Sources Sought
High-Performance Computing Software Development and Technical Services
Department of Commerce · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration · Sol. REQUIREMENTS-25-1463-27
Track this notice by email. We'll email you if it's amended or awarded, and a week and two days before responses are due.
AI summary Beta
Some details weren't available to this summary, so it may miss requirements. Check the attachments on SAM.gov.
NOAA's Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory (GFDL) in Princeton, NJ is asking companies whether they can provide a large bundle of support for its climate-modeling supercomputing work: scientific software development, IT and 24/7 computer operations, cybersecurity, administrative support and building facilities management. This is a Sources Sought (market research) notice, not a solicitation. NOAA plans a BPA or IDIQ with one base year and four option years and will use the responses to decide whether to set the work aside for small business.
Watch out for
- Huge bundled scope. Software engineering, 24/7 IT operations, cybersecurity, administration and building maintenance are combined under one single-award contract, and the current organization runs about 62 full-time staff, so a small business would likely need teaming partners.
management zones under a single-award Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract.
- Market research only, no award yet. Answering takes effort with no guarantee of a solicitation, and the Government will not pay for responses or give feedback.
This Sources Sought Notice is for market research purposes only and does not constitute a Request for Proposal or Quotation.
- On-site work and staffing penalties. Staff must be on site at least 3 days a week, annual turnover is targeted below 15%, and vacancies must be filled within 30 days, which is hard to sustain for specialized HPC staff.
agreements (including the mandatory 3 days/week on-site requirement)
- Tight service levels and 24/7 coverage. The draft sets uptime, response-time and shift-coverage targets (for example 5-minute emergency facility response and 100% shift coverage around the clock), with payment deductions or poor CPARS ratings for misses.
- Fixed allowances priced into the bid. Bidders must include set yearly allowances for fuel, pest control, boiler work and maintenance supplies, which you have to price and manage.
Bidders shall include an escalating $20,000 per year allowance for Generator Fuel Polishing,
- Draft documents are inconsistent. The drafts disagree with each other on several numbers (capital project thresholds of $150,000 versus $250,000, 250 versus about 1,000 global collaborators, and different ticket and patch deadlines), so expect changes before the real solicitation.
minor (<$250,000) and major (≥$250,000) facility improvements
Read from the notice and 8 attachments.
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 5 - Draft PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT - OBJECTIVE 4_ Facilities Management Maintenance Project Management and Ancillary Repairs and Alteration Services.pdf
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 3 - Draft PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT - OBJECTIVE 2_ Standardized Secure Endpoints.pdf
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 4 - Draft PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT - OBJECTIVE 3_ HPC Support Network Security.pdf
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 1 - Draft STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES - Software Development and Technical Support.pdf
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 2 - Draft PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT - OBJECTIVE 1_ Adaptive Earth System Model Development.pdf
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 7 - Draft SOO QUALITY ASSURANCE SURVEILLANCE PLAN.pdf
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 6 - Draft Exhibit A - NOAA_GFDL Computing and Data Storage Resources.pdf
- SS DRAFT - Attachment 8 - Resource Only - Current Organization 2026_Rev20260929_positions.pdf
Full brief
What they want
- Agile scientific software development for GFDL's Earth system models and the Flexible Modeling System (FMS), including cloud containers, CI/CD testing, data platforms and AI/ML (Objective 1)
- Support for about 300 Linux and Windows endpoints, help desk, 24/7/365 HPC monitoring, data storage and 80 TB/day data transfers, plus travel, visitor, security-clearance and property administration (Objective 2)
- Cybersecurity for NOAA's research HPC systems and N-wave network: monitoring, incident response, patching, FedRAMP cloud security and ATO documentation (Objective 3)
- Facilities management for the GFDL campus and data center: boilers, chillers, generators, HVAC, CMMS, capital project planning and minor repairs and alterations (Objective 4)
- Embedded programmers in GFDL science divisions (about 4 FTEs) and surge sprint capacity on request
- Software stack releases twice a year and ongoing user support through the Government's ticketing tools
- Contract type
- Anticipated Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) or IDIQ with fixed-price and time-and-materials call or task orders. The draft Statement of Objectives describes a single-award IDIQ.
- Period of performance
- Anticipated one-year base ordering period plus four one-year option ordering periods
- Place of performance
- GFDL, Forrestal Campus, Princeton/Plainsboro, NJ, with monitoring of remote NOAA systems in Oak Ridge, TN and Fairmont, WV
- Offers due
- October 27, 2026 at 10:00 AM Mountain Time
- How to submit
- Online Google Form linked in the notice (https://forms.gle/ekHGrdX3agAPuk3TA)
What to include when you submit
- Respond through the Google Form with detailed information on your capabilities; thin answers may mean you are treated as not a viable source
- Be registered in SAM
- Do not include proprietary, classified, confidential or sensitive information
- A response to this notice does not count as a response to any later solicitation; watch SAM.gov for it
You must have
- Active SAM registration
Interested parties: Need to be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM).
- Small business size standard for NAICS 541511 is $34.0M in average annual revenue; the notice says the set-aside decision will depend on responses, so none is set yet
The applicable NAICS Code is 541511, Custom Computer Programming Services, and the size standard is $34.0M.
- Staff must pass federal security processing (the draft facilities work cites moderate/high risk and low risk clauses) and the Service Contract Act applies
Work performed is subject to CAR Clause 1352.237-70
- Facilities repair and alteration work (CLIN 0002) is subject to the Davis-Bacon Act (prevailing wage rules for construction trades)
(Low Risk) and is subject to the Davis-Bacon Act.
Current contractor
An incumbent contract exists but no company or contract number is named. The draft says part of the current work is delivered 'under the incumbent contract', and Attachment 8 lists the current staffing (about 62 FTEs) for reference only.
Not in the notice text
- Whether the final solicitation will be set aside for small business (this notice is meant to help decide that)
- Estimated contract value or budget
- Evaluation factors and how the award will be decided
- Exactly what information the Google Form asks for (not shown in the notice text)
- Key personnel and labor categories required; Attachment 8 is a reference of the current staff only
- Parts of Attachments 1, 2 and 3 were not fully included, so some requirements and details may be missing
FedReady checks notices like this against your business profile, tracks deadlines, and alerts you to new matches. Creating an account is free.
Key facts
- Response due
- Oct 27, 2026, 4:00 PM UTC
- Posted
- Oct 8, 2026
- Notice type
- Sources Sought
- Solicitation
- REQUIREMENTS-25-1463-27
- Agency
- Department of Commerce · National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
- Office
- Dept of Commerce NOAA
- NAICS
- 541511
- Business type
- IT, software & telecom
- Place of performance
- Princeton, NJ, 08540
- Contracting contact
- Heidi Washburnheidi.washburn@noaa.gov
What similar contracts paid
9 contracts at this agency under the same NAICS code, in the same state, had activity in the last 5 years, according to USAspending.gov. Small businesses won 35% of the dollars in this market over the last 3 fiscal years.
Before you respond
Full notice text from SAM.gov
Similar open opportunities
- PANEL PC, IN REPAIR/MODIFICATION OFNAVSUP Weapon Systems Support Mechanicsburg plans to buy repair or modification of one PANEL PC (NSN 7H-7025-016924379), delivered to DLA Distribution in New Cumberland, PA. It…
- CONVERTER,ANALOG TO
- TTS for DTB Pilot - Request for InformationThe Library of Congress (Washington, DC) is asking for information, not bids, about software that would build digital talking books for the National Library Service.
- Automated Project Order Follow-onThe Air Force (AFLCMC, Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio) is asking 8(a) and other vendors whether they can take over sustainment of the Automated Project Order (APO) system, a COBOL…
- 20-0025; Program and Business Digital Transformation SupportThis is a Sources Sought / Request for Information (market research only, not a solicitation) from the Naval Surface Warfare Center Philadelphia Division.