Follow-Up RFI: Final Call for Expressions of Interest from IRIS and UNAVCO Member Institutions for Hosting Future Geophysical Facilities

In the summer of 2020, IRIS and UNAVCO posted a request for information (RFI) to identify Member Institutions that may be willing to host one or more functions of a future (post-2023) merged IRIS-UNAVCO organization and to learn more about what hosting capabilities may exist. Much has transpired since the original RFI, and we have thus decided to publish this follow-up RFI. We explain more below.

First, we note that the Boards of Directors of IRIS and UNAVCO have voted unanimously for pursuing a merger of the two organizations. Second, the membership of each organization has voted overwhelmingly in favor of the merger and has approved the formal agreement and plan of merger, as well as the bylaws for the new organization. Finally, a name has been selected for the future merged organization: EarthScope Consortium, Incorporated. Visit this website for additional information.

During the past months, the IRIS and UNAVCO organizations have shifted to an emergency teleworking model for most employees as a result of the pandemic. While we don’t expect this situation to be permanent, it has certainly altered our thoughts about the degree to which a future EarthScope Consortium might use teleworking to reduce its costs.

Given all of these developments, we have decided to reissue and, to some degree, rescope the RFI. Responses to this RFI will be more streamlined than for the previous call. Our goal is to make sure that any interested Member Institution has an opportunity to respond. We do not plan to conduct a follow-on request for proposals. Instead, we will review the expressions of interest, combined with our own research and analysis, to determine which organizations we will follow-up with for more information and/or negotiation.

Organizations that responded to the first RFI need not respond again. However, if your interest changes as a result of the information presented here, please let us know.

The follow-up RFI provides the context, scope and instructions for responding to this final call. Download the follow-up Request for Information (RFI).

Responses should be emailed by 5:00 PM MT February 26, 2021 in PDF format to: rfi@iris.edu.