This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for informational and planning purposes and does not constitute a Solicitation, Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or Request for Quotation (RFQ). This notice is issued for market research purposes only pursuant to FAR Part 10. This notice does not obligate the Government to issue a future solicitation, award a contract, reimburse respondents for costs incurred, or otherwise pay for information submitted in response to this notice. Responses will be used to assess market capability and acquisition strategy development. USDA is conducting market research to identify commercial, academic, nonprofit, and other qualified organizations capable of providing a fully integrated weather information capability supporting the Federal Crop Insurance Program and NRCS operational requirements. The Government seeks information regarding industry capability to provide an operational, nationwide, scientifically defensible weather information service consisting of weather observations, quality control processes, terrain-aware weather modeling, historical archives, analytical tools, geospatial products, public dissemination services, restricted operational services, scientific support, and supporting infrastructure as a single integrated capability. The Government is specifically interested in determining whether capable sources exist that can provide an operational capability meeting or exceeding the functional outcomes currently relied upon by USDA programs. The Government seeks capability statements from organizations capable of delivering a complete end-to-end weather information service that supports: Federal Crop Insurance Program operations Weather validation activities Weather-related underwriting and claims analysis Prevented planting determinations Historical weather reconstruction Program integrity reviews NRCS data estimation and quality-control operations Public dissemination of weather information Scientific analysis and support The Government is not seeking individual datasets, individual models, isolated software applications, consulting-only services, or limited analytical support. The Government seeks information regarding complete integrated capabilities. Required Capability Areas Respondents shall address their current operational capabilities within the following major areas. 1. Integrated Operational Capability The respondent shall demonstrate an existing operational capability providing: Ground-based observation acquisition Observation quality assurance/quality control Terrain-aware weather modeling Historical weather archives Weather product generation Geospatial services Public dissemination Restricted operational user services Analytical tools Scientific support Infrastructure and operations The complete capability shall be currently available. 2. Observation Acquisition and Quality Control The Government seeks information regarding: Use of federal, state, tribal, academic, cooperative, public, and commercial weather networks. Integration of NRCS station data from the Water and Climate Information System (WCIS) Air and Water Database (AWDB). Use of CoCoRaHS observations. Use of state and regional Mesonet data. Station metadata validation. Observation lineage and traceability. Automated and manual QA/QC processes. Observation anomaly detection and resolution procedures. Respondents should describe operational processes, governance, documentation, and evidence supporting these capabilities. 3. Weather Modeling The Government seeks information regarding operational terrain-aware weather modeling capable of: Incorporating elevation effects. Incorporating slope and exposure influences. Accounting for rain-shadow impacts. Addressing coastal influences. Producing scientifically supportable estimates in sparse observation environments. Integrating observations and model output into operational products. Respondents should describe model architecture, operational status, validation methods, and production workflows. 4. National Weather Products The Government seeks operational capabilities providing: Gridded precipitation. Maximum temperature. Minimum temperature. Products shall be available for: CONUS Alaska Hawaii Products should support operational delivery at nominal spatial resolutions of 800 meters or finer. 5. Historical Archive and Data Stewardship The Government seeks information regarding: Historical archives extending at least thirty years. Product version management. Historical reproducibility. Metadata preservation. Revision tracking. Product lineage documentation. 6. Derived Agricultural Weather Products The Government seeks information regarding operational generation of: Weather normals Ten-year averages Weather departures from normal Growing degree days Chilling hours Aggregated weather statistics Agricultural weather indicators Respondents should describe methodologies and reproducibility controls. 7. Crop Insurance Operational Support The Government seeks information regarding support for: Claims validation Underwriting analysis Prevented planting reviews Historical event reconstruction Authorized litigation support Program integrity reviews Convergence-of-evidence weather analysis 8. Restricted Operational Services The Government seeks information regarding secure operational portals that provide authorized users with: Weather reports Maps Historical analyses Downloadable geospatial data Raster-based analytical processing Repeatable analytical workflows Downloadable outputs Respondents should describe scalability, availability, auditability, lineage tracking, and security controls. 9. Public Dissemination The Government seeks information regarding operational public-access services that: Provide designated weather products without subscription fees. Publish historical and current weather data. Maintain public metadata and methodology documentation. Support public download of designated weather products. 10. Scientific Support The Government seeks information regarding scientific staffing and support including: PhD-level scientists with expertise in meteorology, climatology, hydrology, atmospheric science, agricultural weather, geospatial science, or related disciplines. Direct engagement with RMA subject matter experts. Direct engagement with NRCS subject matter experts. Expertise in weather observation systems, modeling, quality control, validation, statistics, geospatial analysis, and operational support. 11. NRCS-Specific Requirements The Government seeks information regarding capabilities supporting: SNOTEL SNOLITE SCAN including: Daily estimates Historical estimates API services Performance metrics Data lineage Estimation methodologies Quality-control portals Non-stationarity analyses Information Requested Interested organizations shall provide: 1. Corporate Information Company name UEI CAGE Code Business size Socioeconomic status Primary points of contact 2. Capability Statement A narrative describing the firm's capability to provide the complete integrated service. 3. Compliance Matrix Provide a requirement-by-requirement response for all mandatory requirements identified in Attachment 1. For each requirement, identify: Compliant Partially Compliant Not Compliant For each response include: Operational status Objective evidence Description of capability Dependencies Data restrictions Licensing restrictions Government-furnished requirements Transition requirements Staffing requirements Assumptions 4. Operational Readiness Identify which capabilities are: Fully operational today Operational with minor enhancements In development Planned / conceptual Respondents shall not represent conceptual or planned functionality as current operational capability. 5. Transition Approach Describe how continuity of operations would be maintained during transition while avoiding disruption to RMA and NRCS operations. 6. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Provide a non-binding ROM estimate and cost drivers for planning purposes. Response Format Maximum Length: There is a 20 MB limit. Evaluation of Responses Responses will be reviewed solely for market research purposes to: Assess industry capability. Refine acquisition strategy. Determine availability of commercial solutions. Determine competition potential. Refine performance requirements. Assess transition feasibility. No contract awards will result directly from this notice.
