CAPABILITIES INFORMATION EXCHANGE - REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RESPONSE DATE EXTENDED TO 30 JUNE 2018. The United States Army Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC), Army Capabilities Integration Center (ARCIC) is announcing the next Capabilities Information Exchange (CIE) with industry; to be held on 13-15 August 2018 at Building 950, Jefferson Avenue, Fort Eustis, VA (TRADOC Headquarters). The CIE program is voluntary and open to all interested members of industry. Businesses that participate in the CIE will not receive any financial reimbursement for their participation from the U.S. Army. That stated, a business may be offered a short-term micro-purchase contract for follow-on concept exploration. (See below discussion) Through the CIE, ARCIC seeks to have fair, even, and transparent communications with industry, academia, and other non-governmental organizations to inform industry on Army needs and to determine industry capabilities to meet future Army needs. The purpose of this CIE is to conduct market research to enhance War-Fighting concepts, engage in early communication with industry on the Army's future needs, and to further expound on the concepts the Army will face in future war-fighting scenarios. The CIE consists of one-on-one sessions between industry and Government subject matter experts, during which industry can ask questions about the Army Modernization Priorities, Capability Gaps and the Warfighters' Science and Technology (S&T) Needs Bulletin. There are three potential types of sessions that industry may be invited to, as follows: (1) Industry may be invited to meet one-on-one with the Government. The discussion will focus on market research for the Government and concept exploration of Army needs as discussed in the publically available Army Modernization Priorities and Warfighters' Science and Technology (S&T) Needs Bulletin (see below paragraph). The meeting will be at the unclassified level. (2) Industry may be awarded a micro-purchase contract to further assist the Army in concept exploration. Awardees will meet one-on-one with the Government to discuss technology solutions of the future that could address Army needs in an unclassified forum, which will include a more in-depth post-award discussion of concept exploration topic(s) that the Army wants addressed in a 2- to 5-page deliverable white paper. (3) Industry members with a Secret classified facility clearance and who have been awarded a micro-purchase contract, will meet with the Government one-on-one in a cleared facility. The meeting will discuss technology solutions of the future to meet Army needs and a more in-depth post-award discussion of concept exploration topics that the Army wants addressed in a 1000-word deliverable white paper. Any properly marked "Industry Proprietary Information" will be protected and controlled. Public Information on the Army Modernization Priorities and the Warfighters' Science and Technology Needs is at: http://www.arcic.army.mil/App_Documents/Army-Warfighters-ST-Needs-Bulletin.pdf A business wishing to attend the CIE will submit a request packet to usarmy.jble.arcic-cdld.mbx.CIE@mail.mil, NLT 30 June 18 for review. The request packet will contain the following: A. Information Regarding Your Company: - The company name; name(s) of employees in order of precedence of attendance (attendance is limited to three U.S. employees with appropriate clearances). - Specify whether the company requests a classified or unclassified forum for the one-on-one meeting. - Your company must certify its level of security clearances IAW the National Industrial Security Program up to the level of SECRET to qualify for a classified meeting. To be considered for a micro-purchase contract at the classified level, the company must certify it possesses a facility clearance at the SECRET level. - A company point-of-contact with a phone number and e-mail address (and SIPR email address). - Companies that do not have the means to receive SECRET information over SIPRNET may be considered for a micro-purchase contract, provided company representatives have the applicable clearance verifiable in the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS). If the micro-purchase contract is awarded, instructions will be provided for review of the capability gaps in a secure reading room prior to meeting with the Government. - A brief explanation of your company's qualifications and experience in the Army Modernization Priorities area(s) and/or the Warfighters' Science and Technology (S&T) needs that your company plans to discuss. If your company has an IR&D budget or an existing Government contract in the Army Modernization Priorities and Warfighters' Science and Technology Needs topic areas, please note this. If your company is moving into this field in the future, but is not currently in this field, your request packet should explain how your company can assist the Army's concept exploration of the Army Modernization Priorities. - In accordance with AR 380-5, para 9.4, please provide a certification that your company is not a foreign government, foreign company, coalition partner, foreign national, or immigrant alien. If your company is in one of these categories, please annotate this in your request packet. Your company may be considered for a meeting, but not for a micro-purchase contract. - To be considered for a micro-purchase contract, submit a short justification explaining how your company's capabilities and viewpoints on the technology solutions of the future in the Army Modernization Priorities topic areas can help inform the Army's concept exploration efforts. This should be no more than a half-page in length. - To be considered for a micro-purchase contract, a company must certify that it has the ability to receive payment by Government purchase card. Industry request packets should address at least one of the following Army Modernization Priorities criteria to be considered for attendance at the CIE: 1. Long Range Precision Fires - capabilities that restore U.S. Army dominance in range, munitions and target acquisition. 2. Next Generation Combat Vehicle - along with other close combat capabilities in manned, unmanned, and optionally-manned variants - with the most modern firepower, protection, mobility, and power generation capabilities, to ensure our combat formations can fight and win against any foe. 3. Future of Vertical Lift platforms - attack, lift, recon - in manned, unmanned, and optionally-manned variants that are survivable on the modern and future battlefield. 4. An Army Network with hardware, software, and infrastructure - sufficiently mobile and expeditionary - that can be used to fight cohesively in any environment where the electromagnetic spectrum is denied or degraded. 5. Air and Missile Defense - capabilities that ensure our future combat formations are protected from modern and advanced air and missile delivered fires, including drones. 6. Soldier lethality that spans all fundamentals - shooting, moving, communicating, protecting, and sustaining. B. Based on the quality of industry submissions and prior to the CIE, the Government may enter into short-term micro-purchase contracts with companies for short (NTE 1000 words) white papers regarding CIE topics of discussion to further refine the Army's concept exploration efforts. The Government intends to offer micro-purchase contracts to a wide variety of industry businesses, to obtain the widest possible viewpoints on the technology solutions of the future and inform concept exploration. Awardees will have a more in-depth conversation with the Army to inform development of the white paper deliverable during the post-award meeting. In general terms, at the concept exploration level, the white paper will address the company's viewpoints on technology solutions of the future that could address Army needs in the company's area of expertise. Companies will be notified by ARCIC of the date/time of their CIE session. Submissions will be reviewed to determine industry capabilities to meet future Army needs. To enhance the exchange of information and discussions, companies selected to participate in the CIE will provide any written questions regarding the Army Modernization Priorities topic areas and Warfighters' Science and Technology (S&T) needs NLT 20 July 2018. Companies will also provide written feedback after the event. (Admin Note: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION. Announcements are used to gather information and inform from industry without any promise of a current or future contract or requirement. This is not a solicitation for bids or offers. Information provided cannot be used to create a binding contract. Respondents to this announcement will not be reimbursed for their attendance at the CIE.) ********************************************************************** The CIE Coordinator is: Mr. Rosenell Grant Jr. TRADOC ARCIC Science, Technology, Research, and Accelerated Capabilities Division (ATFC-ET), Concept Development and Learning Directorate, 950 Jefferson Ave, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA 23604-5763, Telephone: (757 501-5529) Email: usarmy.jble.arcic-cdld.mbx.CIE@mail.mil. **********************************************************************