Mercury Atomic Frequency Standard (MAFS) for Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC)

25 July 13, 0840 hours, To Whom It May Concern, Amend # 3. 1. The following Amendment # 3 is directed to those Sources that submitted documentation on 29 May 13. 2. AFRL is seeking additional information as outlined below. 3. SUBJECT: Amendment # 3 to Sources Sought FA9453-13-R-0331 - MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY FOR THE MERCURY ATOMIC FREQUENCY STANDARD (MAFS) REFERENCE NUMBER: FA9453-13-R-0331 1. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is continuing to conduct market research to identify industries that have the capabilities and capacity related to a Mercury Atomic Frequency Standard. This Sources Sought is PART # 2 of an initial Sources Sought that requested capabilities and capacity statements that were originally due on 29 May 13. AFRL is seeking additional information. AFRL would like a rough order magnitude cost and schedule estimates from sources capable of taking existing and developed technical designs and information from National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC), and improve the manufacturing processes to meet the Air Force's requirements for GPS (radiation hardening, lifetime, performance, etc.), and producing an initial number of the Mercury Atomic Frequency Standard (MAFS) for testing purposes and for potential future flight(s). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code expected is Manufacturing: 336414 with some possible Research and Development too per NAICS Code: 541712. The Small Business size standard is expected to be 1000. 2. NASA's DSAC was developed, and designed to demonstrate the space flight performance of a small, low-mass, high-stability mercury-ion atomic clock with long term stability and accuracy on par with that of the Deep Space Network. The DSAC is a Mercury ion clock based on the ground state hyperfine transition in trapped 199Hg ions. 3. The following documents provide an overview of NASA's DSAC and the expected MAFS requirements and are attached for you to read. This documentation will be mailed out by Capt Foo and copied to a disk for your review: A. NOTE! Potential sources SHALL comply with a DD Form 254, GPS Security Classification Guide Dated 20 Sep 2008, and DoD GPS Security Policy dated 4 Apr 2006 along with its Interim International Supplement dated 4 Apr 2006 in order to be considered for potential work efforts. Some of these documents are classified as: DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT "D": Distribution authorized to DoD and U.S. DoD contractors only. Other requests for this document shall be referred to Air Force Research Laboratory/(RVBYE, Attn: Capt Foo or Dr. Burke), 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776. These documents were attached to the initial Sources Sought posted on fedbizops on 9 May 2013. B. Expected MAFS requirements based on GPS III requirements. The distribution of the document is Distribution C: Distribution authorized to U.S. Government Agencies and their contractors (ITAR controlled) (3/1/13). Other requests for this and other documents shall be referred to AFRL/RVBYE; Building 570; 3550 Aberdeen Av SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117. C. An overview of the DSAC to include the following: 1) The functional requirements used by JPL to produce the DSAC 2) The Environmental requirements used by JPL to produce the DSAC 3) A block diagram of the DSAC 4) The equipment specification for the ultra-stable oscillator used with DSAC 5) A slide show with some information related to the physics package, the configuration of the clock, and some sub-system requirements. 4. Vendors are asked to provide rough order magnitude cost and schedule estimates for delivering the following end items (broken out by fiscal year, down through 2 WBS levels, including all assumptions.) a. 2 engineering design unit clocks for development and testing purposes b. 3 flight clocks for initial flight demonstration c. All ground testing required to qualify the clock for space to include long term clock testing and environmental tests to meet GPS requirements. 5. Discussion of any major cost drivers, cost tradeoffs, and unique schedule considerations. 6. Any information pertaining to utilization of small business subcontractors, if applicable. 7. The security requirements are as follows: A. Foreign businesses are not allowed to participate in this effort as this technology is export controlled. Only US businesses are authorized to participate. B. Employees working on this effort must be US citizens. No foreign nationals will be allowed to support this effort. The government may follow up with submitting companies to request additional information. Companies that meet the requirements will then be sent further technical information in order to produce rough order magnitude cost and schedule estimates, list any major cost drivers, cost tradeoffs, and unique milestone schedule considerations, and list any utilization of subcontractors with the proper security clearances, if applicable. 8. All submissions must be UNCLASSIFIED. Classified submissions will NOT be accepted. Please submit responses using the most current versions of Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and or Excel on two disks with three (3) hard copies for review. Do not send e-mails, because the government - firewalls' may delete attachments. The technical portion of the response should be limited to 20 pages, using standard Times or Times New Roman font and no smaller than 12 point with one inch margins, single spaced. 9. The complete submission must be sent to the Contracting Officer no later than Noon (Mountain Standard Time - MST) on 2 October 2013, by mail or Fed EX or other overnight express type mail but NOT e-mail. Foreign firms are advised they will NOT be allowed to participate as the prime contractor or as a first-tier subcontractor. Any proprietary information must be clearly marked (the Government will NOT be responsible for improperly marked proprietary information). Responses to this request for information should include the following: - Submitter's Name; Street Address, City, State, NINE-Digit zip code; - Point of Contacts (POC), both Contractual and Technical Lead - POC Email, telephone and facsimile numbers - CAGE Code; NAICS Code(s) and System for Award Management (SAM) Status - Cost Estimates - Schedule estimates - Discussion of any major cost drivers, cost tradeoffs, and unique schedule considerations - Small Business discussion 9. Please identify if you are a small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), certified HubZone small business, or a women-owned small business, or a research and educational program/activity (such as historically black college/university, or minority-serving institution of higher education). To qualify as a Small Disadvantaged Business, you must be certified by the SBA (contact your local SBA office or online at www.sba.gov). For Women-Owned Small businesses (WOSB) or Economically-disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSBs), please use the WOSB Program Repository found at: https://eweb.sba.gov/gls/ to upload to obtain certification. The applicable NAICS code expected is Manufacturing: 336414 with some possible Research and Development too per NAICS Code: 541712. The associated small business size standard of 1000 is expected. 10. Responses should also indicate the source's intent to be either a prime contractor, subcontractor, or interest in obtaining a license to become a developer and supplier. As regards to licensing, respondents to this sources sought are encouraged to provide, in addition to their SOC, information regarding their assessment of the value of technical data rights and or licensing agreements and any other suggestions to assist the government in achieving its objective in developing and manufacturing a Mercury Atomic Frequency Standard (MAFS). 11. All questions shall be routed in writing through the Contracting Officer. Any technical questions or clarification and documentation requests may be directed in writing only to Dr. John Burke or Captain Brian Foo through the Contracting Officer, Mr. Eggert, at AFRL/RVBYE, 3550 Aberdeen Av SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117, at E-mail: francis.eggert@kirtland.af.mil . Submit responses by email or mail to POC: Contracting Officer: Francis M. Eggert, DET 8 AFRL/RVKVB, 3550 Aberdeen Av SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117, phone (505) 846-7603, e-mail: francis.eggert@kirtland.af.mil no later than Noon (Mountain Standard Time - MST) on 2 October 2013, by mail or Fed EX or other overnight express type mail but NOT e-mail. NOTICE: The purpose of this Sources Sought is solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract. Proposals are NOT being requested or accepted with this synopsis. This announcement is intended for both large and small businesses from the United States only. All entities possessing the capability to perform this work are invited to submit the requested information. Any information submitted is voluntary and will be used to further the Government's understanding of market capabilities and capacity, and to determine set aside opportunities, if the opportunity exists. Responses will NOT be returned. NO reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow up information requests. Any costs incurred as a result of this announcement shall be borne by the Respondent and will NOT be charged to the Government for reimbursement. 2 Attachments to be mailed out by Capt Foo 1. Expected MAFS GPS III requirements generated on 1 Mar 2013 2. JPL DSAC Data Package with several documents with various dates. 10 May 13, 1635 hours, To Whom It May Concern, Amend # 2. 1. Please submit your responses only by MAIL not via e-mail as stated in paragraph 11 below. Note! The government computer system firewall delete many attachments. Thanks. Mr. Eggert. 10 May 13, 1150 hours, To Whom it May Concern, Amend # 1. 1. NOTE! The due dates for the Sources Sought is 29 May 13 NOT 15 May 13 as stated in paragraphs 8 and 11 below. I have corrected these in the announcement set forth below. Mr. Francis M. Eggert, PCO. === See Corrected Dates below ==== 9 May 13. SUBJECT: MARKET RESEARCH SURVEY FOR THE MERCURY ATOMIC FREQUENCY STANDARD (MAFS) REFERENCE NUMBER: FA9453-13-R-0331 1. The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is conducting market research to identify industries that have the capabilities and capacity related to a Mercury Atomic Frequency Standard. This Sources Sought seeks sources capable of taking existing and developed technical designs and information from National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA's) Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC), and improve the manufacturing processes to meet the Air Force's requirements for GPS (radiation hardening, lifetime, performance, etc.), and producing an initial number of the Mercury Atomic Frequency Standard (MAFS) for testing purposes and for potential future flight(s). The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code expected is Manufacturing: 336414 with some possible Research and Development too per NAICS Code: 541712. The Small Business size standard is expected to be 1000. 2. NASA's DSAC was developed, and designed to demonstrate the space flight performance of a small, low-mass, high-stability mercury-ion atomic clock with long term stability and accuracy on par with that of the Deep Space Network. The DSAC is a Mercury ion clock based on the ground state hyperfine transition in trapped 199Hg ions. See the attached Figure 1, which is a diagram of the Mercury trapped ion atomic clock. 3. The following documents provide an overview of NASA's DSAC and are attached for you to read: A. T. Ely, J. Seubert, J. Prestage, and R. Tjoelker, The Deep Space Atomic Clock: Ushering in a New Paradigm for Radio Navigation and Science, (2013) (Preprint) AAS 13-325, See and read Attachment 1. Note, See Figure 1 of this Preprint from NASA. B. T. Ely, T. Koch, D. Kuang, K. Lee, D. Murphy, J. Prestage, R. Tjoelker, and J. Seubert, The Deep Space Atomic Clock Mission, (2012), from NASA, See and read Attachment 2. C. NOTE! Potential sources SHALL comply with a DD Form 254, GPS Security Classification Guide Dated 20 Sep 2008, and DoD GPS Security Policy dated 4 Apr 2006 along with its Interim International Supplement dated 4 Apr 2006 in order to be considered for potential work efforts. Some of these documents are classified as: DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT "D": Distribution authorized to DoD and U.S. DoD contractors only. Other requests for this document shall be referred to Air Force Research Laboratory/(RVBYE, Attn: Capt Foo or Dr. Burke), 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776. See and read Attachment 3. 4. A vendor supporting this task would take NASA's DSAC and convert it to meet the Air Force's requirements. Specifically this will entail meeting radiation hardening requirements, meeting GPS constellation requirements, and improving the manufacturability of the clock. An interested vendor should have experience in taking laboratory built equipment and making that equipment more manufacturable to include, but not limited to, using parts that are easy to obtain or manufacture, improving or eliminating costly production steps, and developing easy to follow manufacturing processes. With respect to the GPS constellation requirements, the MAFS will have reduced Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) requirements, have simplified external interfaces, and will need to meet increased lifetime requirements, reliability requirements, performance standards, and space flight qualification requirements to include all vibration, thermal, radiation, and other space flight specific characteristics. The task will include producing initial engineering units for test purposes and then flight units for an initial demonstration. 5. This task is limited to US contractors only and all employees working on MAFS must be US citizens. Due to restrictions on technical data, this is an initial capabilities call. Companies with the capability to support this effort will send their information to the contracting officer. This information shall include the following: A. Full company name, mailing address, name of technical point of contact with contact information (phone and e-mail), name of program management point of contact with contact information (phone and e-mail), and company cage code, and NAICS Code(s) for producing the product(s). B. A description of any previous experience related to taking a laboratory produced item and improving upon its construction processes to make it more easy to manufacture the product. C. A description of experience in designing, building, and testing space qualified devices. D. Evidence of your established manufacturing processes and equipment and facilities for producing and testing of items. Evidence needs to show how it applies to MAFS. 6. The government will review this information and verify that companies submitting capability and capacity statements meet security requirements. The security requirements are as follows: A. Foreign businesses are not allowed to participate in this effort as this technology is export controlled. Only US businesses are authorized to participate. B. Employees working on this effort must be US citizens. No foreign nationals will be allowed to support this effort. The government may follow up with submitting companies to request additional information. Companies that meet the requirements will then be sent further technical information in order to produce rough order magnitude cost and schedule estimates, list any major cost drivers, cost tradeoffs, and unique milestone schedule considerations, and list any utilization of subcontractors with the proper security clearances, if applicable. 7. All submissions must be UNCLASSIFIED. Classified submissions will NOT be accepted. Please submit responses using the most current versions of Microsoft Word, Powerpoint, and or Excel on two disks with three (3) hard copies for review. Do not send e-mails, because the government - firewalls' may delete attachments. The technical portion of the response should be limited to 20 pages, using standard Times or Times New Roman font and no smaller than 12 point with one inch margins, single spaced. 8. The complete submission must be sent to the Contracting Officer no later than Noon (Mountain Standard Time - MST) on 29 May 2013 not 15 May 13. (Correction). Foreign firms are advised they will NOT be allowed to participate as the prime contractor or as a first-tier subcontractor. Any proprietary information must be clearly marked (the Government will NOT be responsible for improperly marked proprietary information). Responses to this request for information should include the following: - Submitter's Name; Street Address, City, State, NINE-Digit zip code; - Point of Contacts (POC), both Contractual and Technical Lead - POC Email, telephone and facsimile numbers - CAGE Code; NAICS Code(s) and System for Award Management (SAM) Status - Experience in Atomic Frequency Standard (AFS) technologies (including prior success in achieving development and production of space qualified AFS's; the response must emphasize the proved skills and abilities to meet Air Force requirements; and - The facilities to work at the appropriate security level(s); and finally, - Other contracting efforts that you have performed concerning this kind of effort. Include Contracting Officer contact information and Contracting Number(s), type of work, etc. 9. Please identify if you are a small, small disadvantaged, 8(a), certified HubZone small business, or a women-owned small business, or a research and educational program/activity (such as historically black college/university, or minority-serving institution of higher education). To qualify as a Small Disadvantaged Business, you must be certified by the SBA (contact your local SBA office or online at www.sba.gov). For Women-Owned Small businesses (WOSB) or Economically-disadvantaged women-owned small businesses (EDWOSBs), please use the WOSB Program Repository found at: https://eweb.sba.gov/gls/ to upload to obtain certification. The applicable NAICS code expected is Manufacturing: 336414 with some possible Research and Development too per NAICS Code: 541712. The associated small business size standard of 1000 is expected. 10. Responses should also indicate the source's intent to be either a prime contractor, subcontractor, or interest in obtaining a license to become a developer and supplier. As regards to licensing, respondents to this sources sought are encouraged to provide, in addition to their SOC, information regarding their assessment of the value of technical data rights and or licensing agreements and any other suggestions to assist the government in achieving its objective in developing and manufacturing a Deep Space Atomic Clock (DSAC) 11. All questions shall be routed in writing through the Contracting Officer. Any technical questions or clarification and documentation requests may be directed in writing only to Dr. John Burke or Captain Brian Foo through the Contracting Officer, Mr. Eggert, at AFRL/RVBYE, 3550 Aberdeen Av SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117, at E-mail: francis.eggert@kirtland.af.mil . Submit responses by email or mail to POC: Contracting Officer: Francis M. Eggert, DET 8 AFRL/RVKVB, 3550 Aberdeen Av SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117, phone (505) 846-7603, e-mail: francis.eggert@kirtland.af.mil no later than Noon (Mountain Standard Time - MST) on 29 May 13 not 15 May 2013, (Correction) The Contract Specialist supporting this market research survey is: Ellen Foster, Det 8 AFRL/RVKVB; (General Mail Room); 3550 Aberdeen Av SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5773, phone (505) 846-0938, fax (505) 846-0945, email: ellen.foster@kirtland.af.mil. NOTICE: The purpose of this Sources Sought is solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation or commitment on the part of the Government to award a contract. Proposals are NOT being requested or accepted with this synopsis. This announcement is intended for both large and small businesses from the United States only. All entities possessing the capability to perform this work are invited to submit the requested information. Any information submitted is voluntary and will be used to further the Government's understanding of market capabilities and capacity, and to determine set aside opportunities, if the opportunity exists. Responses will NOT be returned. NO reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this synopsis or any follow up information requests. Any costs incurred as a result of this announcement shall be borne by the Respondent and will NOT be charged to the Government for reimbursement. 3 Attachments See Uploaded Attachments. 1. The Deep Space Atomic Clock: Ushering in a New Paradigm for Radio Navigation and Science. 2. The Deep Space Atomic Clock Mission 3. Draft DD Form 254 for GPS with Attachment "A" Instructions