SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) configurations for One-Way Hands-Free Speech-to-Speech (HF 1WSTS), One-Way Handheld Speech-to-Speech (HH 1WSTS), Two-Way Handheld Speech-to-Speech (HH 2WSTS), and Two-Way Mobile (PC 2WSTS) translations systems.
- Notice Date
- 6/11/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334220
— Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Army Engineer District, Vicksburg, Vicksburg Consolidated Contracts Office, Alexandria, 7701 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria, VA 22315-3864
- ZIP Code
- 22315-3864
- Solicitation Number
- W9132V-08-R-0009
- Response Due
- 6/26/2008
- Archive Date
- 8/25/2008
- Point of Contact
- Nilda Lugo, 703-428-6272
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Engineering Research and Development Center, Topographic Engineering Center (TEC), Alexandria Contracting Office is conducting a Request For Information (RFI) Sources Sought (SS) for English-to-Available Foreign Language and Available Foreign Language-to-English automated document translation for the U.S. Army Space Programs Office, Program Manager Sequoyah, Alexandria, VA. This request for information is for planning purposes only; this is not a request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists and a formal solicitation may or may not be issued by the Government as a result of the responses to this RFI/SS. The Government will not be liable for payment of any response preparation expenses. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. All interested firms that possess the capabilities and facilities addressed herein are encouraged to respond to this RFI/SS by providing the information specified below, on or before 2:00 pm EST on June 26, 2008. Responses to this RFI should be unclassified. Sources responding to this RFI/SS should indicate their business size in relation to the following NAICS code: 334220. Direct all questions regarding this RFI to the attention of Nilda Lugo, Contracting Officer, Fax number 703-428-6995, E-mail: Nilda.E.Lugo@usace.army.mil. All requests for further information must be via email, telephonic requests for additional information will not be honored. The Program Manager Sequoyah, under the Program Director, Army Space Program Office (ASPO) of Program Executive Officer (PEO) Intelligence and Electronics Warfare Systems (IEW&S) has an Operational Needs Statements (ONS) for automated foreign language translation capabilities from the Services and Combatant Commands in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), and the Global War on Terrorism (GWOT). In response to these ONS, PM Sequoyah will conduct Quick Reaction Capability (QRC) equippings during FY08. The purpose of this RFI is to identify sources that are capable of satisfying an immediate need for production and deployment of the following capabilities. In fulfilling the many requirements for material support tasked to the Sequoyah Program Office different solution sets (configurations, languages, and domains) will be considered. Interested parties should consider the following information in response to this RFI: (a) PM Sequoyah is interested in Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) configurations for One-Way Hands-Free Speech-to-Speech (HF 1WSTS), One-Way Handheld Speech-to-Speech (HH 1WSTS), Two-Way Handheld Speech-to-Speech (HH 2WSTS), and Two-Way Mobile (PC 2WSTS) translations systems. (b) The technical readiness of the COTS technology and vendor manufacturing capability is important in order to meet the governments requirement to have units in theater within 60 days of any contract award. (c) Hardware configurations characterized as laptop/tablet (PC) require both hands for operation in static conditions. They may also have limited operation in mobile conditions. Handheld (HH) configurations require a minimum of one hand for operation, and Hands-Free (HF) configurations operate on voice commands and are soldier wearable. The degree of ruggedness for sustained operations in harsh environments and other human factors considerations engineered into the platform are of significant interest. (d) The languages for 1WSTS systems and 2WSTS systems (bidirectional language-pair with English) that are of interest to the Sequoyah Program for FY08 and beyond are: 1. Iraqi-Arabic (sometimes referred to as Iraqi Colloquial Arabic) 2. Modern Standard Arabic 3. Persian-Afghan (Dari) 4. Persian-Iranian (Farsi) 5. Pashto 6. Hangul (e) All languages for one-way systems and language-pairs for two-way translation systems should be portable as individual software modules, loadable on a standalone platform (either a one-way or two-way language translation system depending on the module) to operate. The software language module should have a well-defined user interface that will enable it to be ported to the numerous platforms that meet the software language modules minimal specifications for operation. Software language modules must be easily loaded in the field. In addition to the portable software module form factor, the government is interested in the modules overall software architecture, the performance of the translation engine, any additional processing that enhances overall operation, and the potential ability to generate metadata for both input and output data streams (DDMS format). (f) The language-pair offerings should operate over the specified set of domains: Force Protection that includes Checkpoint Operations, Base Security, Convoy Operations, Tactical Questioning, Internment and Detention, Combat Life Saving, and Combat Operations focused on Counterinsurgency. Other military and non-military domains may be submitted by the vendor, but primary interest is in the thoroughness of the minimum set stated above. The dialogues associated with an individual domain are representative of those spoken by soldiers in executing the U.S. Army TRADOC tasks encompassing a particular domain. These domains may be offered as one integrated dictionary on a single software language module or in a set of software modules, loadable on the translation system platform. It is highly desirable to have the most compact modules possible without sacrificing translation quality. (g) System operation and performance for automated language translation capabilities are of interest to the Sequoyah Program Office (its Engineering Staff and Testbed) before any acquisition is made. The government is mostly interested in overall translation capability. This includes: translation accuracy, translation accuracy subject to noise conditions, language variations, output intelligibility, domain coverage, system robustness (translation repeatability), software stability, ease of use, user evaluation, operational evaluation, speed of operation, and ease of training. The government is interested in any inputs from laboratory tests, recognized industry standards used for evaluating quality or accuracy, evaluations by military personnel and documented performance data supplied by the vendor on their systems (e.g., from a recognized government authority such as NIST, DARPA, and or DLI). (h) Responders to this RFI who provide an unclassified white paper are encouraged to include descriptions of their corporate capabilities in the automated language translation field, past and current relevant performance information, available facilities and assets capable of 1WSTS and 2WSTS system production, current production rates for each COTS system, subcontractors and current methodology for managing them, identification of risks for delivery of systems, production locations and test plans and procedures currently in use, and configuration control procedures. The responder is encouraged to provide information on related experiences important to the Program Office, e.g. Natural Language Processing (NLP); Automated Speech Recognition (ASR); automated bidirectional Machine Language Translation (MLT); development, integration and building prototype MLT systems; transitioning MLT systems from concept/laboratory to commercial market/field; knowledge of DoDs operational needs for MLT capabilities, including integration into a Service Oriented Architecture (SOA), and ability to operate in a classified environment up to and including TS/SCI. (j) Responders to this RFI are requested to provide technical information on their COTS 1WSTS and 2WSTS systems to include functional modes, performance specifications, input and output audio signal levels, software component description (ASR, MT, TM, Dictionaries) and interfaces, languages available, hardware platforms for hosting the translation software, text output formats, hands-free operations, display, microphone, IO connectors, operating system, data storage, system specifications (including size) and operational parameters (temperature, moisture, shock, etc.), battery and power requirements, training options, technical support and documentation, upgradeability, and warranty information. (k) The Sequoyah Program Office is also interested in management parameters associated with the COTS equipment and requests the following information: 1. Commercial catalog pricing and warranty information 2. Strategic partnering alliances that would accelerate component delivery or allow for priority subcontracted support services 3. Commercial/Industrial Certifications (meets a recognized software systems/data standard) or Quality Software Systems (Software Engineering Institute Carnegie Mellon University) in use 4. Identification of existing customers for the offered system(s) 5. Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the offered system(s) and certifying authority 6. Contractor/Independent Authority lab/field assessments of offered COTS systems 7. Point of contact for additional information. Any submission of such product literature or catolog cut sheets will be treated separate from, and will have no bearing on, any subsequent evaluation of proposals submitted in response to any resulting future formal Request for Proposal (RFP). TEC will not pay for information or comments provided and will not recognize any costs associated with submission of comments. This notice is not a Request for Proposals, Invitation to Bid, or Request for Quotes.
- Web Link
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- Place of Performance
- Address: Vicksburg Consolidated Contracts Office, Alexandria 7701 Telegraph Rd, Alexandria VA
- Zip Code: 22315-3864
- Zip Code: 22315-3864
- Record
- SN01591898-W 20080613/080611223041-a7524ebdf9a00f9c73a4055b004df33c (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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