US Department of Commerce/National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), PGAS, Procurement Operations Division, 1325 East West Highway, Station 4301, OA312:ET, Silver Spring, MD 20910-3283

66 -- METEOROLOGICAL SENSING AND TELEMETRY INSTRUMENTS (RADIOSONDES) AND OMEGA TO VERY LOW FREQUENCY (VLF) CONVERSION KITS FOR 12 GOVERNMENT-OWNED GROUND SYSTEMS POC Contracting Officer, Edward F. Tennant, Jr., telephone (301) 713-0823 The National Weather Service (NWS) has a requirement for Omega to VLF conversion kits required to convert 12 existing Government-owned VIZ Manufacturing Company WO-9000 Omega Meteorological Processing Systems such that the ground systems will be able to receive and process all VLF signals (rather than just the Omega signal). Said conversion kits are required to be delivered not later than July 1997. It is expected that these converted ground systems will be used at Guam and in the Caribbean network. Additionally, the Government has a requirement to procure VLF radiosondes for use with the converted ground systems. The quantity of VLF radiosondes to be acquired is 4,500 (plus or minus 30%) per year for one base year and four option years. NOAA intends to negotiate with VIZ Manufacturing Company on a sole source basis for the Omega to VLF conversion kits and for the VLF radiosondes because VIZ Manufacturing Company is the designer and manufacturer of the existing Government-owned WO-9000 Omega Meteorological Processing Systems and is the only source with sufficient knowledge of and familiarity with this system to be able to provide an Omega to VLF conversion kit for this system and to provide radiosondes for use with the converted system. There is no solicitation available. This acquisition is occasioned by the expected decommissioning of all Omega transmitting stations in September 1997, which will put the Government-owned WO-9000 Omega Meteorological Processing Systems out of operation. The Government considers that the best solution to this dilemma is to convert the Omega ground systems such that they can receive and process other VLF signals. Should interested persons have a different solution to this dilemma which they think would be more beneficial to the Government, they should submit documentation detailing their recommended solution and why they consider it to be more beneficial to the Government. Such documentation must be received by the Government office identified above not later than 45 days after the date of publication of this synopsis in order for it to be considered. See Note 22. (0218)

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