Request for Information (RFI) THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This Request for Information (RFI) is issued solely for information and market research planning purposes; it does not constitute a solicitation or a promise to issue a solicitation. Furthermore, those who respond to this RFI should not anticipate feedback with regards to its submission; other than acknowledgment of receipt - ONLY IF a request for an acknowledgement is requested by the submitter. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is not seeking proposals at this time. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay any costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government, and will not be returned. Purpose of this RFI: The purpose of this RFI is to obtain detailed information from interested members of the public regarding opportunities to strengthen cross-sector partnerships in support of U.S. ocean mapping, exploration, and characterization priorities. Responses to this Request for Information (RFI) will inform development of the National Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization (NOMEC) and National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) Partnership Forum on Building U.S. Ocean Technology and Data Partnerships to Advance Ocean Mapping, Exploration, and Characterization. In particular, the NOMEC Council and NOPP seek information regarding stakeholder priorities and capabilities; barriers to effective collaboration with the Federal Government; opportunities for enhanced cross-sector partnerships; and topics and activities that could support actionable outcomes from the Forum. NOAA is specifically looking for input as follows: Provide a high-level overview of your response to the attached document. This summary should articulate understanding of the RFI's primary objective and briefly outline the nature of the information, product, service, or capability being described. Describe the specialized technical teams, intellectual property (IP), or unique resources that would support the capabilities described in the attached document. Specified responses are requested in regards to Questions 1 through 9 of the attached document: Reference Question # - specific question or area of interest Respondent’s comprehensive response and detailed answer Please see the attached Attachment 1 Request for Information for specifics. Submission of Information: Interested parties are encouraged to submit a response which supports their claim that they have the qualifications and experience to provide services for one or more of the identified services. If there are areas of the requirement that your company and/or prospective team cannot meet, please identify those areas in your response along with amplifying information as to why your team cannot meet the government’s request. Specifically, any interested parties should provide the following information: Name of Company, address, and SAM.gov Unique Entity (UEID); Business type and designation (i.e., large business, small business, socioeconomic designation); Point of contact name, email, and phone number; Company website address; Any General Service Administration (GSA) schedule, Government Wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), or Multiple Award Contract numbers and information that may allow for streamlined procurement of services from your company; Do you currently have a contract(s) with any other Federal Agency for these types of services? Do you have a commercial catalog of products or systems similar to these services? RFI Response Format: In order to better assist in the review of submittals to this RFI, respondents are encouraged to prepare a response that closely adheres to the following format: The document format shall be either Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx), or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) formats. Responses shall be prepared using 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, and 8.5” by 11” paper and shall not exceed twenty (20) pages in length, including images, data displays, charts, graphs, and tables. It should be noted in the messaging of this RFI that participants should focus on their area of expertise to allow for diversity in responses. Respondents are encouraged to include any supporting material, such as data sheets or previous mission reports, as a separate attachment. Any such supporting material will be excluded from the page count. Response Deadline and Point of Contact Information: Responses to this notice should be documents attached to emails with the subject line “RFI Response - NOMEC and NOPP Partnership Forum” received no later than 3:00PM MT, Tuesday, December 1, 2026 to: Contract Specialist, Julia Hamilton at julia.l.hamilton@noaa.gov Contracting Officer, Angela Royster at angela.royster@noaa.gov The responses received will assist NOAA with identifying feasible technical solutions for this requirement. Each respondent, by submitting a response, agrees that any cost incurred by it in responding to this request, or in support of activities associated with this RFI, shall be the sole responsibility of the respondent. NOAA shall incur no obligations or liabilities whatsoever, to anyone, for any costs or expenses incurred by the respondent in responding to this RFI. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Industry Discussions: Some respondents may be asked to provide additional information regarding the matters addressed in this RFI. Those respondents will be contacted directly if there is a need for further information. Questions: Respondents may submit questions regarding this RFI to the contact(s) listed above. Responses to questions may be posted on the Government Point of Entry. Please send any questions you may have to the Contract Specialist and Contracting Officer by no later than (NLT) 3:00PM MST, Friday, November 13, 2026 . Each question shall provide the question number of the particular item being referred to in this RFI.
