SOURCES SOUGHT
58 -- Land Mobile Radio Request for Information
- Notice Date
- 2/18/2016
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334220
— Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, Army Contracting Command, ACC - RI (W52P1J), 3055 Rodman Avenue, Rock Island, Illinois, 61299-8000, United States
- ZIP Code
- 61299-8000
- Solicitation Number
- W52P1J16R0LMR
- Archive Date
- 3/12/2016
- Point of Contact
- Araka E. Schroeder, Phone: 3097825694
- E-Mail Address
-
araka.e.schroeder.civ@mail.mil
(araka.e.schroeder.civ@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Purpose: The purpose of this Request For Information (RFI) is to assist Project Leader (PL) Land Mobile Radio (LMR) as it conducts market research of LMR in-building coverage testing requirements. This RFI provides industry an opportunity to educate PL LMR on their LMR products/services, innovations and processes for conducting in-building Radio Frequency (RF) Coverage Testing. Through this process, PL LMR intends to refine its acquisition strategy and requirements for in-building coverage testing. PL LMR currently utilizes requirements found in Annex A of National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) 72, 2013 Edition, as a basis for in-building testing requirements. Current requirements as provided in the LMR Customer Requirements Statement (CRS) have been provided in the paragraph below. PL LMR requests industry partners review the current requirements and answer specific questions and provide information on industry best practices for conducting an in-building coverage test/study. Current Requirement: Acceptance testing for the In-Building Coverage system shall comply with the requirements specified in NFPA 72, 2013 Edition, Chapters 14 & 24. The In-Building Coverage Acceptance Test Procedures (ATP) shall comply with the following standards and procedures: a. The contractor shall divide the floor area into 20 grids with a minimum grid size of 20' x 20' and a maximum grid size of 80' x 80'. Where the floor area exceeds 20 grids of the maximum grid size, the floor shall be divided into an appropriate number of sectors to allow 20 grids per sector. b. The contractor shall take signal measurements from the center of each grid. Signal measurements shall be made with a calibrated spectrum analyzer or a calibrated automatic signal level measurement recording system. Signal strength shall be measured in deciBels referenced to milliwatts (dBm). The gain receiving antenna of the measuring equipment shall be equal to that of the installation portable antennas. During the signal measurement process the measurement equipment antenna shall be oriented vertically and located approximately 3-4 feet from the floor. The resolution bandwidth shall be 12.5 KiloHertz (KHz). The signal measurements shall be recorded while moving in an "X" pattern, with the center of the "X" located in the center of the grid. Each side of the "X" shall be at least 10% of the length of the grid, with a minimum length of 10 feet. If measurements are taken in an averaging mode, there shall be a minimum of one data sample taken every 5 feet in movement with a minimum of 5 samples per "X" side. Signal measurements shall be recorded for each grid. c. The contractor shall record the signal quality based on the Delivered Audio Quality (DAQ) scale and shall document the signal quality for each grid. Signal quality less than DAQ 3.4 shall be considered inadequate. d. The contractor shall consider inbound and outbound signal strengths less than -95 dBm to be considered inadequate for the Building. e. The contractor shall double the number of grids used if the signal strength or signal quality is considered inadequate for three non-adjacent grids or two adjacent grids and shall re-measure the signal strength and signal quality in the newly divided grids. Interested sources are requested to provide the following information. The answers to these questions concerning in-building testing will be used to develop future requirements. 1) Defining grid size and grid total for in-building testing: a. NFPA Annex A strictly defines the total number of grids to 20. It addresses the maximum and minimum size of a grid, but does not state whether each grid has to be the same size. Are grid sizes intended to be the same? Additionally, are the grids intended to always be a set shape (square versus rectangular)? b. The introduction of NFPA Annex A also states that Annex A is provided for informational purposes only. Please provide a specific rationale for the grid layout process and whether adherence to Annex A (exactly 20 grids) is industry best practice. Is there a minimum number of grids required to get a statistical likelihood that the test can be repeated with the same grid pass or fail results? 2) Measurement technique within each grid for in-building testing: a. Annex A, paragraph A.14.4.10.4 describes a process in which an X pattern is performed inside each grid and a specific measurement is taken and recorded every 5 feet along that X. Is this process generally followed and given the current state of measurement devices is this practicable? b. Please provide an overview of the possible measurement processes and if individual measurements are taken and reported. c. Please provide the impact of performing in-building testing in an environment where Global Positioning System (GPS) signals are blocked. 3) Signal strength vs DAQ: a. Annex A paragraph A.14.4.10.3, states signal strength is typically reported on the Delivered Audio Quality Scale. Please explain the process used to address this paragraph. Is a separate radio DAQ test taken within a grid or is the received signal strength used to equate to a predicted DAQ? b. Can a successful DAQ radio test be sufficient to pass a grid or is there a minimum receive signal strength required? c. How are the measurements taken during testing accounting for body loss, as NFPA 1221, Edition 2013 states that the minimum signal level shall be referenced to a portable radio worn on the hip? The findings from this Market Research effort may impact any future solicitations related to this requirement. This Market Research is not a solicitation as defined by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101, and the Government is not requesting offers or proposals at this time. Any responses to this RFI received by the Government will not be accepted to form a binding contract. This is a Request for Information and does not constitute a solicitation or request for proposal. This is a market survey for planning purposes and no award will be made as a result of this sources sought notice. If a solicitation is issued, the Government does not guarantee that it will be issued to RFI respondents. The Government is also requesting that restrictive or proprietary markings not be used in response to the RFI. Please provide an information paper not to exceed 10 pages (not including worksheets providing example of grid patterns); which details measurement techniques that address the issue described above by 12:00 PM (EDT), 26 February 2016. Submit your information papers by electronic mail (email) to the contracting officer Conrad Baker at a.c.baker2.civ@mail.mil with a carbon copy (CC) to the contracting specialist Araka Schroeder at araka.e.schroeder.civ@mail.mil. Point of contact for this notice is Scott Holt LMR Assistant Product Manager (703-806-8479).
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