February 3, 2022

The NSF is performing market research to improve planning for the potential procurement for an Antarctic Research Vessel (ARV). The current icebreaking research vessel in use by USAP, the contractor-owned (CO) and operated Nathaniel B. Palmer (NBP) is nearing the end of its service life. The NSF has thus embarked on an effort to recapitalize its icebreaking research vessel capacity through a Major Research Equipment and Facilities Construction (MREFC) project in which the Foundation would develop a government-owned (GO) vessel. 

NSF is seeking capabilities statements from vendors interested in an anticipated requirement in which the vendor will act as the overall “vessel integrator” of the ARV procurement. As a matter of organizational structure, the NSF is motivated to leverage expertise not available internally to procure a vessel of this magnitude, encouraging the use of a single vendor to help administer and oversee finalization of the ARV design, shipyard selection and construction, operational testing, and transition to operations.  

For more information, visit: https://sam.gov/opp/f49f2546288d4e3085c01113ecaf2486/view.

---

The U.S. National Science Foundation propels the nation forward by advancing fundamental research in all fields of science and engineering. NSF supports research and people by providing facilities, instruments and funding to support their ingenuity and sustain the U.S. as a global leader in research and innovation. With a fiscal year 2023 budget of $9.5 billion, NSF funds reach all 50 states through grants to nearly 2,000 colleges, universities and institutions. Each year, NSF receives more than 40,000 competitive proposals and makes about 11,000 new awards. Those awards include support for cooperative research with industry, Arctic and Antarctic research and operations, and U.S. participation in international scientific efforts.

 Get News Updates by Email 

Connect with us online
NSF website: nsf.gov
NSF News: nsf.gov/news
For News Media: nsf.gov/news/newsroom
Statistics: nsf.gov/statistics/
Awards database: nsf.gov/awardsearch/

Follow us on social
Twitter: twitter.com/NSF
Facebook: facebook.com/US.NSF
Instagram: instagram.com/nsfgov