Loren Data's SAM Daily™

FBO DAILY ISSUE OF MAY 27, 2006 FBO #1643
SOURCES SOUGHT

58 -- CAISI Bridge Module and CAISI Client Module Upgrades

Notice Date

5/25/2006
 

Notice Type

Sources Sought
 

NAICS

334220 — Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing
 

Contracting Office

ACA, ITEC4, Directorate of Contracting , 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700
 

ZIP Code

22331-0700
 

Solicitation Number

W91QUZ-XX-X-XXXX
 

Response Due

6/12/2006
 

Archive Date

8/11/2006
 

Small Business Set-Aside

N/A
 

Description

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS ONLY. The US Army Contracting Agency, ITEC4, is planning an acquisition for the replacement of the CAISI bridge module (CBM) and the CAISI client module (CCM) components of the CAISI System. By 2010 the Army expe cts to employ over 12,000 next generation CAISI bridge modules to replace current CBMs and CCMs. The purpose of this synopsis is to identify qualified, interested sources that can provide IEEE 802.11 a and b/g radios and an 8 port switch device for a new C BM. Candidate Solution demonstrations for the next Version of CAISI. Vendors are asked to provide candidate solutions for the next version of CAISI CBM along with any associated management server and other equipment, if required. Written input and replies to this Sources Sought Request will be evaluated to determine candid ate systems that are prepared to demonstrate their capabilities during a four day Phase One Test at Ft. Huachuca AZ. Phase One Tests will be scheduled during the months of June-July 2006. A Test Plan and associated details will be provided to the finalis ts who are chosen to demonstrate their solutions. Following the Phase One Testing, the candidate radio performance and features will be evaluated. Those that are deemed functionally sufficient will then be compared to each other to identify those which give the U.S. Army the most cost effective solutions within time and budget constraints. Candidates that meet the minimum capabilities and criteria will be considered for a Phase Two Test with 39 CBM modules and one set of administrative components. The U.S. Government will purchase the Phase Two set of equipment. The Phase Two Test will be scheduled in the month of August 2006. If the devices perform well in the Phase Two Test, they will be subsequently used by the training, security and integration teams to develop documentation required for a field test the new equipment with a Brigade Combat Team (BCT). The field test is tentatively scheduled for February 2007. Feedback from the field test will be incorporated into final fielding design and if t he equipment proves effective, the Army will proceed with a Full Army-wide deployment. Phase One will demonstrate the bridging and the access point functions and measure throughput distance and capacity. The bridging will be tested on omni-directional antennas from a distance of a ? mile to a distance of 2 miles with an access point service running at one end. During the Phase One Test, ISEC will provide the 2.4 and 5.8 GHz antennas, masts and RF cables with standard N-male connectors. ISEC will provide power for the equipment and test range locations in a monitored RF environment. Candidat e radios will demonstrate their throughput in point-to-point bridging using the directional antennas at 8, 16 and 32 mile distances. During the Phase One Tests the vendors will become familiar with the associated antennas and cables, uninterruptible pow er supply and other accessories the government is currently considering for use in the new CAISI. Vendors can provide recommendations for alternate accessories that may be considered for CAISI, but all candidate radios will be tested with the same governm ent components to ensure integrity of test results. In testing long range radio links, throughput will be measured by Iperf, a bandwidth tool developed by the Distributed Applications Support Team of the National Laboratory for Applied Network Research, or Qcheck, a commercial network troubleshooting utilit y from Ixia? that checks network response time, throughput, and streaming performance. CURRENTLY FIELDED CAISI DESIGN. The USAISEC design includes CAISI CBMs and CAISI CCMs. The CBM, uses a Cisco? Aironet 350 series wireless bridge as its radio. The CCM, uses the Cisco? Aironet 350 series workgroup bridge. Both the CBMs and the CCMs have Air Fortress" AF-1100 inline encryption devices and Ethernet hub(s). The CBM also includes an ADC megabit m odem 300SBP digital subscriber line (DSL) device to extend the network via field wire where environmental or operational conditions limit wireless communications. Cisco? Aironet 350 series wireless bridges and wireless workgroup bridges use the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) 802.11b standard in the 2.4 Gigahertz (GHz) band, with an 11 megabit per second (Mbps) data rate. These bridges combi ne with the CAISI ruggedized antennas and reach up to four miles with clear line-of-sight (LOS) on a level terrain. Greater distances of 8, 16 and even 32 miles can be achieved, with reduced throughput, when traversing across a valley where LOS is combine d with open Fresnel area. The CAISI equipment is designed to provide encrypted wireless connectivity for the unclassified CSS systems in a deployed four mile-square Brigade Combat Team (BCT) logistics support area. CSS computers use their regular network interface card to connect to the hub in the CBM. The Air Fortress" AF-1100 was validated in 2002 in accordance with (IAW) the FIPS 140-1 to provide inline encryption, and is approved for SBU U.S. Government data. A CAISI module and antenna is deployed into each work area  one or more tents, vans, or sh elters under a single camouflage net  that has STAMIS computers or computers serving CSS functions. A single CAISI node includes up 39 modules. One CBM at each field site is designated as the central, or root node. This node controls the LAN for that f ield site, sets parameters for, and directs traffic among other radios in the network. The root node normally links the CAISI LAN to an SBU Non-Secure Internet Protocol Router Network (NIPRNET) port through the long-haul connections provided by the curren t Mobile Subscriber Equipment (MSE) or the new Brigade Subscriber Node (BSN). The Air Fortress" AF-1100 gateway throughput is seven Mbps (migrating to 13 Mbps when replaced by the Air Fortress" AF-2100). The ADC megabit modem 300SBP is a high-performance synchronous DSL modem, modified for CAISI to include binding posts for connection to standard tactical field wire. In CAISI, the 300SBP is used back to back with another 300SBP, but it could be used with the Avidia? System AV421 24-port single-line digital subscriber line (SDSL) module for high-density applications, if required. ADCs rate-selectable modems enable the user to manually choose transmission speed in order to obtain the best possible data rat e for distance and line condition. Users who are closer than four miles apart will achieve the highest (2 Mbps) data rate, while those farther apart or using degraded wire lines will connect at lower rates. A Service Support Representative (SSR) kit is fielded with each set of up to 39 CBMs and CCMs. The radios in the CBMs are multi functional. First, they perform point to multi-point wireless bridging using the CBMs 12 decibels (dBi) gain omni-directional antenna. This allows work areas to spread out a mile from the network uplink connection at the local satellite terminal. Second, the CBM radios provide automatic relaying to the root radio. This critical feature allows the 39 stations to overcome the in herent problems of not being able to have clear line of sight to the single root CBM radio. When they cannot associate directly to the root, the CBMs will automatically associate with the strongest sister CBM that does have a communication path to the ro ot. Any CBM radio can be configured as root. The third feature of the CBM radios is the ability to extend the distance between work areas by establishing a point to point link using the 13 dBi high gain directional antennas that is in each SSR kit. Usi ng two of these directional antennas, a link of 2 miles is able to maintain a 2Mbps throughput when no interference is present. Distances of 8 miles can be achieved when using the two 19dBi directional antennas that are provided in the SSR kit when clear line of sight is available. Even longer distances of 16 and 32 miles have been achieved in tests across a clear valley with a reduction of throughput down to 350 Kbps. The SSR kit contains a notebook computer used for troubleshooting and initial configuration of the CAISI devices before distribu tion to the users. The SSR kit also contains additional bridges, encryptors, DSL, and power supplies, as well as four 50 feet radio frequency (RF) cables, an AB 1244 mast kit, and two directional 19 dBi hi-gain antennas for use depending on terrain or lon g distance special circumstances. The CAISI equipment is now being used extensively in U.S. Army deployments in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF) and Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF). While the primary purpose of CAISI is to provide network connectivity between CSS systems within logistics su pport areas, the soldiers now have access to electronic mail and other services, resulting in a significant boost in morale as well as operational effectiveness. CAISI DISTANCE ENHANCEMENT NEEDED. The current CAISI implementation uses technology which constrains wireless operations to LOS configurations.. This limitation precluded the CAISI equipment from linking the battalion support areas and Combat Repair Teams (CRT) back to the BSAs during the opening phases of OIF. Some units are so dispersed geographically that the CAISI equipment cannot connect them. CSS virtual small aperture terminal (VSAT) uplinks are an option capable of providing the interconnection at a substantial acquisition and ope rational cost. The new CAISI will incorporate longer range terrestrial radios to reach 32 miles with clear line of sight and achieve throughputs of at least 5 Mbps. CAISI NEXT VERSION OBJECTIVES. Over 500 next generation CAISI network administrator kits will be employed to support new CAISI modules. USAISEC personnel will review emerging technologies and evaluate COTS equipment which can accomplish, to the greatest extent feasible, the following objectives 1. Minimize the U.S. Government fabrication and assembly process by integrating the functions and features of the separate devices into a minimum number of COTS products. 2. Simplify the configuration and setup process required of the soldier. (See the auto configuration requirements section of this synopsis). 3. Improve throughput, range and resilience to interference when compared to the current CAISI. 4. Enhance network authentication authorization and intrusion detection to improve information assurance capabilities. ENHANCEMENT AND DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE NEXT VERSION OF CAISI. Deployed CSS units generally do not have experienced network management personnel. Units must be able to operate CAISI without a dedicated administrator. The SSR for the CAISI equipment is doctrinally the unit Signal Staff Officer (S-6), whose personnel are responsible for all the communications within the unit. Communications and control systems consume the majority of their time and expertise. CSS Automation Management Officer (CSSAMO) section may assist the S-6 in CAISI set up and administration. T he CSSAMO however, already have substantial STAMIS hardware, software, and procedural responsibilities. CAISI SSR duties must be minimized and simplified as much as possible. Complicated administrative duties may lead to inadvertent configurations which cause loss of communications or a lack of appropriate security. Like the current CAISI equipment, the next version of CAISI must also be able to provide secure communication within a deployed area, whether or not reach-back connectivity is available. The battalion and the CRT, for instance, must be able to operate whe n not connected to the brigade, and the brigade must be able to operate when not connected to higher headquarters or to the NIPRNET. The CAISI modules, antennas, cables, and accessories must be extensively evaluated for durability, reliability, and ease of use. They must be set up and disassembled repeatedly in mobile a nd highly variable climatic conditions to ensure that soldiers will be able to do so effectively. CSS soldiers must be able to quickly and effectively employ the CAISI equipment and to quickly tear it down to jump to the next site. Weight and cubic size must also be minimized, to reduce any impact that the CAISI equipment might have on unit mobility and the soldiers state of readiness. Since the CAISI equipment is deployed in small groups of two to five modules or in larger groups of up to 39 modules, deployment must occur without excessive reconfiguration or troubleshooting. The CAISI equipment must also be able to be quickly and easil y reconfigured to join and operate with adjacent U.S. Army CSS units. CAISI modules must be able to simultaneously act as access points, bridges to other CAISI modules, and relays for other CAISI modules and clients. CAISI must be able to use light weight radios and antennas that can be mounted on camouflage poles or within the work areas under the camouflage netting. The number of antennas and the effort required to install and aim them must be minimized. MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEXT VERSION OF CAISI. The GCSS-A will provide all the functionality that is available today in the following STAMISs: " Standard Army Retail Supply System-Objective " Unit Level Logistics System " Standard Property Book System-Redesign " Standard Army Ammunition System " Integrated Logistics Analysis Program " Standard Army Maintenance System The next version of the CAISI equipment must support the GCSS-A. This means that it must be able to do everything the current CAISI does plus additional capability. The next version of CAISI must be better, faster, and cheaper. As noted in the previous section, candidates considered for the next version of CAISI will be compared and evaluated for many difficult to quantify aspects of deployability, reliability, and ease of use, in addition to the performance metrics listed below. 1. Access point, bridging and relaying functions. The candidate solution must be able to simultaneously act as access points, bridges and relays for other modules and clients. Even though only the current CBM has this capability, the next version of CAI SI should improve this so that all modules have this capability. 2. Single reach back requirements. The candidate solution must operate in point-to-multipoint cascade mode with up to 39 modules in a single meshed network using a single reach back WAN connection. Each of the 39 modules must pass data simultaneously. The candidate solution must achieve all of the following simultaneously: In one relay hop to the root radio, average throughput must be greater than 0.600 Mbps. In two hops to the root 0.180 Mbps. In three hops 37 kbps. During Phase One Test a netwo rk capacity test will be performed in the lab on a set of 7 of the proposed radio devices from each vendor transmitting in concert. Throughput will be measured by Spirent? SmartBits SMB-6000B network testing equipment and the Spirent? SmartFlow applicatio n. The network capacity test will be performed on set of 39 radios for the Phase Two Testing. 3. Point-to-multipoint distance. The bridging radios must operate in point-to-multipoint mode with 9 decibels (dBi) external omni directional antennas installed not to exceed 16 ft in height above ground level. The radio must be able to be mounted on the mast and use power over Ethernet to in order to avoid line loss associated with extended RF cables. The Phase One Test will demonstrate the throughput capabilities using a 3ft long, 3/8 Andrew FSJ2-50 series RF cable. With level terrain and clear LOS, en crypted throughput over a 1 mile distance must be greater than 2 Mbps. Throughput at 2 miles must be at least 1.2 Mbps. 4. Point-to-point distance. For the long distance links beyond the local support area, the modules must be able to operate in point-to-point bridging mode. Phase One Test will demonstrat e throughput capabilities in a government prescribed environment, with 21 dBi directional antennas installed to provide clear LOS on each end. Throughput at a distance of 8 miles must be at least 6 Mbps. Throughput; at a distance of 16 miles must be at le ast 5 Mbps. Throughput at 32 miles must be at least 4Mbps . 5. Antennas. The new CBM will have a 21dBi directional antenna for the bridging radio that will achieve the above distances and throughput. The antennas must weigh less than 4 pounds each. The CBM must also have two 9dbi omni antennas, one for the acce ss point radio and the other for the bridging radio. Government will provide the antennas to be used during the Phase One Test. 6. Lightening protection. The candidate solution must include multi-strike lightning arrestors for all antennas installed. The unit must have a corrosion resistant grounding stud accessible from the exterior of the chassis. The connector on the lightni ng arrestor must be standard N-female to match the Nmale connectors of the RF-cables currently used by the U.S. Government for CAISI. If the module uses power-over-Ethernet (PoE) to operate a radio mounted at or in an externally mounted antenna, then the PoE cable requires lightning surge protection. Lightning protection must have Mulit-strike and UL certification. 7. CAISI bridge module cost. This solicitation is limited to the access point, bridge and switch (ap/br/sw) for a single enclave of 39 CBMs. At this time the U.S. Government will not consider any ap/br/sw combination that costs more than $2000 when purc hased in quantities of 1000 or more. 8. Module weight. The weight of the ap/br/sw combination must not exceed 10 lbs. The weight of the ap/br and antenna components that will be attached to a mast must be as low as possible to avoid the additional requirement of fielding a mast kit to acco mpany each candidate solution. The government will determine the specific elements composing the overall weight measurement to accommodate all configurations (mast mount vs. other). 9. Volume. The overall volume of the ap/br/sw combination must not exceed 400 cubic inches. The government will determine the specific elements composing the overall volume measurement to accommodate all configurations (mast mount vs. other).. 10. Ethernet switch ports. Each module must have at least eight 10/100 Ethernet ports for wired network devices. The switch ports must be auto sensing and auto uplink RJ45 ports. The candidate solution must support port based access control. If the radi o does not include the 8 switch ports the radio can be accompanied with a separate manageable switch that is IEEE 802.1x compliant. 11. Power requirements. The candidate solution must operate with the following power input; 100 - 240 VAC/ (60 or 50 Hz). The candidate solution must remain fully operational for at least 20 minutes using a Tripplite model 300i Internet UPS which is r ated for 300VA, 185Watts. 12. Temperature Requirement. The candidate solution must be capable of operating between temperatures from 0 to 50 degrees Celsius. If a switch is separate from the radio it must be able to operate from 0  45 degrees Celsius. 15. Radio Enclosure. The radio equipment that must be mounted on an outdoor mast must be Type 3 approved National Electrical manufacturers association (NEMA) or better. 16. Transmission power. The transmit power must be adjustable for lower outputs to comply with a variety of locality restrictions that may be required by allied host nations. Radios must have FCC and CE certificates. 17. Frequency and Modulation CAISI will use internationally accepted unlicensed frequencies and IEEE standards based radio modulation. IEEE 802.11a must be used for the bridging and 802.11 b/g must be used for the access point. 18. Common Criteria Validation. Network security devices must have or be in-process for National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) Common Crit eria validation for a medium robustness environment. Compliance must be validated on the NIST NIAP (U.S. Government) web site at http://niap.nist.gov/cc-scheme/vpl/vpl_type.html or on the in-process list at http://niap.nist.gov/cc-scheme/in_evaluation.htm l. 19. Root configuration. Any module must be able to be configured as a root for a candidate solution network. The root is the module that is used at the base of the CAISI network tree. 20. Seamless Roaming capability. The candidate solution must support mobile clients transitioning between access points without user reconfiguration. 21. Radio status indicators. The candidate solution must have an external indication that the radio is associated to the network. The bridging radio must have an external received signal strength indicator to assist in antenna alignment. The solution m ust have the ability to enable/disable the signal strength indicator. 22. FIPS approved encryption. The candidate solution must have FIPS 140-2 certified encryption. The encryption device, subsystem, or component must have a certificate from NIST validating compliance with the FIPS 140-2, overall level 2, see http://csrc.n ist.gov/cryptval/. Candidate solutions may be in the process of FIPS and NIST certifications for consideration as well. Vendor must provide supporting documentation and commitment timeline. 23. Support for Wireless clients. Candidate solution must have certification for Wi-Fi Protected Access 2 (WPA2) enterprise and WPA2 personal mode. 24. COTS requirement. The system must be COTS. The equipment must be available for purchase on open market and government contract vehicles for a period of at least three years after selection and supportable for a period of at least three additional ye ars for a total of 6 years. . AUTO CONFIGURATION REQUIREMENTS FOR THE NEXT VERSION OF CAISI. A major new capability desired in the next version of CAISI is the ability for the modules to automatically configure themselves into a secure network with little or no SSR intervention. Auto configuration must achieve, to the greatest extent possible, th e following: 1. Automatically generate new configuration. The means to automatically generate a new configuration for a new CAISI network deployment without requiring the administrator to make up and manually key-in the passwords, access identifications (ID), and enc ryption keys. 2. Eliminate U.S. Government software application. Eliminate the requirement for a separate U.S. Government software application for configuration. 3. Shared cryptographic keys. Ensure that the shared cryptographic keys are random, unique, and un-guessable. 4. Eliminate human errors. Eliminate failures resulting from human error when entering passwords, service set ID (SSID), cryptographic keys, Internet protocol (IP) address configurations, radio parameters, etc. 5. Promulgation. Provide an external means to promulgate the auto configuration from a previously configured module into non-root modules that will operate in the same network. For this function the non-root modules would be physically connected to the previously configured modules. Also include an external indication of success, like a status light, on the equipment. 6. Administrative Management. Provide a means for the SSR to log in to the root module and manually adjust any parameters, such as the IP addresses, distance parameters, etc. 7. Configuration Management. Provide a means to distribute configuration changes, including the SSID and cryptographic keys, from the root to all or selected non-root modules. Allow the SSR to capture and store the configuration onto the SSR laptop, and t o restore the configuration later to the same or a replacement module.
 

Place of Performance

Address: ACA, ITEC4 Directorate of Contracting , 2461 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria VA

Zip Code: 22331-0700

Country: US
 

Record

SN01057401-W 20060527/060525221150 (fbodaily.com)
 

Source

FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

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