HSC/PKR, 8005 9th St, Bldg 626, Brooks AFB, TX 78235-5353

A -- PROGRAM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCEMENT (PRDA) FOR RESEARCH IN ARMSTRONG LAB (AL/CFA (CCDT)) OPERATION INTERGRATION TESTBED (OIT) SOL F41624-97-R-6008 DUE 041997 POC Linda Gray, (210)536-6324, Research and Development Contracting Division WEB: Click here to access additional information., http://www.brooks.af.mil/HSC/PKA/rfp.htm. OPERATOR INTEGRATION TESTBED DEFINITION SYNOPSIS A -- INTRODUCTION: Armstrong Laboratory (AL/CFA (CCDT)) is interested in receiving white papers on the research effort described below. This Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA) is a full and open solicitation and is effective until 19 Apr 97. White papers in response to this announcement may be submitted any time during this period, however, responses within the first 20 days are strongly encouraged. White papers must be received at the designated office by 3:00 p.m., Central Time, 19 Apr 97. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. There will be no other solicitation issued and offerors should be alert for any PRDA amendments that may be published. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME. Offerors are required to submit an original and five (5) copies of a ten (10) page or less, white paper formatted as follows: Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Name of Company; Section B: Task Objective; and Section C: Technical Summary. Send the original to: HSC/PKRC, ATTN: Linda Gray, 8005 9th Street, Brooks AFB, TX 78235-5353 and five copies to: AL/CFP, ATTN: Linda Lange, 2245 Monahan Way, Building 29, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OH 45433-7008. Pages over the ten page limit will be removed from the white paper and will not be evaluated. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of the offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government. Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this PRDA announcement may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a contract. Offerors who do not submit white papers are not precluded from submitting technical and cost proposals. Complete instructions for proposal preparation can be found at the following website: http://www.brooks.af.mil/HSC/PKA/rfp.htm B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: Research is needed to establish design integration methods and technology usable for quantifying future crew system performance requirements, and also usable for quantifying the cost effectiveness of the crew system within the context of simulated system alternatives and operational mission environments. The end goal is to achieve a significant advance in the state-of-the-art of crew system engineering technology, whereby the contribution of the crew system to the overall mission effectiveness is well-understood, quantified, and data underpinning that contribution can be used throughout development, beginning with the Analysis of Alternatives. Research and development to accomplish the goal must: (a) represent human behavior within the simulated operational context, (b) represent the human-system interface, (c) represent the environment, typified by the electronic battlefield, (d) formally estimate the risk and cost of crew system design integration alternatives, (e) include explicit human performance measures and metrics,(f) project system effectiveness at the engineering and operational mission levels, and (g) provide effective means to capture, store and retrieve crew performance data. Conceptually, an Operator Integration Testbed may be one way to demonstrate how those specific objectives can be achieved. This Testbed concept represents an operationally-credible means to quantify future crew system performance and engineering requirements, using data obtained from the best combination of constructive system analysis and real-time operational mission simulation. The contemplated work will focus and exploit modeling and simulation (M&S) technologies toward achieving the end goal stated above, and leverage on-going DOD M&S standardization efforts to ensure inter-operability with distributed simulation and with related DOD-accepted technologies. The technology advanced by this work should be capable of yielding crew system performance data that supports the Analysis of Alternatives process, as well as data that can beincluded within mission needs statements and operational requirements documents. Technologies to be developed and/or demonstrated include human modeling, human-in-the-loop simulation, distributed interactive simulation, a process for quantifying crew system requirements, and the means to better use crew performance data for performing design integration. The technical scope includes five activities. First, a baseline process for establishing crew system requirements will be formed and analyzed to identify process improvements. Second, the work will provide an authoritative representation of the crew system behavior within a DOD-accepted modeling architecture. Extensions to the Joint Modeling and Simulation System (J-MASS) architecture to allow encapsulation of human behavior and human model components can be considered, but the selected modeling architecture must not be proprietary and must be appropriate to the "case studies" described below. Third, a real-time operational mission simulation will be configured for use in case studies described below. Fourth, the work will apply the recommended human modeling and human-in-the-loop simulation technologies in two separate operational contexts, using case studies demonstrating the ability to inter-relate and quantify specific measures of human performance with appropriate measures of system effectiveness. The operational contexts will be selected from a trade study to be performed. The case studies will demonstrate the proof-of-concept feasibility of an Operator Integration Testbed. Fifth, the work will prepare design and performance specifications for an Operator Integration Testbed, suitable for a follow-on advanced technology demonstration program. Existing facilities, models and simulations will be used to the maximum extent practical, to define and demonstrate both the testbed's concept and feasibility prototypes of its key components. Development of a deliverable Operator Integration Testbed is beyond the scope of the contemplated contract. Additional information is contained in a supplemental package which may be accessed at the following website: http://www.brooks.af.mil/HSC/PKA/rfp.htm. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items shall be proposed: (a) Status Report; (b) Funds and Manhour Expenditure Report; (c) Project Planning Chart; (d) Presentation Material; (e) Technical Reports; (f) Software Documentation; (g) Conference Reporting. (3) Security Requirements: Offerors must possess facility and personnel clearance at Secret level. Further information can be found in the supplemental package. (5) Other Special Requirements: International Trade in Arms Restrictions apply. (6) Notice to Foreign-Owned Firms: Foreign contractors should be aware that restrictions apply which preclude their participation in this acquisition. (7) Data subject to export control constraints may be involved and only firms with export license will be allowed access to such data. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) The estimated dollar amount of an award is expectedto range from $3,500,000.00 to $4,000,000.00 with a period of technical performance of approximately 30 months and up to 4 months for processing/completion of the final report. (2) Government Furnished Property: None contemplated. (3) Preparation Cost: This announcement does not commit the Government to pay for any response preparation cost. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this PRDA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting or any other contract. However, it may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost as specified in FAR 31.205-18. (4) Every effort will be made to protect the confidentiality of the white papers and any evaluations. The offeror must mark the white papers with a protective legend IAW FAR 52.215-12. (5) Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or proposals are not desired. (6) Awards under this PRDA announcement may be either a contract, grant or cooperative agreement. Grants and cooperative agreements will be awarded on a Cost, No Fee basis. Contracts will be awarded on a Cost Plus Fixed Fee basis. Offerors must have an accounting system adequate for Cost type contracts. (7) As defined in DFARS 252.227-7013, all technical data and computer software shall be delivered with unlimited rights. All exceptions will be identified in offeror's proposal. (8) Size Status: For the purpose of this acquisition, the size standard is 500 employees (SIC 8731). D -- BASIS FOR AWARD: (1) The selection of one or more sources for award will be based on an evaluation of an offeror's proposal (both technical and cost aspects), to determine the overall merit of the proposal in response to this announcement. The technical aspect, which is ranked as the first order of priority, shall be evaluated based on the following criteria which are of equal importance: (a) experience and qualifications; (b) understanding the effort; and (c) soundness of offeror's technical approach. Management is ranked as the second order of priority. Cost is ranked as the third order of priority. No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting the proposals. The same evaluation criteria will be used to determine whether white papers submitted are consistent with the intent of this PRDA announcement. (2) Proposals will be evaluated as they are received. Individual proposal evaluations will be based on acceptability or non-acceptability without regard to other proposals submitted under this announcement. Options are discouraged and unpriced options will not be considered for award. The Air Force reserves the right to select for award of a contract, cooperative agreement or grant any, all, part, or none of the proposals received. E-POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) Technical questions should be directed to: Capt Scott Smith, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7607 (937) 255-8914. (2) Questions on proposal preparation and contracting/cost issues should be directed to: HSC/PKRC, ATTN: Linda Gray, 8005 9th Street, Brooks AFB, TX 78235-5353; TEL: (210) 536-6324; E-MAIL: linda.gray@pkrccmail.brooks.af.mil or the Contracting Officer. (3) Contracting Officer for this acquisition is Susan L. Day, HSC/PKRC, Brooks AFB, TX TEL: (210) 536-2165; E-MAIL: susan.day@pkrccmail.brooks.af.mil. Offerors are advised that only contracting officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit the government. An Ombudsman has been appointed 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 project manager or the contracting officer, but to communicate contractor concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations to the appropriate government personnel. Potential offerors are encouraged to first communicate with the contracting officer before contacting the Ombudsman. When requested, the Ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The Ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals or in the selection process. Interested parties are invited to call Human Systems Center Ombudsman, Mr. Emile Baladi at (210) 536-2903. (0083)

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