Temperature & Moisture Advanced Technology Evolution (TMATE)

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document announces a competitive opportunity under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for the Temperature & Moisture Advanced Technology Evolution (TMATE) project. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services (NESDIS) Office of Low Earth Orbit Observations (LEO), is seeking to identify and evaluate existing industry-led microwave-based concepts, designs, and/or on-orbit assets to support meteorological numerical weather prediction models. The goal is to augment government data with non-traditional sources of commercial data for polar orbit operations readiness by 2030.

• The project aims to stimulate and advance microwave sounding capabilities.

• NOAA will support formulation activities, technology maturation, and architecture/design maturation of microwave sounding data sources.

• Data provided under this agreement will be delivered to NOAA and released to the general public.

• Awards will be made under Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs).

• The period of performance for any awarded project is not intended to exceed 24 months.

• The anticipated award type is Firm Fixed Price (FFP).

• This is a two-phase competitive down-select process.

• Phase I: Request for White Papers (RWP)

  • Due Date: March 16, 2026, 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT.
  • Offerors must submit White Papers in Adobe PDF and native format, limited to 10 pages (excluding cover page).
  • Requires Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) pricing.
  • Evaluation criteria include the solution's capability to meet objectives (Appendix 001) and ROM pricing.
  • "Favorable" rated White Papers advance to Phase II.

• Phase II: Final Down-Select

  • Due Date: To be provided with invitation to Phase II.
  • Offerors will provide a complete solution, detailed pricing, and other supporting information.
  • Evaluation criteria include Price, Schedule, Data Rights/Intellectual Property, and Applicability to Statement of Objectives.

• Offerors must be registered in SAM.gov to be eligible for award.

• Business size (Large/Small) and commercial/government entity status are required.

• Project award is subject to the availability of funds.

• Offerors are responsible for their own costs in preparing and submitting proposals.

• All communications must be directed through the NOAA points of contact listed.

• Questions regarding the RWP must be submitted no later than February 27, 2026, 12:00 PM EST.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to questions submitted by potential offerors regarding the Request for Project Proposal (RPP) for TMATE (Technology Maturation and Advanced Technology Experimentation).

• Flow-down Articles: Flow-down articles requested by an offeror may be addressed during the development of the Agreement, not necessarily prior to the submission deadline.
• Data Rights/IP: Data Rights/Intellectual Property will be assessed based on the white paper and may consider any part of the solution. Requirements will be negotiated as part of any resulting Agreement, but science data produced is expected to be made available to the public.
• Font Size: 10 pt font size is allowed for graphics, figures, and tables.
• Assumptions: Offerors must include any assumptions on how requirements will be met as part of their white paper.
• Significant Development: This is intended to include technology maturation and operational readiness. An existing on-orbit capability may require less development than an assembled and tested instrument that has not been launched.
• Submission Deadline: The submission deadline has been extended to March 16, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT.
• Coverage Definitions: "Global within 24 hours" means a minimum of one observation globally each day. "Global in 6 hours" means one observation worldwide every six hours.
• ROM Pricing: ROM pricing should address the period of performance of the proposed Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), not necessarily the full end-to-end cost of achieving 2030 operational capability unless that is within the period of performance.

The submission deadline has been extended by one week. Clarifications have been provided on data rights, "significant development," coverage definitions, and ROM pricing, which may influence how offerors prepare their white papers.

Questions & Answers / Clarifications

This document provides responses to questions submitted by potential offerors regarding the Request for Project Proposal (RPP) for the TMATE opportunity.

• Flow-down Articles: Flow-down articles requested by an offeror may be addressed during the development of the Agreement, not necessarily prior to the submission deadline.
• Data Rights/IP: Data Rights/Intellectual Property will be assessed based on the white paper and may include any part of the solution. These requirements will be negotiated as part of any resulting Agreement. However, science data produced is expected to be made available to the public.
• Font Size: 10 pt font size is permissible for graphics, figures, and tables, consistent with standard USG RFPs.
• NEDT Requirements: Offerors should include any assumptions on how requirements will be met within their white papers.
• Significant Development: This term includes technology maturation and operational readiness. For example, an existing on-orbit capability may require less development than an assembled and tested instrument that has not been launched.
• Trade-off/Scoring: Offerors with a "Favorable" white paper rating in all criteria will be invited to Phase II. Offerors with "potential" or "unfavorable" ratings may be advanced at the Government's discretion.
• Submission Deadline: The submission deadline has been extended to March 16, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT.
• Coverage Definitions: "Global within 24 hours" means a minimum of one observation globally each day. "Global in 6 hours" means one observation worldwide every six hours.
• Mission Lifetime: There is no explicit mission lifetime requirement; offerors should state any assumptions or limitations.
• Agreement Finalization: Agreements resulting from this RPP are intended to be finalized no later than 9/1/2026.

The submission deadline has been extended. Clarifications have been provided on data rights, evaluation criteria, and technical requirements, which may influence how offerors prepare and submit their white papers.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This document announces a competitive opportunity under an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) for the Temperature & Moisture Advanced Technology Evolution (TMATE) project. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Services (NESDIS) Office of Low Earth Orbit Observations (LEO), is seeking innovative, industry-led microwave-based concepts, designs, or on-orbit assets to identify and evaluate temperature and moisture radiance profile collection solutions in polar orbit, aiming for operational readiness by 2030. This initiative aims to address a capability gap by exploring non-traditional commercial data sources to augment existing government satellite data.

• The primary deliverable for Phase I is a White Paper detailing the proposed solution, its innovative approach, and its capabilities.

• Phase II will involve developing a complete solution, detailed pricing, and supporting information, potentially leading to a Project Agreement.

• Solutions should focus on identifying and evaluating temperature and moisture radiance profile collection in polar orbit.

• Awards will be made as Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs).

• The anticipated award type is Firm Fixed Price (FFP).

• The delivery period for awarded projects is negotiable but not intended to exceed 24 months.

• Phase I (Request for White Papers - RWP):

  • Due Date: March 9, 2026, at 3:00 PM ET / 12:00 PM PT.
  • Submission: White Papers must be submitted in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) and native format. Specific formatting requirements include a 12-point font, one-inch margins, and a maximum of ten pages (excluding the cover page).
  • Content: Includes Cover Page, Executive Summary, White Paper Solution, Value Proposition Summary, ROM pricing, and Offeror Contribution.
  • Pricing: Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) pricing is required for Phase I.
  • Evaluation: Solutions will be evaluated based on their capability to meet objectives (Appendix 001) and ROM pricing. "Favorable" ratings advance to Phase II.

• Phase II (Final Down-Select):

  • Due Date: To be provided with the invitation to Phase II.
  • Submission: A complete solution, detailed pricing, and supporting information will be required.
  • Evaluation: Based on Price, Schedule, Data Rights/Intellectual Property, and Applicability to the Statement of Objectives.

• Offerors must be registered in SAM.gov to be eligible for award in Phase II.

• Business size (Large or Small Business) should be identified.

• This is a multi-phase competitive down-select process.

• Project award is subject to the availability of funds.

• Questions regarding the White Paper Request must be submitted no later than February 27, 2026, at 12:00 EST.

• Appendix 001: Statement of Objectives is provided as a separate attachment.

• Appendix 002: Proposal Requirements and Disclaimers provides further details.

• Appendix 003: Phase Submission Guidelines outlines the White Paper format.

Statement of Objectives (SOO)

This document outlines the objectives for a project aimed at developing and providing on-orbit microwave radiances and atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiles. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), specifically the National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) Office of Low Earth Orbit Observations (LEO), seeks industry-led solutions to enhance weather forecasting capabilities by improving the refresh rate of critical atmospheric sounding data. The goal is to achieve a global refresh rate of 6 hours or better, with operational readiness by calendar year 2030.

NOAA is interested in solutions that can acquire and deliver Level 0 (raw instrument) through Level 1b (geolocated microwave radiances) data, and generate Level 2 (atmospheric vertical temperature and moisture profiles) data for the NOAA Ground Segment. Activities may include:

• Technology maturation of existing microwave sounding instruments.
• Demonstration of instrument performance via ground-based testing.
• On-orbit demonstration of temperature and moisture radiance profiling.
• Other offeror-proposed solutions.

Specific performance requirements are detailed for:

• Microwave Sounding Radiance Observations: Including Nadir Resolution, Calibration Accuracy, Noise Level (NEDT), Latency, and Coverage.
• Atmospheric Vertical Temperature Profile: Covering Horizontal Cell Size, Vertical Reporting Interval, Mapping Accuracy, Latency, Coverage, and Temperature Measurement Precision.
• Atmospheric Vertical Moisture Profile: Covering Horizontal Cell Size, Vertical Reporting Interval, Mapping Accuracy, Latency, Coverage, and Moisture Measurement Precision.
• Spectral Guidance: Detailing temperature and moisture regions for microwave radiance observations.

Data collection is desired to begin no later than calendar year 2030. The POP will depend on negotiated activities, with a maximum limit of 24 months.

Offerors are expected to:

• Identify innovative, cost-effective approaches for microwave sounding data.
• Provide insight into the scientific performance of their proposed solutions.
• Collaborate with NOAA through periodic meetings, a mid-POP progress meeting, an end-of-POP presentation, and a final written report.

This SOO is intended to stimulate and advance microwave sounding capabilities to maintain and improve the threshold requirement for 6-hour global refresh. The government no longer has resources to populate historical time slots but values the data for improved forecast accuracy.