Background: The NOAA ProTech program for the Weather domain is part of a larger initiative to provide professional, scientific, and technical services to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Department of Commerce (DOC). The Weather domain is one of four domains within the ProTech program, alongside Oceans, Satellites, and Fisheries with the Weather Domain primarily supporting the NWS as well as other NOAA line and staff functions.

For the Weather domain specifically:

  • Contract Period: The current ProTech 1.0 Weather Domain contract has an ordering period from January 15, 2020, to July 14, 2025, which includes a five-year base period with a six-month extension.
  • Vendor Pool: At the time of award, there were 22 prime awardees, consisting of 13 small businesses and 9 large businesses
  • Contract Ceiling: The program ceiling for the Weather Domain is $3 Billion
  • Task Order Performance: As of Q3 FY2024, 45 task orders have been awarded with a total value of approximately $270.7 Million

Small Business Participation: A notable aspect of the ProTech 2.0 Weather Domain is its strong emphasis on small business participation:

  • The contract was set up with a 95% small business set-aside goal .
  • Remarkably, 100% of the awarded task orders have gone to small businesses, exceeding the initial target

Current Acquisition Effort: NOAA has released the RFP documents for the next iteration of the ProTech program, dubbed “ProTech 2.0”:

  • The new contract will have a longer period of performance, extending to 10 years total, to allow for performance stability and encourage long-term solutions
  • The total shared ceiling across all domains in ProTech 2.0 is set at $8 Billion
  • The Weather 2.0 Domain ID/IQ awards will be a total Small Business Set-Aside effort, similar to the other three 2.0 Domains

  Program Features: The ProTech program, including the Weather domain, has several key features:

  • It is a mandatory-use vehicle for NOAA Line and Staff offices procuring professional, technical, and scientific services
  • The program allows for “teaming-on-the-fly,” where prime awardees can pursue any Task Order in their Domain and add to their team if they choose to do so
  • It aims to streamline oversight, focus on process improvement, promote performance quality, and reduce acquisition timelines

Services: The RFP provides for three major service areas with numerous sub-areas in each to include:

Scientific Services – Key areas of collaboration include research and development, observation and prediction, and decision support systems leading to resource optimization technology advancement, and enhanced service delivery.

Professional Services – Program/project management. consulting, and training to be performed using the appropriate levels of science and/or engineering expertise with an emphasis on quality of products and services.

Engineering Services for Systems and Facilities – Tailored to systems support, facilities engineering, specialized engineering, and lifecycle support across a number of engineering specialties.

RFP Specifics: This is a multiphase solicitation with the phases identified as follows:

Questions are due no later than 2:00 pm Eastern Time on October 18th

  • Phase I submissions are due no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Time on Wednesday, October 30, 2024. Phase I include two volumes, one administrative in nature and one involving an Excel self-assessment matrix. The administrative volume will require a three-page Executive Summary, solicitation documents, Financial documents Reps and certs, uncompensated overtime policy, Organizations Conflict of Interest Mitigation Plan and Joint Venture Documentation.

After review and a down select, Phase II will require:

  • Demonstrated Technical Experience – An Excel spreadsheet detailing demonstrated technical expertise as well as an up to a 35-page document providing details
  • Management Approach – Including an oral presentation and a slide presentation (not to exceed 20 slides)
  • Past Performance – Including Reference information and project description and performance citations, CPARs and PPQs
  • Pricing – Which will include a pricing template and supporting rate information

Key dates to remember about Phase II are:

Activity Date
Technical Evaluation of Phase I Proposals 2-3 weeks
Notification of Advisory Down Select 2-3 weeks after Phase I closes
Issuance of Phase II Instructions 2 business days after release of Advisory Notices
Phase II Proposals Due 3 4 weeks after receipt of Phase II instructions
Award Q3, Fiscal Year ( FY) 2025

 

What to Do to Win ProTech 2.0: Organization will be key to winning this effort, particularly if you are involving a Joint Venture. While the documentation does not seem as pernicious as some of the recent large IDIQ solicitations, it will still need a keen eye for detail in your Proposal Manager and coordinator. A seasoned Technical Write or two to cover the Demonstrated Technical Performance (as well as a graphics Artist for the Orals presentation) and the Performance document would be a worthy investment.

Need Support? OCI can provide a wide range of support from a single skilled individual to a fully staffed team. We understand what it takes to support this bid and we understand that your win is our win. Consultants available with NOAA and Weather experience.  Call us today at 703-689-9600.

Proposal Basic