SAIC wins National Data Buoy Center support work

Science Applications International Corp. has won a $500 million contract to provide technical support for the National Weather Service's National Data Buoy Center, the company announced this week. The contract is for five years with five option years.

Under the single-award task order contract, SAIC of San Diego will operate and maintain the Marine Observation Network, a collection of offshore buoys and coastal stations. The company will provide engineering, operational, logistical and IT support to operate and maintain the network.

As the National Data Buoy Center support contractor, SAIC will deliver real-time environmental data to the operational elements of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Weather Service. The data is used for weather forecasting and warning and for assessing climate variability.

The Marine Observation Network is an integrated ocean observation and information delivery system with buoy data acquisition platforms located in U.S. coastal waters, as well as offshore waters of the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, the Gulf of Mexico and the Great Lakes. The network currently comprises 97 moored buoys, including sensors, transmitters and receivers.

SAIC has 42,000 employees and annual sales of $7.2 billion. The company ranks No. 3 on Washington Technology's 2005 Top 100 list, which measures federal contracting revenue.