LCC Block Upgrade

SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS: Launch Control Center (LCC) Block Upgrade Solicitation Number: Notice Type: Posted Date: FA8204-14-R-RFILCCU Sources Sought 17 April 2014 Synopsis: 1. NOTICE: This is not a solicitation but rather a Sources Sought Synopsis to determine potential sources for information and planning purposes only. 1.1. The purpose of this Sources Sought is to conduct market research to determine if responsible sources exist, to assist in determining if this effort can be competitive and/or a total Small Business Set-Aside. The proposed North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 336419 which has a corresponding Size standard of 1000. The Government will use this information to determine the best acquisition strategy for this procurement. The Government is interested in all small businesses to include 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Hubzone, and Women-Owned small business concerns. The government requests that interested parties respond to this notice if applicable and identify your business size status to the identified NAICS code. Additionally, please provide any anticipated teaming arrangements, along with a description of similar services offered to the Government and to commercial customers for the past three years. Any responses involving teaming agreements should delineate between the work that will be accomplished by the prime and the work accomplished by the teaming partners. 1.2. This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. The Air Force will not pay for either the effort or the associated costs to respond, or for any information provided. A Determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract based upon responses to information received will be normally considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. 2. Program Details: 2.1. Background The LCC Block Upgrade will consist of replacing several LCC systems with either modified Commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) items and/or contractor developed items based on system requirements. The LCC Block Upgrade consists of the Oxygen Regeneration Unit (ORU), the Weapon System Printer, the Voice Communication Control Panel (VCCP), and the Journal Memory Loader (JML). It is intended for these programs to follow a similar development and fielding schedule that will be discussed later in this document. 2.1.1. The ORU system operates in an enclosed environment during a nuclear event and must be capable of removing carbon dioxide and introducing oxygen without access to the outside environment. 2.1.2. The printer is used in the Rapid Execution and Combat Targeting (REACT) subsystem, and is defined to be a Type I device in accordance with S-133-30001. There is a single printer for the system which is shared by both the weapon system control element (WSCE) and the rapid message processing element (RMPE) processors. The WSCE processor receives messages addressed to the printer from the WSCE internal print function, and from the primary and secondary higher authority communications (HAC)/RMPE, over a separate digital interface. 2.1.3. The VCCP provides the capability to control and monitor all voice communications at the LCC . The CI consists of two Voice Control Panels (VCP), one for each operator position, for independent selection and control of available voice circuits; and one UHF Control Panel (UCP) for shared control of the UHF radio. 2.1.4. The JML Disk Drive Assembly consists of two standard 3.5" diskettes drives housed inside the nuclear hardened JML chassis. The diskette drives are becoming unsustainable; it is the intention of the program office to replace the Disk Drive Assembly with a form, fit, and function assembly utilizing the existing JML chassis. A solid state memory solution is preferred, however, other options will also be considered. 3. Physical and Functional Interfaces: please see the attached specifications for the legacy interface and size requirements. 4. Effort: This effort officially designated as the LCC Block Upgrade will be to produce and install a minimum of 45 LCC Block Upgrade kits which will include a Printer, VCCP, ORU, and a JML replacement. Additionally this effort will require that trainer and test facilities be updated to reflect the Weapon System kits, however, these updates might not necessarily have the same requirments as the operational LCC kits. The installations will take place at six locations: Minot AFB, ND, F.E. Warren AFB, WY, Malmstrom AFB, MT, Colorado Springs, CO, Hill AFB, UT, and Vandenburg AFB, CA. 5. Information Requested. 1. Respondents must have an established, mature capability that meets (or can be modified to meet) or exceeds the requirements for the LCC Block Upgrade. Please detail your ability to meet this requirement. 2. Describe your experience installing, maintaining, and testing equipment in extreme weather conditions and/or at remote locations. 3. Please describe your experience in engineering, maintaining, troubleshooting and integrating DoD-approved subsystems. 4. Describe your ability to manage sub-contractors, in terms of schedule and performance. 5. This effort will include installations in the field. Installation teams will need to have the appropriate clearances to enter facilities. Please describe past efforts, programs, and/or experiences obtaining the needed clearances. 6. What is your estimated timeline from contract award to installation completion? 7. Please provide any recommendations, questions and/or concerns. General Questionnaire 1. If you plan to be the integrator, what benefit is there to having you as the integrator? 2. How would you ensure that small business are considered for subcontract work? 3. What access do you have to government shared databases or how would you recommend to report and provide system data on a regular basis to the program office? 4. What contract type(s) would you recommend is appropriate for this effort? 5. What potential risks do you see in terms of cost, schedule, and performance specifically addressing how these programs are combined into a single "Block Upgrade"? Specific Questionnaire JML 1. What type of media do you propose for the replacement Disk Drive Assembly? 2. Assuming your company is not manufacturing the actual replacement hardware, how will you ensure the replacement Disk Drive Assembly does not contain any compromised firmware? 3. Assuming the replacement Disk Drive Assembly does not directly integrate into the JML chassis, what level of modification to the chassis / replacement Disk Drive Assembly do you expect? 4. How do you intend to ensure the replacement Disk Drive Assembly meets all reliability requirements, including: design life, mean time between corrective maintenance actions, and mean time to repair? 5. Assuming a COTS product will be integrated into your solution, how do you intend to ensure your solution meets design requirements as described in S-133-00200H-PTI section 3.3? Do you foresee any waivers being required? 6. What level of testing do you propose to ensure the replacement meets Electromagnetic Interference / Electromagnetic Compatibility requirements? 7. What level of testing do you propose to ensure the replacement meets transportation shock and vibration requirements? 8. What level of testing do you propose to ensure the replacement meets altitude requirements? 9. What level of testing do you propose to ensure the replacement meets temperature / humidity requirements? 10. How will you demonstrate that the replacement meets nuclear shock and vibration survivability requirements for Launch Control Center environments? 11. How will you demonstrate that the replacement meets Electromagnetic Pulse survivability requirements for Launch Control Center environments? 12. How will you demonstrate that the replacement meets nuclear radiation survivability requirements for Launch Control Center environments? 13. What level of testing do you propose on the lot of replacements procured (including spares) to ensure nuclear survivability requirements will be met for all items? 14. The image for the RMP IPL is stored in a 2 diskette solution (due to memory availability). Do you foresee any integration issues with the RMP assuming increased memory capability in the replacement Disk Drive Assembly? 15. What design considerations will be made for the trainer system JML / Disk Drive Assemblies? 16. What form of training documentation will be provided with the replacement? 17. What is your strategy for operator and maintenance Technical Order (TO) updates? 18. What level of testing do you propose to ensure the JML fault isolations and error codes still function properly on the operator console and the maintenance test sets? ORU 1. What are the minimum and maximum O2 production rates: volume/unit time, volume/cartridge (candle, canister, etc)? a. What are the minimum and maximum CO2 production rates: volume/unit time, volume/cartridge (candle, canister, etc)? b. What is the method of O2 production - is it active or passive, does it have any power requirements? c. What is the method of CO2 removal - active or passive, does it have any power requirements? d. What is the shelf life of the product? e. What is the required maintenance of the product? f. What is repairable or nonrepairable? What is the availability of repair parts? 2. What size models do you offer? a. If your current model offered is larger than our size limitations, is it scalable? b. Is it adaptable to our application? c. If so, how much development work would be required? 3. How would you dispose of the current sealed KO2 canisters? 4. How much heat is introduced to the surrounding environment by the proposed system? VCCP 1. Are there digital alternatives to the current technology? 2. What are possible solutions to "normalize" the volume on the headset to account for both low and high volume issues? 3. Do you have the capability to modify or customize a case to fit in the current Panel location? 4. What COTS equipment do you have that could work as a possible replacement solution? 5. Would development work be needed to make this solution work? If so, how much? Printer 1. Do you have any current models that would work as a replacement solution? 2. Would this replacement require modification to fit into the current printer location? If so, how much? 3. Are there alternative printer technologies that might be a better solution than the current technology? 7. Subject to the Government's consideration, a viable source, not already qualified to provide the requisite services should submit a concise and program specific response presenting sufficient information to substantiate that they have demonstrated: - The capability to produce the items in section 2.1. - The ability to acquire the infrastructure, hardware, software, tools, staff, etc. required for the production of the items in section 2.1. - The ability to provide engineering support and necessary training of associated equipment and hardware. - Experience with generating, editing, reviewing, and validating Drawings, Process Orders (PO's), Operating Instructions (OI's), Technical Orders (TO's) and Time Compliance Technical Orders (TCTO's). 8. Contracting Office Information. Responses must be submitted by 6 May 14 to: Bruce Richeson ATTN: Bruce Richeson, AFNWC/PZBA Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Nuclear Weapon Center, 6014 Dogwood Ave (Bldg 1258), Hill AFB, UT, 84056-5816 Or, Bruce.Richeson@us.af.mil No phone or FAX requests will be accepted.