AIR 5.4.3 Engineering and Technical Support Services

THIS IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 15, the Naval Air Warfare Center, Aircraft Division (NAWC/AD), Patuxent River, MD intends to conduct a Small Business Set-Aside competition for engineering, technical management, and administrative services to support the AIR 5.4.3 Simulation Division. The Government is hereby releasing a Draft Request for Proposal (RFP). This Pre-Solicitation Conference (commonly referred to as "Industry Day") will be conducted on 07 October 2015, to provide Offerors an opportunity to ask additional clarifying questions about the Draft RFP. Industry input is being sought prior to the release of the Formal RFP. Instructions are included in this notice on how to register for the Pre-Solicitation Conference. The Draft RFP contains publicly releasable, unclassified documentation, which is posted herein. All subsequent Draft RFP amendments and publicly releasable documentation will reside on FedBizOpps. It is recommended that interested Offerors check the site frequently for any updates. This announcement is not a contract, request for proposal, a promise to contract, or a commitment of any kind on the part of the Government. The Navy will not assume liability for costs incurred by an attendee or for travel expenses or marketing efforts; therefore, attendee cost in response to this notice is not considered an allowable direct charge to the Government. ELIGIBILITY This requirement will be awarded as a Single Award Task Order Contract (SATOC). Since this requirement is a 100% Small Business set-aside. Only Small Businesses will be considered for award of this requirement. The applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code for this requirement is 541712, which has a small business size standard of 1,500 employees. The Product Service Code (PSC) is R425. PROGRAM INFORMATION: The Integrated Battlespace Simulation and Test (IBST) Department, NAWCAD 5.4, is the Naval Air Systems Command's (NAVAIR) center of excellence for modeling and simulation of the Battlespace environment. The Department is NAVAIR's lead for the development and creation of synthetic and virtual Battlespace environments in support of research, development, testing, training, and system evaluation. The Simulation Division (SD), NAWCAD 5.4.3, which is one of three divisions within IBST and is responsible for simulation expertise and products for naval aviation systems and the Battlespace environment within which they operate. Simulation Division air vehicle and air vehicle system simulation activities includes the operation of man-in-the loop simulation facilities and the development of simulation software, simulation systems, hardware-in-the-loop test benches and prototype training systems. Typical applications for aircraft and system simulations include: - Flight test planning, coordination, and rehearsal. - Aircrew proficiency training. - Hardware-in-the-loop systems and integration testing. - Human factors evaluations. - Flying qualities and performance evaluations. - Mission effectiveness and concept of operations. - Accident and incident investigations. Simulation Division Battlespace modeling and simulation provides credible, repeatable models of highly complex, interactive and reactive environments in support of the warfighter. Battlespace modeling and simulation products are used across the DoD and NAVAIR for RDT&E, analysis and training. The Division also provides national leadership in distributed modeling and simulation, scenario development, and verification and validation. The Simulation Division labs also process, reduce, analyze and evaluate aircraft flight test data. Facilities and laboratory spaces operated by the SD include the Manned Flight Simulator (MFS) facility, E-2C System Test and Evaluation Lab (ESTEL), the P-8 System Integration Lab (PAX-SIL), Warfare Simulation Lab, UAS Integration Lab, H-60 Data Reduction Lab (DRL), and executive helicopter SIL and Aircraft Data Acquisition Processing Team (ADAPT) labs. The SD also provides support for IBST's classified network and unclassified RDT&E network assets. The scope of this requirement is to provide engineering and technical services in support of Simulation Division teams, laboratories, and supported projects. This contract procures management, design, development, integration, upgrade, analysis, and documentation for the Simulation Division. The Division operates within Integrated Product Teams and Enterprise Teams for all aspects of performance, and the Contractor shall work in a highly integrated team environment with civil servants, military personnel, and other contractors. The requirement for these services is currently being performed under Task Orders N00178-05-D-4397-HT01 & N00178-14-D-7780-M801, awarded to J.F. Taylor, Inc. and Task Order N00178-05-D-4011-M802, awarded to AMEWAS. The NAVAIR Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) website is http://foia.navair.navy.mil. GENERAL INFORMATION: This SATOC has an ordering period of three years (36 months). The anticipated Period of Performance will be 14 August 2016 to 15 August 2019. The estimated total level of effort is approximately 979,035 (326,345 hours per year for 3 years). Refer to Section C: Performance Work Statement (PWS) for detailed information pertaining to the labor categories and qualifications for this requirement. Additionally, as this is a Small Business Set-Aside, it is noted that the Small Business (SB) must be able to perform at least 50% of this effort. Finally, interested Offerors shall contact the Contract Specialist in order to obtain access to the documents contained in Section C: PWS, 3.0 Applicable Documents. The Contract Specialist will send these documents to the interested Offeror utilizing the Army Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineering Center Safe Access File Exchange (AMRDEC SAFE). CONTRACT TYPE: The contract type is Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF)/Firm Fixed Price (FFP)/ Cost Reimbursement vehicle. Since the resultant contract will have cost-type CLINs, the successful awardee will also be required to have a Government approved accounting system upon contract award. The technical requirements are outlined in the PWS and the deliverables are contained in Section J: Attachments. PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE: AIR 5.4.3 Simulation Division intends to conduct a Pre-Solicitation Conference on 07 October 2015 at Patuxent River, MD. The purpose of this event is to provide a status update of this effort, inform industry of the requirements, discuss the competition timeline, provide a technical tour of the Simulation Division facilities, and permit industry a networking opportunity. The following is the projected schedule for the event planned for 07 October 2015: Introductions (Government Personnel) AIR-5.4.3 Overview Intended Acquisition Strategy Estimated Schedule This is an UNCLASSIFIED event; no clearances are required. Information presented at the event will NOT be made available to Offerors, who are unable to attend the event. All Pre-Solicitation Conference participants are forewarned that questions, comments, or recommendations will not be entertained during the event; however, the participants will be able to submit these items in writing. PRE-SOLICITATION CONFERENCE REGISTRATION: Interested Prime Contractors are highly encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity. Number of participants from each firm will be limited to a maximum of two (2) representatives from each firm. Only registered attendants will be permitted into the conference facility. Registration for the Pre-Solicitation must be made via email to the Contract Specialist: Ms. Michelle E. Johnson, at michelle.e.johnson@navy.mil. All potential Offerors must register prior to attending the event. Participants will have to register for the Pre-Solicitation Conference before 5:00pm EST on 06 October 2015. All registered participants will receive a confirmation email, which will contain additional information. Comments, Clarifying Questions, and Responses: Unclassified written comments, recommendations, and questions regarding the Draft RFP and associated documents or the items addressed at the Pre-Solicitation Conference shall be submitted in writing to the Contract Specialist, Michelle Johnson no later than 5:00pm EST on 08 October 2015. ALL communications regarding this solicitation must come through the Contract Specialist, Michelle E. Johnson, at (301) 737-7594 or michelle.e.johnson@navy.mil.