HQ Electronic Systems Center, Contracted Support Management Division (ESC/AXK), 5 Eglin St., Hanscom AFB, MA 01731-2116

A -- ESC CENTRALLY-MANAGED AIRBORNE SURVEILLANCE AND WEAPONS CONTROL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS POC Mr. Steven L. Smith, Contracting Officer, 617-377-6789. SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS. The Electronic Systems Center is planning the acquisition of Airborne Surveillance and Weapons Control research, development, and engineering for locations at Hanscom AFB, CONUS and OCONUS. Multiple small business set aside contracts with a Standard Industry Classification 8731 (1500 employees) are contemplated. One contract will support Joint STARS Joint Test Force (JTF) flight test and evaluation (Joint STARS ASWCS Contract). Additionally, an award of multiple contracts will be made to support other ESC development programs (ESC ASWCS contracts). All contracts will be competitive contract actions and awarded for a period of five years. The objective of these contracts is to provide technical research, advanced development, and test personnel to promote the advanced development of USAF Airborne Surveillance and Weapons Control Systems, to include but not limited to the Joint STARS, E-8 and AWACS, E-3 aircraft. The contractors shall assist the Government in demonstrating selected developmental technologies and capabilities to meet user requirements and establish new installation techniques/procedures. Prototyping shall also be used for accomplishing software performance evaluations. The contractors shall be required to perform technical studies, investigations, and/or analyses to develop future systems concepts, track technology developments, formulate applications and define technology/systems shortfalls. These contracts will require world wide deployment. Contractor personnel may be deployed to war zone areas and remote locations. Special Access Requirements will apply. The JTF ASWCS contract will support the Joint STARS system. For the JTF ASWCS Contract, contractors shall possess a thorough knowledge of aircraft and aircraft flight testing for the Joint STARS ASWCS effort. This system consists of four major elements: the radar subsystem, the operations and control subsystem, the communications subsystem and the aircraft subsystem. The specific skill requirements in support of Joint STARS that contract personnel shall meet vary by position but are most critical in the flight test, software, and computer scientist positions. Most of the skills required in these areas are ''state-of-the-art''. The following positions are most critical for the Joint STARS ASWCS effort: Communications Test Analyst (Flight Test Qualified), Radar ECCM Test Analyst (Flight Test Qualified), Senior Radar Test Engineer (Flight Test Qualified), Communications Specialist (Flight Test Qualified), Lead Software Scientist (Flight Test Qualified), Operations Plans and Programs, Joint STARS Integrated Maintenance Information System Manager, Technical Control Engineer (Flight Test Qualified), Technical Control Specialist (Flight Test Qualified), Radar Test Engineer (Flight Test Qualified), Senior Test Engineer & Radar Analyst (Flight Test Qualified), Senior Radar Test Engineer (Flight Test Qualified), Communications Test Engineer (Flight Test Qualified), Aircraft Systems Analyst (Flight Test Qualified). For the ESC ASWCS Contracts, a thorough knowledge of test and evaluation in the R&D area is required. The ESC ASWCS Contracts will support ESC program office requirements for test and evaluation as stated previously (i.e. demonstrating selected developmental technologies, etc.). This support will be provided to current ESC research and development efforts as well as future ESC efforts. The following key areas of expertise are anticipated for the ESC ASWCS efforts: Engineering and Computer System Analyses. The labor categories for the Joint STARS ASWCS effort and the ESC ASWCS effort are posted on ESC HERBB. Interested bidders who do not have access to HERBB, should contact the contracting officer listed at the beginning of this notice for an information package. The Government will provide base support to include space with desks, chairs, telephones, computers, and computer peripherals necessary to perform the tasks assigned. Contractor personnel shall be 100% collocated at various Government locations. All contracts will be labor hour contracts with cost reimbursable CLINs for software deliverables, hardware deliverables (prototypes developed), travel, training, and ''other direct costs'' (ODCs). The contracts are expected to have a period of performance of 5 years. The guaranteed minimum number of labor hours to be ordered is 59,400 for the JTF ASWCS Contract and 59,400 for each of the ESC ASWCS Contracts. An industry day will be held on 25 September 1996 to discuss contract requirements and to solicit industry recommendations regarding the RFP and the acquisition approach. Request interested parties notify the contracting officer upon receipt of this notice but not later than 20 September if they wish to receive the RFP when it is issued and if they plan on attending industry day. Interested parties are also requested to provide written questions and/or comments regarding this acquisition by the close of business 20 September 1996. Dr. P. P. Panzarella at (617)377-5106 has been appointed as an Ombudsman to hear concerns from offerors or potential offerors during the proposal development phase of this acquisition. The purpose of the Ombudsman is not to diminish the authority of the program director or contracting officer, but to communicate contractor concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations to the appropriate Government personnel. When requested, the Ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The Ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of the proposals or in the source selection process. The Ombudsman should only be contacted with the issue or problems that have been previously brought to the attention of the program manager and/or the contracting officer and could not be satisfactorily resolved at that level, or issues that require contractor confidentiality. Please submit your responses to Mr. Stephen L. Smith at ESC/AXK, 5 Eglin Street, Hanscom AFB, MA 01731-2116. No telephone solicitations will be accepted or considered. (0256)

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