NWSC-2: NCAR's Next Generation HPC Procurement
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Note: This web page was used for the NWSC-2 procurement and has been retained here for historical reference. The results of the procurement were announced in a news release on January 11, 2016. |
Updated May 14, 2015
This site contains information about NCAR's next-generation HPC environment to be installed at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC). This new system, called NWSC-2 for procurement purposes, will be the successor to Yellowstone and related systems that have been in production since December 2012. The procurement is being led b
This site contains information about NCAR's next-generation HPC environment to be installed at the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center (NWSC). This new system, called NWSC-2 for procurement purposes, will be the successor to Yellowstone and related systems that have been in production since December 2012. The procurement is being led by the Computational and Information Systems Laboratory (CISL) at NCAR.
Thu., May 14, 2015 - Release of Amendment #1
Amendment #1 to the NWSC-2 RFP changes the proposal due date. See the table below for the NWSC-2 Amendments v1.docx and a modified UCAR RFP R15-19374 NWSC-2 v2.docx documents.
Fri., April 24, 2015 - Third Q&A Release
Additional questions and answers are now available in the NWSC-2 Communications v3.docx document linked in the table below.
Fri., April 17, 2015 - Second Q&A Release
Additional questions and answers are now available in the NWSC-2 Communications v2.docx document linked in the table below. Superseded by the April 24 v3 release.
Fri., April 10, 2015 - First Q&A Release
The first set of questions and answers is now available in the NWSC-2 Communications v1.docx document linked in the table below. Superseded by the April 24 v3 release.
Fri., April 3, 2015 - NWSC-2 Procurement Release
The NWSC-2 Request for Proposals has been released. All documents are available from the table below. These documents supersede all previous versions and any related presentations or communications that have been made prior to April 3, 2015. Also note that there have been a few changes to the benchmarking applications and their instructions. Prospective vendors should download the most current versions (noted with "v1" in the filename) from the benchmark website.
All RFP-related communication should be with UCAR's Contracts Administrator, Alison Propes (apropes@ucar.edu, 1-303-497-8877).
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Document |
File |
Version |
Version date |
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Amendments to the UCAR RFP R15-19374 Documents |
v1 |
May 14, 2015 |
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UCAR RFP R15-19374 (NWSC-2) |
v2 |
May 14, 2015 |
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Communications regarding UCAR RFP R15-19374 (NWSC-2) |
v3 |
April 24, 2015 |
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UCAR RFP R15-19374 (NWSC-2) (superseded by v2, issued May 14, 2015) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 1 NWSC-2 Technical Specifications |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 2 NWSC-2 Benchmark Instructions |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 3 NWSC-2 Benchmark Results Spreadsheet |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 4 Representations & Certifications |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5 Sample Subcontract Terms & Conditions |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5A Sample Subcontract Schedule A (NSF Flow Downs) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5B Sample Subcontract Schedule B (placeholder for Statement of Work) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5C Sample Subcontract Schedule C (Contact Information) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5D Sample Subcontract Schedule D (placeholder for Subcontractor Proposal) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5E Sample Subcontract Schedule E (Deliverable Requirements) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5F Sample Subcontract Schedule F (Acceptance Criteria and Testing) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5G Sample Subcontract Schedule G (Project Management Requirements) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
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Attachment 5H Sample Subcontract Schedule H (placeholder for the NWSC-2 RFP's key documents) |
Initial (v1) |
April 3, 2015 |
Timeline for the NWSC-2 procurement
The following table provides a high-level summary of key milestones and dates for the NWSC-2 procurement. They are provided as general information only and do not represent a commitment by UCAR.
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Milestone |
Estimated date |
Status |
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Draft Technical Specifications available |
October 20, 2014 |
Issued October 20, 2014, and available below |
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Comments due on Draft Technical Specifications |
December 19, 2014 |
Closed |
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Benchmark code and input cases available |
January 2015, but no later than 2 months prior to release of the RFP |
Released on February 2, 2015. Available below. |
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Vendor Day to be held at NWSC Cheyenne Facility |
February 24, 2015 |
Conducted. Slides from the event are available below. |
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Request for Proposals available |
April 1, 2015 |
Released on April 3, 2015. |
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Deadline for RFP questions from prospective vendors |
April 22, 2015 |
Closed |
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Responses to RFP questions available |
April 29, 2015 |
Closed. Responses to all questions received were provided on April 24, 2015. |
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Proposals due |
May 29, 2015, by 15:00 MDT |
N/A |
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Subcontract awarded |
2H CY2015 |
N/A |
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System delivery and acceptance |
2H CY2016 |
N/A |
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Production |
January 1, 2017 |
N/A |
NWSC-2 background information and related documents
NCAR's current computing environment
An overview of NCAR's computing environment is provided via the Yellowstone Environment link in the table below. These systems are installed at the NWSC in Cheyenne, WY. They were put into production in December 2012 and are expected to run through 2016. The successor NWSC-2 systems will also be installed at the Cheyenne facility.
In September 2009, NCAR published the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center Science Justification, which is linked in the table below. Though this document was published six years ago, it remains highly relevant for this procurement in articulating the long-term vision and opportunities for using HPC to address scientific challenges in the atmospheric sciences.
Yellowstone workload study
CISL has prepared a Yellowstone workload study, which is available from the table below, to help provide insights into how the current HPC environment is being used. This information may be useful to those who are considering a submission to the NWSC-2 solicitation. The information is subject to change, so interested parties should check back periodically for updates.
GLADE overview
CISL has prepared a description of the current NCAR GLADE environment, which is available from the table below, to provide additional details on the current hardware and software infrastructure and connectivity.
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Document/Resource with link |
Description |
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Intent of issuing the Draft Technical Requirements, and instructions for prospective bidders (Oct. 20, 2014, superseded by the NWSC-2 RFP) |
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Scope, budget, timeline, and technical specifications for the NWSC-2 procurement (Oct. 20, 2014, superseded by the NWSC-2 RFP) |
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Yellowstone Environment [web page archived] |
Technical description of the Yellowstone system and related computing environment |
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Presentation on the important performance characteristics of the current Yellowstone computing environment (Updated March 16, 2015) |
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Sets the foundation for the NCAR-Wyoming Supercomputing Center and HPC procurements |
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NWSC-2 procurement presentation delivered at NCAR's booth at SC14 in New Orleans |
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NWSC-2 benchmarks website |
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NWSC-2 Vendor Day Procurement Update Presentation |
Presentations delivered at the NWSC-2 Vendor Day, conducted on February 24, 2015 at the NWSC facility in Cheyenne, WY. |
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Provides an overview and technical summary of NCAR's GLobally Accessible Data Environment. This is the primary high performance file system for the Yellowstone environment. |