A -- Symbiotic Communications (SYCO) PART 2

PRDA 04-01-IFKA. PART 2 OF 2. 11. In order to ensure a stable Phase 2 program, the Government intends to make a Key Personnel Clause a part of the contract. Proposals must stipulate the contractor's willingness to accept such a clause. PRDA Goals and Task Efforts: The purpose of this SYCO PRDA is to enable the Government to select a best-in-class Phase 2 team, which is optimally suited to build upon the research results and proof-of-concept demonstrations achieved in Phase 1, and offers an outstanding proposal for Phase 2 development and operation of the SYCO flight system. This Phase 2 PRDA is intended to result in one or more baseline awards funded in two parts over a period of performance of approximately 18 to 30 months, with the entire program totaling approximately $20 million if the costed Prototype option is exercised. The pre-CDR activities involve objective concept development and transition activities, system trade studies, risk mitigation activities and automated demonstration of HRTI/NIMA Level 4. It is anticipated that this portion of Phase 2 program will involve up to two contractor teams competing, with each incrementally funded at not more than $3.5 million. After CDR, the continuing contractor team is anticipated to be able to complete the baseline Breadboard effort for not more than an additional $4 million (for a team total of not more than $7.5 million). However if the Prototype option is exercised at CDR, the continuing contractor team will instead receive additional funding of not more than $13 million, to execute the Prototype option portion of Phase 2 (for a team total of not more than $16.5 million). An award is expected on or before 01 April 2004. The technical activities necessary for the period of performance of the anticipated award will include, but are not limited to, the following Tasks: 1. Design Studies. The contractor will conduct design studies, data analyses and system trade studies to refine and assess alternative SYCO system concepts including alternative potential signal sources (refer to the Classified Annex) and developing performance predictions. These efforts will focus on the design of a SYCO flight system and will include a Preliminary Design Review on or before 01 May 2004, and a Critical Design Review (CDR) in 1Q-FY05. Both Breadboard and Prototype designs will be carried through CDR. At the CDR, the Government will have an opportunity to review and approve the final flight system design. As explained above, at the time of CDR, the Government will make a GO/NO-GO decision on whether to proceed further with Phase 2. If the decision is positive, the Government will further decide whether to continue the baseline Breadboard flight system, or exercise the Prototype option augmentation effort. The flight system design effort will make maximum use of existing/emerging sensor and platform technologies with minimum necessary requirements for SYCO-specific modifications or upgrades. To the maximum possible extent, SYCO Phase 2 will exploit existing equipment and technology developed under Phase 1, or equivalent equipment and technology available to the contractor. For the Prototype option the flight system design should implement an end-to-end collection, processing, exploitation, analysis and product delivery architecture and capability. GMTI target location methodology and real time data delivery are key factors for demonstrations. Consequently, for Prototype manned-platform implementations, serious design consideration should be given to on-board display, exploitation, analysis and product editing capabilities. Design efforts should optimize the military utility and product delivery timelines available within the context of voice communications and a voice and data downlink to the flight system ground segment. 2. Risk Mitigation. Based on the results of the PDR and Phase 1, the contractor will conduct those pre-CDR risk mitigation, or component/subsystem engineering, activities necessary to have a credible CDR for the flight system development. The work should be encompassing enough that it provides risk mitigation no matter which follow-on activity is chosen. 3. Development. Following flight system design approval at CDR, the contractor will proceed to develop, implement, test, characterize and operate the flight system utilizing the selected signal source. This effort will be scheduled and accomplished so that the flight system is available for airborne characterization experiments, demonstrations and (for the Prototype option) limited user testing beginning in 3Q-FY06. 4. Test planning. The contractor will develop a technical Concept of Operations (CONOPS) and implementation and test plan for the flight system, including characterization and calibration. The contractor will propose specific collection campaigns to be carried out for purposes of characterizing flight system performance, demonstrating system goals and gathering additional information necessary to prove the feasibility of an operational system. 5. Demonstrations. The contractor will demonstrate HRSAR and Level 4 HRTI processing of flight data; demonstrate change detection performance; demonstrate GMTI detection and tracking of multiple targets over long dwells (more than 30 seconds); assess single-platform target location error (TLE) capability; model and estimate multi-platform TLE performance. As a part of this task, the contractor will: - Demonstrate flight system real-time operation and data delivery (Prototype option only). - Maintain and document configuration control over the flight system. - Demonstrate a preliminary terrain classification capability. - Develop a preliminary flight system Mission Planning capability and participate in limited user testing (Prototype option only). 6. Limited User Testing. If the Government selects the Prototype flight system option, limited user testing will be conducted. For proposal purposes, the requirements for military-scenario demonstrations and limited user tests are as follows: [a] The CONOPS will be consistent with the requirements and user input. Example scenarios include intelligence preparation of the battlefield/common relevant operational picture, change detection, and GMTI tracking. The offerer is required to recommend candidate scenarios. [b] Final demonstration requirements, operations areas, range services, site coordination, and target vehicles will be GFE. Candidate operations areas will be relevant to the identified Service partner. [c] The nominal demonstrations will consist of at least 12 flights made up of at least 6 3-day events with at least 2 flights per event and a total number of not more than 60 flight hours. The events may be spaced apart by several days. 7. Application Studies. Under Government supervision and control, the contractor will interact with potential Users to facilitate a successful transition to an objective system, and assist DARPA and AFRL in developing a preliminary Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) for achieving transition and POM funding for further development, i.e., SDD, of the SYCO capability. This may include developing military CONOPS, Mission Planning Architecture, and preliminary design and implementation plan, and transition plan for the integration of a SYCO sensor and communications relay suite onto candidate operational airborne platforms. It also may include assisting DARPA/AFRL in preparing for and successfully concluding negotiations for the MOA for the transition and funding of the SYCO capability to an operational system. The contractor's effort shall include, but not limited to, the refinement of system concepts and development of cost estimates for the selected operational architecture. The flight system must achieve the performance thresholds identified in the Classified Annex to this PRDA document, and in their proposal the Offerers must show by analysis and/or experimental data that the Phase 2 goals are achievable using their proposed flight system approach. In addition, the Offerer must identify critical technologies and key challenges and provide details of candidate algorithms/techniques. Simple and innovative solutions are encouraged. However, the primary objective of Phase 2 is to further develop, refine and improve upon the baseline system concept and Concept of Operations examined during Phase 1 as well as demonstrated capability in a military-like scenario. Program Reviews: The Government will review the Phase 2 contractor's efforts at Quarterly Program Reviews (QPRs). There will be a Kickoff meeting in the first month after award of contract, to discuss the contractor's detailed program plan. A Preliminary Design Review (PDR) will be held as early in Phase 2 as possible, with a goal of having a successful PDR no later that 01 May 2004. Additionally, during the flight system design effort, the Government will hold a Critical Design Review (CDR) in 1Q-FY05. QPRs will be conducted to track technical, financial and schedule performance and risk through the life of the program. At the CDR the Government will review, assess and approve the flight system final design. Additional technical meetings (including software readiness reviews, test planning and flight readiness reviews) will be conducted as required for coordination, planning and progress assessment. Program Deliverables: Program deliverables will include but will not be limited to: (a) A draft Preliminary Design Document (PDD) will be submitted at the PDR (01 May 2004), and the final PDD will be due 30 days after the Government review of the draft is complete. The PDD will describe the flight system concept, CONOPS and performance requirements, processing algorithm designs and projected system airborne collection performance. The PDD should include detailed descriptions of algorithm designs for all supported processing modes including, but not limited to, IFSAR processing, HRTI processing , HSAR processing, GMTI processing and automated mission planning. The PDD should also cover preliminary design assessments for the product generation, exploitation and distribution architecture, including the on-board display, analysis and product editing capabilities, which will be coupled via voice communications and a voice and data downlink to the flight system ground segment for final product/information distribution. The PDD should expand upon the results of the experiments and analyses carried out in Phase 1. It should also include estimates of interim performance metrics for all supported modes. It should include other results as appropriate, including target location concepts and TLE estimates. The PDD must include a WBS for the final flight system build. (b) Critical Design Document (CDD) that describes in detail the flight system hardware, processing algorithm, software and communications link designs. The draft CDD will be due at the Phase 2 CDR (1Q-FY05) and the final CDD will be due 30 days after the Government review of the draft is complete.(c) SYCO Performance Analysis Report that summarizes the results of continuing measurements and analyses and their potential impact on the long-range SYCO operational system will be due at the conclusion of Phase 2. (d) Data Processing Report providing data and results for all supported modes sufficient to enable independent Government assessment of system performance results is due by the end of contract for the base system (Q4-FY05) and before user testing for the PROTOTYPE/PROTOTYPE option (approximately Q2-FY06). (e) Phase 2 SYCO Final Report (SFR) that summarizes the results of all Phase 2 activities, including a proposed CONOP and transition plan for an operational system is due at the conclusion of Phase 2. It will include a design documentation package, documenting the final configuration of the flight system hardware and software, and reporting the final software configuration control and verification, validation and accreditation status. (f) Monthly Status Reports providing expenditure data plus a one-page summary of technical accomplishments. This report is due on the fifth working day of the following month, and will provide the contractor's best estimate of billed or billable expenditures for the reporting period and the contract as a whole. Also, and in addition to the normal billing requirements, signed information copies of all invoices must be immediately provided via fax to the DARPA ATO ADPM, Mr. Patrick Bailey. Prompt reporting of this information is required to support internal Government management needs and Congressional reporting requirements. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. PROPOSALS ARE REQUESTED. Offerors are required to submit one (1) paper original and 12 full-color paper copies (Technical/Management and Cost), plus four (4) electronic copies of the Technical/Management volumes in Portable Document Format (PDF) on IBM PC formatted CD-ROM's. Additionally, Offerors are required to submit one (1) electronic copy (in a format readable by Microsoft Word 2000, i.e. rich text format or MS Word 2000) of the Technical/Management and Cost volumes. The proposals as outlined above should be sent to AFRL/SNRD, ATTN: Robert J. Denton, Jr., SYCO AFRL Program Manager, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY 13441-4514 by 21 January 2004 not later than 12:00 noon, EST. The Technical/Management volume may include an appendix containing referenced material, as specified in the Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP). The Technical/Management volume is limited to a total page count of seventy-five (75) pages double-spaced and shall be with a font no smaller than 12 pitch. The Cost volume is not page-limited. The Technical/Management volume shall include the Offeror's technical approach, management approach, schedule, milestones and deliverables, and qualifications to perform the Phase 2 effort. The Technical/Management volume shall also include the Statement of Work (SOW), which should be a separate pullout attachment. The Cost proposal must be a full cost proposal covering the entire Phase 2 activity. All details of the format requirements for the Technical/Management and Cost volumes of the proposals are described in the Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP). Alternatively, specific details regarding the PIP and PRDA may be obtained at the following Web address:http://www.if.afrl.af.mil/div/IFK/prda/prda-main.html, then scrolling down to PRDA 04-01-IFKA. Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished using the following criteria: (l) overall scientific and technical merit, (2) technical tasks (3)relevance to DARPA/SYCO mission, (4) offeror's qualifications, (5) data rights, (6) technology transition, and (7) cost factor. In addition, the Government will consider other factors, such as past and present performance on recent Government contracts and the capacity to perform the requirements of the effort. Further details on evaluation criteria are described in the PIP. The Government intends to use employees from a non-Government source (Solers, Eastern Sierra Research, MIT Lincoln Laboratory, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, Schafer Corporation, Science Technology Associates and Research Associates for Defense Conversion) to assist as technical experts, and in administering the evaluation of the proposals. Representatives of the foregoing firm(s) participating in the evaluation process will sign this non-disclosure agreement in order to highlight the sensitivity of the evaluation process and to protect any proprietary information within the proposals. Should anyone not wish to have his/her proposal viewed by individuals from one of these organizations, he/she must include a statement to that effect in his/her cover letter. Otherwise, by submission of your proposal, you agree that your proposal information may be disclosed to those employees of the organizations identified above for the limited purpose stated above. Only Government evaluators, however, will make award recommendations under this PRDA. Foreign and foreign-owned participation is not authorized for this acquisition. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this announcement is not an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract, but may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost in accordance with FAR 31.205-18. This PRDA is open and effective until 30 September 2004. A copy of the AFRL "BAA & PRDA: A Guide for Industry," Sep 1996 (Rev) may be accessed at: http://www.if.afrl.af.mil/div/IFK/bp-guide.html. Respondents are asked to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number with their proposal(s) and reference PRDA 04-01-IFKA. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government.