NOAA starts the bidding for ProTech 2.0's environmental monitoring domain

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has opened the proposal window for the fifth and last domain of ProTech 2.0, its main contract for acquiring professional services from small businesses.

For the vehicle’s Space-Based Environmental Monitoring domain, NOAA is looking to hire a group of companies to work with the agency on integrating satellite data into its forecasting and modeling operations. NOAA will do this in part by acquiring satellite-based terrestrial and space weather data that is commercially-produced.

Bids for the SBEM domain are due to NOAA by 10 a.m. Eastern time on May 5, the agency said in a Tuesday notice to release the final solicitation.

NOAA awarded the other four domains of ProTech 2.0 in batches over a two-year period that culminated with selections for the Weather domain in the fall of 2025. That was preceded by awards for the Satellites, Fisheries and Oceans domains.

Task order activity does not appear to have started yet for the Weather domain, but has for the other three. GovTribe data indicates that NOAA has obligated $217.8 million in order volume for the Satellites, Fisheries and Oceans domains.

For the SBEM domain, NOAA is anticipating awards for up to 12 small businesses and plans to quickly choose one of them for an initial task order focused on global navigation satellite system radio occultation data. This work involves efforts to measure the bending angles of GNSS signals as they travel across Earth’s atmosphere.

SBEMs other key focus areas for tech include GNNS reflectometry, microwave sounders, multispectral imagery, infrared sounders, thermospheric neutral density measurements and active sensors.

NOAA is primarily interested in acquiring raw instrument data, but may seek value-added or derived products to meet mission objectives.