Framework Custodian Support for TAP Lab and OBAC

Statement of Capabilities (SOC) instructions and the draft task statement is included in an attachment to this announcement. Interested parties are requested provide new or updated statement of capabilities based on the added/changed content of the work statement attached to this sources sought announcement. Please note, the attachment to this notice states that responses are due in 15 days, however we are accepting responses until close of business 15 January 2018. Purpose This is a Sources Sought Follow Up. The Space and Missile Systems Center, Remote Sensing Systems Directorate (SMC/RS) located at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is seeking information in the form of Statements of Capabilities (SOC) from interested parties in support of the SMC/RS Data Exploitation Division (SMC/RSX) requirement described below. The purpose of this notice is to identify potential sources that can meet SMC/RSX's requirement. The Government reserves the right, and intends, to set this acquisition, or portions thereof, aside for small business - to include socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) firms, or woman-owned businesses. Currently, the Government anticipates that the contractor shall provide a workforce of approximately 44 (was 16 in original posting) personnel, but is requesting feedback from Industry if there are reasons to have a much larger or smaller workforce. Contract will start in USG Fiscal Year (FY) 2019. Current estimated award will be in 2nd or 3rd Quarter of FY19. The government expects to release the draft solicitation NET March 2018. The Government anticipates a base contract of 2 years, with three 1-year options. Background & Description SMC/RS requires system engineering, software and hardware engineering, administrative/facility security, facilities maintenance, and information/cyber defense support for the TAP Lab in Boulder, CO. Associated tasks include security and information assurance, configuration management, software engineering and configuration/version control, hardware engineering, interim contractor support for OBAC and system administration/networking/help desk. Additionally, SMC/RS requests contractor feedback on feasibility and corporate capabilities to sustain applications delivered by 3rd party vendors. SMC/RS is charged with developing overhead persistent infrared (OPIR) and defense weather systems to meet the needs of Department of Defense (DoD) operational elements. The Commander, Air Force Space Command (AFSPC/CC), has given SMC/RS direction to pursue activities that will enable the maximization of OPIR data exploitation and dissemination. To accomplish this, a lab environment has been created in Boulder, CO that promotes, where appropriate, competition between algorithms, collaboration among developers, and allows plug and play of different mission data processing applications with ease. The Tools, Applications and Processing (TAP) Laboratory features an open systems architecture, called the Sensor Open Framework Architecture (SOFA). SOFA was developed by Lockheed Martin's APEX team and is used in the lab to develop "plug-and-play" mission data processing applications. The Government retains full rights to the framework code and documentation, which will be managed through this effort. SOFA is also used in the OPIR Battlespace Awareness Center (OBAC), offering the potential for smoother transition of new capabilities into the operations baseline. Although the OBAC is the path for transition to operations for the Battlespace Awareness mission, other products developed in the lab may transition to other operational users in the appropriate location for their use. The TAP lab is a stand-alone capability separate from the OBAC and will serve as a development space for multiple operational users. The intent of the attached memo is to describe the services required to maintain and operate SOFA; develop and operate the TAP Lab; and develop and operate the OBAC. The TAP Lab is located in leased space in Boulder, Colorado, in space the SBIRS ground segment development contractor vacated. The TAP Lab achieved interim capability in April 2016. Under current plans, the contractor selected for this effort will establish the permanent lab in the same facility sometime in 2019. The initial capability is in a DoD Secret environment. Additional environments for unclassified and SCI levels will be established during the period of performance of this contract. The OBAC is the operational facility for the Battlespace Awareness mission and is located within the SBIRS Mission Control Station (MCS) at Buckley AFB, Colorado. It entered a period of "early operations" in early 2016. The framework custodian contractor will provide system administrative services as well as OPIR Battlespace Awareness subject matter expertise to the government OBAC operators. The framework custodian contractor selected for this work will also provide logistics and information security support for the OBAC. At a minimum, respondants to this sources sought must have, or be able to establish, the capabilities described in the attached draft task statement. The Government mandates participation from its FFRDC, SE&I and A&AS contractors, during the analysis of SOCs received in response to this synopsis. Specifically, the Government will require participation from the following contractors: Aerospace Corp, MITRE, LinQuest, SAIC, Engility, IAI, Riverside Research, Utah State Univeristy Space Dynamics Laboratory (SDL). All data received in response to this synopsis and marked or designated as "corporate" or "proprietary information" will be fully protected from release outside the Government except for the support contractors listed above. Small Business Consideration The NAICS code for this project is 541715 "Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)". The Small Business size standard is 1,250 employees. Participation from small and small disadvantaged businesses is highly encouraged. SMC's Small Business points of contact are Mr. Willard Strozier and Ms. Audrey Campbell. They can be reached at smallbus@us.af.mil.