CONTINUOUS WAVE SIGNAL SENSING SYSTEM

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR CONTINUOUS WAVE SIGNAL SENSING SYSTEMS 412 TEST WING, EDWARDS AFB CA Description 1.1 The 412th Test Wing at Edwards Air Force Base is seeking information on how an interested contractor could provide a fixed ground-based platform for sensing various attributes of a Continuous Wave (CW) signal emanating from a mobile platform. This platform is anticipated to be one component of a robust signal tracking array. 1.2 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Air Force is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondees are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the BETA.sam.GOV website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. Background As part of the Test and Evaluation of Department of Defense systems, tracking of mobile mission participants and providing trajectory information in real time and post mission is required. The government is considering a system to track the source of a telemetry signal as a stand-alone capability or as an augmentation to other sources of tracking information. The desire is to utilize a fixed-location static unmanned sensor or set of sensors to accomplish this goal. This RFI seeks information on such a sensor. The attributes of a signal that could potentially be used for this purpose could include: angle of incidence (azimuth and elevation), time of arrival, time difference of arrival, continuous-track phase angle, Doppler, delta-range, and integer-ambiguous phase range. Other signal attributes, such as signal strength and noise content would also be useful. Signal sources are expected to be of known frequency in the L, S, or C bands, and may be modulated or unmodulated at any given time. The sensor must operate in an environment where Global Positioning System (GPS) and all other Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations are not available. The government envisions a field of such sensors reporting measurements to a fixed central hub, with connections available via copper or fiber connectivity. The makeup of the central hub is not part of this RFI, but information on the data transfer from a given sensor installation should be included. Requested Information Respondees are requested to include the following information in a white paper as described in Section 4.2. General description of proposed solution. Clear identification of the signal attributes to be measured and reported. Expected accuracy of each measured attribute. Expected accuracy of the time stamp for each measurement, and how that timing accuracy is achieved in the absence of GNSS signals. Expected rate of measurements. Acquisition time after power up of the sensor or a signal source. Information of whether the sensor would track a single source or multiple sources simultaneously. Current Technical Readiness Level (TRL) of the proposed solution. Non-binding estimated Non-Recurring Expenses (NRE) required to bring the system to production readiness, if any. Non-binding estimated purchase price per sensor, with discounts for quantity bands if applicable. Data transport mechanism and requirements for reporting measurements from the sensor to a government-provided central processing station. Operational limitations (weather, day/night operation, duty cycle, operational duration, measurement reporting bandwidth, etc). Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) expectations per sensor. External information or data requirements for the sensor system(s). Responses 4.1 Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. 4.2 White papers in Microsoft Word compatible format or Portable Document Format (PDF) are due no later than 45 days after the post date . Responses shall be limited to no more than 30 pages for Section 2 and submitted via e-mail only to: Gary Glazner, gary.glazner.1@us.af.mil (primary) Brian Duhart, brian.duhart@us.af.mil (secondary). Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. If any respondee does not currently have a Proprietary Data Protection Agreement (PDPA) that would permit DoD support contractors listed below to review and evaluate white papers submitted in response to this RFI, the respondee is requested to sign PDPAs with these support contractors for this purpose. The following is a list of support contractor Points of Contacts who will review the responses. InQu: William Cookson 661-277-4280 william.cookson.1.ctr@us.af.mil JT4: Christopher Newman 661-275-4360 christopher.newman.6.ctr@us.af.mil 4.3. Section 1 of the white paper shall provide administrative information, and shall include the following as a minimum: 4.3.1. Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated point of contact. 4.3.2. Recommended contracting strategy. 4.3.3. Either 1) copies of executed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the supporting contractors or 2) a statement that the respondee will not allow the Government to release its proprietary data to the Government support contractors. In the absence of either of the foregoing, the Government will assume that the respondee does NOT agree to the release of its submission to Government support contractors. 4.3.4. Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business) based upon North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541512, Computer Systems Design Services. - Small business concern means a concern, including its affiliates, that is independently owned and operated, not dominant in the field of operation in which it is bidding on Government contracts, and qualified as a small business under the criteria and size standards in 13 CFR part 121. Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for 3 or more complete fiscal years means the annual average gross revenue of the concern taken for the last 3 fiscal years. Annual receipts of a concern that has been in business for less than 3 complete fiscal years means its total receipts for the period it has been in business, divided by the number of weeks including fractions of a week that it has been in business, and multiplied by 52. Respondees are cautioned, however, that this is a general description only. Additional standards and conditions apply. Please refer to Federal Acquisition Regulation FAR 19 for additional detailed information on Small Business Size Standards. The FAR is available at http://www.arnet.gov. 4.3.5 The facility security clearance of the offeror. 4.4 Section 2 of the white paper shall answer the issues addressed in Section 3 of this RFI. 5.0 Industry Discussions Government representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements, especially any development and certification risks. 6.0 Questions Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Contracting Officer, email address. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. 7.0 Summary THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide Continuous Wave Signal Sensing Systems. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.