99 -- Upper Air Observation Services

The U.S. Department of Commerce, NOAA, intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to furnish the necessary personnel, material, equipment and services to perform upper air rawinsonde observations and related services for the National Weather Service (NWS) located in International Falls, Minnesota. The contractor shall be responsible for taking, documenting and disseminating upper air rawinsonde observations and taking and reporting supplemental weather observations. Taking, documenting and disseminating upper air rawinsonde observations (also referred to as soundings) shall be in accordance with Federal Meteorological Handbook No. 3 (FMH #3), Rawinsonde and Pibal Observations, NWS Observing Handbook No. 10 (WSOH #10) Rawinsonde Observations; and other associated manuals and instructions provided by the NWS. Taking and reporting supplemental weather observations shall be in accordance with the NWS Observing Handbook No. 7 (WSOH #7), Surface Weather Observations and Reports, and other associated manuals and instructions provided by the NWS. The Contractor shall provide an adequate number of personnel who are certified upper air weather observers. The contractor shall have one certified upper air observer on duty at the contract office between 1030 and 1430 and between 2230 and 0230 daily, Central Standard Time (CST). The anticipated base performance period is from October 1, 2003 through September 30, 2004, with four twelve-month option periods. A solicitation will be issued on or about July 1, 2003. This acquisition is 100% set-aside for small business concerns. The NAICS code is 54162. All requests for copies of the solicitation must be in writing. Requests may be faxed to (816) 426-7530, attn: Jackie Shewmaker.