59 -- Request for Information/Interested bidders for follow-on production of AMPCD (color display for F/A-18 and AV-8B aircraft)

**All documents associated with this notice and the solicitation of this effort will be posted under the new solicitation number N00019-02-R-3225. Please check for all current information under this new solicitation number.** The Naval Air Systems Command, Air Combat Electronics Program Office (PMA209) is seeking information from interested bidders for the follow-on production contract to meet the 2004 and subsequent procurements of the ID-2575/AYQ-25(V) Advanced Multipurpose Color Display (AMPCD), the replacement for the existing Multipurpose Color Display installed in the AV-8B and F/A-18C/D. The AMPCD is a form, fit, and functional interface replacement to the existing MPCD and utilizes Advanced Matrix Liquid Crystal Display (AMLCD) technology. This procurement is currently supported by an Organizational to OEM maintenance philosophy but may eventually require organic depot support. The projected procurement quantity range is 50-1000 units over the total potential five-year period, plus the associated equipment and documentation. The Navy will consider product and qualification information from other sources that have existing products that can satisfy the program requirements. Interested sources must be able to demonstrate their ability to: satisfy existing program form, fit, function, and interface (F3I) requirements for both F/A-18C/D and AV-8B; provide formal test results to demonstrate that the product meets all operational, environmental and reliability requirements, meet the targeted systems availability for flight test in fiscal year 2003 and delivery in fiscal year 2004; and deliver production units which meet all contract requirements to support the existing platforms integration schedules. Interested sources shall submit their responses with the following minimum information addressed: product descriptions including Day, Night and Night Vision Imaging System (NVIS) capability, test schedules for qualification and reliability demonstration testing, logistics support and affordable readiness concepts, reliability predictions that shows how the product will meet an MTBF of 2500 hours or greater, warranty proposals, Built-In-Test predictions to include performance projections and actuals, past experience with similar products, quality assurance program description, parts selection and control process, software and hardware configuration control process, and manufacturing capacity. Interested sources should also include the following cost information in their submission: projected unit costs for quantities ranging from minimum to maximum quantities assuming a minimum of 25 and a maximum of up to 200 units per year. In addition, the Navy would like interested sources to provide responses to the following specific questions: 1. Is the proposed display an existing design or is some developmental effort required to meet all requirements? 2. If some development is required, when do you anticipate having this development complete, including qualification testing? How much redesign and/or re-layout of boards is required to achieve the F3I requirement? 3. What similar efforts (i.e., reduction of form, interface changes, etc.) has the company undertaken successfully in the past? What level of testing has been accomplished to date on the unit? 4. How do you plan to manage hardware and software configurations for parts obsolescence, and future improvements? Were reliability predictions performed during the development of your system? 5. If so, what prediction models were used and what was the predicted reliability? 6. How has the fielded reliability of your equipment compared to the laboratory reliability for similar products? 7. What process did you use for measuring field reliability? 8. Was a thermal and/or vibration analysis performed on this design? 9. What were the results? What failure modes were detected during reliability testing? 10. Do you possess the technical skills and abilities to establish and maintain a repair of repairables and commercial depot program for the items under consideration? What specific areas does the company perceive as the highest risk of this effort? 11. What research was conducted to ensure the system provides acceptable symbology and video brightness for all colors under all lighting conditions? 12. What research was conducted to ensure the system provides acceptable NVIS performance, including black background emissions? Submissions should be in the format of a capabilities statement, and should be no more than 20 pages in length. Interested sources should submit their responses in writing, electronic submission preferred, within forty-five (45) days of the date of this announcement. Telephone and other oral means of requesting information will not be permitted. All correspondence relating to this matter should be directed to contact@example.gov, or via postal service to Dee Peters, Naval Air Systems Command, AIR-2.4.2.4.8, 47123 Buse Road, Room 256, Patuxent River, MD 20670-1547, or by facsimile to +1 (555) 000-0000. The Navy will not pay for product research, development, qualification testing, re-packaging, re-design and/or information received in response to this announcement. The Navy may use support contractor employees from DCS Incorporated, Eagan McAllister Associates, Inc., ARINC, and Battelle to assist in reviewing the responses received under this announcement. The Navy reserves the right to conduct on-site surveys and fact-finding sessions with interested sources for the purposes of evaluating facilities and products under consideration. Additional cost information may be requested during the fact-finding sessions. To assist interested sources in preparing their response, the following document is available upon request: AMC&D Performance Specification Rev. G (includes information which is applicable to the MPCD) All information received in response to this announcement will be kept confidential.