SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Request for Information (RFI) for High Speed Proximity Sensors to Support Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) Missile
- Notice Date
- 4/29/2013
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- ACC-RSA - (Missile), ATTN: CCAM, Building 5303, Martin Road, Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898-5280
- ZIP Code
- 35898-5280
- Solicitation Number
- W31P4Q-13-R-0127
- Response Due
- 5/21/2013
- Archive Date
- 6/28/2013
- Point of Contact
- Tammy Benson, 256-842-5811
- E-Mail Address
-
ACC-RSA - (Missile)
(tammy.j.benson@us.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION OR SOLICITATION FOR PLANNING PURPOSES (OCT 1997) (a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this solicitation or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation; (b) Although quote mark proposal quote mark and quote mark offeror quote mark are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal; (c) This solicitation is issued for the purpose of conducting a market survey for an affordable Proximity Sensor capable of initiating a Height of Burst (HOB) warhead detonation in accordance with the Multiple Launch Rocket System (MLRS) Family of Munition (FOM) engagements. Pursuant to FAR 15.2, this notice is being issued as a Research and Development Information Sought. Contract POC: Ms. Tammy Benson, US Army Contracting Command-Redstone, CCAM-RDB, Redstone Arsenal, AL. This is a pre-solicitation REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI). The US Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center (AMRDEC) is currently conducting market research only. No award is intended as a result of this synopsis nor does the Government intend to pay for information received. Responses to this notice are not an offer and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The U.S. Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (RDECOM), AMRDEC, Redstone Arsenal, AL, desires to obtain information on an affordable Proximity Sensor capable of initiating a Height of Burst (HOB) warhead detonation in accordance with Precision Fires, Rockets, and Missile System (PFRMS) type engagements. The proximity sensor should be capable of integrating with the current Guided Multiple Launch Rocket System (GMLRS) and Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) with little or no modification to current assets. Leeway is allowed for antenna integration into the airframe as well as an interface board to manage communications from the proximity electronics to the system guidance section and Electronic Safe and Arm Fuze (ESAF). Innovative concepts for integrating the proximity sensor at any location on the body except for the nose tip or motor are welcome. AMRDEC is interested in receiving information on affordable concepts that can be quickly integrated, tested, and fielded. The developmental path should support hardware-in-the-loop (HWIL) testing prior to 2QFY14 and flight testing in a surrogate GMLRS (using current GMLRS ESAF) no later than 3QFY14. The goal of the program is to produce a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 reduced cost proximity sensor that adds capability to the current system (TRL definition is provided in Annex 1). Our interest lies in a proximity sensor (to include all hardware and software) with an Average Unit Production Cost (AUPC) of less than $3,000 (FY14 dollars) based on a quantity of 1,600 per year. The sensor must measure height above ground (shortest path from the rocket to a defined reflective surface) from 1 to 40m. At minimum, discrete heights of 1, 3, 7, 10, 15 and 30 meters shall be selectable. Information and cost element definition is provided in Annex 2. The focus of this RFI is on receipt of information for affordable proximity sensor concepts which are capable of being quickly integrated into a GMLRS/ATACMS munition. As a baseline, the sensor must be able to meet or exceed the following requirements: 1. The Proximity Sensor shall be capable of HOB detection from 1 to 40m - at minimum, discrete detection of 1, 3, 7, 10, 15 and 30m must be selectable. 2. The Proximity Sensor shall be capable of HOB indication with an accuracy of +/- 10% 3. The Proximity Sensor will not broadcast a HOB detection indication and should fully recover immediately upon removal of an interfering signal 4. The Proximity Sensor shall be capable of operating at velocities from 250 m/s to 850 m/s at angles from -30 to -110 degrees (where -90 degrees is rocket vertical nose down) 5. The Proximity Sensor shall be capable of operation after GMLRS transportation conditions and during GMLRS flight conditions. Loading, thermal, and vibration requirements for transportation and flight are provided in Annexes 3 and 4, respectively. 6. The Proximity Sensor shall be capable of detecting heights based on an extended surface having a RADAR reflectivity coefficient between 0.2 and 0.8 7. The Proximity Sensor shall be capable of being powered off and on during flight and shall start sensing/ranging no later than 250 milliseconds after the sensor has been enabled 8. The Proximity Sensor (to include all hardware) shall be less than 0.5kg in weight and be fully contained within the physical limits of the GMLRS airframe - actual volume restrictions are dependent on placement location and will be provided upon request 9. The Proximity Sensor shall not be placed on the nose tip or motor section of either munition 10. The Proximity Sensor that is functional in the GMLRS airframe must also be functional in sizes up to the ATACMS airframe with minimal modification (ie antenna resizing) Submissions will only be reviewed if they meet the HOB detection, accuracy, and operational requirements. Submissions shall address each of the listed requirements and provide information on how each requirement is met or exceeded. Each submission must also define a path for scaling the sensor package for integration from the requested GMLRS size up to an ATACMS size munition. A key focus of this effort is to deliver an affordable proximity sensor as a means of a cost reduction initiative within PFRMS. Our interest lies in a proximity sensor (to include all hardware and software) with a unit production cost not to exceed $3,000 (FY14 dollars) with a desired production cost of $2,000. A missile procurement rate of 1,600 per year may be assumed. The proximity sensor shall be able to integrate on the current GMLRS and ATACMS missile systems. At minimum, the sensor shall be capable of interfacing with the current GMLRS ESAF - it must accept regulated power from the ESAF and provide an open collector fire command output. The range response output signal shall be via a two-wire interface to the ESAF. An additional 422 asynchronous connection to the GMLRS Guidance Section for HOB selection and sensor status is desired along with a SDLC 422 line for future capability. Respondents may present multiple candidate solutions to this requirement. In the response, candidates should address how the system will detect and function within the specified altitude to target heights, meet the cost target, and discuss any tradeoffs in performance required to meet these cost targets. The assessment criteria used to evaluate the information received in response to this RFI will be (1) expected performance capabilities and limitations; (2) technology maturity and schedule risk of the integrated concept and system elements; (3) system capability to integrate onto both GMLRS and ATACMS systems; (4) schedule; (5) cost (development, integration and procurement); and (6) system complexity. The objective of this process is to provide the Government sufficiently detailed information to better understand current and viable future prototype products and technologies within the United States Government and industrial base which are capable of achieving the requirements defined above. White papers that fail to comply with the above instructions, or present ideas not pertinent to subject, may not be reviewed. The Government reserves the right to request further clarification or request presentations to enhance our understanding of the respondent's submittal. After completion of government independent assessment, respondents will be provided a concise summary of assessment results. Material from respondent submittals, with the exception of identified proprietary information, may be incorporated into future solicitations. Multiple concepts may be submitted. NO FOREIGN PARTICIPATION IS ALLOWED. U.S. CITIZENS ONLY. A complete response to this RFI shall consist of a whitepaper and briefing described below. Respondents shall provide a separate, complete, stand-alone package consisting of these items for each concept submitted. In describing the proximity sensor, respondents shall address each of the requirements listed, describe both the electronic/processing package as well as the antenna package, and discuss how the concept could be scaled from a GMLRS munition to an ATACMS munition. Cost information may be submitted in contractor format. The proposed concept shall identify key components and the associated cost. Concepts shall identify their pedigree and describe any company expertise, previous fielding or other uses. Candidate systems that have successfully demonstrated in a similar application or those that will be able to demonstrate, to a minimum, TRL7 by 3QFY14 are desired. For any candidate system not yet demonstrated in a similar application, the response shall identify ongoing efforts that will further mature the system. ** ATTENTION: AMRDEC plans to use a non-Government support contractor in assessing industry responses resulting from this RFI. Thus, if responses include proprietary information, it must be marked accordingly. Each respondent must be willing to sign non-disclosure agreements with the non-Government support contractor so AMRDEC can properly protect the proprietary information submitted. The following non-Government support contractor will be used during this assessment: NTA Inc. 2001 Nichols Dr. Suite 101 Huntsville, AL 35802 Attention: Charles Osborn Phone: 256.313.1732 Email: Charles.t.osborn@us.army.mil In accomplishing their duties relating to the review process, the above mentioned firm may require access to proprietary information contained in the offerors' responses. Therefore, pursuant to FAR Part 9.505-4(b), the firm must execute an agreement with each offeror that states that they will (1) protect the offeror's information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and (2) refrain from using the information for any purpose other than which it was furnished. To expedite the review process, each offeror is requested to contact the above company to effect execution of such an agreement prior to submission of proposals. Each offeror shall submit copies of the agreement with their response or provide a definitive statement that the offeror does not consent to the release of the information to the aforementioned firm. For each concept submitted, responses shall include a whitepaper of no more than 25 pages describing a proximity sensor concept to include all hardware and software necessary for integration with the current GMLRS ESAF. All expected performance capabilities and limitations shall be identified. Whitepapers should be concise yet contain enough detail to fully describe the concept, allowing the paper to stand-alone when separated from the companion detailed technical briefing. Whitepapers shall be submitted in Microsoft Word 2003 or 2007 format. Whitepaper submittals must be received no later than 1700 CDT on 21 May 2013. All responses should be submitted in an unclassified format with proprietary information clearly marked. Respondents should provide both a hard copy and an electronic copy of their responses. Acknowledgement of receipt will be issued. If you have general questions regarding this RFI please contact the Contracts Point of Contact (POC): CCAM-RDB/Ms. Tammy Benson, US Army Contracting Command-Redstone, Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898 via email at Tammy.J.Benson@us.army.mil. Requests for annexes must be submitted through Ms. Amanda Horton via email at Amanda.N.Horton@us.army.mil. All questions must be submitted in writing and reference the RFI number. Telephone requests for additional information will not be honored. The list of annexes includes (1) TRL Definition; (2) Cost Definition; (3) GMLRS Transportation Loadings; and (4) GMLRS Operational Loadings. Additional information on packaging volume and structure used for antenna integration may be requested and a sectional drawing of GMLRS will be delivered. Based on the responses, AMRDEC, solely at its discretion, may request unfunded, follow on, face-to-face briefings. RFI responses must be received no later than COB (1700 CDT) 21 May. All responses must be submitted in writing. Responses will be received via mail or by email. Mailed responses should be sent to US Army, AMRDEC, RDMR-WDS-S, Redstone Arsenal, AL, 35898-5000, ATTN: Ms. Amanda Horton. Emailed responses should be sent to the following e-mail address:Amanda.N.Horton@us.army.mil. If response includes proprietary information, please mark it accordingly. Appropriate proprietary claims will be honored and protected to prevent improper disclosure.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/aa460049006a05447501704e8ebe1e77)
- Place of Performance
- Address: ACC-RSA - (Missile) ATTN: CCAM-RDB, Building 5400, Fowler Road Redstone Arsenal AL
- Zip Code: 35898-5280
- Zip Code: 35898-5280
- Record
- SN03047733-W 20130501/130429234435-aa460049006a05447501704e8ebe1e77 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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