DOCUMENT
D -- NATIONAL AIR SPACE (NAS) VOICE SWITCHING AND CONTROL SYSTEM (VSCS) - Attachment
- Notice Date
- 11/8/2016
- Notice Type
- Attachment
- NAICS
- 541990
— All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
- Contracting Office
- FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION, AAQ-320 WA - FAA Headquarters (Washington, DC)
- Solicitation Number
- 25963
- Response Due
- 11/22/2016
- Archive Date
- 11/22/2016
- Point of Contact
- Tye White, tye.l.white@faa.gov, Phone: 202-267-5751
- E-Mail Address
-
Click here to email Tye White
(tye.l.white@faa.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Introduction/Statement of Intent This Notice of Intent to Award a Single Source bridge/Market Survey is being issued in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Acquisition Management System (AMS) Policy section 3.2.1.2.1 Market Analysis. The FAA has a requirement to provide services under its Voice Switching and Control System (VSCS) contract, DTFAWA-07-C-00014. NOTE: In the event that there are no viable responses to this market survey, the FAA intends to award a single source award to Harris Corporation-USA, Inc., Critical Networks Division, P.O. Box 9800, Melbourne, Florida, in accordance with AMS 3.2.2.4. Harris is the incumbent contractor who provides Air-to-Ground (A/G) and Ground-to-Ground (G/G) telecommunication capabilities to all twenty-one (21) Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) in the continental United States and Alaska. Background The VSCS Program and contract was established to provide state-of-the-art voice switching and control capabilities for controllers at the twenty-one (21) Air Route Traffic Control Centers (ARTCCs) for command and control of commercial, long range, en-route air traffic in the continental United States and Alaska. Designed nearly 30 years ago, the system component obsolescence issues continue to be factors in maintaining the Operational Availability of the system at the En-Route Centers. The VSCS maintenance environment has become increasingly dynamic as the contractor works to sustain 24/7 system operability. Unforeseen component failures, increased failure rates, and an extended life cycle are driving the dynamic nature of the maintenance program. VSCS is required to continue operating until the replacement system is fielded (NVS). Program Objectives The objective of the VSCS Program is to ensure continued A/G and G/G communication capabilities among and between all ARTCC controllers and the aircraft under their control jurisdiction. This is accomplished by maintenance depot supply support of the hundreds of Line-Replaceable Units (LRUs) and the thousands of component bit and piece parts required for their upkeep. This capability must be maintained for air traffic safety through the system s life, or until the VSCS is replaced by NVS. Summary of Program Requirements The following requirements are critical to the successful performance of the Voice Switching and Control System (VSCS) Contract, and are currently being met by the Prime Contractor, Harris Corporation. These requirements are essential to assuring continuity of service and Air Traffic En-Route voice communication in the National Air Space (NAS): 1) Providing all depot maintenance and supply support for the hundreds of VSCS/VTABS Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) and thousands of component bit and piece parts required for its upkeep. This includes management and performance of a Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) program with experienced VSCS/VTABS logistics personnel. 2) Employing trained and experienced VSCS personnel with the skill sets and knowledge of VSCS, VTABS and FAA En-route site operations and laboratory environments, gained through years of VSCS/VTABS Field Deployments, VSCS Depot Operations and VSCS Technical Refresh efforts. 3) Furnishing systems engineering, software engineering, software updates and test engineering for the VSCS/VTABS program, including any required technical refresh, during the service life of the VSCS/VTABS. 4) Owning and maintaining a lab in which to test both VSCS/VTABS spares, technical refresh projects and technical issues seen at field sites. 5) Owning and maintaining the Proprietary Data for the VSCS System 20/20 Switch that enables the vendor to manufacture, analyze, troubleshoot, and provide DMSMS support for LRUs in the VSCS and VTABS switches as the system ages 6) Performing in-house repairs of VSCS/VTABS LRUs. Maintaining a personnel pool with understanding of VSCS/VTABS LRU schematics and repair methodologies in order to efficiently repair failed LRUs without performing unnecessary repairs. 7) Owning and maintaining the proprietary test set algorithms needed to update the software on the MTSR-F and VEM/PEM Test Set as needed to test for new failure modes as the system ages or provide technical refresh on the software. 8) Preventing counterfeit parts from being acquired or used in any VSCS/VTABS repair activity, whether it is performed in-house or at a third party vendor. 9) Detailing dedicated manufacturing capability to quickly and efficiently manufacture VSCS/VTABS cables, as well as provide a second source of supply for VSCS/VTABS components, if the subcontractor responsible for that component goes out of business. Questions The questions below constitute market survey information requested by the FAA to fully analyze industry capabilities in meeting the stated requirements above. 1) How will all depot maintenance and supply support, including the hundreds of LRUs and thousands of component bit and piece parts be provided? Response must include capability of performing DMSMS functions in order to fully analyze and provide concrete data on failure rates, change in failure rates and available supply quantities, prevention of the introduction of counterfeit parts into the system, and the identification of second sources of supply for components, should the primary subcontractor cease support. 2) How can systems engineering, software engineering, software updates and test engineering for the VSCS/VTABS program, including any required technical refresh during the service life of the VSCS/VTABS, be furnished to the FAA upon immediate start of the contract (January 1, 2019), understanding that VSCS is a legacy system designed in the late 1980 s, and Harris Corporation maintains ownership of the design documentation as proprietary data? The FAA does not own the switch design documentation. A description of the capability to acquire and employ trained and experienced VSCS personnel with the skill sets and knowledge of VSCS, VTABS and FAA site operations gained through years of VSCS/VTABS Field Deployments, VSCS Depot Operations and VSCS Technical Refresh efforts is requested. 3) There are multiple instances of proprietary data and equipment related to the VSCS that are owned by the incumbent contractor. Throughout the Acquisition Life Cycle, the FAA has never owned the design documentation, laboratory equipment, repair process documentation, test set software algorithms, and design schematics required to perform under the VSCS contract. Describe the capability of a company to acquire the laboratory resources owned by Harris Corporation necessary to set up a lab in which to test both VSCS/VTABS spares, technical refresh projects and technical issues seen at field sites. Include the capability to obtain the Proprietary Data for the VSCS System 20/20 Switch that will enable the vendor to manufacture, analyze, troubleshoot and provide DMSMS support for LRUs in the VSCS and VTABS switches as the system continues to age. Finally, discuss the capability to acquire the proprietary test set algorithms needed to update the software on the MTSR-F and VEM/PEM Test Set as needed to test for new failure modes as the system ages or provide technical refresh on the software. 4) As a result of the age of the VSCS, successful support of the system involves a 24x7x365 commitment to sustaining the 21 En-Route centers, in order to avoid air traffic control communication interruptions. Explain how a support infrastructure could be established and implemented successfully, to include repair actions, failure data analysis, and depot establishment including all required piece parts and repair parts - by the intended start date of 01 January 2019. North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: The NAICS code assigned to this contract is 541990 All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services, ($5 million in average annual receipts or less is considered to be small business). Submittal Requirements for Market Survey: Interested parties having the expertise and capabilities must submit responses to the above referenced questions. Responses must be submitted via electronic mail (e-mail) to the Contracting Officer, Tye White at Tye.L.White@faa.gov no later than 2:00 PM EST on November 22, 2016. Files must be compatible with either Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat. If chosen to submit in an un-editable format, please ensure the document retains the ability for its text to be copied and pasted into a Microsoft Word document (i.e. do not submit picture files). Any proprietary information submitted must be properly labeled and identified. The electronic submission must include an email that includes the following: a) Name of vendor submitting the email and the firm s mailing address; b) A point of contact (POC), telephone number, and email address of the person to be contacted regarding any correspondence between the FAA and the vendor. The POC must be capable of addressing questions or issues associated with the submission and content of the market survey response; c) Total number of electronic files being submitted, if more than one electronic file is being attached; and d) Completed Attachment 1: Business Declaration form Disclaimers a) This is not a Screening Information Request (SIR) or Request for Offer (RFO) of any kind; b) The FAA is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals or capability statements; c) The FAA will not pay for any information received or costs incurred in preparing the response to the market survey; therefore any costs associated with the market survey submittal are solely at the interested vendor s expense d) Any proprietary information submitted must be adequately marked as proprietary and will be protected accordingly; Correspondence The FAA welcomes any general comments regarding the content of the Market Survey. Questions or comments must be submitted in writing prior to the closing date and directed by email to Tye.L.White@faa.gov. No telephone inquiries will be accepted. It is highly recommended that interested vendors check the FAA s Contracting Opportunities (FAACO) website http://faaco.faa.gov frequently for any updates and amendments to this announcement. Also, if this announcement is being viewed from other than FAACO, some information or attachments may not transfer correctly. Therefore, only the information and attachments provided at FAACO are considered the official source of information on this requirement. Attachments Business Declaration form If you're viewing this announcement from a source other than Federal Aviation Administration Contract Opportunities (FAACO), visit https://faaco.faa.gov/index.cfm/announcement/view/25963 to view the original announcement.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DOT/FAA/HQ/25963/listing.html)
- Document(s)
- Attachment
- File Name: Business Declaration form (pdf) (https://faaco.faa.gov/index.cfm/attachment/download/71949)
- Link: https://faaco.faa.gov/index.cfm/attachment/download/71949
- Note: If links are broken, refer to Point of Contact above or contact the FBO Help Desk at 877-472-3779.
- File Name: Business Declaration form (pdf) (https://faaco.faa.gov/index.cfm/attachment/download/71949)
- Record
- SN04323649-W 20161110/161108235035-b475a89e6d8969d1c8ba844ec82ff543 (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 |