C27-J Cockpit Upgrade

THIS IS NOT A NOTICE OF SOLICITATION ISSUANCE, BUT RATHER A SOURCES SOUGHT that will allow the Government to identify interested sources capable of meeting the requirement. The information sought herein is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a request for quote (RFQ), Request for proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or as an obligation or commitment on the part of the Government to acquire any product or service. There shall be no basis for claims against the Government as a result of information submitted in response to the Sources Sought. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this Sources Sought, or otherwise pay for any information submitted by respondents to this request. This notice is for market research purposes only and is not indicative of a full requirement. The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) and the United States Coast Guard (USCG) C-27J Asset Project Office seek potential vendors who have the ability to remove and install a completely new avionics suite on the United States Government's owned C-27J Spartan, Joint Cargo Aircraft (JCA), manufactured by Leonardo S.p.A. Interested sources shall take into account the proprietary nature of the current C-27J JCA mission computer and flight management system and all associated operational flight profile data. The USSOCOM and USCG are collaborating on development of a common avionics upgrade to address obsolescence, capability enhancements, maintainability & reliability, flight computer interface (when necessary), and subsequent Airworthiness Certification. Interested sources shall include a new mission computer and flight management system that shall include, as a minimum, documentation supporting a civil aviation certification via the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), or Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), or documentation and all supporting substantiation for a certification via the Italian Defense Aviation Armament Administration (DAAA) to , to meet JCA operational standards. Software data products supporting the DO-178 process are to be considered a critically necessary component of the documentation requirement. Interested sources shall include a complete cockpit replacement and integration of all current and future avionics sensors, engine configurations, airframe configurations, and flight control functions. Interested sources shall also meet the FAA 2020 standards mandate for Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast (ADS-B) Out requirements. Additionally, interested sources shall include viable supply chain support for sustainment, and certification documents that address intended flight performance profiles and identify safety provisions, hazards, hazard control measures and residual risks associated with C-27J JCA operations. And finally, interested sources shall be able to deliver all documents, manuals and information required to operate, maintain, and troubleshoot the new avionics suite at the JCA operational profile. USSOCOM requests that interested sources should review Sources Sought N68335-19-R-0171B and send the same requested information to Technology Applications Contracting Office. USE OF SUPPORT CONTRACTORS: In an effort to ease the coordination for potential need of nondisclosure agreements between multiple parties as part of the Government's market research, the Government will treat all notice responses as proprietary and to disclose the contents only for the purpose of Government market research and acquisition planning activities. Standard proprietary disclaimers notwithstanding, the Government intends to use non-Government technical support contractors and technical experts who have signed a nondisclosure agreement with the Government. All proprietary information is submitted with the above understanding and should be marked accordingly. Potential sources are requested to submit a brief summary of their capabilities. This Sources Sought is the initiation of market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), Part 10, and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. The information collected may be used by the Government to explore acquisition options and strategies. All information received in response to this Sources Sought that is properly marked as "proprietary" will be protected as proprietary information. Such information will be reviewed by a team comprised of Government as well as contractor personnel hired to provide technical assistance for the Government's preparation of an acquisition strategy. All members of the team will be reminded of their obligation to protect such information to the maximum extent permitted or required by the Economic Espionage Act, 18 U.S.C. 1831 et seq., and other applicable statutes or regulations. In addition, Government members will be reminded of their obligations to afford protection under the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. 1905. All contractor members are required to protect the information by the terms of their contracts. The Government will make a determination whether or not contractor personnel have organizational conflicts of interest that could adversely affect protection of the information. In an effort to ease the coordination for potential need of nondisclosure agreements between multiple parties as part of the Government's market research, the Government will treat all notice responses as proprietary and to disclose the contents only for the purpose of Government market research and acquisition planning activities. All proprietary information is submitted with the above understanding that these contractor technical experts will have access and should be marked accordingly. The Government shall not be liable for, or suffer any consequential damages, for any proprietary information not properly identified. All interested, capable, and responsible sources that would like to respond to this sources sought are encouraged to provide a statement of interest along with supporting data via email to Mrs. Stacey N. Walker, Contracting Specialist (Stacey.n.walker2.civ@mail.mil) no later than 10:00 am EST on 03 April 2019. Once the sources sought requirement has closed, the Government will contact individual responders for any further information required.