EDGETECH 4125i TELEMETRY SIDE SCAN SYSTEM AND AN EDGETECH 3400 POLE MOUNT SUB-BOTTOM PROFILER SYSTEM.

***THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION’S (NOAA) ACQUISITION & GRANTS OFFICE, EASTERN ACQUISITION DIVISION-NORFOLK, NATIONAL OCEAN SERVICE (NOS) OFFICE OF COAST SURVEY (OCS) CENTER OF EXCELLENCE FOR OPERATIONAL OCEAN AND GREAT LAKES MAPPING (COE), INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE AND AWARD A PURCHASE ORDER, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF RFO FAR 6.103-1, WITH EDGETECH OUT OF WAREHAM, MA FOR AN EDGETECH 4125I TELEMETRY SIDE SCAN SYSTEM AND AN EDGETECH 3400 POLE MOUNT SUB-BOTTOM PROFILER SYSTEM.

NO SET ASIDE IS TO BE USED FOR THIS SOLE SOURCE REQUIREMENT. THE ASSOCIATED NAICS CODE IS 334511.

***THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON NOAA’S REQUIREMENT THAT EDGETECH IS THE MANUFACTURER OF THE 4125 TELEMETRY SIDE SCAN SYSTEM AND THE 3400 SERIES SUB-BOTTOM PROFILER SYSTEM. EDGETECH IS A SMALL BUSINESS AND HAS PARTNERED WITH NOAA FOR EDUCATIONAL OUTREACH IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSIRE TO TRAIN HYDROGRAPHERS. EDGETECH IS THE MANUFACTURER AND A SMALL BUSINESS; THEREFORE THERE IS NO BENEFIT PURCHASING FROM A RESELLER.

THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (COE) WILL USE THIS SPECIALIZED ACOUSTIC PROFILING EQUIPMENT TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT THE IMMEDIATE AND ONGOING EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF THE NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC WORKFORCE AND ITS EXTERNAL PARTNERS. CURRENTLY, NOAA'S OPERATIONAL INVENTORY SEVERELY LACKS A MAN-PORTABLE SUB-BOTTOM PROFILING CAPABILITY. AS NOAA ACTIVELY EXPANDS ITS MAPPING PORTFOLIO TO ENCOMPASS SUB-SURFACE APPLICATIONS FOR CRITICAL MINERAL EXPLORATION, ACQUIRING THIS SYSTEM IS VITAL TO DEVELOPING STUDENT OPERATIONAL PROFICIENCY IN SUB-SURFACE ACOUSTIC IMAGING, GEOLOGICAL SURVEYS, ENVIRONMENTAL SITE INVESTIGATIONS, SEDIMENT CLASSIFICATION, AND INFRASTRUCTURE MAPPING.

THE EDGETECH 3400 TECHNOLOGY SERVES AS THE SINGLE BEST ENTRY POINT FOR STUDENTS AND HYDROGRAPHERS LEARNING TO OPERATE AND INTERPRET SUB-BOTTOM PROFILING DATA. IT GENERATES HIGH-RESOLUTION IMAGES OF SUB-BOTTOM STRATIGRAPHY IN OCEANS, LAKES, AND RIVERS, PROVIDING EXCELLENT PENETRATION ACROSS VARIOUS BOTTOM TYPES. THE SYSTEM USES A LINEAR SYSTEM ARCHITECTURE THAT NATIVELY OUTPUTS COMPLEX 'ANALYTIC SIGNAL' DATA FOR PRECISE SEDIMENT DETERMINATION, WHICH IS CRUCIAL FOR TEACHING SEDIMENT CLASSIFICATION. A "BRAND NAME OR EQUAL" DESCRIPTION CANNOT BE APPLIED HERE BECAUSE ALTERNATIVE PORTABLE SYSTEMS DO NOT UTILIZE THE STANDARD WIDEBAND CHIRP FRAMEWORK WITHIN AN EASILY MANAGED, PORTABLE FOOTPRINT THAT YIELDS STANDARD DATA FILES REQUIRED BY OUR CURRICULUM

THE EDGETECH 3400 SERIES IS RECOGNIZED GLOBALLY AS THE BASELINE TECHNOLOGY STANDARD FOR ACADEMIC AND INDUSTRY MARINE RESEARCH. BECAUSE THE COE IS SIMULTANEOUSLY BUILDING ITS MULTI-SONAR WORKFLOWS AROUND EXISTING SOFTWARE AND HARDWARE FORMATS THAT MIRROR WHAT PERSONNEL ENCOUNTER ACROSS THE WIDER MAPPING COMMUNITY, THE PLATFORM-AGNOSTIC EDGETECH ECOSYSTEM INTEGRATES SEAMLESSLY. SHIFTING TO AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT ARCHITECTURE WOULD DISRUPT STANDARD OPERATING PROTOCOLS AND BREAK BASELINE CURRICULUM FORMATTING

THE ONLY OTHER PORTABLE SUB-BOTTOM PROFILER IDENTIFIED ON THE MARKET IS MANUFACTURED BY INNOMAR. HOWEVER, THE INNOMAR SYSTEM FAILS TO MEET THE AGENCY'S NEEDS FOR THE FOLLOWING REASONS:

1. BUY AMERICAN ACT RESTRICTIONS: THE INNOMAR SYSTEM IS NOT MANUFACTURED WITHIN THE UNITED STATES, CREATING REGULATORY CONFLICTS. BECAUSE A HIGHLY VIABLE, DOMESTIC ALTERNATIVE EXISTS IN EDGETECH, THE AGENCY MUST PRIORITIZE THE DOMESTIC PRODUCT TO REMAIN COMPLIANT WITH FEDERAL PROCUREMENT REQUIREMENTS.

2. PARAMETRIC SONAR ARCHITECTURE CONSTRAINTS: THE INNOMAR SYSTEM UTILIZES PARAMETRIC SUB-BOTTOM PROFILING TECHNOLOGY. WHILE INNOVATIVE, PARAMETRIC SYSTEMS OPERATE ON COMPLEX NON-LINEAR ACOUSTIC PRINCIPLES THAT CARRY AN EXCEPTIONALLY STEEP LEARNING CURVE FOR STUDENTS. THE EDGETECH SYSTEM USES A MORE TYPICAL, STANDARD CHIRP SUB-BOTTOM PROFILING ARCHITECTURE. THIS STANDARD METHOD IS EXACTLY WHAT NOAA PERSONNEL WILL ENCOUNTER IN THE FIELD AND FLEET, MAKING IT THE IDEAL TOOL FOR TEACHING FOUNDATIONAL SUB-BOTTOM PRINCIPLES WITHOUT INTRODUCING UNNECESSARY OPERATIONAL FRICTION.

THEREFORE, THE EDGETECH 3400 SYSTEM IS THE UNIQUE PROVIDER FOR THIS CAPABILITY CLASS THAT FITS THE PLANNED INSTRUCTIONAL USE CASE.

THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE (COE) WILL UTILIZE THIS DEDICATED SIDE SCAN SONAR SYSTEM TO DIRECTLY SUPPORT THE IMMEDIATE AND ONGOING HANDS-ON EDUCATION AND TRAINING OF NOAA'S HYDROGRAPHIC MAPPERS AND SURVEYORS IN ACOUSTIC IMAGERY ACQUISITION, OBJECT DETECTION, AND HAZARD IDENTIFICATION. A DEDICATED TRAINING ASSET GUARANTEES EQUIPMENT AVAILABILITY DURING INSTRUCTIONAL BLOCKS, ELIMINATING RELIANCE ON SHARED OPERATIONAL FLEET ASSETS. WHEN NOT UTILIZED FOR CLASSES, THIS TURNKEY SYSTEM WILL SERVE A VITAL SECONDARY PURPOSE SUPPORTING LOCAL, AS-NEEDED RAPID RESPONSE AND EMERGENCY CHARTING WORK.

THE EDGETECH 4125I SYSTEM IS A WORLD-RENOWNED GLOBAL STANDARD FOR ACOUSTIC IMAGING, MAKING IT THE SINGLE BEST PLATFORM AVAILABLE FOR HYDROGRAPHIC EDUCATION. PROCURING THIS DEDICATED HARDWARE ENSURES THAT THE HYDROGRAPHIC WORKFORCE RECEIVES REALISTIC, INDUSTRY-STANDARD FIELD EXPERIENCE THAT TRANSLATES SEAMLESSLY TO FLEET OPERATIONS. CRUCIALLY, THE SYSTEM FEATURES A HIGH-END TOWFISH EXPLICITLY ENGINEERED TO WEIGH UNDER 50 LBS, ENABLING SAFE LIFTING, QUICK ASSEMBLY, AND RAPID DEPLOYMENT BY A SINGLE OPERATOR FROM SMALL VESSELS OF OPPORTUNITY (UP TO 25 FEET). NO OTHER BRAND OFFERS A PORTABLE SIDE SCAN SONAR SYSTEM UNDER 50 LBS WITH THESE SPECIFIC IMAGING CAPABILITIES AND A RAPID DELIVERY TIMELINE, MAKING EDGETECH THE ONLY VIABLE OPTION ON THE MARKET. A "BRAND NAME OR EQUAL" DESCRIPTION CANNOT BE UTILIZED BECAUSE ALTERNATIVE PRODUCTS FAIL TO MEET THE SINGLE-OPERATOR SUB-50 LB WEIGHT THRESHOLD OR LACK THE STANDARDIZED SOFTWARE ARCHITECTURE NECESSARY FOR UPCOMING INSTRUCTIONAL CYCLES. WITHOUT THIS SPECIFIC BRAND, THE COE WOULD FACE A CRITICAL TRAINING DEFICIT, SEVERELY DIMINISHING NOAA'S OPERATIONAL PROFICIENCY IN ACOUSTIC OBJECT DETECTION AND HAZARD IDENTIFICATION.

PERSONNEL AND HYDROGRAPHERS ACROSS THE NOAA FLEET AND BROADER OCEAN MAPPING COMMUNITY ARE ALREADY TRAINED ON AND EXTENSIVELY UTILIZING EDGETECH HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE SYSTEMS IN THE FIELD. IT IS CRITICAL TO THE EDUCATIONAL MISSION OF THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE THAT STUDENTS CONTINUE TO LEARN ON, INTERACT WITH, AND MASTER AN ACOUSTIC SYSTEM THAT MIRRORS THE EXISTING TECHNOLOGICAL BASELINE THEY WILL ENCOUNTER ACROSS THE FLEET. SHIFTING TO AN ALTERNATIVE SONAR MANUFACTURER WOULD BREAK CURRICULUM CONTINUITY, CREATE TRAINING REDUNDANCIES, AND DEGRADE OVERALL OPERATIONAL FAMILIARITY.

EDGETECH IS UNIQUELY THE ONLY SONAR MANUFACTURER MAKING A HIGH-CAPABILITY, OUT-OF-THE-BOX SIDE SCAN SONAR SYSTEM OF THIS CALIBER THAT REMAINS ULTRA-LIGHTWEIGHT (UNDER 50 LBS) FOR RAPID MANUAL DEPLOYMENT. COMPETITORS DO NOT CURRENTLY OFFER A PORTABLE SIDE SCAN SYSTEM WITHIN THIS WEIGHT CLASSIFICATION, LEAVING EDGETECH AS THE SOLE CAPABLE VENDOR TO FULFILL THE STRICT RAPID-MOBILIZATION CONSTRAINTS OF THE COE'S TRAINING WORKFLOWS

DURING MARKET RESEARCH, ALTERNATIVE MARINE SONAR BRANDS WERE EVALUATED AGAINST THE STRICT ACOUSTIC AND PHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS OF THE CENTER OF EXCELLENCE'S INSTRUCTIONAL REQUIREMENTS, SPECIFICALLY:

● TRITECH STARFISH: WHILE THE STARFISH SERIES IS A PORTABLE SSS OPTION, A REVIEW OF ITS SPECIFICATIONS CONFIRMS THAT ITS BEAMWIDTH DOES NOT MEET THE RIGOROUS REQUIREMENTS OUTLINED IN THE NOAA HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYS SPECIFICATIONS AND DELIVERABLES (HSSD). THEREFORE, ITS ACOUSTIC DATA OUTPUT IS INSUFFICIENT FOR NOAA SURVEY STANDARDS AND CANNOT BE USED TO TRAIN PERSONNEL ON ACCEPTABLE HYDROGRAPHIC DATA COLLECTION. THEY ALSO ONLY OFFER HULL MOUNTED OR TOWED MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO FABRICATE AND WORK AROUND.

● KLEIN 5900: THE KLEIN 5900 WAS EVALUATED AS IT REPRESENTS THE OTHER RECOGNIZED INDUSTRY STANDARD FOR HIGH-END SIDE SCAN SONARS. HOWEVER, DUE TO ITS SIGNIFICANT WEIGHT AND HEAVY TOW REQUIREMENTS, IT IS FUNDAMENTALLY INCOMPATIBLE WITH OUR TRAINING CONSTRAINTS. DEPLOYING THE KLEIN 5900 ON SMALL VESSELS OF OPPORTUNITY (VOOS) WOULD REQUIRE BUILDING COMPLEX, CUSTOM MOUNTING FABRICATIONS. BECAUSE WEIGHT AND EASE OF USE ARE MAJOR FACTORS FOR THE TRAINING CURRICULUM, THE EQUIPMENT MUST BE EASILY MOVED, OPERATED, AND DEPLOYED WITH LITTLE TO NO HASSLE BY A MINIMAL CREW. THE KLEIN SYSTEM FAILS TO MEET THIS PORTABILITY REQUIREMENT.

MARKET RESEARCH CONFIRMS THAT COMPETITORS ARE CURRENTLY NOT OFFERING AN OUT-OF-THE-BOX, PORTABLE SIDE SCAN SONAR SYSTEM UNDER 50 LBS THAT ALSO MEETS NOAA'S HSSD BEAMWIDTH REQUIREMENTS. THIS LEAVES EDGETECH AS THE UNIQUE, SOLE-CAPABLE PROVIDER FOR THIS CAPABILITY CLASS. FURTHERMORE, BECAUSE OTHER MODULAR MAPPING AND SONAR TRACKING EQUIPMENT ARE BEING PURCHASED AND INTENDED FOR THIS OVERALL TRAINING WORKFLOW, THE EDGETECH ECOSYSTEM FITS BEST INTO THIS PLANNED INSTRUCTIONAL USE CASE WITHOUT THE NEED FOR CUSTOM FABRICATION.

DELIVERY WITHIN 60-90 DAYS FROM DATE OF AWARD

***THIS PRESOLICITATION NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR COMPETITIVE PROPOSALS AND NO SOLICITATION PACKAGE IS AVAILABLE. HOWEVER, FIRMS THAT BELIEVE THEY CAN FULLY MEET THE GOVERNMENT'S REQUIREMENTS MAY SUBMIT SUBSTANTIATING DOCUMENTATION OR A REQUEST FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION IN WRITING TO THE IDENTIFIED POINT OF CONTACT WITHIN 15 DAYS AFTER PUBLICATION OF THIS PRE-SOLICITATION NOTICE. SUCH REQUESTS AND DOCUMENTATION WILL BE EVALUATED SOLELY FOR THE PURPOSE OF DETERMINING WHETHER OR NOT TO CONDUCT THIS PROCUREMENT ON A COMPETITIVE BASIS. A DETERMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT NOT TO CONDUCT A COMPETITIVE PROCUREMENT, BASED UPON RESPONSES TO THIS NOTICE, IS SOLELY WITHIN THE DISCRETION OF THE GOVERNMENT. ORAL COMMUNICATIONS ARE NOT ACCEPTABLE IN RESPONSE TO THIS NOTICE.