18 -- ADVANCED EXTREMELY HIGH FREQUENCY (AEHF) SYSTEM DEFINITION AND ENGINEERING, MANUFACTURING AND DEVELOPMENT (EMD) INDUSTRY DAYS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION. As part of formulating the acquisition strategy for the Advanced Extremely High Frequency (AEHF) Military Satellite Communications (MILSATCOM) system, the MILSATCOM Joint Program Office plans to host a series of Government/Industry Interchange Conferences. The MILSATCOM Joint Program Office plans to award two competitive contracts for a System Definition phase with a downselect to one contract for the Engineering and Manufacturing Development phase. Notices for future conferences will be sent only to those companies responding to this announcement. The goal of the first meeting is to get industry feedback on the scope, contract type and schedule for the upcoming System Definition and EMD phases of the AEHF program. Successive meetings will address other AEHF System Definition and EMD phase issues. The conference will be held on 17 Feb 98 at The Aerospace Corporation, 2420 Vela Way, El Segundo CA, Building A-8, starting at 8:30 AM. The scope of this UNCLASSIFIED conference will include a government presentation and open discussions. Interested parties please contact Maj Tom Barth at (310) 336-4998 or Capt Jay Schatz at (310) 336-4944, SMC/MCX by 9 Feb 98. Visit requests must be sent by 9 Feb 98 to SMC/MCX Attn: Capt Jay Schatz. They can be faxed to (310) 336-4905 or sent to 2420 Vela Way, Suite 1467-A8, El Segundo, CA 90245-4659. Responders are cautioned that only contracting officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. This request is for information and planning purposes only, not a request for proposal, and does not commit the Government to pay for preparation costs. Respondents are advised that no contract will be awarded solely on the basis of a response hereto or any follow-up information subsequently submitted. This information will be used to develop an acquisition plan for the AEHF System Definition and EMD phases. A subsequent announcement in the Commerce Business Daily will be published prior to the issuance of any RFP. See Note 26.

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