New Ground Vehicle Systems OTA

The Army Contracting Command-New Jersey (ACC-NJ) and TARDEC desire to include its industry, academic, non-profit, and not-for-profit partners in its research and development efforts to develop manned and unmanned ground vehicle technologies through the establishment of a Section 815 Prototype Other Transaction Agreement. This Other Transaction Agreement will be entered into with one (1) consortium, whose body of members possesses a collective expertise in prototype manned and unmanned ground vehicle technologies. The Government is seeking one (1) established consortium whose membership possesses a collective expertise in the following technology areas related to prototype manned and unmanned ground vehicle technologies: - Modeling and simulation: Further efforts to advance the state of the art in systems, subsystems, and force effectiveness as well as reducing physical testing and life cycle costs. Examples include mission, campaign, war-gaming, physical, testing, and evaluation models and simulations. - Autonomy: to include autonomy and autonomous perception, intelligent behaviors, and Human Machine Interaction (HMI) and Operator Controlled Units (OCU). - Collaboration: to include autonomy and/or coordination algorithms, including as applied to other platform types (aerial, surface, underwater) as they relate to GVS collaboration as well as ground, air, and maritime vehicle teaming. - Platforms: to include interior compartments, exterior body, survivability, occupant protection, fire suppression, material solutions, and thermal systems. - Mobility: to include chassis, wheels/track/legged/other, braking systems, and suspensions. - Powertrain: to include engine, drive train, energy storage, and electrical power generation and distribution. - Survivability: to include efforts toward enhancing the survivability of the GVS or the GVS Mission. The main focus areas would include blast protection/mitigation using structural design or armor, fire suppression, laser protection, mechanical countermine, lightweight structures, armor, etc. - Fuels and Lubes: includes technology advancements in Fuels and Lubes for operational efficiency, increase power densities, alternatives, viscosity, and longevity. - Architecture, Security, and Modularity: to include Open architecture compliancy to existing standards, Vehicle Management Systems; vehicle networks; architecture modeling; physical, logical, and messaging interoperability (e.g. COE, JAUS and IOP); safety systems; cyber-security and modularity of systems and subsystems. - External Systems: to include communications, payloads, and attachments such as robotic manipulators and end effectors, explosive detection sensors, mechanical countermine systems, perception sensors, and other mission specific sensors. - Testing and Evaluation: To include research in the area for testing, evaluation, and validation of manned and unmanned ground vehicle systems for prototype development and technology insertion purposes for both general and specific mission tasks, at the system and sub system level. This includes, but is not limited to, testing theory, deterministic and non-deterministic testing, creation of procedures and apparatuses, evaluation of systems and sensors, testing of missions or functionality, and simulation. - Petroleum and Water Systems: To include advancements in fuel and water technology necessary for robust systems integration and operational efficiency. This includes research efforts pertaining to all ground fuels and lubricants specifications; ground water supply and wastewater treatment. Responses shall contain the following content that will be evaluated as integrated assessment by the Government to make its consortium selection decision: (1) Consortium information (Consortium Name, Vision, Mission Statement, Goals, Success Criteria, Metrics, Management Framework of Consortium, Articles of Collaboration/By-Laws, Consortium Member Agreement, Accounting Practices, and Fee Structure); (2) Other information which the respondent determines may provide support for how the consortium has the ability to assist in developing successful Government/academia/industry partnerships.; (3) Consortium membership list indicating each member's designation as a Nontraditional or Traditional Defense Contractor per 10 U.S.C. - 2371b, Section 815 of the 2016 National Defense Authorization Act, P.L 114-92); and (4) Documentation that indicates which members are experienced in each of the prototype manned and unmanned ground vehicle technology areas listed in this notice, along with a description of their experience/capabilities under those technology areas. The Government will review all submissions and perform an integrated assessment of each submission to make a holistic determination as to which consortium best meets its needs, based on the response content requirements listed in the paragraph above and with no relative order of importance. The Government reserves the right to ask questions of a clarifying nature during the submission review process, or to open discussions with all respondees and allowing for updated submissions. A notice of the Government's consortium award selection will be announced on FedBizOpps upon the conclusion of the evaluation process. Responses are due to Trish Kleiman, Agreements Specialist, and Ryan Lovelace, Agreements Specialist, via email at patricia.a.kleiman.civ@mail.mil and ryan.t.lovelace.civ@mail.mil by 4:30PM EST, 10 February 2017. Responses shall be submitted in Microsoft Word (.docx or .doc) or Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) file format. File size should not exceed 10MB. All information is to be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government. No sensitive or classified information will be discussed. Foreign-owned, controlled, or influenced firms are advised that security restrictions may apply that may preclude their participation in these efforts.