Future International Sensors Program Strategies (FISPS)

A. INTRODUCTION The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is considering potential contract strategies to acquire and disseminate commercial imagery from non-US commercial data providers. NGA's primary interest is in Commercial Synthetic Aperture Radar (COMSAR) imagery; however, future strategies may also include other international sensors which support NGA's mission. NGA requires rapid ordering and dissemination, cost-efficient, and global access to commercial overhead imagery in support of its missions. NGA is requesting information from industry to assist in the formulation of future contract strategies which may be significantly different from the types of contracts that NGA has used to acquire imagery from US and non-US vendors in the past. NGA's Vision is to put "GEOINT in the hands of the user." The "Vision" encompasses a capability to produce a variety of underlying data types, and to deliver imagery, products, and information online. It is the intention of this RFI to gather appropriate information to assist in the preparation of acquisition strategies which are able to put into force commercial imagery contracts capable of supporting the Vision, and, ultimately, NGA's end-user with timely imagery and products to support their mission. This RFI is being issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB), a Request for Proposals (RFP), a Request for Quotations (RFQ) or an indication that the Government will contract for any of the items and/or services contained in this notice. In accordance with FAR 52.215-3, the Government will not pay for any information/items submitted in response to this RFI. Data will not be returned. This RFI does not commit the Government to award a contract. No determination regarding requirements has been made at this point. Any effort that may result from this market research is not anticipated to begin until Government Fiscal Year 2014 or beyond. Additional requests for information may be issued. B. INFORMATION REQUESTED NGA is willing to consider creative or unconventional solutions to satisfy its commercial imagery requirements. NGA encourages web-based solutions that do not require investments in architectures, minimizes impacts on existing NGA systems and, to the extent practicable, leverages current systems. All assumptions made in developing the response should be stated. Respondents are requested to provide the following information: 1. In the past, NGA has utilized multiple Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts to address its need for COMSAR imagery and services. If NGA were to continue with such a strategy, please respond to the following questions: a. What level of annual funding do you believe would be necessary for you to provide COMSAR imagery and services? b. NGA has purchased imagery under various licenses. The NexView License is a broad license that enables the imagery to be accessible and easy to handle in NGA's distribution systems. Other licenses restrict imagery use to entities such as "agencies of the US Government", "state and local governments", "foreign governments", "inter-government agencies", and "NGOs". Acquiring imagery that is readily shareable is critical to future commercial imagery contracts. What challenges or constraints do you anticipate in providing such licence terms under multiple award IDIQ contract. 2. NGA has employed commercial imagery contract strategies that utilized a Service Level Agreement (SLA) structure, most recently under the NextView and EnhancedView contracts. In the event that NGA were to consider an SLA contract strategy for future COMSAR contracts, please respond to the following questions: a. What level of annual revenue do you believe would be necessary to support an SLA for COMSAR imagery? b. What constraints or challenges do you anticipate with such a contract strategy? As stated in paragraph 1.b., acquiring imagery that is readily shareable is critical to future commercial imagery contracts. What challenges, or constraints, do you anticipate in the licenses you could provide under an SLA. 3. NGA is considering a strategy that would involve awarding a future contract for the ordering and dissemination of COMSAR imagery and services to a single prime contractor. This company would purchase the imagery from various sources and then provide it to NGA. If this strategy were to be pursued, please respond to the following questions: a. Do you believe your company capable of serving as the prime contractor under such a strategy, or do you believe you would participate as a subcontractor providing imagery to the prime contractor? b. Given your answer to question 3.a, what level of annual revenue, or activity, if appropriate, do you believe would be necessary for you to participate in such a strategy? c. If you believe you could be the prime contractor under such a strategy, please identify which companies with which you currently have corporate relationships which you believe would be relevant to such a strategy. Please specify which activities each vendor would perform, given your understanding of such a strategy. d. If you believe you would be a subcontractor under such a strategy, please identify which companies with which you currently have corporate relationships which you believe would be relevant to such a strategy. Please specify which activities you believe you would perform, given your expectations of such a strategy. e. As stated in paragraph 1.b., acquiring imagery that is readily shareable is critical to future commercial imagery contracts. What challenges, or constraints, do you anticipate in the licenses you could provide this strategy? f. A key aspect of supporting the Vision is improving the timeliness and efficiency of placing new orders, and disseminating the imagery and products to the end-user. If you believe you could serve as the prime contractor, please describe how you would improve the process by which new orders are placed with the COMSAR vendors, and improve the process by which imagery and products are made accessible to the end-user. Also, please identify the timelines you believe would be necessary to place orders with the appropriate vendor (time required from receipt of NGA requirement to tasking the COMSAR vendor), and also timelines necessary for imagery dissemination (time required from image collection to delivery to a point where it is accessible to the end-user). Please identify any subcontractors you believe would be part of any associated processes/activities. g. Please provide a ROM for what you believe the ordering process to be, given the information included in question 4.f. It is expected that this process will interface with NGA to accept requirements, include a collection management/feasibility tool, and result in an order placed with the appropriate vendors. Please include any assumptions you make, or constraints you believe exist. h. Please provide a ROM for what you believe the dissemination process to be, given the information included in question 4.f. It is expected that this process flow will interface with the COMSAR vendors to receive newly collected/archive imagery, perform appropriate processing of the imagery to make it usable, either directly, or for further exploitation, by the end-customer, and be able to interface with appropriate points of presence to be accessible to the end-user. Such points of presence could include, but are not limited to, a web-based cloud presence, a web-server presence, such as the EnhancedView Web-hosting Service, or NGA's unclassified libraries. Please include any assumptions you make, or constraints you believe exist. 4. The following questions are included to ensure any small business interests are included in the acquisition planning process, in accordance with the Small Business Act: a. What business type is your company? b. Does your company currently have a GSA vehicle? If yes, provide the contract number. c. Is your company aware of clause FAR Part 52.219-14, Limitation of Subcontracting? d. What clearance level is your company? (ie, TOP SECRET, SECRET, etc) e. Are you interested as a prime or subcontractor? (please reference responses to question 3a, as appropriate). f. Can your company perform all of the required work specified in the RFI? g. What portion of the work could be set-aside for small business? h. Would your company submit a proposal against a requirement, as described in this RFI, if released? i. Can two or more small businesses through teaming or joint venture, etc. perform the work specified in the RFI? j. Is there another suggested NAICS code? If yes, please provide. C. DUE DATE-TIME and SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS for QUESTIONS and INDUSTRY RESPONSES Questions and responses to this Request for Information (RFI) MUST BE submitted and received by the Due Date & Time, using the method for submittal specified below. 1. Due Date & Time. Respondents may submit questions concerning this RFI to the following individuals: Ms. Karen Anderson at Karen.A.Anderson.ctr@nga.mil, Ms. Sarah Handy at Sarah.E.Handy@nga.mil and Mr. Jeff Haak at Jeffrey.W.Haak@nga.mil. The Government will entertain questions on a case by case basis. Questions and Responses will be posted on FedBizOpps to view. The identity of the requesting organization will be withheld. The deadline for submitting questions is 28 June 2013 NLT 5:00 EST. 2. Method for Submittal. All responses MUST BE submitted to Ms. Sarah Handy at sarah.e.handy@nga.mil by 31 July 2013 NLT 5:00 EST. We may conduct one-on-one meetings as necessary with respondents. We will contact you for the one-on-one as necessary. The total pages for the entire submission should not exceed 20 pages, submitted electronically in Portable Document Format (PDF). File size shall not exceed 4MB. The first page of the submission must state the RFI title, provide the name, e-mail address and telephone number for an individual that can be contacted for clarification or questions regarding this submission and a statement that the contractor takes no exception to the companies stated below having access to the proprietary information contained in the RFI. The first page should also provide a short description of the company to include capabilities, company size and category (e.g. large, small, small disadvantaged). This page can also provide a company website address that may provide additional information regarding the respondent. 3. Subcontracting Opportunities. Respondents are to acknowledge whether or not they consent to share their company information for subcontracting opportunities. If not, clearly state so in response. 4. Proprietary Content. Responses may include proprietary information. IMPORTANT: Proprietary Information MUST BE specifically identified and paragraph marked. All responses shall be Unclassified. Responses to this notice will not be returned. Respondents are hereby notified that more than one Government Agency may review the responses, and the Government intends to utilize personnel from MITRE and Aerospace and/or personnel from NGA Support Contractors Booz Allen Hamilton and TASC to provide technical advice on the responses. By submitting a response to this RFI, the Contractor consents to the Government disclosing Contractor proprietary information to the aforementioned contractors to develop the acquisition approach. Failure to respond to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future competition, nor will information provided in response to this RFI be used to exclude anyone from responding to any future Request for Proposals. THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL AND DOES NOT REPRESENT A COMMITMENT ON THE PART OF THE GOVERNMENT TO ULTIMATELY ISSUE A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL OR AWARD A CONTRACT. THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT PAY FOR ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED IN RESPONSE TO THIS RFI.