Dahlgren Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, 17320 Dahlgren Road, Dahlgren, VA 22448-5100

B -- TECHNICAL & ENGINEERING SUPPORT FOR OPTIMIZATION OF THE COMBAT SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT FOR WARFIGHTERS AT REDUCED MANNING LEVELS SOL N00178-98-Q-2018 POC Connie Bible, Code SD128, (540) 653-7942 WEB: NSWCDD Procurement Division Homepage, http://www.nswc.navy.mil/supply. E-MAIL: Questions concerning the synopsis, sd12@nswc.navy.mil. This is a Sources Sought Announcement for an upcoming NSWCDD competitive acquisition to be set-aside according to Navy acquisition policies in the following order of precedence 8(a), Small Disadvantaged (SDB), Small Business. If two or more sources cannot be identified from the set-aside categories, then the solicitation will be issued on an unrestricted basis. The applicable SIC code for this acquisition is 8711, the size standard is $20M. This acquisition will provide technical and engineering support to achieve optimal manning strategies for all operational and training systems for the Navy to enhance warfighting capability and reduce costs. The contractor will be required to support taskings for the following DOD activities, the Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division, Orlando, FL, the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren Division, Dahlgren, VA, and the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego, CA. The acquisition will result in a five year Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contract to provide technologies and procedures to optimize a combat system's environment for the warfighter at reduced manning levels. Human performance models, metrics, and tools developed under this contract will be valuable in the impact assessments of new and existing Navy systems as well as in technology evaluation of other affordability initiatives. The contract will provide technical and engineering support for the development of human performance models and performance measures that will be incorporated into tools that will support the optimization and affordability of new combat system platform designs. The tools will incorporate human performance issues including methods for knowledge engineering, cognitive task analysis, functional allocation, human requirements analysis, training needs assessment, performance measurement design, decision support design, and system/task design. There will be two mandatory requirements for this acquisition that must be met: (1) The contractor must have a facility with a SECRET facility clearance, and (2) The contractor's key personnel must have a security clearance of SECRET. Work is planned to begin on 1 October 1998 and will require a staff of approximately 16 full time and 3 part-time personnel -- Senior Systems/Project Engineer 1,Analyst/Software Specialist 1, Scientist 1, System Engineer 3, Computer Programming Analyst 3, Software Engineer 3, Computer Programmer 2, Research Assistant 2, and 3 part-time personnel Program Manager -- .50, Senior Scientist -.50, and Technical Assistant -- .75. Certain desired types and levels of experience for Key Personnel categories include the following: Program Manager Education: Masters Degree in Engineering, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, Psychology, or Business. Work Experience: should have seven years experience in research and development, problem solving, technical management, planning, life cycle support, operations and control of DOD surface combatant control systems, training and simulator technologies. Work experience should include four years at a supervisory level, including work in the development of program control and management procedures; control of various financial and administrative requirements within contract and corporate limitations; and 2 years specialized experience in defining program/project objectives and requirements; directing, coordinating and completing project efforts; interfacing with Government technical, administrative and contracting personnel; and providing financial and technical progress reports. Senior Scientist -- Education: Doctorate in Engineering, Psychology, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or other Scientific Discipline. Work Experience: should have ten years experience with emphasis on the following: Personnel shall have, for at least 2 of the following 4 research areas, (a) experience conceptualizing, designing and directing research in applied settings (including, but not limited to, Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, Joint Service, Coast Guard, NASA, FAA), (b) experience developing applied tools (including the analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation of those tools), (c) refereed publications (including books, book chapters, journal articles and conference proceedings) and/or presentations within the last five years Research Areas: 1) Human Engineering and Human Performance Modeling, with special emphasis on the development of cognitive analysis and modeling tools (including cognitive engineering techniques, knowledge acquisition, cognitive task analysis and cognitive modeling.) 2) Control Systems. Advancement in technology and engineering methodology for innovative control system concepts that are inclusive of the human. Areas of specialty include human centered design, human computer interfaces, intelligent aiding/associates, adaptive/intelligent interfaces and simulation. 3) Human-Centered Design Tools Development. Advancement in representation methodologies and tools for human centered system definition, visualization techniques, humanmodel development and integration in a distributed virtual system engineering environment. 4) Advanced Training Methodologies and Technologies. Methodologies to include scenario/event based approaches to training, which are characterized by systematic and documented links between: mission essential tasks, learning objectives, event design, performance measurement specifications, scenario generation, execution and conduct, performance measurement and analysis; and feedback. Technologies to include the automated and semi-automated capability to achieve (a) embedded training, (b)scenario generation, (c) performance recording, (d) model-based performance measurement, analysis and diagnosis, and (e) feedback. Senior Systems/Senior Project Engineer: Education: Master Degree in Engineering (Electrical, Electronic, Industrial, Human Factors, Computer, or Systems), Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or other Scientific Discipline. Work Experience: should have five years of experience in systems engineering with emphasis on human centered design and the following: (a) The ability to accomplish research, design, integration and testing, and engineering evaluation of microprocessor and mini-computer based embedded systems architectures; local area network architectures; and simulation hardware and software; as applied to the research, development and modifications of real-time software intensive naval surface combatant control systems and training simulation technologies. (b) Systems engineering design manifested by the accomplishment of; the function analysis of requirements; the synthesis of alternate system solutions; evaluations of alternate solutions and engineering decisions, supported by trade studies, analyses, and other formal techniques; and the engineering description of elements comprising the preferred, and other acceptable alternate system solutions. This systems engineering design experience shall have consisted of, a top down, iterative process inclusive of the human and may have been acquired during any phase of a control or training system life cycle. (c) The ability to decompose technical design approaches for the research, development and modification of control system, training system and simulation technologies. (d) Electronics, control system or training equipment related, software intensive embedded computer based, project engineering experience including technical management; project scheduling; planning; budgeting; resource allocation, utilization, and leveling in the research, development and modification of control system, simulation and training system technologies. Senior Computer Programming Analyst/Software Specialist: Education: Master Degree in Electrical, Electronics, Industrial, Computer, System Engineering, or Physics Work Experience: five years with emphasis on the following: (a) Computer programming analyst work experience shall include the demonstrated ability to accomplish systems research, analysis, design, development, and correctness verification of engineering computer software;data structures analysis and design; the analysis of micro and mini-computer applications utilizing embedded architectures; computer graphics software analysis and design; data flow analysis of real time network architectures; analysis and design of database contention arbitration schemes and design; systems mathematical modeling; database management systems; and information storage and retrieval techniques; as applied to real-time, military control and training systems and simulation technologies. (b) Work experience demonstrating the accomplishment of research, analysis, design, programming, production, development, and correctness verification of computer software documentation and systems in accordance with the requirements of previous military standards/current industry standards. (c) experience with Operating System (OS) research, design or modification. (d) knowledge of multiprocessor configuration and distributive processing (e) 4 years experience in program and database development in a variety of computer languages such as Ada, FORTRAN, C, C++, PASCAL, and ASSEMBLY. (f) experience in program and database development in the Java computer programming language. (g) one year of experience of a "real-time" computer-based applications project. Scientist: Education: Masters Degree in Engineering, Psychology, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or other Scientific Discipline. Work Experience: seven years experience and 2 of the 4 research areas: (a) experience conceptualizing, designing and directing research in applied settings (including, but not limited to, Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, Joint Service, Coast Guard, NASA, FAA), (b) experience developing applied tools (including the analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation of those tools), (Research Areas): (REQUIREMENTS FOR THE 4 RESEARCH AREAS ARE LISTED ABOVE IN THE SENIOR SCIENTIST CATEGORY) 1) Human Engineering and Human Performance Modeling, 2) Control Systems, 3) Human-Centered Design Tools Development, and 4) Advanced TrainingMethodologies and Technologies. Systems Engineer Education: Bachelor Degree in Engineering (Electrical, Electronic, Industrial, Computer, or Systems), Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or other Scientific Discipline. Work Experience: 5 years of experience in systems engineering with emphasis on the following: The ability to accomplish research, design, integration and testing, and engineering evaluation of microprocessor and mini-computer based embedded systems architectures; local area network architectures; and simulation hardware and software; as applied to the research, development and modifications of real-time software intensive naval surface combatant control systems and training technologies. (b) Systems engineering design manifested by the accomplishment of; the function analysis of requirements; the synthesis of alternate system solutions; evaluations of alternate solutions and engineering decisions, supported by trade studies, analyses, and other formal techniques; and the engineering description of elements comprising the preferred, and other acceptable alternate system solutions. This systems engineering design experience shall have consisted of, a top down, iterative process and may have been acquired during any phase of a control systems and training system's life cycle. Computer Programming Analyst Education: Bachelor Degree in Electrical, Electronics, Industrial, Computer, or Systems Engineering; Physics; or Computer Science Work Experience: five years related work experience with emphasis on the following: (a) Engineering level work experience shall include direct and current experience in structured analysis; research, computer software design, development, and correctness verification; micro and mini-computer applications; and data structure analysis and design; as applied to real-time, military control systems including training and simulation technologies (b) Work experience demonstrating the accomplishment of research, analysis, design, programming, production, development, and correctness verification of computer software documentation and systems in accordance with the requirements of previous military standards/current industry standards; and the ability to work with military and civilian engineers, analysts, managers, and experts from allied technical specialties. Desired types and level of experience for Non-Key Personnel categories include the following: Software Engineer: Education: Bachelor Degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, Engineering Technology, Physics, or Mathematics. Work Experience: At least 4 years of related experience with a minimum of 2 years experience in designing, programming, modifying on an engineering project directly involving computer based applications. Must have experience in the analysis of real-time computer system capabilities and in problem analysis associated with computer based applications electronics. Research Assistant: Education: Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Psychology, Computer Science, Physics, Mathematics, or other Scientific Discipline. Experience: Personnel shall have 1 year work experience and for at least 2 of the 4 following research areas: (a) experience implementing, conducting and documenting research in applied settings (including, but no limited to, Navy, Army, Air Force, Marines, Joint Service, Coast Guard, NASA, FAA). (b) experience developing applied tools (including the analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation of those tools. (Research Areas): (REQUIREMENTS FOR THE 4 RESEARCH AREAS ARE LISTED ABOVE IN THE SENIOR SCIENTIST & SCIENTIST CATEGORY) 1) Human Engineering and Human Performance Modeling, 2) Control Systems, 3)Human-Centered Design Tools Development, and 4) Advanced Training Methodologies and Technologies. Programmer: Education: Associate or Technical Degree in Computer Science Experience: Four years with emphasis on the following: (a)software problem analyses, (b) Ada, FORTRAN, C, C++, PASCAL, Java and ASSEMBLY language programming. (c) development of programs from analyses of technical data and specifications (d) real-time program development, including algorithm development, procedure simplification, mathematical integration, and Boolean algebra. (e) qualifying experience in microprocessor programming using assembly language and (f) one year's experience in either real-time scientific or control programming in an electronics systems application; input/output data formatting; or database development. Potential offerors are to submit a Capabilities Statement which contains the following as a minimum: a concise discussion of their technical understanding of the major issues relating to this acquisition; a summary of similar previous corporate experience obtained within the last three years together with contract numbers and applicable Government technical and contract points of contact with current telephone numbers; and the offeror's plan to provide trained personnel to meet personnel requirements described above. If subcontracting is contemplated, the Capabilities Statement shall contain sufficient information concerning the planned subcontracting arrangements to assure the Government that the limitations of FAR 52.219-14 can be met. These limitations require that at least 50% of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel will be expended for employees of the prime contractor. Offerors who are seeking consideration under a set aside shall include letters of agreement from all proposed subcontractors showing their concurrence with the planned arrangement and division of work. The Capabilities Statement must also address the offeror's ability to meet the mandatory requirements specified above at time of contract award. In order to assist in the Government's evaluation of the viability of either a competitive 8(a), SDB, or small business set-aside, potential offerors shall also clearly indicate their business status, if 8(a), shall note those SIC codes which are approved in their current business plan as well as the effective date and expiration date for each SIC code. Due to the planned acquisition schedule, the Capabilities Statement shall be provided to Connie Bible, Contract Specialist, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Dahlgren, VA 22448-5100 no later than 20 days after the date of this notice (Phone (540) 653-7942) (FAX (540) 653-4089). Effective 1 October 1997, solicitations and amendments will only be available on the World Wide Web at http:/www.nswc.navy.mil/supply. No hard copies will be provided. Vendors should access the NSWCDD Web site to ensure that they have downloaded all amendments. (0083)

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