SPECIAL NOTICE
99 -- Special Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Procurement
- Notice Date
- 1/30/2009
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, PEO STRICOM, PEO STRI Acquisition Center, PEO STRI Acquisition Center, 12350 Research Parkway, Orlando, FL 32826-3276
- ZIP Code
- 32826-3276
- Solicitation Number
- W900KK-09-SFAE-KOT-001
- Archive Date
- 4/30/2009
- Point of Contact
- Glenda M. Torres, 407-380-4413<br />
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Special Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Procurement Extensible Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence Suite Fire Support Application (ExCIS FSA) W900KK-09-SFAE-KOT-001 The Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI)/Project Manager for Instrumentation, Targets and Threat Simulators Instrumentation Management Office (PM ITTS IMO) in support of the Fire Support Test Directorate (FSTD) is issuing this special notice for continuing the requirement to support the Extensible Command, Control, Communications, Computer, and Intelligence Suite Fire Support Application (ExCIS FSA) currently being provided by University of Texas (UT) in Austin -- Center of Agile Technology (CAT). The period of performance (POP) of the current Contract N61339-04-C-0080 will expire on 30 August 2009. This special notice is to announce that PEO STRI intends to pursue a sole source award Cost type contract to UT:CAT for the 2009-2014 requirements associated with this effort. UT:CAT is the only known company capable of fulfilling the ExCIS FSA requirement. The estimated value of this award is $12.5M. The ExCIS FSA was identified early in its lifecycle as a key candidate for integration with other test support capabilities within the USAOTC technology enterprise as well as with other simulations in a variety of simulation federations. The ExCIS FSA integration with other simulations in both distributed interactive simulations and high-level architecture environments has brought robust joint fires play to both testing and training environments. For test support, ExCIS FSA is one of the foundation capabilities within the OSASIS technology enterprise. For training support, ExCIS FSA is a key part of the joint land component constructive training capability simulation federation, providing the Advanced Field Artillery Tactical Data System (AFATDS) interfaces and stimulation, which allows Soldiers and Marines operating the AFATDS and related fire support systems to train as they fight. For FCS testing, ExCIS FSA is fully integrated with the Spin Out 1 Federation-a hybrid federation of testing, training, and experimentation systemsto fully replicate AFATDS and nonline-of-sight artillery systems functionality. PEO STRI is issuing this special notice to verify that no other sources can meet this requirement. Respondents/potential sources must ensure and corroborate that the contractor can manage the complexities of the current and future fire support, field artillery, communications, simulations, and operating environments, obtain the staff and expertise to continue the current efforts and to comprehend the complex and intricate communications protocols and messaging required for the AFTDS, the varying OASIS components, the Army simulations, and the ever-changing tactics, techniques, and procedures that are the foundation for these interactions. The additional effort will continue the ongoing software development, test and support of the ExCIS FSA program critical to the FSTD. Contractor must be ready to execute on day one after contract award by having the knowledge, resources, facilities, and security measures in place to be able to fulfill the contract requirements within the critical timeframe and timeliness that the requirements need to be met. This is a research and development type contract funded with Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E), 6.6 Operational Systems Development type funds. Contract is anticipated to span approximately five (5) years. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541990; FSC AD94; Size Standard $7.0M. The following specific requirements should be considered: - To support the Test Director in all aspects of operational testing including, automated data collection, simulation/stimulation (SIM/STIM), and data analysis that will assist in providing test performance feedback to support the production of the Test Report, and support all phases of operational testing to include Test Planning, Test Management, System Under Test (SUT) Performance Feedback, System Support, and unit training for post-deployment of fielded FA systems. Shall be accomplished in a manner that supports and enhances post-deployment software maintenance and reduces associated costs. - The ExCIS FSA instrumentation suite must provide: -- Test planner with the capability to fully and completely define the test laydown for all live and simulated OPFACs, the net structure and protocols for all communications nets, the simulation-stimulation laydown for each node, and the data collection structure for all data collection nodes. -- Test driver capability to inject predetermined inputs/messages and mission files between the ExCIS FSA test driver system and the specified legacy and AFATDS OPFACs based on both automated and manual TOEL inputs. -- SIM/STIM capability to accurately transmit, receive, and correctly action message formats using the required communications protocols to include, but not limited to, the FATDS Package 11, AFATDS VMF, and JVMF over radio, wire, and LAN to simulate-stimulate the legacy and AFATDS OPFACs. -- Data collection capability to unobtrusively monitor, collect, and archive data being transmitted over radio, wire, and LAN between multiple live and/or simulated OPFACs over multiple communications nets using all the communications protocols, including those identified in the ExCIS FSA ORD. - Data reduction capability to correctly and accurately translate and expand all collected data and transmissions from files archived from radio, wire, and LAN collections by aggregating, sorting, comparing, and/or grouping the data into predetermined summaries, frequencies, tables, and reports based on any elements of the individual transmissions, to include elements of the transmission protocol using the specified commercial off-the-shelf software to produce a single relational database containing all of the elements of the individual transmissions. - Anticipated Operational Concept Shall be a system intended to support testing of fire support systems of all services, maintain a passive monitoring capability on communications channels in order to collect digital message traffic in real-time and effectively organize and present the data in support of the data reduction and production of the test report. The ExCIS FSA will simulate fire support nodes as required and stimulate live nodes during testing. Shall be flexible and reconfigurable to support Test Directors with a common system of tools for digital testing at all levels of operational testing, modular, and expandable to facilitate future improvements. Shall be capable of continuous support (24 hours a day/seven days a week) during the testing period. - Shall use the latest advances in software engineering, technologies include areas as domain specific languages, product line architectures, and visual programming. The developer shall adopt such technologies as will support the program objectives. There will be a series of development cycles during which system requirements will be prioritized by the Operational Test Command (OTC) Fire Support Test Directorate (FSTD) and organized into functional increments that can be developed, tested, and delivered in incremental, evolutionary phases. These phases will closely follow the development of AFATDS and other fire support systems as required. During each incremental phase, a traditional sequence of analysis, design, coding, and integration of new functionality with existing ExCIS FSA software and hardware will be followed. Prototyping and research activities will be conducted in parallel with development to explore high-risk requirements. User feedback from the Operational Test Command (OTC) Fire Support Test. Directorate (FSTD) will be obtained through demonstrations, reviews, and reports. Feedback will be analyzed and disseminated to the appropriate development activity for action. - A suite of test instrumentation is needed that can provide support for test planning, test design, test execution, simulation, stimulation, data analysis, and reporting for various fire support command, control, and communications systems of all services. - Capabilities are needed to support all phases of the testing process to include Time Ordered Event List (TOEL) generation and TOEL validation/analysis. Instrumentation is needed that performs these functions at each echelon within the fire support Battlefield Functional Area (BFA), and also will support inter-BFA testing as such testing relates to fire support systems. - The software testing environment in which ExCIS-FSA will be used is characterized by continuous change. The design and implementation of the ExCIS-FSA suite of tools must be accomplished in a manner that permits, to the maximum extent possible, the adaptation and modification at the user level of system capabilities to meet the testing requirements of emerging tactical software. - Shall be a component, or components, that will allow users to manually or automatically develop/create the database(s) necessary to support a testing event, allow users to monitor and manage a test, monitor/ interface with the tactical equipment communications to provide data collection and simulation/stimulation, provide a simulation interface, respond appropriately to messages transmitted to EXCIS FSA simulated units from live OPFACs, provide the ability to merge all collected data and provide analytical tools that the evaluator can use to prepare various reports in near real time, and provide electronic information which supports data validation and preparation of the Test Reports. - Shall be capable of importing, to the maximum extent possible, the data from AFATDS necessary for communications, message, and mission processing. This imported data shall include, but not be limited to, the Master Unit List (MUL), communications configuration, guidances, current and/or planned situations and other unit information. It may be necessary to collect this data from multiple devices (or databases) and then merge the data in the EXCIS FSA database. - Data Collection capabilities shall support activities to collect, verify, and record digital data, interface with the SUT, interface with the SUT's communications system, and obtain and archive digital data from both the tactical system being tested and the instrumentation suite. Messages generated by the simulation/stimulation function shall be collected via the internal data collection function along with the time the message was scheduled to be transmitted and the time when it was actually transmitted. - Archive capabilities shall support activities to transfer and catalog digital testing performance information from the SUT to external storage media, log all user defined significant data from external and internal sources, includes, but is not limited to, all tactical messages, system configuration data, and system alerts. - Test management capabilities must support activities to collect, store, manage data, provide near real time feedback on the status of such activities, ability to query the collected data for specific information for analysis and feedback in near real-time both locally and remotely, interface with the SUT and its digital system(s) for the purpose of data collection, transmit and receive digital data, monitor the current and past status of the ExCIS FSA. - Shall alert the user when predefined parameters/events occur, events may include, but are not limited to, errors that require human intervention, messages that are flagged for intervention before being transmitted or messages that are flagged for intervention on receipt by a simulated OPFAC, modify communication, task organization, and guidance, as well as, other database items, and allow the addition, deletion, or modification in real time and without the disruption of messages on the TOEL. - The system shall, as an option, display to the operator, in near real time, logged messages, as well as, system alerts, errors, simulate the mission behavior of the tactical system being evaluated, execute in real-time, event or time driven, operate automatically or in a user-interactive mode, communicate with live or simulated players via the tactical system interfaces, and permit communications with each other directly via a simulated tactical network and/or via a real tactical network. Responses THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. Information gained from this special notice will assist in the Governments determination to conduct a sole source award, full and open competition, set-aside for Small Business Concerns or award through existing contracts including STOC II. A determination by the Government not to compete this effort based on any responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government in accordance with FAR Part 6. Responses to this special notice must include pertinent information which would enable the Government to assess a firms capabilities to meet Government needs for the ExCIS FSA program. At a minimum, responses shall provide the following: - Indicate if they are a small or large business based on the size standard above. If small, indicate any applicable socio-economic status (Small Disadvantaged, Woman-owned Small Business, 8(a), HUB Zone firm, Service-Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business, Historically Black College and University or Minority Institution). - Provide experience in the form of an outline of previous projects with specific relevant work completed or currently being performed of equivalent magnitude, including contract numbers, description of work, points of contact, phone numbers and email addresses, professional qualifications and specific experience of personnel identified to perform the work. Submission of Responses: Responses shall be as succinct as possible while providing actionable insight. Responses/capability statements should not exceed five (5) pages inclusive of the cover sheet. Submissions shall be sent in the form of text documents in MS Word or PowerPoint presentations. Responses may be emailed or mailed using conventional postal delivery services. Information sent via email should be sent to Glenda M. Torres at glenda.torres@us.army.mil. However, if a size constraint on attachments prevents the use of email submission (limited to 10MB), conventional mail should be used. Respondents have a choice of sending one paper copy and/or one electronic copy (in Microsoft Word, Adobe PDF, and/or Microsoft PowerPoint on a CD) of the special notice response. All documents and disks must be clearly labeled with ExCIS FSA Special notice W900KK-09-SFAE-KOT-001 respondents organization, and points of contact. The conventionally mailed special notice response must be submitted to: PEO STRI Acquisition Center - SFAE-STRI-KOT, ATTN: Glenda M. Torres, 12350 Research Parkway, Orlando, FL 32826-3276. Responses to this special notice are due no later than 3:00 PM, Eastern Time, Orlando, FL, on 13 February 2009. DO NOT PROVIDE ANY PROPRIETARY INFORMATION DO NOT PROVIDE ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION TECHNICAL INQUIRIES TO THIS SPECIAL NOTICE SHOULD BE SUBMITTED TO RANDALL BUZZELL at randall.buzzell@us.army.mil WITH COPY TO MS. GLENDA TORRES at glenda.torres@us.army.mil. SUBMISSION INQUIRIES TO THIS SPECIAL NOTICE SHOULD BE SUMITTED TO MS. GLENDA TORRES at glenda.torres@us.army.mil. Disclaimers and Important Notes This special notice is issued solely for market research and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Respondents are advised that PEO STRI is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received, or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this special notice. Respondents are encouraged to monitor the FedBizOpps website for future business opportunities. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e) responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this special notice. Submissions may be reviewed by the Government/PEO STRI and Systems Engineering and Technical Assistant (SETA) contractors. As required, non disclosure statements will be established with SETA contractors or any other type of support personnel (such as Federally Funded Research Development Centers personnel) supporting PEO STRI on this program. Point of Contact: Ms. Glenda Torres Senior Contracts Specialist PEO STRI Acquisition Center - SFAE-STRI-KOT 12350 Research Parkway Orlando, FL 32826-3276 Tel: 407-380-4413 DSN: 960-4413 glenda.torres@us.army.mil
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