W -- UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM TO SUPPORT WILDFIRE AND FOREST INVENTORY ASSESSMENT MAPPING

This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for commercial items prepared in accordance with the format in Subpart 12.6, as supplemented with additional information included in this notice. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation; quotes/offerors are being requested and a written solicitation will not be issued. The USDA Forest Service is soliciting quotes/offerors for the following requirement: The Forest Service desires to lease a close-range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) system to provide thermal IR mapping support to wildfire incidents during the 2007 wildfire season. The solicitation number for this procurement is AG-84N8-S-07-0016. This solicitation is issued as a Request for Quotation (RFQ). Offers are due no later than 4:30 P.M. local time, Friday, April 6, 2007, and shall be submitted to: USDA Forest Service, Utah Procurement Center, 2nd floor, 2222 W. 2300 S. Salt Lake City, Utah 84119. PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATIONS FOR AN UNMANNED AIRCRAFT SYSTEM TO SUPPORT WILDFIRE and FOREST INVENTORY ASSESSMENT MAPPING 1.0 INTRODUCTION The USDA Forest Service is currently examining the need for a close-range Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) system a.) to provide thermal IR mapping support to wildfire incidents during the 2007 wildfire season, b.) to provide communication relay support to wildfire incidents during the 2007 wildfire season, and c.) to provide a stable platform for forest inventory mapping for a mapping project in Nevada. The following specifications provide the expected requirements for equipment and operational support in these challenging environments. Scope The scope of this performance specification includes the requirements for a complete UAS system over the intended usage period of the system (July through September, 2007). 1.1 Intended and Desired Use The primary intended use of the selected UAS system will be to provide tactical thermal imaging and communications support to a wildfire incident command during extended attack. The site and dates for deployment will be determined during the early stages of the fire season. The expected location of wildfire incident support will likely be in the Rocky Mountain States and west. The secondary desired use of the selected UAS system will be to acquire high resolution imagery over selected forest inventory assessment locations in central Nevada. The exact sites and dates for deployment will be agreed upon by the service vendor and the Forest Service. In order to support wildfire and forest inventory mapping and monitoring, the following are attributes, features, or goals that are desirable by the Forest Service: Desired Future Condition: Ability to interoperate with remote receiver stations currently in use in other ?all risk environments? (i.e., compatibility with Homeland Security and Air National Guard). Provide for the development of Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs). 2.0 APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS Applicability. The following documents form part of this Performance Based Specification (PBS) to the extent specified herein, and are supportive of the PBS when referenced in Section 3.0 -REQUIREMENTS; all other document references are to be considered supplemental information only. Unless otherwise specified, the issue or amendment of documents effective for this contract shall be the current approved version that is in effect on the date of issuance of the Request for Proposal (RFQ). In the event of a conflict between the documents referenced herein and the contents of the Statement of Work (SOW), then the contents of the SOW shall take precedence. Nothing in this document, however, supersedes applicable laws and regulations unless a specific exemption has been obtained. 3.0 REQUIREMENTS 3.1 Performance Characteristics 3.1.1 Unmanned Airborne System Requirements 3.1.1.1 System Performance ? General 3.1.1.1.1 System shall provide persistent surveillance, capable of continuous sustained, 8-hour per day operations. System shall provide one surge capability of 16 hours per day for a 10-day period during any 30-day cycle, followed by an operator/crew and maintenance recovery period. 3.1.1.1.2 Desired condition: System requires no more than four operators/maintainers to operate and maintain the system. 3.1.1.1.3 System shall be capable of operating in temperatures ranging from 30-120 degrees Fahrenheit 3.1.1.1.4 System shall be readily transportable by full size pickup truck. A truck with command trailer attached is also acceptable. 3.1.1.1.5 All major subassemblies of the system shall require no more than a two-person lift (150 lbs) 3.1.1.1.6 The geospatial location accuracy of the acquired thermal imagery shall be provided to within less 10 meters (circular error) 3.1.1.1.7 The system shall be Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 (or above). TRL 7 is defined as a system prototype that has been demonstrated in a high-fidelity environment, with most system functionality available for demonstration and test, well integrated operational hardware/software systems, most software bugs removed, and all available documentation provided. 3.1.1.2 System Performance ? The Unmanned Airborne System: 3.1.1.2.1 shall be capable of Eight (Threshold) ? Twelve (Objective) hours flight endurance. 3.1.1.2.2 shall be capable of flight at 15,000 ft Density Altitude (DA). Typical mission altitudes will be between 500-3,000 feet Above Ground Level (AGL). 3.1.1.2.3 The UAS and/or GCS software shall also be capable of recognizing that the altitude requested by the operator is lower than the terrain the UAS is expected to fly over and provide appropriate warnings to the operator. During flight, the UAS shall: perform automatic loiter on command (orbit) capability; execute lost-link procedures to attempt to reacquire the link in the event of data link loss; be capable of returning to a preplanned recovery area in the event of failure of reacquisition of data link. 3.1.1.2.4 shall provide Modular Mission Payload (MMP) capability. As a minimum, one payload type shall provide Electro-Optical (EO) capability, and one payload type shall provide Infrared (IR) capability. The Electro-Optical (EO) payload shall be (Threshold) mechanically gimbaled and stabilized with zoom controlled by GCS operator. The Infrared (IR) payload shall be (Threshold) mechanically gimbaled and stabilized. Zoom capability (Objective), if applicable, shall be controlled by GCS operator. Other payload desired: a comms payload (eg. Transpeater). 3.1.1.2.5 shall provide the capability to launch and recover in headwinds (0-25 knots) and crosswinds (0-15 knots) at a minimum. 3.1.1.2.6 shall provide the capability of sending telemetry data and full motion video to the GCS. Telemetry data format shall not be in a proprietary format, and the Contractor shall release as a minimum all rights to the telemetry and imagery (frame camera and video) files. This information and data becomes the property of the USDA Forest Service upon acquisition. 3.1.1.2.7 shall employ FAA approved anti-collision lights (visible navigation light). 3.1.1.2.8 shall be capable of airspeeds between 40?60 knots (true airspeed) 3.1.1.2.9 shall employ a meteorological sensor suite that measures and provides necessary flight data to operate the air vehicle. 3.1.1.2.10 shall have a high visibility paint applied to the fuselage and wings for improved visibility from the ground. 3.1.1.2.11 shall provide a real-time fuel level indication of fuel remaining in the air vehicle to the ground control station. 3.1.1.3 System Performance - The Ground Control Station (GCS): 3.1.1.3.1 shall consist of subassemblies that require no more than a two-person lift (to include the UAS). 3.1.1.3.2 optionally provide automated mission planning functions for the UAS. 3.1.1.3.3 optionally provide capability for full system mission simulations. 3.1.1.3.4 shall create, record and distribute digitized annotated freeze frame imagery (jpeg files and National Imagery Transmission Format (NITF) files) to the Incident Command and Control network architecture as required. 3.1.1.3.5 shall provide automatic system safeguards to prevent unsafe or uncontrolled flight prior to launch. 3.1.1.3.6 optionally display streaming stabilized imagery with annotation. 3.1.1.3.7 shall, during flight, provide aircraft health and status information with warnings and cautions when normal parameters are exceeded. 3.1.1.3.8 optionally provide object tracking capability for extended periods of time reducing operator workload. 3.1.1.3.9 shall provide a capability to output UAS video data and UAS metadata. Video data format shall be in a current open standard, such as MPEG-4. Video data shall be available at a standard output port of the GCS, such as IEEE 1394 or RJ-45 Ethernet. Metadata format and periodicity shall be documented such that a data archive and retrieval system can effectively use the data. Metadata and video formats shall NOT be proprietary as per industry standards. 3.1.1.4 System Performance - The Mission Modular Payloads (MMPs) 3.1.1.4.1 shall provide Electro-Optical (EO) payload with zoom capability, which shall be (Threshold) mechanically gimbaled and stabilized. A Laser Range Finder (LRF) or comparable method of range finding shall be incorporated into the payload. The Infrared (IR) payload shall be mechanically gimbaled and stabilized with incorporated IR marker. A Range Finding capability shall be incorporated using the payload. Zoom IR capability is desired, with zoom controlled by GCS operator. Range finding to targets of interest will optionally be integrated with the airborne GPS in order to provide spatial location accuracy to 10 meters or less. The IR sensor shall be capable of providing actionable intelligence, (e.g., geoposition of perimeters and hotspots). 3.1.1.4.2 optionally provide imagery that is stabilized either by mechanical or electronic means or both. 3.1.1.4.3 optionally have the capability for automated object tracking. 3.1.1.4.4 optionally provide capability to slew the central field of view to coordinates provided by the operator. 3.1.1.4.4 shall provide a modular transpeater communications package allowing the UAS to act as a communications relay platform. Frequencies will be allocated by the Forest Service prior to deployment in the field. 3.1.1.5 System Performance - The Data Link (DL): 3.1.1.5.1 shall reside in the frequency ranges selected and approved by the NIFC National Interagency Incident Communications Division (NIICD), and to be coordinated in advance with Steve Jenkins, Chief of NIICD. 3.1.1.5.2 shall provide a 25 NM radius of operation (line-of-sight permitting) from controlling GCS to UAS (and vice versa) without relay from other UAS or surface relay antennae. 3.1.1.5.3 shall operate on a not-to-interfere basis in the electromagnetic environment in the Incident Command theater of operations. 3.1.1.5.4 shall be capable of simultaneous transmission and reception of command up-link and sensors/UAS telemetry down-link using discrete, selectable frequencies. 3.1.1.5.5 shall provide payload data from the UAS to UAS GCS. Contractor shall provide periodicity of each data type. 3.1.1.6 System Performance - The Remote Receive Terminal (RRT): 3.1.1.6.1 optional RRT to be backpack-transportable and able to be set-up (including antenna and cabling) and operated by no more than one fire fighter. Total weight: 10 lbs or less (Objective). 3.1.1.6.2 optionally receive-only direct down-link EO/IR imagery and all associated annotations from the UAS antenna when within five NM of the UAS (Threshold). 3.1.1.6.3 shall comply with level 2 of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Standardization Agreement l (STANAG) 4586. 3.1.1.7 System Performance - The Launch / Recovery of the UA: 3.1.1.7.1 shall be fully autonomous and include a landing wave-off function. 3.1.1.7.2 shall be executed from an austere, unprepared surface. System shall operate within a forested environment (e.g., requirement to launch/recover with obstacles, 100 ft or less in height, in the immediate launch/recovery area). 3.1.1.7.3 shall minimize launch and recovery equipment to the maximum extent feasible. Appendix: Government Standards ? For Reference Only NAVAIRINST 13034.1C Flight Clearances for Unmanned Aviation Systems, MIL-STD-882D System Safety MIL-STD-461E Requirements for the Control of Electromagnetic Interference Characteristics of Subsystems and Equipment, MIL-STD-810F Environmental Engineering Considerations and Laboratory Tests DoDD 4650.1 Management and Use of the Radio Frequency Spectrum Interested bidders should submit their bid broken out into ferry costs to and from area of operations, daily operation costs for fire support mission,expect 2 to 4 days on site support of fire mapping, and daily operation costs for Forest Health Mission in Nevada, expect 2 to 3 days on site. The Synopsis/solicitation document and incorporated provisions and clauses are those in effect through Federal Acquisition Circular 2005-15. This is a small business set-aside. The NAIC code is: 336411. The size standard is 1,500 employees. The following FAR provisions apply to this acquisition: 52.212-1, Instructions to Offerors Commercial Items, and 52.212-2, Evaluation of Commercial Items, applies to the acquisition. Offerors shall include a completed copy of FAR provision 52.212-3, Offeror Representations Certifications Commercial Items, and furnish Offeror?s Federal Tax Identification Number, Central Contractor Registration Number, DUNS Number. FAR Clauses 52.212-4, Contract Terms and Conditions Commercial Items and 52.212-5, Contract Terms and Conditions Required Implementing Statutes of Executive Orders Commercial Items apply to this acquisition. Quotes and submittals will be evaluated on bidder?s past performance, aircraft and proposed payload specifications,including how long the system has been on the market, aircraft?s performance record, and cost. For technical clarifications contact Everett Hinkley at (801) 975-3752 or Tom Zajkowski at (801) 975-3758. The resulting contract will be in the format of a Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA). NOTE: AMENDMENT NO. 3 Please see below the questions and answer to this solicitation: Section 3.1.1.2.4 - In this section, a desire for a UAV-based communications transpeater is stated, however no additional details are provided for the communications system(s) that are to be supported. Is it possible to receive more details on the desired communications transpeater, specifically: - On what frequency does the communications system operate? - Are there existing transpeater devices currently in use by USDA to ?bounce? wildfire support communications in this fashion? - Will the associated radio be provided, and if not, what radio(s) (make/model) are being used in wildfire support? Answer: This is the link to the transpeater that we have used in the past (similar equivalent equipment is acceptable): http://www.transcrypt.com/download?id=7394 The following link is to the Nation Incident Radio Support Cache User's Guide, this document provides the information needed in detail: http://www.fs.fed.us/fire/niicd/docs/2006_users_guide.pdf The FS and BLM radios, repeaters etc operate between 162 MHz and 174 MHz Approved radios can be found here: http://www.fireradios.net/ We will supply radios to the winning vendor. 2. Section 3.1.1.2.5, our maximum is 15 knots for headwind and 8 knots for crosswind. Would this performance be considered acceptable? Answer: Section 3.1.1.2.5 reads: "shall provide the capability to launch and recover in headwinds (0-25 knots) and crosswinds (0-15 knots) at a minimum." This means that we desire aircraft that can launch in headwinds up to 25 knots, and crosswinds up to 15 knots. 3. Section 3.1.1.2.8, our maximum airspeed is 30 ? 34 knots with maximum winds at flight altitude of 25 knots. Would this performance be considered acceptable? Answer: Section 3.1.1.2.8 reads: "shall be capable of airspeeds between 40 to 60 knots (true airspeed)". Our desire is to have an aircraft whose maximum airspeed falls within this window. 4. Section 3.1.1.5.1, would it be possible to provide these frequencies or provide more detail on the UAS frequencies? Answer: This specification is in reference to the data link. The preferred frequencies for data links are 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz. For other frequencies, please contact the POC (E. Hinkley) for this solicitation. 5. Section 3.1.1.7.2, generally speaking, would the overall width of the launch and recovery areas be a typical forestry road with stands of trees immediately adjacent to the road or could we expect to launch and recovery in areas with 20-40 feet on either side of the landing area? Answer: We will generally be launching from an unimproved surface in a field or road. We will be looking for launch locations that provide ample clearance to the side and to each end of the launch area. 6. In order to comply with the need to conduct Transpeater operations we would like to know what radio band is most desired so that we can configure the aircraft?s payload. Answer: See answer to 1 above. 7. Is it considered more desireable to fly the IR mapping mission at night with the transpeater mission taking place during the day; or is the intent to fly both missions at the same time during the day or night? Answer: We do wish to fly the IR mapping at night. The transpeater mission can be flown either day (optional) or night (certain). 8. Is it considered desirable for the vendor to provide a radiometric map of the fire(s) as a product, such as that provided by one vendor during last year?s USFS/NASA demonstration? Answer: Our primary desire is to have image products which show the location of fire in the incident area. The thermal sensors generally show fire as white hot against a panchromatic background (shades of grey). Anything over and above this primary desire is appreciated, but not necessary. 9. Is it considered desirable for the system to be SAVDS compatible, or for the vendor to be able to provide their own Sense-and-Avoid system for airspace de-confliction? Answer: SAVDS compatibility is desirable, but not mandatory for this solicitation. To inquire about the Sense and Avoid Display System (SAVDS), please contact Dr. Stan Herwitz (sherwitz@mail.arc.nasa.gov / 650-604-2192 (office) / www.uav-applications.org). 10. Is there a schedule of projected modifications to the Solicitation? Answer: No. We hope to have no further modifications to the solicitation. 11. In determining if day and/or night operations are most desired, is it desirable for the systems to be capable of operations beyond the 12 hour endurance to 16 hours in order to incorporate both day and night missions while still meeting the surge operations request with a single flight? Answer: Duration beyond 12 hours is not needed for this solicitation. 12. Is there a desire to stream the image/data via a vendor-supplied satelite-based internet connection directly to a command post, fire center, or USFS office in another state or location? Answer: Desirable, but not mandatory for the purposes of this demonstration.