NOAA proposes $553M high performance computing contract
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration is proposing a $553 million contract to manage the systems integration of its High Performance Computing program.
The agency first issued its presolicitation for the indefinite-delivery indefinite-quantity contract May 19, seeking support services for its Research and Development High Performance Computing and Communications program, but it reposted the contract July 14, giving industry stakeholders until Sept. 12 to respond with thoughts and concerns on the contract.
The R&D HPCC program tracks weather and climate research modeling for NOAA. The draft request for proposals solicits several services for the program, including systems integration, systems administration, systems operations and support for NOAA’s Environmental Modeling Program.
NOAA operates three high performance R&D computing subsystems.
NOAA officials said in the document that they were seeking to leverage private sector experience to help enhance the system’s architecture and “increase interoperability, compatibility, flexibility and reliability for the continued future evolution of its high performance computing.”
The contract offers nine base years for ordering — in addition to a one-year transition option — with firm-fixed price, time-and-materials, cost-reimbursable and cost-plus-fixed-fee task orders. The contract ceiling is set at $553 million.
NOAA currently receives systems integration for the R&D HPCC program from CSRA, LLC. That $178 million contract is set to expire in May 2018 with a one-year optional extension for transition services.
NOAA said the official request for proposals will likely be issued in October and look very similar to this draft. The agency plans to host an industry day in support of that release.
