The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) has announced intentions to award a sole-source contract to the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) for operational, maintenance, and research and development support of the U.S. lnfrasound and Primary Seismic and Auxiliary Seismic monitoring stations associated with the International Monitoring System (IMS).
DTRA is the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) executive agent for the Nuclear Arms Control Technology (NACT) program which supports one of the six safeguard assurances associated with the original U.S. Senate ratification effort for the 1996 Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty (CTBT).
The NACT program ensures U.S. monitoring stations comply with CTBT International Monitoring System (IMS) station requirements as the U.S. contribution to the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-Ban Treaty Organization (CTBTO).
The IMS was established to detect worldwide nuclear weapons tests via an extensive monitoring network that includes seismic, infrasound, hydro-acoustic and radionuclide monitoring technologies. Relevant to this contract action are infrasound and seismic monitoring stations (collectively called “waveform” stations) located in the continental United States (CONUS), Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, other U.S.-controlled Pacific Territories, and Antarctica.
DTRA requires UAF to directly operate and sustain 13 of the U.S. IMS waveform stations (7 Infrasound, 1 Primary Seismic, and 5 Auxiliary Seismic monitoring stations) in accordance with USG CTBT policy and CTBTO technical requirements as identified in CTBTO Waveform Operating Manuals and PrepCom communications.
This sole-source contract will provide the opportunity for the DTRA program office to identify and resolve waveform operations issues and develop necessary technical documentation and operations manuals.
The period of performance will commence upon contract award and continue for two years thereafter. The contract ceiling will be approximately $8,000,000.