NOAA Awards $11.19M for 3000 Daily GNSS RO Profiles from Spire Global Subsidiary
Contract Overview
Contract Amount: $11,190,900 ($11.2M)
Contractor: Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc.
Awarding Agency: Department of Commerce
Start Date: 2025-09-18
End Date: 2026-09-18
Contract Duration: 365 days
Daily Burn Rate: $30.7K/day
Competition Type: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION AFTER EXCLUSION OF SOURCES
Number of Offers Received: 3
Pricing Type: FIRM FIXED PRICE
Sector: IT
Official Description: TO ACQUIRE 3000 NEAR-REAL-TIME GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (GNSS) RADIO OCCULTATION (RO) PROFILE/PER DAY FOR 365 DAYS.
Place of Performance
Location: VIENNA, FAIRFAX County, VIRGINIA, 22182
State: Virginia Government Spending
Plain-Language Summary
Department of Commerce obligated $11.2 million to SPIRE GLOBAL SUBSIDIARY, INC. for work described as: TO ACQUIRE 3000 NEAR-REAL-TIME GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (GNSS) RADIO OCCULTATION (RO) PROFILE/PER DAY FOR 365 DAYS. Key points: 1. Acquisition of 3000 daily GNSS RO profiles for one year. 2. Contract awarded to Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc. 3. Spending falls under Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services. 4. Potential for significant data value in weather forecasting and climate monitoring.
Value Assessment
Rating: good
The contract's value of $11.19 million for 3000 daily profiles over 365 days suggests a per-profile cost of approximately $10.20. This appears reasonable given the complexity and real-time nature of the data.
Cost Per Unit: $10.20 per profile
Competition Analysis
Competition Level: full-and-open
The contract was awarded under full and open competition after exclusion of sources, indicating a competitive bidding process. This method is expected to yield fair market prices.
Taxpayer Impact: The $11.19 million expenditure is for critical data acquisition, likely to improve weather forecasting and climate research, offering long-term value to taxpayers.
Public Impact
Enhances NOAA's ability to gather real-time atmospheric data. Supports improved weather prediction models and climate change research. Provides valuable data for scientific understanding of Earth's atmosphere. Potential for downstream applications in aviation and disaster management.
Waste & Efficiency Indicators
Waste Risk Score: 50 / 10
Warning Flags
- Data continuity and reliability from a single provider.
- Potential vendor lock-in if alternative data sources are not cultivated.
Positive Signals
- Access to a high volume of near-real-time data.
- Competitive award process likely secured favorable pricing.
- Supports critical scientific and operational missions for NOAA.
Sector Analysis
This contract falls within the IT and Data Services sector, specifically focusing on data processing and hosting. Benchmarks for similar data acquisition contracts vary widely based on data type and volume, but this appears to be a significant investment in specialized atmospheric data.
Small Business Impact
The data indicates this contract was awarded to a subsidiary, Spire Global, Inc. There is no explicit mention of small business participation in this specific award, suggesting it may not directly benefit small businesses.
Oversight & Accountability
The contract is managed by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) under the Department of Commerce. Standard oversight mechanisms for federal contracts would apply, including performance monitoring and financial accountability.
Related Government Programs
- Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services
- Department of Commerce Contracting
- National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Programs
Risk Flags
- Data continuity and reliability.
- Cost-effectiveness of the per-unit data price.
- Accuracy and scientific utility of the acquired data.
- Potential for future scalability and data expansion.
- Alignment with NOAA's strategic weather and climate goals.
Tags
computing-infrastructure-providers-data-, department-of-commerce, va, delivery-order, 10m-plus
Frequently Asked Questions
What is this federal contract paying for?
Department of Commerce awarded $11.2 million to SPIRE GLOBAL SUBSIDIARY, INC.. TO ACQUIRE 3000 NEAR-REAL-TIME GLOBAL NAVIGATION SATELLITE SYSTEM (GNSS) RADIO OCCULTATION (RO) PROFILE/PER DAY FOR 365 DAYS.
Who is the contractor on this award?
The obligated recipient is SPIRE GLOBAL SUBSIDIARY, INC..
Which agency awarded this contract?
Awarding agency: Department of Commerce (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).
What is the total obligated amount?
The obligated amount is $11.2 million.
What is the period of performance?
Start: 2025-09-18. End: 2026-09-18.
What is the long-term strategic value of this GNSS RO data beyond immediate weather forecasting needs?
Beyond immediate weather forecasting, GNSS RO data is crucial for climate monitoring, atmospheric research, and validating climate models. Its consistent, global coverage provides a unique dataset for understanding long-term atmospheric trends, ionospheric behavior, and improving the accuracy of satellite altimetry. This data can also inform research into space weather and improve navigation systems.
What are the risks associated with relying on a single subsidiary for such a critical data stream?
Relying on a single provider, even a subsidiary, introduces risks such as potential service disruptions, price increases upon contract renewal, or the provider discontinuing the service. Dependency could also limit NOAA's flexibility in adopting newer, potentially superior technologies or data sources that may emerge. Ensuring data redundancy and exploring alternative providers are key mitigation strategies.
How will the effectiveness of this data acquisition be measured and validated by NOAA?
NOAA will likely measure effectiveness through several metrics: the continuity and reliability of data delivery (meeting the 3000 profiles/day target), the accuracy and quality of the data compared to established standards or other validation sources, and the demonstrable improvement in weather forecast accuracy or climate model performance attributed to the use of this data. Regular technical reviews and user feedback will also be incorporated.
Industry Classification
NAICS: Information › Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services › Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services
Product/Service Code: IT AND TELECOM - INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS › IT AND TELECOM - IT MANAGEMENT
Competition & Pricing
Extent Competed: FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION AFTER EXCLUSION OF SOURCES
Solicitation Procedures: SUBJECT TO MULTIPLE AWARD FAIR OPPORTUNITY
Solicitation ID: 1332KP25R0019
Offers Received: 3
Pricing Type: FIRM FIXED PRICE (J)
Evaluated Preference: NONE
Contractor Details
Parent Company: Navsight Holdings, Inc.
Address: 8000 TOWERS CRESCENT DR, VIENNA, VA, 22182
Business Categories: Category Business, Corporate Entity Not Tax Exempt, Small Business, Special Designations, U.S.-Owned Business
Financial Breakdown
Contract Ceiling: $11,190,900
Exercised Options: $11,190,900
Current Obligation: $11,190,900
Actual Outlays: $4,662,875
Contract Characteristics
Multi-Year Contract: Yes
Commercial Item: COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS/SERVICES
Cost or Pricing Data: NO
Parent Contract
Parent Award PIID: 1332KP23DNEEP0002
IDV Type: IDC
Timeline
Start Date: 2025-09-18
Current End Date: 2026-09-18
Potential End Date: 2026-09-18 00:00:00
Last Modified: 2025-09-04
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