AN/TYQ-23 Modular Control Equipment (MCE)

This notification is a request for information to identify potential contractors who have the skills, experience, and knowledge required to successfully complete this effort, and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement will be accomplished. This is not a request for proposal or invitation for bid, and it shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government since the Government will not pay for any cost incurred by the Contractor in providing this information. If a solicitation and award of a contractual document takes place, it may be as a new contract, against an existing delivery order contract, and/or any other contractual vehicle determined appropriate by the Government. To be considered as a potential source for this requirement, a Contractor will be required to submit data in response to any future solicitation (which would include final/official requirements that are more detailed than what is identified in this Sources Sought Synopsis). The Government does not intend to pay for any cost incurred by the Contractor in providing this information. This Sources Sought Synopsis constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) to assist the United States Air Force (USAF) in Market Research of Industry to identify potential sources that may meet requirements for Control and Reporting Center (CRC) Site Support. The CRC was formerly known as Ground Theater Air Control System (GTACS). Description The purpose of this effort is to provide engineering and technical services to design three modifications to the AN/TYQ-23(V)5. These efforts include analysis of the current design, development of the new design, delivery of production representative new design hardware, validation testing within the end item, and delivery of redline revisions to existing government documentation to reflect the new design. The AN/TYQ-23 Modular Control Equipment (MCE) program provides the US Air Force with a transportable automated air command and control system for controlling and coordinating the employment of aircraft and air defense weapons. The AN/TYQ-23(V)5 fielded circa 2004 and the modifications above are to address obsolescence issues that have developed since fielding. These issues have not previously been addressed. The AN/TYQ-23(V)5 contains four Operator Console Units OCUs. Two of the OCUs, are master OCUs, are located on the road side of the Tactical Air Operations Module TAOM, and contain peripheral bay expansion chassis (P/N: BT404-ESY) and a VME card cage (P/N: 11VS-0615-RV21J12A-P750-LDS). The peripheral bay expansion chassis houses four removable mass media storage devices: a hard drive (P/N: TP6MD36S-KS), CD-RW drive (P/N: TP6-MPCDW-00), 8mm-tape drive (P/N: TP6-MP8MM-00), and 3.5 inch floppy drive (P/N: TP6-MPFLP-00). Each drive is removable for secure storage. The VME card cage houses the Tactical Processor Unit (P/N: V5C/N256-850). and the BUS Communications Controller (P/N: 295786-100). The three design modifications address obsolescence issues with the following components of the AN/TYQ-23(V)5: - System Server Unit (SSU) Peripheral Suite Replacement. The purpose of this sub-task is to identify a replacement for the peripheral suite of devices that support the SSU Server Processor. The peripheral suite of devices includes a removable hard disk drive, a CD-RW drive, an 8mm Digital Audio Tape drive, a 3.5 in Floppy Disk drive, the associated peripheral docking bay, and the related power and data cables. The drives in the Peripheral Suite are Small Computer System Interface (SCSI). - Single Board Computer (SBC) Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) Replacement. The purpose of this task will primarily involve identification, integration, and test of a suitable replacement of the current Single Board Computers. Ideally, one SBC would be identified that could perform as either CCA (TPU or DP). - BUS Communication Controller (BCC) CCA Replacement. The BCC CCA is a component of the SSU. It interfaces the Digital Data Bus DDB to the Server CCA to form the primary connection between the Computer units and the SSU. The purpose of this sub-task is to develop a form, fit, function, and interface replacement for BCC (CAGE: 06481, P/N: 8940211). The schedule for performance is 8 months After Receipt of Order (ARO) with the last two months reserved for Government review and contractor rework of deliveries (if required). SSU Peripheral Suite Replacement The SSU peripheral suite replacement shall install within the existing SSU footprint (consisting of the VME rack and peripheral bay area). The design shall ensure that the required capabilities provided by the current suite are provided by the replacement suite. The design should favor the use of the VME backplane connections over front panel connections where practical. SBC CCA Replacement In addition to being a form, fit, function & interface equivalent, the replacement SBC CCA shall be fully interoperable in the AN/TYQ-23(v)5 TAOM system that may contain any combination of the original SBC CCA and the replacement SBC CCA developed under this effort. BCC CCA Replacement In addition to being a form, fit, function & interface replacement, the replacement BCC CCA shall be fully interoperable in the AN/TYQ-23(v)5 TAOM system that may contain any combination of original BCC CCA (P/N 295768-10x), the first redesigned BCC CCA (P/N 88940211-000x), and the replacement BCC CCA developed under this project. Request Each Interested Contractor: Please address each of the following by restating them (one at a time) and providing your response under each specific one: ? Address your capabilities to accomplish the service and provide highlights of successful past experience on similar government contracts within the past 10 years. List name of contract, contract number, and assigned Administrative Contracting Officer (ACO) name and phone number for past experience. ? Address your capabilities of program management, research, engineering, hardware and software analysis and design, and limited procurement and/or production required to develop, produce, test, and document the sub-task designs. ? Address your ability to provide the following: - An Analysis of Alternatives for presentation to the government for final sub-task design selection. - Test procedures and criteria to prove the final sub-task design's suitability based on the baseline OM system's performance, capabilities, and standards. - An overall assembly drawing detailing the final sub-task design. - Production level engineering drawings for all developmental parts included in the final sub-task design. - Specification control drawings for all major non-developmental commercial items included in the final sub-task design. - Redline revisions to the current system engineering drawings reflecting the final sub-task design. - Redline revisions to the current system Technical Orders reflecting the final sub-task design. - A draft installation Time Compliance Technical Order (TCTO) detailing installation of the final sub-task design, written to allow technicians at the USAF organizational level to accomplish the installation. - A recommendation for the composition of a TCTO Kit to support installation of the final sub-task design. - All source code, executable code, and other software products developed for use in the final sub-task design. ? A Rough Order of Magnitude cost estimate for the production/procurement of additional units. ? Describe your current capability and experience with meeting engineering and design requirements such as those identified in this sources sought synopsis. ? Identify company's size and socio-economic status given the above identified NAICS Code, and if contractor is part of a small business/socio-economic program, provide verification. ? If contractor believes that this requirement has a primary purpose of Service (instead of Supply) and identifies the contractor as a Small Business, indicate (with supporting rationale) if/how the contractor would be a Small Business given the restrictions identified in sub-paragraph (b)(1) of FAR Clause 52.219-14 (which states that at least 50 percent of the cost of contract performance incurred for personnel shall be expended for employees of the concern (meaning the prime contractor)). Also, identify (with rationale), if the Services Contracting Act would (or would not) be applicable based on the "service employee" definition under FAR 22.1001 and Part 541 of Title 29, Code of Federal regulations. ? Identify (with rationale) if the Services Contracting Act would (or would not) be applicable based on the "service employee" definition under FAR 22.1001 and Part 541 of Title 29, Code of Federal regulations. ? Identify (with rationale) if your company does not find the identified delivery schedule reasonable. ? Identify ability to provide source control/vendor control drawings that provide form, fit, function and specification so that the Government can always identify sources of supply and procure parts in the event that manufacturing sources become scarce or unavailable. ? Verify willingness and capability to deliver form fit function modification in this RFI; including drawings, data and software necessary for the maintenance and/or competitively contracted maintenance, and to have a complete competitive technical data re-procurement package. ? Provide programmatic position. If Contractor disagrees or has questions on programmatic position, please contact the Contracting Officer identified above. The development requirement has "end item" as its primary purpose. ? This requirement is a "Developmental effort." Contractor must state if it agrees or disagrees that this is a developmental effort; along with supporting rational. ? Given the definitions in FAR Part 2.101, identify (with rationale) if you agree with how the RFI Description Section has identified the requirement as either commercial or non-commercial. ? Will the Contractor's solution be a "prototype/pre-production unit." Provide supporting rationale that your company can meet the requirements identified in this sources sought synopsis. Specifically, include a description of (1) company current capability and experience developing similar systems; (2) company current experience with technical requirements identified for this requirement. Responses must clearly indentify all data rights assertions on any and all software, hardware, drawings and data that would be included in the technical data package. The response must identify, as a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM), what percentage of the total cost/price would be for furnishing all drawings, data, and software in the manner indentified above; this percentage must only include the portion of the drawing-data-software cost/price that is not part of the actual development effort (e.g. intrinsic value for extra rights on proprietary drawings-data-software that the contractor already has). Please Respond by email to: Jody Lindley at jody.lindley@hill.af.mil and Anthony Monsivais at Anthony.monsivais@hill.af.mil Responses are due no later than close of business 16 June 2011. No phone responses will be accepted. All responses shall be unclassified and reviewed (prior to submission to the Government) to ensure that there are no operational sensitivities. Note that a Request for Proposal (RFP) would include requirements that are more detailed than what is identified in this Sources Sought Synopsis. Response Due Date: 16 June 2011 Response Due Time: 1600hrs/4:00PM MST This is not a Request for Proposal (RFP) or Invitation for Bid (IFB), nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the Government; it is only to obtain market capabilities/industry comments and is to be used for informational purposes only. The Government does not intend to make an award on the bases of this sources sought synopsis/request for information, nor will the Government pay for the information solicited herein. Copies of the submitted information will be reproduced and review may be used to develop a Request for Proposal.