NOAA: RF Generator Hardware and LabView Software for the NWS National Reconditioning Center in Grandview, MO.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) intends to award a firm fixed price contract as a 100% small business set-aside for National Instruments RF Generator Hardware and associated LabView Software for the National Reconditioning Center in Grandview, MO. The Government intends to make an award to the responsive responsible quoter providing the best value in accordance with FAR12.203(c)(2).

Brand Name Justification:

This is a Brand Name Requirement. Vendors must be an authorized reseller of National Instruments LabVIEW Professional Development System. This particular brand name is essential to the requirement and market research indicates similar products do not meet or cannot be modified to meet agency needs. The National Reconditoning Center has standardized its automated test sofware development environment on National Instruments LabVIEW Professional Development System. To achieve the precise synchronization, signal generation, and measurement analysis required for diagnostic RF testing, the hardware layer must interface seamlessly with this software environment. National Instruments hardware is peculiar to this manufacturer because it utilizes proprietary, native hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) driver extensions and application programming interfaces (APls) designed explicitly for LabVIEW.

Introducing an alternative ("or equal") hardware manufacturer would break this integrated ecosystem. Completing this requirement with non-NI hardware would require the agency to develop extensive custom software drivers and Dynamic Link Libraries (DLLs) simply to establish basic communication with the chassis and specialized modules. This would introduce significant risk of timing, phase, and latency mismatches during critical signal generation and analysis phases handled by the Vector Signal Transceiver (VST). Consequently, opting for an alternative brand would result in severe project delays (estimated at 6 to 12 months) and extensive additional engineering labor and costs to write, test, and validate an entirely new alternative equipment topology. Utilizing exact National Instruments hardware ensures immediate software deployment, system reliability, and standard compliance across the agency's testing infrastructure.

DOC, Eastern Acquisition Division requires that all contractors doing business with this office be registered with the System for Award Management (SAM). No award can be made to a company not registered in SAM. Contractors active in SAM have a unique entity identifier (UEI) that is used to do business with the federal government. The Government has moved to a free new, non- proprietary identifier that will have to be requested in, and assigned by, the System for Award Management (SAM.gov). You can register and access the site by going to www.sam.gov.

Please see Instructions to Offerors and full Solicitation as attached.

**Contractors who do not respond to items 1 through 9 included in the "Instructions to Offerors" may be considered non-compliant with the requirements of the solicitation and no further consideration shall be given for award.