Special NoticePosted Aug 3, 2026·Responses due Aug 4, 2026

Explorer - Exail Gyro Urgentcy

NOAA · NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION

Stage
Early notice (sources sought, presolicitation or special notice)
NAICS
334511
Value
Not stated
Solicitation
140802-26-0534
Set-aside
No Set aside used
PSC
6605
Place
Honolulu, HI, USA
Contact
Chris Baker (christopher.baker@noaa.gov)
CSV Email

Capture briefs (a one-page, shareable copy of this page) are part of Pro. The CSV here holds the notice, its timeline and past awards.

Where this opportunity stands

Every notice posted under solicitation 140802-26-0534 in this department, oldest first.

Early notice
  • Aug 3, 2026 · this notice
    Special Notice
Solicitation
None posted
Award
Not yet. Typical award: Sep 15, 2026 to Dec 11, 2026, middle of the range Oct 25, 2026.
Measured from 49 past early notices at National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration that later posted an award (middle half of cases, counted from Aug 3, 2026).

Next steps for this stage

Standard steps for the notice type; not advice about this buyer.

  • Answer the notice: this is when the requirement can still be shaped.
  • Contact the contracting officer named on the notice.
  • Check who won similar work; they are the likely bidders.

What the notice says

***NOAA'S MARINE OPERATION CENTER ACQUISITION BRANCH*** OFFICE OF MARINE AND AVIATION OPERATIONS (OMAO), MARINE OPERAITONS ENGINEERING OFFICE INTENDS TO NEGOTIATE, ON A SOLE SOURCE BASIS, UNDER AUTHORITY OF FAR 13.106-1(b)(1), WITH EXAIL, INC, OUT OF DENVER, CO FOR EXAIL GYROCOMPASS REPLACEMENT PARTS FOR NOAA SHIP OKEANOS EXPLORER. THE SOLE SOURCE DETERMINATION IS BASED ON THE NATIONAL OCEANIC AND ATMOSPHERIC ADMINISTRATION'S (NOAA) REQUIREMENT THAT EXAIL, INC IS THE SOLE MANUFACTURER AND PROVIDER OF EXAIL GYROCOMPASS REPLACEMENT PARTS. EXAIL, INC DOES NOT HAVE ANY AUTHORIZED PARTNERS/RESELLER… (show all)

S WHO CAN PROVIDE THESE GYROCOMPASS, PARTS. ? Compatibility with Existing Fleet Navigation Architecture: NOAA Marine Operations vessels currently operate Exail (formerly iXblue) Fiber Optic Gyrocompass (FOG) systems. Acquiring identical OEM Quadrans G2 units ensures seamless plug-and-play interchangeability with existing shipboard mounting, power distribution, signal cables, and data interface protocols without requiring costly structural or electronic reconfigurations. ? Proprietary Technology and System Firmware: Exail is the sole designer, original equipment manufacturer, and intellectual property owner of the Quadrans G2 system, proprietary fiber optic sensor technology, and embedded operational software/firmware. ? Risk of Alternate Sources: Installing non-OEM gyrocompass systems or sourcing through unauthorized third parties would introduce critical operational risks, including potential data protocol incompatibilities with primary shipboard navigation suites, loss of IMO compliance certification, invalidation of existing fleet warranties, and unacceptable vessel downtime during mission-critical oceanographic operations. NOAA maintains a fleet of Research vessels performing Oceanographic research and Hydrographic surveys. To standardize the fleet, the majority of the NOAA Fleet have been outfitted with EXAIL GYROCOMPASSES. THE COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY ACT (33 U.S.C. � 883A) MANDATES ACCURATE AND RELIABLE NAVIGATION DATA FOR HYDROGRAPHIC SURVEYING AND OCEANOGRAPHIC OPERATIONS. THE EXAIL GYROCOMPASS are compatible with the NOAA SHIP OKEANOS EXPLORER navigation systems such as electronic chart display and information systems (ECDIS), AUTOPILOT and other Integrated bridge systems. EXAIL INC. IS THE SOLE SUPPLIER OF THE GYROCOMPASS PARTS SPECIFIED FOR ACQUISITION. THEY OWN THE PROPRIETARY RIGHTS TO THE PRODUCT, SUPPORT AND INSTALLATION. THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY AUTHORIZED PARTNERS OR RESELLERS. MARKET RESEARCH FOUND GYROCOMPASS MANUFACTURERS INCLUDE SPERRY, RAYTHEON, TELEDYNE (MERIDIAN), EXAIL, KVH AND OTHERS. THE MEAN TIME BETWEEN FAILURE (MTBF) RELIABILITY OF ALL GYROCOMPASSES OTHER THAN EXAIL WERE UNDER 50,000 HOURS FOR THE SYSTEMS THAT MET THE PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. EXAIL�S GYROCOMPASSES HAVE A MTBF OF 150,000 HOURS. 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.

Who won similar work

14 award notices on SAM.gov in the last 24 months. Match: Same agency (NOAA), same NAICS 334511.

WinnerAwardsValueLast
L3HARRIS TECHNOLOGIES, INC. · $LHX2$68.6MFeb 17, 2026
Applanix Corporation1$5.8MAug 28, 2025
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON GRANT AND CONTRACT ACCOUNTING 12455 COLLECTIONS DRIVE CHICAGO IL 60693 USA1$1.1MSep 15, 2026
THE SEXTON CORPORATION1$247KSep 10, 2025
SEAFLOOR SYSTEMS, INC.1$148KApr 10, 2026
PRECISION MACHINERY & TOOLING, LLC1$80KAug 8, 2026
US TECH DEVICES, INC1$76KSep 22, 2026
BEIER RADIO, L.L.C.1$52KFeb 18, 2025
BERINGIA MARINE INC1$50KSep 24, 2025
GRAVA HYDROGRAPHIC SOLUTIONS LLC1$47KSep 22, 2026

Value counts single-winner awards. "Shared" awards are multiple-award contracts that list every winner with the same total ceiling; that ceiling is not one company's win, so it is not added in.

Latest awards

Competitive landscape

For the 8 most frequent past winners above. Lobbying is matched by the company's exact name or exact ticker; agencies are as named on the filings.

  • 1 of these past winners lobbied Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) since 2024 (5 filings)
  • 0 of their lobbyists list a past Natl Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) job
  • $202K from their corporate PACs since 2024 to members of House Committee on Appropriations, House Committee on Natural Resources, House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation
  • 0 foreign-agent (FARA) registrations
See who and the source records with Pro

Policy around it

Bills the past winners named while lobbying this agency's issues, rules from the department, and executive orders that name the agency, last 12 months.

  • 8 bills named on the past winners' lobbying filings
  • 304 rules from the department in the last 12 months
  • 0 executive orders naming the agency in the last 12 months
See who and the source records with Pro

Market

For past winners matched exactly to a listed company. Insider trades are open-market buys and sells (Form 4) in the last 90 days, shown as facts; our own study found insiders do not reliably buy ahead of awards.

  • 1 of the past winners are listed companies
  • 0 insider buys and 0 insider sells at them in the last 90 days
See who and the source records with Pro

Sources: SAM.gov notices and award notices; Senate LDA lobbying filings; FEC filings; FARA; Federal Register; congress.gov; SEC Form 4. Every row above links to its record.

Companies are matched to tickers by exact name only. A company we could not match shows no market rows; that is a miss, not a finding.