The National Weather Service Office of Observations (OBS) is responsible for the operations and maintenance of automated fielded systems that sense the atmosphere in support of surface based Aviation Operations. The ASOS program is an essential, joint mission in support of the National Weather Service (NWS), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and the Department of Defense (DOD). The ASOS is the nations primary system for collecting and reporting surface-weather observations, primarily at airports in support of aviation operations, as well as weather forecasting and the timely issuance of warnings. There are approximately 960 ASOS sites globally.

Barometers are part of the sensor array that provides critical weather data to pilots, air traffic controllers, and DoD mission planners as identified in Interagency Agreements, which in turn are a part of the Observation Portfolio mission. Additionally, the sensors provide climate data, and in some cases the data provided aids local forecasters, emergency managers, first responders, etc. who rely on nearby weather data for community warning in case of weather emergencies such as wildfire, tornadoes, hurricanes, etc. As part of our Interagency Agreements with the FAA and DoD, NWS purchases these and other observation equipment and provision them to the agencies

The Contractor must provide a Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Portable Barometer Pressure Standard (PBPS) capable of providing general requirements in the Specification Document in Attachment I. The number of PBPS required to satisfy the number of operational sites is approximately 467 Tri-Agency ASOS Sites. Contractors are encouraged to highlight any PBPS proposed that contains the ability to adapt to customized polling and response requirements. Multiple vendor product submissions may be selected and verified for performance and ASOS compatibility with existing infrastructure.

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