ROCKET PROPULSION AND SONIC BOOM ACOUSTIC PROPAGATION MODEL

Solicitation No. 6913G626Q300036 1 This is a sole source, combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) part 12, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. A quote is being requested, and a separate written solicitation will not be issued. Solicitation No. 6913G626Q300036 is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). This solicitation is being conducted under FAR Part 12, Terms and Conditions – Commercial Products and Commercial Services. This solicitation document and incorporated provisions are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2026-01, effective 03/13/2026. The NAICS Code is 541715 (exception 3); the Small Business size standard is 1,250 employees. This solicitation incorporates provisions and clauses; full text of provisions and clauses may be accessed electronically at http://www.acquisition.gov/far-overhaul The U.S. Department of Transportation/John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center) intends to solicit and award on a sole source basis to The National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA) at the University of Mississippi, in accordance with FAR 13.106- 1(b). The Volpe Center is collaborating with the Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) and the Department of War (DoW) in increasing the launch cadence of rocket propelled air and spacecraft. Increased exposure to rocket propulsion noise and sonic booms is an impediment to increasing this cadence. Providing new noise modeling software to the planners’ toolset will enable increased launch cadence while minimizing noise exposure increases. All services required for this work shall be in accordance with the attached Statement of Work and terms and conditions. REQUIREMENTS/SPECIFICATIONS The Government intends to award a sole source, firm fixed price purchase order as a result of this Combined Synopsis/Solicitation. Please provide a firm-fixed price quotation in accordance with the below Pricing Table and Deliverables with a total of four CLINS. In addition to filling in an amount for each CLIN, the following are also required as part of your quote submission; Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), Complete Business Mailing Address, and Contact Name, Phone, and Email Address. This information maybe submitted on a separate cover sheet. STATEMENT OF WORK/PRICING TABLE Rocket Propulsion and Sonic Boom Acoustic Propagation Model Background The Air Force Civil Engineer Center (AFCEC) and the Department of War (DoW) in general have interest in increasing the launch cadence of rocket propelled air and spacecraft. Increased exposure to rocket propulsion noise and sonic booms is an impedement to increasing this cadence. Providing new noise modeling software to the planners’ toolset will enable increased launch cadence while minimizing noise exposure increases. -- 1 of 10 -- Solicitation No. 6913G626Q300036 2 One key use case for these tools is the ability to model rocket propulsion noise and sonic boom noise propagation through the atmosphere under a range of meteorological conditions. By modeling noise exposure over a statistically signigicant range of historical weather conditions, planners can make more informed decisions on launch windows that will minimize noise exposure. Scope In coordination with the Volpe Center the contractor shall develop tools or modify existing infrasonic tools developed by the National Center for Physical Acoustics (NCPA) to model rocket propulsion and sonic boom acoustic propagation in a manner that enables large numbers of scenarios to be evaluated to create a comprehensive database of noise exposure maps that cover a range of meteorological conditions and acoustic sources. This tool will then be used by the contractor to evaluate one study site for one vehicle with two launch trajectories. It is expected that this new tool will assist AFCEC and the DoW in general to: • Quantify propulsion and sonic boom noise from rockets by utilizing available noise source data. • Produce topological noise maps that show percentage of coverage that exceeds noise levels to a given extent • Show extent of impacts from different rocket trajectories under different meteorological conditions • Identify gaps in data where the DoW cannot definitively say what will be impacted by the effects of the rocket launch • Inform decisions on monitoring station locations and indicate where more data is needed Tasking Rocket Noise and Sonic Boom Propagation Tool Development Produce an operational support software tool for environmental impact assessment of rocket propulsion and sonic boom noise to evaluate potential environmental impacts and go/no-go conditions. The Volpe Center will provide access to a Common Development Environment (CDE) for version control, storage, and access to the tool code. The tool development will include the following stages: 0. Monthly Reporting (CLIN 00100) The vendor shall provide a monthly progress report in PDF format on the 15th of each month, including the first month of award and concluding in the final month of award, estimated to be March 2027. This monthly progress report shall include discussion of deliverable progress and issues along with a summary of any lessons learned. Monthly spend information will also be summarized in the monthly progress report. 1. Initial Design and Documentation (CLIN 00200) a. Metric Documentation – The contractor shall document all metrics that the tool will compute and the input requirements for each, e.g. ½-second resolution time series, one-third, z-weighted sound pressure levels. -- 2 of 10 -- Solicitation No. 6913G626Q300036 3 b. Algorithm Documentation – The contractor shall document all relevant algorithms and libraries that will be utilized in the development of the tool. This documentation will include theoretical and functional aspects as well as assumptions …