Gas Laser Research & Development (R&D) - Request for Information (RFI)

Request for Information Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate Gas Laser Research & Development RFI-AFRL-RVKDL-2016-0003 ________________________________________ THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY as defined in FAR 15.201(e). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes to further the Government's understanding of market capabilities. This RFI is not a request for proposals; therefore responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. This announcement shall NOT be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach. Responses to this RFI will NOT be returned and no further feedback will be provided. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website at http://www.fbo.gov. Submitted information shall be UNCLASSIFIED. NO reimbursement will be made by the Government for any costs associated with providing information in response to this RFI or any follow up information requests. Gas Laser Research & Development (R&D) The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate (RD) is seeking information on industry's capability to perform R&D in gas lasers at AFRL facilities. R&D in this effort is limited to innovation, introduction and improvement of gas lasers technologies that have the potential to meet Air Force needs. Some examples of gas lasers of interest include: Diode Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPALs), gas discharge lasers, noble gas lasers and gas filled hollow core fiber Raman cells. Responders shall address their capabilities in all five elements of the gas laser R&D effort listed below: 1. Modeling & Simulation (M&S): a. Develop, maintain and run both physics and engineering computer models to predict performance of both gas lasers experiments as well as full scale concepts to meet Air Force needs. 2. Experiment Design, Construction & Execution: a. Based on M&S, and other considerations, design experiments required to generate and collect the necessary data to validate physics and engineering models. Experiment design includes mitigating risks to acceptable levels for both R&D assets and personnel. b. Construct experiments from R&D assets (current, modified current or acquire new). c. Execute experiments using the assembled assets to generate and collect the required data. 3. Data Analysis & Management: a. Analyze the collected data to determine if the experiment was successful, or if the experiment needs to be repeated, modified or if a different experiment is needed to generate and collect the required data. b. Manage the data by proper recording from R&D instruments, formatting data for use by M&S codes and archiving data for later recall and reference. 4. R&D Hardware & Software Maintenance: a. Hardware and software may be used continuously or intermittently during the R&D effort. Both need to be maintained so they can be relied upon whenever the R&D effort needs them to be used. 5. Additional components to be developed and evaluated include, but are not limited to: a. Laser resonators b. Gain media excitation or gain generation sources c. Supersonic mixing nozzles d. Chemically resistant optical windows e. Optical components with high optical damage thresholds f. Thermal management g. Pressure recovery Response Guidance Interested parties capable of performing this work are invited to submit a capability statement on company letterhead no later than (NLT) 10 August 2016 at 12:00 noon Mountain Standard Time (MST). Provide sufficient written information to indicate capability and any other specific and pertinent information. Responses must also address items a. - d. below and may be considered incapable of meeting the Government's requirements if not included. Company Profile a. Company Name and Mailing Address b. CAGE Code and DUNS Number c. Point(s) of Contact to include telephone number and e-mail address d. Business Size Status (i.e. 8(a), HUBZone, woman-owned, Service Disabled Veteran-Owned, Small Business, Large Business, Historically Black College/University). Also indicate if entity is a minority-serving institution of higher education that meets the definition of "Covered Institution" (as defined in 10 USC 2362 Covered Educational Institution) which is (1) an institution of higher education eligible for assistance under title III or V of the Higher Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1501 et seq); or (2) an accredited postsecondary minority institution). The applicable NAICS code is 541712 with an associated small business size standard of 1,000. Responses must be unclassified and any proprietary information provided must be portion marked accordingly. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. RFI responses are limited to twenty (20) pages, singled-sided, single-spaced, Times New Roman 12-point font with one inch margins. A cover page and/or index are not included in the page count. Submittals should consist of one (1) hard copy and one (1) electronic version (CD-ROM) in a format readable and usable by Microsoft (MS) Word 2007 or in PDF format viewable with the standard Adobe Acrobat Reader. Submissions shall be delivered by MAIL ONLY and received NLT 10 August 2016 at 1200 noon MST at the following address: AFRL Det 8/RVKDL Attn: Luisa A. Martinez-Medina Contracting Officer 3550 Aberdeen Ave. SE Kirtland AFB NM 87117-5776 Hand delivered submissions or submissions sent via facsimile or other electronic means will NOT be accepted. Note: The operations, research, and test data produced under a resultant contract may contain Military Critical Technology List (MCTL) information whose export is restricted by the Export Control Act (Title 22, USC, Section 2751, et seq.) or the Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended (Title 50, USC, App. 40-1, et seq.). Only offerors who are certified by the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) may submit statements of capability. Contact US/Canada Joint Certification Office, DLIS, Federal Center, 74 Washington Ave, North, Battle Creek, Michigan, 49037-3084, (800) 352-3572, http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp/, for further information on certification and the approval process.