to transmit all of the required IMS station data between the station and the IDC via various communications technologies, including satellite, internet, and cellular. The GCI system also enables two-way communication between the IDC and station operators for receiving and executing command and control actions from the IDC or other operational troubleshooting between the station and the IDC as required. Additional requirements are as follows: 1. Operate, maintain, upgrade, and sustain eleven Radionuclide Particulate monitoring stations for the US monitoring effort at the following locations: Sacramento, CA (RN70); Sand Point, AK (RN71); Melbourne, FL (RN72); Palmer Station, Antarctica (RN73); Ashland, KS (RN74); Charlottesville, VA (RN75); Eielson AFB, AK (RN76); Wake Island (RN77); Midway Island (RN78); Oahu, HI (RN79); and Andersen AFB, Guam (RN80). 2. Operate, maintain, upgrade, and sustain four Radionuclide Noble Gas monitoring systems for the US monitoring effort at the following locations: Ashland, KS (RN74); Charlottesville, VA (RN75); Wake Island (RN77); and Oahu, HI (RN79). 3. Provide all necessary logistical support and sustainment for each US IMS station infrastructure and installed monitoring system, including but not limited to: system and component repairs, spare and depot management, hardware and software upgrades, and recapitalization planning for stations and systems listed in paragraphs 1 and 2. 4. Perform preventive and unscheduled corrective maintenance of the station structures and equipment to enable the continuous operational capability of the station and optimal data availability and data quality. 5. Perform system and detector calibrations and tuning as necessary to ensure stations meet operational data quality requirements specified in the operations manuals. 6. Conduct NACT O&M activities in accordance with existing or planned support and lease agreements. Four NACT US IMS radionuclide stations are located on private, State, or other non-Federal properties which typically require the O&M performer to establish a lease arrangement with the land owner for the operators access to the property. The lease agreement also provides a vehicle for the local operator to make cost reimbursements to the land owners for select station operations costs such as utilities or rents. The four stations are as follows: Sand Point, AK (RN71); Melbourne, FL (RN72); Ashland, KS (RN74); and Charlottesville, VA (RN75). 7. Support the PTS GCI performer and IDC as required in troubleshooting and resolution of occasional communications problems at any US IMS stations, so as to most efficiently resolve the GCI issue and minimize the negative impact to timely data transmission and communication between the US IMS stations and the IDC. 8. Conduct engineering and development tasks on systems and components to operationalize prototypes, conduct test and evaluation, and transition system or components into normal station operations. Conduct the necessary acceptance and revalidation tasks required by the PTS for the station to be returned to operations and data accepted in the IDC. 9. Operate and maintain an engineering test bed and equipment depot to support all radionuclide systems and stations. Parties submitting a response to this RFI are encouraged to offer input regarding what they perceive as the most efficient way to operate and maintain the US IMS stations. Sources having the capability and/or concept to meet these requirements are invited to respond to this notice by 1PM ET, Friday, July 15, 2021. Responses should be limited to a five (5) page white paper in 12 point Times New Roman font for any given capability and concept, not including cover page, cover letter and table of contents. Any proprietary concepts of information should be clearly identified as such. Submitted data and information will not be returned. Any information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice is strictly voluntary. This notice is for information planning purposes and the Government will not pay or otherwise reimburse respondents for information submitted. The Government will not entertain any finquries regarding this requirement outside of direct responses to this sources sought notice.
Data sourced from SAM.gov.
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