AIRBORNE INTEGRATED TERMINAL GROUP (AITG) LOGISTICS AND PRODUCT SUPPORT SERVICES (ALPSS)

INTRODUCTION The Space and Missile Systems Center/MILSATCOM Logistics and Operations Support Division (SMC/MCL) is issuing this sources sought notice as a means of conducting up-to-date market research to determine if there are current qualified and responsible sources other than the incumbent sole-source provider for logistics and product support services for the AN/ARC-234 Airborne Integrated Terminal Group (AITG) system; and to assist in re-defining if this effort can be competitive and/or a total or subcontracted small business set-aside acquisition. Responses from small business and small, disadvantaged business firms are highly encouraged. All small business set-aside categories will be considered. The proposed North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 541330, Engineering Services Military Aerospace Equipment and Military Weapons, with a size standard of $38.5M. DISCLAIMER This sources sought is for informational market research purposes only. This notice is not a request for quotation, a request for proposal, an invitation for bid, or any other commitment by the Government to contract for the items contained in the sources sought. Results of this notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. Information herein is based on the best information available at the time of publication, is subject to revision, and is not binding on the Government. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this notice. Any information submitted by respondents is strictly voluntary. Information and materials submitted in response to this request will not be returned. PROGRAM BACKGROUND The AITG's primary mission capability provides multiband, multi-mode (single mode of operation at a time with the exception of the independent guard receiver) communications for a broad variety of airborne platforms in support of integrated airborne operations between United States (US) armed forces and other Department of Defense (DoD) and US Government agencies in both peacetime and in war. The radio set provides Full-Duplex Ultra-High Frequency (UHF) Satellite Communications (SATCOM) and Half-Duplex UHF/Very-High Frequency (VHF) Line-of-Sight (LOS) communications for airborne transmit and receive applications of data and voice, both secure and non-secure. UHF SATCOM modes operate in the UHF-band from 225.000 to 399.995 Megahertz (MHz) and provide 5 Kilohertz (kHz) and 25-kHz single channel dedicated SATCOM operation in accordance with Military Standard (MIL-STD) 188-181B, 5-kHz Demand Assigned Multiple Access (DAMA) operation in accordance with MIL-STD-188-182A, and 25-kHz DAMA operation in accordance with MIL-STD-188-183. In addition to the MIL-STD frequency table, the radio set provides a programmable and downloadable Alternate Frequency Table capability for dedicated and DAMA SATCOM operations. The radio set allows the operator to select either Mixed Excitation Linear Predictive (MELP) or Linear Predictive Coding-10 (LPC-10) for Advanced Narrowband Digital Voice Terminal (ANDVT), VINSON (wideband voice terminal), and analog voice transmit and receive in Dedicated and DAMA SATCOM modes. The radio set provides UHF LOS Amplitude Modulated (AM) and Frequency Modulated (FM) voice and data. The Radio Set also provides VHF LOS AM voice with 25-kHz and 8.33-kHz channel separation for US and European Air Traffic Control (ATC) operations, respectively. The 8.33-kHz channel separation is for class E receivers and class 6 transmitters as defined in European Organization for Civil Aviation Equipment (EUROCAE) Document ED-23B. The radio set also provides UHF HaveQuick/HaveQuick II and VHF Single Channel Ground-Airborne Radio System (SINCGARS) frequency hopping modes for voice and data communications. Both narrowband (2.4 kbps) and wideband (16 kbps) digitized voice processing is provided and accepts digital data Input/Output (I/O) at data rates between 75 bps and 64 kbps. Both data and voice encryption/decryption is provided, using National Security Agency (NSA) approved devices that are cryptographically and functionally compatible with TSEC Key Generator 84A/C Data Loop Encryption Device, ANDVT (TSEC/KYV-5), VINSON (TSEC/KY-58), and Tactical Secure Voice Interoperability Specification (TSVCIS) 2.0 devices. Crypto bypass is available for transmission of unencrypted voice and data. The radio set is also capable of Plain Voice Override during encrypted operations. Respectively, AM or FM plain text (analog) voice message is detected and received when radio set is not actively receiving a cipher text (voice) message while in UHF/VHF LOS Amplitude Shift Key or dedicated SATCOM and UHF/VHF LOS Frequency Shift Key baseband cipher text voice Wideband Secure (TSVCIS or VINSON) mode. The program's target platforms include the B-2, E-3, EC-130H, and RC-135 US airborne platform users; the US Central Command ground station unit; and Foreign Military Sales (FMS) airborne platforms from Australia (Wedgetail), Canada (Aurora CP-140), and Turkey (Peace Eagle). CONTRACT BACKGROUND The Government acquired the system-level technical data package to support operations and unit-level maintenance but did not acquire the test equipment or depot-level technical data package. Data rights are limited to accessing proprietary data. As the assigned Program Support Manager, SMC/MCL awarded a Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) 4-year contract sole-sourced to the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Contractor, Raytheon, based on a market research summary that concluded the technical data required, special support equipment, and facilities were not available to support a full and open solicitation. Efforts to obtain the needed data and equipment was deemed not cost effective and there were no changes to the market place to support competition. The current CLS contract is approaching the end of the period of performance. For continuous logistics and product support for the AITG, up-to-date market research is planned, starting with this sources sought notice to re-define whether the effort can be competitive and/or a total or subcontracted small business set-aside acquisition without Government-owned detailed technical data, support equipment, facilities, and embedded software/firmware code. The follow-on contract is anticipated to be a 5-year contract (i.e. base of one year with four one year options). The Government expects the funding to spread across the five fiscal years. Funding amounts have not been determined, funding is not yet available, and period of performance is not definitive as it is subject to change. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES The Government requires a respondent capable of performing and managing the following five main logistics and product support services and expects the respondent to be able to prove to the Government how these logistics and product support services can be performed without the aid of detailed technical data, support and test equipment, facilities, and embedded software/firmware code. These five main logistics and product support services consists of hardware sustainment; software sustainment; systems engineering, integration, and test; program management; and configuration control and material/data management. These services are summarized as follows: a. HARDWARE SUSTAINMENT encompasses services, but not limited, to repair and overhaul the AITG system Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), Shop Replaceable Units (SRUs), and Circuit Card Assemblies. Specifically, the effort includes receiving, inspecting, troubleshooting, failure and trending analysis, repair or replace, test, and calibration necessary to bring the hardware item(s) to a serviceable condition. In addition, all necessary tools, spare parts (equal to or superior to OEM requirements), labor, materials, technical data, facilities, packaging and transportation are provided to accomplish the hardware sustainment effort and delivery of serviceable asset(s) back to the Government. b. SOFTWARE SUSTAINMENT encompasses services, but not limited, to investigate software problem reports towards a resolution; modify software code to correct faults, improve performance or other attributes; generate software block releases; perform major regression testing; and provide mechanisms for evaluation, controlling, and making software modifications. c. SYSTEMS ENGINEERING, INTEGRATION, AND TEST encompasses services, but not limited, to determining root cause; providing quick reaction and long-term technical and engineering support for the AITG system; identifying, analyzing, and providing remediation steps for system-level issues such as vulnerabilities, security, parts availability and obsolescence; providing technical studies on feasibility and impacts to the program when accommodating system enhancements; maintaining Item Unique Identification labels on applicable LRUs/SRUs; providing when necessary field support, user-platform installation, and/or on-site technical assistance, response, maintenance, and integration services; maintaining the integrity of the systems interface, systems configuration, and their corresponding technical data baseline; supporting the disposition, investigation, analysis, recommendation, and implementation to resolve the problem reports received (telephone and email) by the hotline/help-desk and from the AITG's tracking report system(s); and supporting the Joint Interoperability Test Command and NSA certification process. d. PROGRAM MANAGEMENT encompasses services, but not limited, to planning, organizing, providing, and directing the resources necessary to accomplish all logistics and product support requirements sustaining the AITG system in proper working order with the appropriate skill levels and certifications. Capability to provide personnel for services outside of the continental US may be required. A 24/7 availability for emergency response is expected and a hotline/help-desk support to receive, track, and disposition problem reports to their resolution(s). e. CONFIGURATION CONTROL AND MATERIAL/DATA MANAGEMENT encompasses services to provide and maintain a configuration control program for the system's data, documentation, and materiel; provide storage, inventory control, and maintenance of Government Furnished Equipment or Property; update corresponding documentation to the changes that resulted from modifying the system's hardware and software configuration baseline such as the system specifications, operation and unit maintenance manual, Computer Based Training, and version description documents; and providing the labor, material, preservation, packaging, packing, transportation, and marking necessary to inspect, test, rework, modify, restore and/or return to ready for issue condition, in accordance with depot-level maintenance procedures. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS This sources sought is limited to US firms only. Respondent Company must utilize facilities that are cleared up to Top Secret security level and for Transient Electromagnetic Pulse Emissions Standards Testing and Communications Security (COMSEC) requirements. In addition, the respondent company must possess a COMSEC account or a similar reporting system account to keep track of on-hand system Controlled Cryptographic Items. Respondent company must indicate ability to obtain International Traffic in Arms Regulation Technical Assistance Agreements in order to assume FMS logistics and product support. Respondent company must have access to OEM's proprietary software tool licenses, rights, documentation, test and development software, and test stations that replicate the original hardware/software development and test environment. Respondent company proposing as prime contractor shall describe their plan to accomplish at least 60 percent of the effort if proposing a teaming arrangement. SUBMISSION DETAILS Interested parties are invited to submit an unclassified Statement of Capability (SOC) addressing the ability to satisfy the AITG logistics and product support services described in this notice to the contracting office's address with attention to this notice's point(s) of contact (POCs) or as attachment(s) to their email address. E-mail responses shall be received no later than 8:00 A.M. mountain daylight time on this notice's response date and reference this synopsis number on both the e-mail subject line as well as on all enclosed documents. Oral communications are not acceptable. Classified information and material shall not be submitted. All responses will be considered and must conform to 8.5 x 11-inch pages, font no smaller than 12-point, a maximum of 10 single-sided pages (not including a single page cover letter), and in Microsoft Word format (version 2010 or later). The SOC must include a single page cover letter with the following information: a. Company Name, CAGE Code, DUNS Number, and Mailing Address b. POCs including position within company, telephone number and email address. c. Company size (large or small according to the NAICS and size standard listed). If your company is a small business, specify company's set aside categories d. Business or entity type and domestic or foreign ownership representation e. Representation and Certification of any socio-economic indicators and/or status f. Proposed role: prime or subcontractor. If interested only in subcontracting possibilities, please indicate this clearly in the SOC body, as applicable g. Description of proposed subcontracting, teaming, partnering, mentoring or other business relationship h. Any potential organizational conflict of interest issues The SOC body must include the following information: a. Experience and expertise in the areas of sustainment and product support for AN/ARC-234 AITG system or similar technologies b. Capability to perform those services and performance requirements described in the requirements capabilities and special requirements sections of this synopsis c. Other Experience and expertise to be considered