SOURCES SOUGHT
R -- The purpose of this effort is to find sources that are qualified in providing the engineering support specifications described below. Responses will be used to determine the appropriate procurement method for this requirement.
- Notice Date
- 4/17/2014
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- ACC-APG - Adelphi, ATTN: AMSRD-ACC, 2800 Powder Mill Road, Adelphi, MD 20783-1197
- ZIP Code
- 20783-1197
- Solicitation Number
- W911QX-14-R-0019
- Response Due
- 5/1/2014
- Archive Date
- 6/16/2014
- Point of Contact
- Anne Turro, 301-394-3880
- E-Mail Address
-
ACC-APG - Adelphi
(anne.m.turro.civ@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a Request for Information (RFI) ONLY! No further information is available from the contract's division. This RFI does not constitute an Invitation for Bids, Request for Proposals, nor a Request for Quotations, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue an order or otherwise pay for the information solicited. The Government is not responsible for any costs incurred in preparing or furnishing this information. All information received in response to this notice that is marked quote mark Proprietary quote mark will be handled accordingly. Responses shall not include any classified material. Responses received to this notice will not be returned. No reimbursement will be made for any costs to provide information in response to this announcement or any follow-up information requests. Information contained herein is based on the best information available at the time of publication, is subject to revision, and is not binding in any way upon the Government. Availability of any future formal solicitation will be announced under a separate Federal Business Opportunities announcement. The Army Research Laboratory (ARL) is the Army's corporate basic and applied research laboratory and serves as a bridge between the Army and the nation's scientific and technical communities. ARL requires engineering support for concept development, fabrication, prototyping, and testing of advanced research and development efforts for customer-supported military applications. ARL's Sensor and Electron Device Directorate (SEDD) is the principal Army organization for executing basic and applied research in sensors, signal and image processing, electronic devices, and power and energy to ensure U.S. military superiority. SEDD conducts innovative research to provide the Army with affordable, enabling technologies in the following core technical competencies (CTC) and mission areas: Electronic materials tailored to Army needs; Electronics devices including electro-optics (EO), infrared (IR), radio frequency (RF) and flexible components; High energy and power dense materials and components for safe, agile and reliable power across demanding regimes and environments; and Sensor processing to automatically transform sensor data to actionable information. Research supports both the ARL Materials, as well as Information Sciences CTCs; facilitate, demonstrate, and transition up to Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 research and technology development within ARL, the Research, Development and Engineering Command (RDECOM), and the Army, with other services and agencies, and with industry and academia, to leverage basic and applied research opportunities for the benefit of the Army. The Army is interested in contracting with vendors that have the capability to provide personnel and materials required to support the following highly technical, cutting-edge military research and development programs listed below: Advanced Electro-Optical Technologies Vendors shall have the capability to perform basic and applied research on electro-optic and photonic devices, including active and passive sensing technologies, and transition these technologies in support of Reconnaissance, Intelligence, Surveillance and Target Acquisition (RISTA), fire control, guidance, fuzing, survivability, mobility, and lethality applications. The vendor shall have the capability to conduct research that focuses on enabling advanced and innovative devices (both active and passive) to sense, under a variety of conditions, across the electromagnetic spectrum from the ultraviolet to the far-infrared wavelengths, to sense the chemical and biological makeup of the environment to fuse, manipulate, control, and display information; and developing directed energy and nano-, bio-, and quantum devices for leap-ahead technologies. The research and development includes electro-optic materials research; device design, fabrication, and characterization; component integration; and early manufacturing and packaging processes. The vendor shall have the capability to forecast technology advances and provide creative leadership in applying new sensor technologies to the system development community at large. Advanced Electronics and RF Technologies Vendors shall have the capability to perform basic and applied research and exploratory development in electronic/RF sensing, advanced electronic device technologies, and novel electronic circuit designs. The vendor shall have the capability to execute the material implementation of these technologies in support of RISTA; Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR); electronic warfare (EW); autonomy; and intelligence gathering and analyses (Signal Intelligence (SIGINT) and Measurement and Signature Intelligence (MASINT)). Technologies will include radars, Improvised Explosive Devices (IED) detect and defeat, RF imaging, cognitive RF systems, phenomenology, architectures, antennas, algorithms, enabling electronic materials, devices, monolithic circuits; technologies for signal generation, transmission, reception, control, and processing; RF microelectromechanical systems (MEMS); bio-inspired sensors, controls and MEMS actuators for micro autonomous systems; sensors for Soldier protection and traumatic brain injury; integrated nanoenergetic materials for fuzing and device anti-tamper; and 1-D and 2-D nanoelectronic materials for high performance electronics, sensors, and energy storage. Vendors shall develop underpinning theory, models, and specialized software in support of RF and electronics technologies. Vendors shall analyze and forecast technology advances, and provide creative leadership in developing and transitioning new electronic/RF sensors and device and circuit technologies to the system development community at large. Signal and Image Processing Vendors shall have the capability to perform basic and applied research in sensors, signal and image processing, sensor fusion, and sensor data management to allow autonomous detection, tracking, and identification of targets. Vendors shall have the capability to engage in technology implementation programs to build and perform field evaluations of prototype sensors and sensor data processing algorithms designed to detect, localize and track battlefield targets, and provide information on objects and events of interest. The vendor shall have the capability to develop technologies and innovate in these areas: Foundational constructs and methods for Data to Decisions (D2D) systems and processes in support of ARL-wide D2D efforts; signal processing algorithms for acoustic, seismic, magnetic, electro-optic, and electromagnetic sensors, as well as single band and hyperspectral imaging sensors; magnetic, electric field, electro-optic, and acoustic/seismic sensing devices and algorithms; sensor and data fusion algorithms to improve detection performance in multi-modal sensor systems, both individually and as elements of larger ISR networks; networked sensors and the sensor and information fusion concepts to be executed jointly with appropriate internal and external organizations; forecast technology advances and provide creative leadership in applying new sensor technologies to the Army Research and Development Centers, Program and Project Managers, and the Department of Defense (DoD) and Intelligence Community (IC) system development communities at large. Micro Autonomous Systems and Technology (MAST) Vendors shall have the capability to perform basic and applied research in Microsystem mechanics to develop a fundamental understanding of mechanics for small unmanned air and ground vehicles as needed to obtain desired mobility objectives. The vendor shall have the capability to develop microelectronics with the capability to enable power efficient multi-functional sensing, ambulatory control and reconfigurable networked response in mobile micro-scale platforms; processing for autonomous operation of distributed, mobile and multi-modal sensing micro-systems integration; fundamental understanding of microsystem architectures through the development and application of modeling and design tools and experimentation and analysis. Energy and Power Technologies Vendors shall have the capability to perform basic and applied research and exploratory development in key areas to transition technologies that provide superior military capabilities as executed in three thrust areas: a.Electrochemistry: high energy and high power primary and secondary and munitions batteries; dielectric capacitors; fuel cell components; logistics fuel reforming for fuel cells; electrochemical routes to fuels; b.Power Components: wide bandgap power materials and device development to include evaluation and reliability, micropower (to include MEMS); components, alternative energy sources, compact power and thermal management; c.Power Conditioning: continuous and pulsed-power switching devices and components; power conditioning and conversion (to include microgrid); advanced power electronics; electromagnetic hardening. Micro and Nanofabrication Technologies Vendors shall have the capability to perform process development to support novel microstructure and device fabrication, working with both standard and new electronic materials. The vendor shall research material properties to support the management of cross-contamination and hazard. The vendor shall also research process capabilities to ensure that the Specialty Electronic Materials and Sensors Cleanroom (SEMASC) is positioned to support next generation of materials and micro-fabricated devices. Survivability Technologies Vendors shall have the capability to perform applied research to soldier, ground, and aviation platforms on survivability technologies to provide superior military capabilities: materials development, algorithm development, modeling, characterization of devices and components, component integration, and field evaluation of technologies. Vendors shall have the capability to analyze and forecast technology advances of key survivability technologies. Desired vendors will be tasked with the following, and shall have the capability, in order to provide critical support for each of the above identified CTC thrust areas: Business Management and Strategic Planning for Technology Programs Vendors shall have the capability to provide planning support for the preparation of mid and long range technical development plans, roadmaps, investment strategies, business and operating plans. Vendors shall have the capability to assist in the development and implementation of strategic and programmatic databases for Army technologies, as well as provide support for the definition and interpretation of high-level organizational engineering performance requirements (projects, systems, missions, and the objectives and approaches to their achievement). Acquisition and Lifecycle Management Vendors shall have the capability to conduct equipment maintenance and repair. Vendors shall have the capability to provide Acquisition and Lifecycle Management support through process development, performing preventative maintenance operations, repair tasks, tool setup changes, tool facilitization, tool installation, tool removal, sourcing and installing supplies, rigging, maintaining inventories of supplies and spare parts. Concept Development and Requirements Analysis Vendors shall have the capability to provide support for program formulation and management, as well as technology definition and assessment that synergistically integrates required sensor and electronics device technology into Army systems. Vendors shall have the capability to conduct trade-off analyses for specified military/civilian applications and derive recommendations for the best technical approach. Desired vendors shall have the capability to assist in the development of new concepts/programs/ approaches. System Design, Engineering and Integration Vendors shall have the capability to provide professional engineering support for planning and optimizing the approach to the fabrication and integration of structures and devices into prototype subsystems for evaluation; independently assess complex technical problems, perform background research to determine the current state of the art, design and conduct novel experiments necessary to test new ideas, propose research plans, execute experiments, and present results; design and develop RF/Microwave and electro-optic sensors to include laboratory integration, test and evaluation, and fault isolation of prototype hardware; design and develop data acquisition hardware and software to include; hardware integration of data enclosure, display, processor, and power management; software design of data logging to storage card; software application programming interface (API) development; develop and implement advanced signal processing and embedded software code for ultra-low power (~mW-class); microcontrollers/ digital signal processors (DSPs)/ field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), wireless interfaces and graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Vendors shall have the capability to assist, as needed, in system studies, analyses, device processing and characterization; design enclosure and mechanical structures. Test and Evaluation Vendors shall have the capability to provide the support to evaluate the structures and prototypes in order to validate that the original design performs in accordance with the program objectives. Capable vendors shall establish requisite test facilities, measure and test; evaluate structures, metallization, and materials realized to validate that the original design performs in accordance with the program objectives. Vendors shall also establish and operate test facilities to measure characteristics and performance parameters of materials, structures, and devices. Vendors shall have the capability to support the design and development of RF/Microwave and electro-optic sensors and devices with system test and evaluation to include fault isolation of prototype hardware; as well as provide test support and services to include: the collection, recording, organization, and presentation of laboratory experimental data. Vendors shall also have the capability of performing programming related to automated data collection and analysis using commercial and/or in-house codes, develop 3-D models for novel sensors, devices, and structures, as well as perform post-processing and analysis as needed to study design tradeoffs and sensitivities. Technical Interchange Meetings Vendors shall have the capability to conduct Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs) during the course of this contract. Vendors shall provide the personnel, facilities, equipment, and supplies to conduct TIMs according to the following specifications: event web site, pre-registration, location, badges, signs, audio visual (AV) equipment, on-site registration support, vendor payment, post conference material. Administrative Support Vendors shall have the capability to provide administrative support which shall include; answering of phones, scanning of documents, support delivering of mail, escorting visitors, writing correspondence, recording and verifying electronic time and attendance in the automated time and attendance production system (ATAAPS), processing travel orders in the Defense Travel System (DTS), utilizing Microsoft Office suite (Microsoft Word and Excel), maintaining employee records, storing Personal Identifiable Information (PII) information, and the processing release of information forms (form 1s). Responses Vendors that are able to demonstrate capability in more than one (1) of the above areas are of particular interest to the Government. The Government will consider responses demonstrating capability in only one (1) of the above areas, but vendors demonstrating expertise and experience in multiple technical areas are more desirable. The electronic copy of responses is to be in Microsoft Word 2003, Microsoft Word 2007 or Adobe Acrobat 9 compatible format. A submission should include: A Capabilities Statement in the areas of performance described above, product description with examples of relevant past work experience, prior DoD contracts, description of facility capability, and security clearances, if any. In addition, any information that demonstrates vendor expertise, experience, and thorough understanding of the areas of interest is desired. Please provide name of firm, CAGE code, address, point of contact (POC), phone/fax number, and email address. Responses to this RFI are due no later than 11:59 PM Eastern Time on 1 May 2014. Submissions should be emailed to anne.m.turro.civ@mail.mil. Questions concerning this RFI may be directed to Anne Turro, 301-394-3880. Please be advised that.zip and.exe files cannot be accepted.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/fd771ed986b57859220fc311c62b8a3b)
- Place of Performance
- Address: ACC-APG - Adelphi ATTN: AMSRD-ACC, 2800 Powder Mill Road Adelphi MD
- Zip Code: 20783-1197
- Zip Code: 20783-1197
- Record
- SN03341346-W 20140419/140417234815-fd771ed986b57859220fc311c62b8a3b (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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