Deep Water AUV for Ocean Exploration Mission

The Office of Ocean Exploration and Research (OER) at NOAA is issuing a Sources‑Sought RFI (Solicitation No. ACQ‑NC0110‑26‑0021) to collect market information on commercially available or near‑production Deep Water Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) that can support its ocean‑exploration mission. Respondents must provide company details (name, address, UEID, business size/designation, point‑of‑contact, website, GSA/GWAC or multiple‑award contract numbers, any existing federal contracts, and commercial product catalogs) and identify any capability gaps. The RFI seeks AUVs—either Contractor‑Owned/Contractor‑Operated (Data or Platform as a Service) or Government‑Owned/Operated or Government‑Owned/Contractor‑Operated—that meet the preferred performance envelope: ≥ 6,000 m maximum operating depth, ≥ 48 hr endurance, ≥ 4 kt maximum speed, ≥ 1 m³ payload volume, and real‑time telemetry where feasible. Core mission capabilities must include sampling of corals/sponges and geological/mineral resources, with respondents describing how their platforms address the 16 NOAA priority exploration variables. In addition to system specifications (depth rating, endurance, typical mission profiles, navigation, communication, speed, payload), the response must cover operational details such as warranty terms, uptime guarantees, training requirements for operators, maintainers, and mission commanders, and documentation deliverables (operator/maintenance manuals, wiring diagrams, parts lists, software manuals). Data handling expectations include delivery of post‑processed data in NOAA‑approved formats (e.g., NetCDF, KVAL, 4K video), raw or partially processed data options, and methods for time‑tagging and navigation‑sensor data fusion. Respondents should answer the questions in Sections 3.1‑3.5 of the attached draft RFI, optionally rating technology maturity (conceptual to fully deployable) and listing critical assumptions or dependencies. This RFI is for market research only; no contract award is implied, and acknowledgments of receipt are optional.

Notice ID

5ddcfe570b8c4c82b53ddb064d9f9823

Solicitation Number

ACQ-NC0110-26-0021

NAICS Code

N/A

Classification Code

N/A