SOURCES SOUGHT
17 -- RFI - TSPI Datalinks
- Notice Date
- 10/22/2015
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334511
— Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Material Command, AFTC/PZIE - Eglin, 205 W D Ave, Bldg 350, Ste 414, Eglin AFB, Florida, 32542, United States
- ZIP Code
- 32542
- Solicitation Number
- FA2487-16-X-TSPI
- Archive Date
- 1/15/2016
- Point of Contact
- Margaret Santos, Phone: 8508820166
- E-Mail Address
-
margaret.santos@us.af.mil
(margaret.santos@us.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION Datalinks - TSPI The Department of Defense, United States Air Force (USAF), Air Force Materiel Command (AFMC), Air Force Test Center (AFTC), is currently conducting market research seeking capabilities statement from potential sources, including small businesses (SB), 8(a), HUBZone, Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned (EDWOSB), Woman-Owned (WOSB), Service Disabled Veteran Owned (SDVOSB) small business that are capable of providing datalinks for use in a test and evaluation (T&E) environments. The primary purpose of these datalinks is to transport Time Space Position Information (TSPI). All interested vendors shall submit a response demonstrating their capability in datalinks, specifically TSPI, to the Point of Contact listed below. Proposals are not being requested or accepted at this time. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation (Request for Proposal) exists at this time; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract shall be solely within the Government's discretion. The NAICS Code assigned to this acquisition is 334511 -- Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing, with a size standard of 750 persons. Respondents should indicate their size in relation to this size standard and indicate socio-economic status (i.e. SB, 8(a), HUBZone, EDWOSB, WOSB, or SDVOSB). Respondents are further requested to indicate their status as a Foreign-owned/Foreign-controlled firm and any contemplated use of foreign national employees on this effort. The Government reserves the right to consider a small business set-aside based upon responses hereto for any subsequent action. All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DoD contract. No set-aside decision has been made. Note that a key factor in determining an acquisition to be a Small Business Set Aside is that small business prime contractors must perform at least 50% of the effort, as defined in FAR Clause 52.219-14. RESPONSES ARE DUE NO LATER THAN 9:00 A.M. (CST) on 18 November 2015. Direct all questions concerning this requirement to Ms. Margaret Santos at margaret.santos@us.af.mil. PURPOSE: The purpose of this RFI is to seek information on current, existing technologies (with possible minor modifications) that can be used to meet the datalink capabilities identified above. FOUR MISSION AREAS The Air Force is interested in addressing the capabilities gaps for the transport of critical information from TSPI sources including Global Positioning System (GPS) and inertial measurement units (IMU). Conceptually four types of datalink applications are envisioned: 1. High Dynamic: The High-Dynamic Datalink Transceiver (HD-DLT) will be used as transport for TSPI placed on military aircraft. The HD-DLT will provide a network for transporting high speed bidirectional mission data. 2. Low Cost TSPI Datalink: The Low-Cost TSPI Datalink Transceiver (LC-DLT) will be used to equip target vehicles: land, sea, and air. This short range datalink must operate independently or in conjunction with an extended-range datalink. The primary mission of the LC-DLT system is to transport TSPI and user-defined messages between a central test facility and expendable vehicles on the Edwards and Eglin ranges. 3. Man Portable: The Man-Portable TSPI System (MPTS) will be used to equip personnel with a communications system consisting of a position sensor and a datalink transceiver. This short range datalink must operate independently or in conjunction with the over-the-horizon datalink. Additionally, the MPTS must minimize impact to the individual required to carry the device(s). The primary mission of the MPTS system is to transport TSPI to include position, velocity, heading and status information, and command and control messages between a central test facility and personnel on the Edwards and Eglin ranges. 4. Over the Horizon: The OTH-DLT will provide a network for transporting high-speed bidirectional mission data over long, beyond line-of-sight distances. It will be used as a long-haul solution and must be able to operate independently as well as interface with the Low Cost Data Link Transceiver (LC-DLT), High Dynamic Data Link Transceiver (HD-DLT) and Man-Portable TSPI System (MPTS) via Ethernet connection. The Air Force is interested in suppliers who understand both the operational systems in place to provide TSPI datalink capability as well as how to improve the datalink-to-user chain of events to improve real-time situational awareness during test and evaluation operations. The Air Force is evaluating all possible solutions sets, including the employment of commercial systems as a provider with datalinks transceivers or systems already in production or developmental datalink transceivers or systems which may mount on future platforms. DATALINK INFORMATION SOUGHT For this effort, there are two key mission areas of datalink applications. Each mission area has required characteristics which are considered Key Performance Parameters (KPPs). 1. Airborne Mission: a. Range b. Data Bandwidth c. Spectral efficiency d. Modularity and size 2. Ground/Sea based Vehicle Missions a. Data Bandwidth b. Range c. Spectral efficiency d. Size The Air Force is considering alternatives in each mission area for acquiring datalinks in support of the Key Performance Parameters (KPP). The system may include datalink hardware follow-on concept, leveraging of planned programmed assets (both ground and airborne-based), and/or shared/purchased systems. Any system technology with a DoD Technical Readiness Level (TRL) less than 7 (each component must have been demonstrated successfully) shall not be included unless responder can show, in the case of the airborne mission environment, a path to flight worthiness. The Government expects respondents to offer datalink and/or datalink systems to satisfy the KPPs. The government expects a variety of options with accompanying discussion of the pros, cons, risks, and associated trade space for the government to consider. Responses should address the technologies available to deliver a datalink suite as described with supporting information addressing modularity, size, performance characteristics, and accuracy. The HD-DLT Requirements Document, the LC-DLT Requirements Document, and MPTS Requirements Document, and OTH-DLT Requirements Document, and the Concept of Operations Document will exclusively be available to DoD contractors certified under the Defense Logistic Agencies (DLA)s Joint Certification Program (JCP). Certification under the JCP establishes the eligibility of a U.S. or Canadian contractor to technical data governed, in the U.S., by DoD Directive 5230.25 and, in Canada, by the Technical Data Control Regulations (TDCR). A certification is required by U.S. or Canadian contractors that wish to obtain access to unclassified technical data disclosing militarily critical technology with military or space application that is under the control of, or in the possession of the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) or the Canadian Department of National Defence (DND). Contractors must submit a DD Form 2345 to the U.S./Canada Joint Certification Office, along with a copy of the company's State/Provincial License, Incorporation Certificate, Sales Tax Identification Form or other documentation which verifies the legitimacy of the company. Comments on the draft TRD are being sought from interested qualified vendors for the purposes of clarification of the Government's requirements. For copies of the TRD, contact the Contract Specialist identified below with proof of certification. Any information submitted by respondents to this RFI is voluntary. This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government, nor will the Government reimburse any costs associated with the submission of information in response to this notice. Respondents will not be individually notified of the results of any Government assessments. The Government's assessment of the capability statements received will factor into whether any forthcoming requirement resulting into a solicitation will be conducted as a full and open competition or as a set-aside for small business, or any particular small business program. CAPABILITIES STATEMENT: All interested vendors shall submit a capabilities statement that explicitly demonstrates their capability to provide the requirement stated in this notice. The capabilities statement should be brief and concise, yet clearly demonstrate an ability to meet the stated requirement. The response must not exceed 20 pages. Small businesses with only partial capabilities of this requirement are encouraged to submit their capabilities statement demonstrating the portion of the requirement they are capable of providing/performing. This information will allow the Government to identify areas of possible breakout or possible subcontracting opportunities. Responses may be submitted electronically to the following e-mail address: margaret.santos@us.af.mil. All correspondence sent via email shall contain a subject line that reads "FA2487-16-X-TSPI, TSPI Datalinks. If this subject line is not included, the e-mail may not get through e-mail filters at Eglin AFB. Filters are designed to delete emails without a subject or with a suspicious subject or attachment. Attachments with files ending in.zip or.exe are not allowable and will be deleted. Ensure only.pdf,.doc,.docx,.xsls, or.xls documents are attached to your email. All other attachments may be deleted. SUGGESTED RESPONSE OUTLINE Following is a suggested outline with suggested page counts for a response to this RFI. This outline is intended to minimize the effort of the respondent and structure the responses for ease of analysis by the government. Nevertheless, respondents are free to develop their responses as they see fit. Section 1 - Technical Mission Areas Briefly identify and describe one or more mission areas for which the response is made. Discussion must include the respondent's relevant experience. Section 2 - Feasibility Assessment For each mission area response addressed, briefly describe the feasibility of each and the design tradeoffs involved as matched against the requirements and risks including the reliability, flight heritage and technology readiness characteristics of the alternatives. Section 3 - Corporate Expertise Briefly describe your company, your products and services, history, ownership, financial information, and other information you deem relevant. In particular, please describe any projects you have been involved in that are similar in concept to what is described in this RFI, including management and operations approach, and any relevant lessons learned. Section 4 - Additional Materials Please provide any other materials, suggestions, and discussions you deem appropriate. The responder may include any recommended structure of the programmed TSPI operational requirements as suggestions in anticipation that the government will issue a request for proposal. Proprietary information shall be clearly marked. The Government will NOT be responsible for any proprietary information not clearly marked. INDUSTRY DAY (TBD): The Air Force is considering in holding an industry day or workshop to present its mission and anticipated objectives of the services anticipated as well as meet and consider comments from industry. Industry is encouraged to voice their interest to participate. Any interested parties may attend or send representatives. A telecommunication call-in number may be made available as well for interested parties. Only 30 available lines are able to attend via teleconference, therefore availability is first come first served. Entry into Eglin AFB is gated, so based on interest another meeting venue may be warranted. Minutes of the meeting will be taken and will be available upon request after the meeting if it takes place. If you would like to participate in industry day, please contact Ms. Margaret Santos @ Margaret.santos@us.af.mil by 9am 18 Nov 15.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/59645972a52a48b42d15b65725235d2f)
- Place of Performance
- Address: Eglin AFB, Florida, 32542, United States
- Zip Code: 32542
- Zip Code: 32542
- Record
- SN03927672-W 20151024/151022234156-59645972a52a48b42d15b65725235d2f (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |