Defense Information Systems Agency, DITCO-NCR, 701 South Court House Road, Arlington, VA 22204-2199

D -- DISN SATELLITE TRANSMISSION SERVICES -- GLOBAL!!! POC Contact: Ms. Karen Erickson, Contracting Officer, (703)681-6496 This is a Request for Information (RFI) issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is conducting market research to determine sources capable of satisfying the government's requirements, availability of commercial satellite services and items, the extent such commercial services or items are suitable to meet the Government's needs, and to to determine the practices of firms engaged in producing, distributing and supporting domestic and international commercial products and services in fulfilling its mission to provide the DoD with the degree of network control necessary to ensure rapid response to the needs of warfighters engaged in dynamic and often unpredictable missions. The information gathered will be used to support a Defense Information System Network (DISN) Satellite Transmission Services -- Global (DSTS-G) Request for Proposal (RFP) anticipated to be released in October 1999. The government will not pay for any effort expended in responding to this notice. A synopsis notifying industry of release of a final RFP will be published in the Commerce Business Daily. The DSTS-G is planned to provide a commercial-based private Department of Defense (DoD) satellite network to support the DoD's general-purpose service requirements for fixed satellite applications. It is contemplated that the DSTS-G will be a service-based, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract with one or more contractors. Interested sources should provide literature and other written materials to adequately describe their capabilities and the products proposed to satisfy the following requirements: (1) Global fixed satellite service (FSS) C- and Ku-band bandwidth, and when commercially available transponded Ka-band satellite bandwidth, in fractional and full transponder increments on short and long-term service leases providing, in aggregate worldwide coverage from 65 degrees North to 65 degrees South; (2) Integrated SATCOM Services, including terminals at one or both ends, including specialized Hub-Spoke VSAT services, such as DAMA Point-of-Sale, Payroll, and Logistics transaction services; Unit Tracking Services, such as Omni-Tracs; and end-to-end Integration Services; (3) Fixed and deployable leased earth terminal services, leased earth terminal contractor operation and maintenance services, optional leased terminal contractor staffing, and leased commercial teleport services; leased contractor operated common user hub terminals integrated with DISN Military Band Teleports; (4) All necessary U.S. and foreign bandwidth and terminal licenses and approvals; (5) Optional terrestrial interconnection services; (6) Optional specialized host nation agreement negotiating support; (7) Optional systems engineering support; (8) End-to-end service management, including provisioning, status and accounting services integrated with the DISN Global and Regional Network Operation and Security Centers; service bandwidth and terminal service monitor & control (M&C); remote terminal M&C; as well as all configuration, performance, fault, security and accounting management functions. Services are to complement the current CSCI transponder contract. Services will support fixed, transportable and mobile user terminals; and (9) Plans to offer processed Ka-band services, when commercially available. All respondents to this RFI shall identify their capability to (a) Obtain the necessary international agreements (i.e., host nation approvals, landing rights, operating agreements, site licenses, frequency clearances, and connection approvals) for operating the DSTS-G network in foreign countries; (b) Advise the government on best choice of satellite transponders, assist the government in planning leased satellite transponder networks; provide comprehensive analysis of potential electromagnetic interference (EMI) problems; assist in transponder, network and link planning and operations; configuring and maintaining government provided terminals; possess the requisite tools and expertise to properly assess the loading of the satellite transponders; and assist the government in the satellite link design development; (c) Obtain satellite bandwidth from all NTISSP-1 compliant satellite operators (generally most U.S. domestic operators, Columbia Communications, INTELSAT, Orion, and PanAmSat) and other satellite operators and to establish firm fixed price services on a domestic and regional basis; and (d) Offer other current services (such as narrowband digital audio broadcast services, narrowband satellite-based store and forward messaging services) and to offer in the future new emerging processed FSS broadband services. All services and systems proposed shall be certified Y2K compliant. A draft Performance Work Statement and draft initial Service Order will be placed on the DISA/DITCO home page, http://www.ditco.disa.mil on or about 23 August 1999. The Point of Contact (POC) for technical issues concerning this announcement is Bob Clayton, DISA/D216 at (703) 681-0108. The POC for contractual issues is Ms. Karen Erickson, Contracting Officer, DISA/DITCO-NCR/DTN at (703) 681-6496, Fax (703) 681-6625. Proprietary information should be identified as such. To be considered, responses must be submitted no later than 10 September 1999 and must include one original, ten hard copies and one electronic copy in MS Word 7.0. Responses should be sent to Ms. Karen Erickson, DISA/DITCO-NCR/DTN, 5113 Leesburg Pike, Room 302, Falls Church, VA 22041-3204. Responses should include the Company Name, Street Address, City, State, nine-digit Zip Code, POC, POC telephone and facsimile numbers. If the company address includes a post office box, a complete street address should also be provided. Respondents shall classify their business size using the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC)4899. Posted 08/18/99 (W-SN369518). (0230)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0026 19990820\D-0013.SOL)