Aerostat Production, Fielding, Sustainment and Life Cycle Support for International Programs

Product Director (PD) Aerostats Request for Information (RFI) This Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. All business types can respond to this RFI. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor responses and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government reserves the right to reject input resulting from this request. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The Army may use the information provided in developing its acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement, Statement of Objectives and/or Performance Based Specification(s). Parties responding to this RFI are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government will not pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. Background: PD Aerostats is conducting market research to identify potential sources, technically capable and qualified, to provide life cycle support for the efforts related to Aerostat Family of Systems (FoS) to include Persistence Surveillance Systems Tethered (PSS-T) Large, Medium, and tactical aerostats ranging from 500 cubic feet to 80,000 cubic feet of volume. PD Aerostats current aerostat systems can carry multiple sensor payloads, based on the provided mission, ranging from 10 pounds (lbs.) to 1,100 lbs. with flight operations ranging from 1,000 feet (ft.) to 5,000 ft. above ground level. In addition to continued sustainment of current systems, PD Aerostats is looking to identify aerostat systems that are outside of these parameters for future requirements in support of International Programs. Aerostat systems are elevated command, control, communications, computers, cyber, intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (C5ISR) platforms equipped with a variety of payloads to fulfill force protection, operations support, communication extension, and Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance (ISR) missions. Aerostat systems can be employed during all phases of operations. Aerostat systems are responsive to the ground component of a joint warfighting force by providing weather dependent, persistent surveillance at operating locations throughout the operational area and directly enhancing the Commander's situational understanding. RFI Response Requirements: Interested parties are required to respond to the RFI by answering all of the attached market survey questions. All material submitted in response to this RFI must be unclassified. The response is limited to a maximum of 25 single-sided pages; 12 point Times New Roman Font; 1.0 margins. Responses are due 30 business days from the date of posting of this RFI. This RFI is for the following: manufacturing, engineering, integration, testing, logistics, delivery, fielding, training, operations and sustainment support services for fully-integrated aerostat systems meeting exportability requirements within the Combatant Commands in support of FMS cases. Respondents who are capable of providing services but not manufacturing are also encouraged to respond. Approximate Award Value: $1-2 Billion. Approximate Contract Duration: 5-10 years Contract Type: Multiple Award IDIQ task orders/delivery orders Market Survey Questions: Respondents are asked to provide a detailed reply for the following questions. When responding, please retain the outline structure provided below. Basic Information: 1. Please provide the following information: Company Name: Address: Point of Contact: Phone Number: Fax Numbers: Email Address: 2. What is the size of your company? What are your primary and secondary NAICS codes? If you identify as a Small Business (SB), please identify your company's small business size standard based on the primary NAICS code 541330 - Engineering Services and secondary NAICS code 334511 - Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing: Small Business Concern (y/n) 8(a) (y/n) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) (y/n) Woman-Owned Small Business (y/n) Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) (y/n) Veteran-Owned Small Business (y/n) Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (y/n) 3. If you are a small business under the current SB recertification regulations, do you anticipate your company remaining a small business, under primary NAICS code 541330 - Engineering Services and secondary NAICS code 334511 - Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing? Products and Services: 1. What aerostat related product(s), systems, integrated sensor payloads, and/or services does your company provide? Is your product export compliant and approved for foreign military sale to another country? 2. Provide performance capabilities of the aerostat related products and/or services of your company. Has your product gone through Independent Verification and Validation (IV&V)? If so, what organization performed the IV&V, and when was it performed? 3. What is your production lead times for all the aerostat related products that you provide to include sensor payloads? Discuss your production capacity/rate for your aerostat related products. 4. Has your company ever provided aerostat related products and/or services to the U.S Government, foreign governments, or other non-government customers, either currently or in the past? If so, to what agency, and what, if any data right assertions/technical data package were provided or procured by the Government for that requirement? Company Background: 1. Describe your company's capability in providing aerostat systems, payload systems, and/or spare packages to include all the Contiguous United States (CONUS) and Outside the Contiguous United States (OCONUS) functions, organizational constructs, roles and responsibilities. Provide contract number(s), issuing organization, contracting officer, and contract information. 2. Describe your company's experience in manufacturing, integrating, testing and assembly of aerostat systems and sensor payloads (environmental, simulation, RF, wind tunnel, etc.). What capabilities do you have, in-house, and what capabilities are outsourced (i.e. aerostat envelope manufacturing - in house, mooring platform welding - outsourced). Specify size and location. 3. Do you have a facility clearance? If so, what level of clearance? 4. What aerostat system certifications do your employees have (i.e. sensors, subsystem components, support equipment, networking)? 5. Describe your company's process for providing Basic Life Support for deployed Field Service Representatives (FSR) in austere OCONUS conditions (Security, Lodging, Transportation, Food, etc.) Engineering: 1. Describe your company's experience in developing Technical Data Packages in accordance with military and commercial specifications. 2. Describe the process(es) used to perform sustainment engineering that address component obsolescence on similar aerostat operation and mission support equipment efforts (e.g. control units for camera and radar systems, backup power supply with short shelf life, Ground Control Station Computers and peripherals, etc.) 3. Describe your company's experience integrating new electronic sensors and technology on aerostat platforms. Describe the process by which your company supports integration activities to include exporting hardware subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations? (ITAR) 4. Describe your company's process to provide reliability assessment for new or modified design(s) to include exporting hardware subject to ITAR. Quality: 1. What industry standards, certifications, and/or accreditations does your company have for quality control and management (e.g. CMMI, ISO 9001, ISO 17025, NADCAP, etc.)? Provide a list of any exclusions. What tools does your company use to manage subcontractors, risk, schedule, and cost. 2. Describe your system quality verification processes and standards. Once products have either been built and/or acquired from a subcontractor/vendor, how are they qualified? What tests and/or validation would be performed to ensure that the system meet specifications. Operations, logistics, training, maintenance, and sustainment: 1. Describe your company's experience in providing qualified OCONUS operators and maintainers for aerostat system operations and sustainment. 2. Discuss your company's experience in managing the supply chain for aerostat systems, to include helium supply, payload/sensors, associated support equipment and provide up to date inventory management. 3. Describe your company's process and experience in formulating sparing requirements for aerostat operations sustainment. 4. Describe your company's experience in coordinating and executing CONUS, OCONUS and intra-theater movement of personnel and equipment. 5. Describe your company's process for managing, transporting, and handling of hardware to include control cryptographic items (CCI), enhanced end user monitoring (EEUM) equipment, and anti-tampering equipment subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITARS)? 6. Describe your company's experience in managing repair and return maintenance programs for the aerostat systems including payloads and associated support equipment for CONUS and conduct field level repairs and modifications on OCONUS deployed aerostat systems. Identify types of field level repairs and modifications your company has performed. 7. Describe your company's process and experience in the development of training curriculums, training, and evaluating operators for foreign military/personnel. 8. Describe your experience translating technical material into other languages. 9. Describe your company's experience providing OCONUS Hub and Site level support. Hub level support includes theater coordination, distribution and management of personnel, equipment, and system resources to support multiple remote operational aerostat sites within a region. Site level support includes: 24/7 aerostat operations, field level maintenance, manning, report and management of system site resources, training, and familiarization of system with battlespace owner.