DCGS-A Capability Drop 2 RFI-5

Update 27 NOV 2018 The Government would like to thank everyone who has participated in the DCGS-A Capability Drop 2 (CD2) market research to date. The feedback we received has been very informative and will have an impact on the CD2 program moving forward. As previously stated within this RFI, "Responses to this RFI may be used by the Government to determine invitees for a market research product demonstration based on criteria such as: number and quality of the responses, the number of CD2 requirements a solution can currently meet, operational or other history demonstrating the requirements, additional capabilities of interest to the Government, overall technical risk, and the limited availability of Government resources to accommodate a demonstration." As of 27 NOV 18, all invited vendors have been notified and have accepted their invitations for a Market Research Product Demonstration. Due to the number of responses we received, the Government does not have the capacity and resources necessary to accommodate a Market Research Product Demonstration from every company. While not every company could be selected for a Product Demonstration, the Test Harness, additional Test Data, and Product Demonstration Plan will nevertheless be made available to anyone who requests it. Please contact Shaun Cronen (shaun.m.cronen.civ@mail.mil) and Chris Laird (christopher.m.laird2.civ@mail.mil) with your Company's CAGE Code to obtain instructions on receiving this data. The Government anticipates releasing this information following the Market Research Product Demonstrations. The Government reiterates that the purpose of the Market Research Product Demonstrations are to understand the marketplace for the Government's CD2 requirements. The Product Demonstrations are not for companies to present additional capabilities, nor will the Government provide any feedback about the products being demonstrated. In addition, the Government will not respond to whitepapers, conduct debriefs, select awardees, or enter into any contracts based upon the Market Research. If a CD2 solicitation issues in the future, then vendors will be invited to submit proposals and to compete for a contract award subject to the terms and conditions of the solicitation. End of Update 27 NOV 2018 Update 02 NOV 2018 This update includes both the slides presented at Industry Day on 26 OCT 2018 as well as some of the Questions and Answers as posed by Industry to this RFI as well as those answered live at Industry Day. The Industry Day slides and Q&A Responses are FOUO and must be requested by emailing Shaun Cronen (shaun.m.cronen.civ@mail.mil), CPT Angela Burton (angela.d.burton16.mil@mail.mil), and Chris Laird (christopher.m.laird2.civ@mail.mil) along with your company's CAGE Code. End of Update 02 NOV 2018 1.0 Introduction Request for Information. This a Request for Information Only (RFI). Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) in support of the Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors (PEO IEW&S), Project Manager Distributed Common Ground System-Army (PM DCGS-A), is conducting market research to identify commercial items to satisfy current DCGS-A requirements pertaining to United States (U.S.) Army's DCGS-A Data Fabric and Analytics capability. The Government invites all business and academic organizations to respond to this RFI notice. 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. The Government may revise its draft requirements at any time, or may elect not to proceed with a procurement. Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. This RFI is not an authorization to begin work, and the Government will not pay any costs that contractors may incur in response to this RFI. Contractors are not required to respond to this announcement, but may do so at their own cost. The United States Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the United States Government. The Government also intends to hold an Industry Day in accordance with this RFI. The Government will not pay any costs resulting from attendance at an Industry Day. Additionally, the Government may conduct a market research product demonstration in accordance with all or part of this RFI. The Government will not pay any costs resulting from attendance or participation at a market research product demonstration. Only contractors that respond to this RFI are eligible to participate in a market research product demonstration, which is for market research purposes only. Due to schedule and other constraints, the Government may limit participation in a market research demonstration. The Government will not award any contracts solely as a result of a market research product demonstration. Failure to respond to this RFI, or failure to participate in a market research product demonstration, will not preclude contractor participation in any RFP or procurement, if any is issued. 2.0 Background The DCGS-A is a systems of systems comprised of an extensive intelligence architecture that enables distributed processing and information sharing of data from sensors and other sources across the globe; software tools to help the users perform the analyses, update, and share intelligence products; servers that store data and collected intelligence; and alignment to a set of common standards that enable integration of new technology, processes, and ideas. As technology evolves and new warfighting requirements emerge, the DCGS-A capability set needs to be updated to meet the user needs. This RFI is focused on identifying commercial items to upgrade/replace the current DCGS-A data architecture as well as introduce several additional analytics and system management functions. Specifically, Capability Drop (CD) 2 focuses on the modernization and enhancement of the DCGS-A Data Fabric and Analytics capabilities across multiple echelons, by providing a scalable solution that provides an adaptable Data Management Architecture (DMA), automated analytics, and common core services. Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) Capability Manager - Foundation (TCM-F) has developed, in conjunction with the Intelligence Center of Excellence (ICoE), Deputy Chief of Staff G2, Forces Command (FORSCOM) G2, and Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), a draft Capability Drop requirements document outlining the operationally relevant requirements for DCGS-A's Data Fabric and Analytics capability. Responses to this RFI may be used by the Government to determine invitees for a market research product demonstration based on criteria such as: number and quality of the responses, the number of CD2 requirements a solution can currently meet, operational or other history demonstrating the requirements, additional capabilities of interest to the Government, overall technical risk, and the limited availability of Government resources to accommodate a demonstration. Only companies that respond to this RFI, in full, with existing commercial items that currently meet or have the potential to meet, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101 Definition of a "commercial item," may be invited to a market research product demonstration. If requested, market research product demonstrations are intended to be completed prior to the end of Calendar Year 2018. 3.0 White Paper and Supporting Documentation Any interested business or academic organization should provide a response that addresses each section (1 through 4) below, as well as the Non-Disclosure Agreements in 6.0, no later than 1600 EST on 9 NOV 2018. Vendors that fail to fully respond to a section listed below may not be invited to a market research product demonstration. The supporting documents for this RFI are marked as For Official Use Only (FOUO). To obtain a copy of the supporting documents (Draft CD2 Requirements Checklist and CD2 Software Pricing Template) send an email with your organization name, address, and CAGE Code to Shaun Cronen (shaun.m.cronen.civ@mail.mil), CPT Angela Burton (angela.d.burton16.mil@mail.mil), and Chris Laird (christopher.m.laird2.civ@mail.mil). In addition, vendors may ask questions about the CD2 Requirements by emailing the previously mentioned Government points of contact by 1200 EDT on 19 OCT 2018. Responses to submitted questions may be posted as updates to this RFI. Responses to this RFI are due no later than 1600 EST on 9 NOV 2018 and must address the following information requests listed below in a white paper and requested attachments. The white paper shall not exceed 2 pages, not including cover sheet or cover letter, plus the Requirements Checklist and Software Pricing Template. Section 1: Draft Capability Drop Document Requirements Checklist Complete the Draft CD2 Requirements Checklist Spreadsheet, attached to this RFI, annotating which requirements the proposed solution meets, a short (100 words or less) description of how the vendor product meets each requirement, and a short (100 words or less) description of any operational history implementing the requirements with the Government or Commercial (Software in Production), and/or any history demonstrating the requirements to the Government. Section 2: System Description Describe the hardware platform that the proposed solution is hosted on, to include CPU, RAM, and Storage specifications. Note: As described within the Draft CD2 Requirements Checklist Spreadsheet, CD2 is expected to operate on local hardware, cloud-hosting, or a hybrid of both, so include appropriate configurations for each deployment paradigm. Note: The CD2 solution may, at a minimum, need to operate on the equivalent of a Tactical Server Infrastructure (TSI) v2 with the following specifications: 120 CPU Cores, 576 GB RAM, and 43.2 TB Unformatted Storage. Section 3: Commerciality Describe how the proposed solution meets, or has the potential to meet through minor modifications, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 2.101 Definition of a "commercial item." Describe if or how a solution can meet the FAR 2.101 definition of a commercial item if minor modifications are required, and discuss the time frame involved. Section 4: Costs Using the attached CD2 Software Pricing Template provide the following: (A) Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) of applicable costs for the proposed solution. The ROM should include licensing costs for the following: Term (with durations and price ranges), Annual subscription and/or Perpetual, at the quantities and number of users indicated, as well as Unlimited Enterprise. If the proposed solution does not offer any of these licensing methods, mark the box "N/A". In addition, provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) follow-on maintenance/sustainment support (yearly). (B) If applicable, provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) of itemized costs for "Minor Modifications" to meet each requirement marked "No" or "Partially" in the Draft CD2 Requirements Checklist completed in Section 1. If "Minor Modifications" are included with the license at no additional cost, mark the box "Included". (C) Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) to provide a "Minor Modification" to add a new data source to the proposed solution in the following formats: Unstructured, Structured, Binary with Metadata. If these integration costs are included with the license and/or maintenance/sustainment at no additional cost, mark the box "Included". (D) Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) to support the Risk Management Framework (RMF) Accreditation of the proposed solution across the specified Networks. If RMF Accreditation costs are included with the license and/or maintenance/sustainment at no additional cost, mark the box "Included". Again, only companies that respond to this RFI in full may be considered for a market research product demonstration. This notice is part of Government Market Research, a continuous process for obtaining the latest information on the commercial status of the industry. This RFI is for planning purposes, and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will follow. The Government will use the information submitted in response to this notice at its discretion and will not provide comments to any submission; however, the Government reserves the right to contact any respondent to this notice for the sole purpose of enhancing understanding of the notice submission. Information received will not be considered confidential unless it is labelled confidential and proprietary. Company proprietary data will be reviewed by Government employees and authorized representatives only (see 6.0 below). Responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI, including any market research product demonstrations. 4.0 Industry Day An Industry Day is planned for DCGS-A Capability Drop 2 at Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD on 26 OCT 2018 hosted by PEO IEW&S, Intelligence Center of Excellence (ICoE), Deputy Chief of Staff G2, and Intelligence and Security Command (INSCOM), to further discuss the updated CD2 Requirements. Please visit the following website for all Industry Day details and registration at http://dcgsevents.com. The website will be active and ready for registration by no later than Monday, 8 October 2018. Please monitor this website daily for any changes to Industry day times, location, and agenda. The current plan is for the Capability Drop-2 Industry Day to focus on the updated requirements. The Government is not planning to discuss its future procurement or source selection strategy at this time. Due to the FOUO nature of discussions at the CD2 Industry Day, registration will include submittal and verification of your company's CAGE Code. Comments, questions, and feedback provided NLT 19 OCT 2018 may be addressed as part of the Industry Day. All comments, questions, and feedback should be submitted via e-mail to Shaun Cronen (shaun.m.cronen.civ@mail.mil), CPT Angela Burton (angela.d.burton16.mil@mail.mil), and Chris Laird (christopher.m.laird2.civ@mail.mil). 5.0 Market Research Product Demonstrations Based on the results of this RFI, the Government may elect to hold market research product demonstrations in the Aberdeen Proving Ground, MD area in December 2018. Invitees for market research demonstrations may be selected based on criteria such as have been identified above. If requested, market research product demonstration invitees will be notified on or about 19 NOV 2018. Invitees will be provided with sample data and a product demonstration plan on or about 30 NOV 2018. Non-Invitees may also receive the product demonstration plan and sample data by providing a request, to include your company's CAGE code, to Shaun Cronen (shaun.m.cronen.civ@mail.mil), CPT Angela Burton (angela.d.burton16.mil@mail.mil), and Chris Laird (christopher.m.laird2.civ@mail.mil). 6.0 Non-Disclosure Agreement (1) RFI respondents are informed that employees of the firms identified below may assist the Government with its market research. These individuals will be authorized access to the RFI responses to enable them to perform their respective duties. Such firms may be prohibited from competing on the subject acquisition. MITRE Corp Mr. Robert A. Orlosky The MITRE Corporation CAGE: 7L030 21 W. Lee Street Baltimore, MD 21201-2455 703-983-7622 rorlosky@mitre.org Booz Allen Hamilton Inc. Mr. Ryan Ludwig Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. CAGE: 17038 8283 Greensboro Drive McLean, VA 22102-3830 732-936-3539 Ludwig_ryan@bah.com Millennium Ms. Susan Han Millennium Corporation CAGE: 3VQP8 1400 Crystal Drive Suite #400 Arlington, VA 22202-3289 571-527-2233 Susan.Han@millgroupinc.com (2) In accomplishing their duties related to the market research, the aforementioned firms may require access to proprietary information contained in the vendor's responses. Therefore, pursuant to FAR 9.505-4, these firms must execute an agreement with each RFI respondent that states that they will (1) protect the contractors' information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and (2) refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. Each RFI respondent must contact the above companies to effect execution of such an agreement prior to the submission of its RFI response and shall submit copies of the agreement with their response.