SAM #ACQ-NC0110-26-0021

RFI for Deep Water Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for Ocean Exploration Mission

NOAA's Office of Ocean Exploration and Research is conducting market research for Deep Water Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) to support ocean exploration missions. - Government Buyer: - National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce - Western Acquisition Division, Seattle, WA - OEMs and Vendors: - No specific OEMs or vendors are named in the announcement - Products/Services Requested: - Deep Water Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) for ocean exploration - Both Contractor-Owned/Contractor Operated (Data or Platform as a Service) and Government-Owned models considered - No specific part numbers or quantities provided - Unique or Notable Requirements: - Respondents must provide information on technical capabilities, system maturity, and relevant intellectual property - Interest in both commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) and modified AUV systems - Responses will inform future procurement planning; this is not a solicitation for purchase - Place of Performance/Delivery: - Western Acquisition Division, Seattle, WA (contracting office)

Description

Request for Information (RFI)

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY.

This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes; it does not constitute a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation. Furthermore, those who respond to this RFI should not anticipate feedback with regards to its submission; other than acknowledgment of receipt - ONLY IF a request for an acknowledgement is requested by the submitter. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is not seeking proposals at this time. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay any costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government, and will not be returned.

Any information that the vendor considers proprietary should be clearly marked as such.

Purpose of this RFI:

The purpose of this RFI is to obtain detailed information from potential providers regarding commercially available or near-production Deep Water Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) that can support the Office of Ocean Exploration and Research’s (OER) ocean exploration mission. The information gathered will be used for internal planning and market analysis to determine the availability and suitability of commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) or modified AUV systems that meet NOAA Ocean Exploration mission requirements. The target includes both Contractor-Owned/Contractor Operated (Data or Platform as a Service) responses and vendors intending to sell systems of platforms and sensors to the government as Government Owned-Government Operated or Government Owned - Contractor Operated business models.

NOAA is specifically looking for input as follows:

Provide a high-level overview of your response to the attached document. This summary should articulate understanding of the RFI's primary objective and briefly outline the nature of the information, product, service, or capability being described. Describe the specialized technical teams, intellectual property (IP), or unique resources that would support the capabilities described in Section 3 of the attached document.

Specified responses are requested in regards to Sections 3.1 through 3.5 of the attached document:

Reference Section # - specific question or area of interest Respondent’s comprehensive response and detailed answer Capability/Maturity Level (Optional) - rate the current readiness/maturity (e.g., Conceptual, Prototype, Operational, Fully Deployable) Assumptions/Dependencies (Optional) - list any critical assumptions or dependencies upon which your response is based (e.g., required data, infrastructure, or regulatory changes)

Please see the attached DRAFT Attachment 1 Request for Information for specifics.

Submission of Information:

Interested parties are encouraged to submit a response which supports their claim that they have the qualifications and experience to provide services for one or more of the identified services. If there are areas of the requirement that your company and/or prospective team cannot meet, please identify those areas in your response along with amplifying information as to why your team cannot meet the government’s request. Specifically, any interested parties should provide the following information:

Name of Company, address, and SAM.gov Unique Entity (UEID); Business type and designation (i.e., large business, small business, socioeconomic designation); Point of contact name, email, and phone number; Company website address; Any General Service Administration (GSA) schedule, Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), or Multiple Award Contract numbers and information that may allow for streamlined procurement of services from your company; Do you currently have a contract(s) with any other Federal Agency for these types of services? Do you have a commercial catalog of products or systems similar to these services?

RFI Response Format:

In order to better assist in the review of submittals to this RFI, respondents are encouraged to prepare a response that closely adheres to the following format:

The document format shall be either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats. Responses shall be prepared using 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, and 8.5” by 11” paper and shall not exceed twenty (20) pages in length, including images, data displays, charts, graphs, and tables.

It should be noted in the messaging of this RFI that participants should focus on their area of expertise to allow for diversity in responses. Respondents are encouraged to include any supporting material, such as data sheets or previous mission reports, as a separate attachment. Any such supporting material will be excluded from the page count.

Response Deadline and Point of Contact Information:

Responses to this notice should be documents attached to emails with the subject line “RFI Response - Deep Water AUV for Ocean Exploration Mission” received no later than 3:00PM MT, Friday, April 17, 2026 to:

Contract Specialist, Julia Hamilton at julia.l.hamilton@noaa.gov Contracting Officer, Angela Royster at angela.royster@noaa.gov 

The responses received will assist NOAA with identifying feasible technical solutions for this requirement.

Each respondent, by submitting a response, agrees that any cost incurred by it in responding to this request, or in support of activities associated with this RFI, shall be the sole responsibility of the respondent. NOAA shall incur no obligations or liabilities whatsoever, to anyone, for any costs or expenses incurred by the respondent in responding to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned.

Industry Discussions:

Some respondents may be asked to provide additional information regarding the matters addressed in this RFI. Those respondents will be contacted directly if there is a need for further information.

Questions:

Respondents may submit questions regarding this RFI to the contact(s) listed above. Responses to questions may be posted on the Government Point of Entry. Please send any questions you may have to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer by no later than (NLT) 3:00PM MST, Thursday, April 2, 2026. Each question shall provide the section and page number of the particular item being referred to in this RFI.

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