***The sole source determination is based on the NOAA's National Weather Service (NWS) Engineering Program Branch's need for software maintenance for four NOAA Profiler Network (NPN) radars that use a program called "Maxview." This program is produced for the general public Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) which allows modules to be specifically developed to meet the needs of the customers.

In order to ensure that the Profilers are operating and communicating properly, Maxview provides the software modules necessary that are modified to scan the health of the system and produce specific maintenance and operational reports. These modules are the Radar Unit Subsystem (RUS), Weather Forecast Office (WFO), and Operations Management Center (OMC) which corresponds to the desired software maintenance plans.

The Maxview program is produced solely by Datapath Inc. which is the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). Although Maxview is a COTS operating system product sold to the general public, once the modules that provide the monitoring and control features are modified, these can only be updated by Datapath Inc. The modified modules remain proprietary information of the OEM and are only supportable by the Maxview Software Maintenance Plan (SMP) offered by Datapath Inc.

***This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals and no solicitation package is available. However, firms that believe they can fully meet the Government's requirements may submit substantiating documentation in writing to the identified point of contact within 15 days after publication of this synopsis. Such documentation will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining whether or not to conduct this procurement on a competitive basis. A determination by the Government not to conduct a competitive procurement, based upon responses to this notice, is solely within the discretion of the government. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.