International Monitoring System (IMS) Radionuclide Operations and Maintenance

This is a SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE; there is no solicitation available at this time. No response will be provided to requests for solicitation. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS PUBLISHED FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has a requirement as follows:  

DTRA is the Department of War (DoW) executive agent for the Nuclear Arms Control Technology (NACT) program which operates, maintains, and improves the majority of the U.S. portion of the International Monitoring System (IMS) is support of the United States Government (USG) and Department of War (DoW) objectives. The IMS was established to detect worldwide nuclear weapons tests via an extensive network that includes radionuclide, seismic, infrasound, and hydroacoustic monitoring technologies.  The NACT program directly manages, operates, maintains, and improves these US IMS stations, involving primary and auxiliary seismic, infrasound, and radionuclide monitoring stations.  Relevant to this Sources Sought Notice, the radionuclide technology includes aerosol particulate and noble gas systems.  

DTRA seeks a performer to operate and sustain the US IMS radionuclide monitoring stations, beginning August 2027.  Each of these US IMS stations was designed and installed under supervision of the NACT program and according to the technical requirements specified in the relevant IMS Operational Manual. Each of these stations has also been formally certified.  While the monitoring systems are standardized, each station has site-specific design considerations to optimize data quality, data availability, and improve long-term operations and sustainment.  

Following station certification by the Provisional Technical Secretriat (PTS), the configuration of each of the IMS stations has been strictly controlled and all changes in configuration since certification have been approved and documented according to the procedures outlined in the associated station operational manuals. The US IMS stations are operated in accordance with provisional operational guidance defined by the PTS for the entire IMS network of stations. The NACT program objective is for the radionuclide stations to continue to meet the operational requirement of 95% authenticated data availability that meets CTBT data quality parameters (such as peak resolution, energy calibration drifts or peak shape). [Note data quality is a measure of how well data from a monitoring station are within tolerances, have correct time, adheres to calibration and certification standards and are free of aberrations such as low or zero airflow rates, or spikes and gaps.] 

The US IMS station operations are generally automated and do not require a continuous daily on-site presence of a highly skilled station operator or engineer.  The station operator should maximize the remote performance monitoring, troubleshooting, and repair of the stations.  In general, the achievement and sustainment of a sufficient level US IMS station performance periodically require the efforts of a local caretaker to accomplish light housekeeping tasks, replenish consumables, and make minor adjustments as required to the station facilities and systems. These station caretaker activities are typically performed under the supervision and direction of the station operator. Further, the US IMS stations occasionally require varying levels of preventative and unscheduled maintenance or upgrades which must be carried out by the system operators to sustain required data availability and data quality. If these required maintenance activities are of a significant level of complexity, the station’s technical parameters and performance may need to be reviewed and revalidated by the PTS following completion of the maintenance activity.  

Station operators are responsible for the provision of continuous and timely monitoring data and IMS station state-of-health data from each US IMS station to the International Data Centre (IDC). Station operators are also responsible for the provision of station technical documentation and problem reporting, and any configuration updates as required by the operations manuals and the PTS. Each US IMS station has a Global Communications Infrastructure (GCI) communications system which is installed and maintained by a contractor under the direction of the PTS. The GCI system is used to transmit all the required IMS station data between the station and the IDC via various communications technologies, including satellite, internet, and cellular. The GCI system also enables two-way communication between the IDC and station operators for receiving and executing command and control actions from the IDC or other operational troubleshooting between the station and the IDC as required.  Additionally, NACT stations maintain a supplemental direct communication link between the station and the station operator use for operational support, maintenance, troubleshooting Additional requirements are as follows:  

1. Operate, maintain, upgrade, and sustain Radionuclide Particulate monitoring stations for the US monitoring effort. 

2. Operate, maintain, upgrade, and sustain Radionuclide Noble Gas monitoring systems for the US monitoring effort. 

3. Provide all necessary logistical support and sustainment for each US IMS station infrastructure and installed monitoring system, including but not limited to: system and component repairs, spare and depot management, hardware and software upgrades, and recapitalization planning for stations and systems. 

4. Perform preventive and unscheduled corrective maintenance of the station structures and equipment to enable the continuous operational capability of the station and optimal data availability and data quality.  

5. Perform system and detector calibrations and tuning as necessary to ensure stations meet operational data quality requirements specified in the operations manuals. 

6. Conduct NACT O&M activities in accordance with existing or planned support and lease agreements. Some NACT US IMS radionuclide stations are located on private, State, or other non-Federal properties, which typically require the O&M performer to establish a lease arrangement with the landowner for the operator’s access to the property. The lease agreement also provides a vehicle for the local operator to make cost reimbursements to the landowners for select station operations costs, such as utilities or rents.  

7. Support the PTS GCI performer and IDC as required in troubleshooting and resolution of occasional communications problems at any US IMS stations, to most efficiently resolve the GCI issue and minimize the negative impact to timely data transmission and communication between the US IMS stations and the IDC.   

8. Conduct engineering and development tasks on systems and components to operationalize prototypes, conduct test and evaluation, and transition system or components into normal station operations.  Conduct the necessary acceptance and revalidation tasks required by the PTS for the station to be returned to operations and data accepted in the IDC. Efforts should be towards improving system performance via reducing minimum detectable concentration and/or reducing collection times, improving state of health monitoring, improving automation, improving “illities” (i.e. affordability, maintainability, sustainability, etc..), and enabling predictive maintenance. 

9. Operate and maintain an engineering test bed and equipment depot to support all radionuclide systems and stations.  Operate and maintain a particulate aerosol and noble gas collection and analysis system operating in parallel with the certified IMS system.    

10.  Design, manufacture, deploy, operate and sustain a transportable radionuclide international monitoring system that contains both automated aerosol and noble gas collection and analysis system. 

Parties submitting a response to this RFI are encouraged to offer input regarding what they perceive as the most efficient way to operate and maintain the US IMS stations.  Sources having the capability and/or concept to meet these requirements are invited to respond to this notice by the designated time and date.  

Responses should be limited to a five (5) page white paper in 12-point Times New Roman font for any given capability and concept, not including cover page, cover letter and table of contents. Any proprietary concepts of information should be clearly identified as such. Submitted data and information will not be returned. Any information submitted in response to this Sources Sought Notice is strictly voluntary. This notice is for information planning purposes, and the Government will not pay or otherwise reimburse respondents for information submitted.