NOTICE OF INTENT TO SOLE SOURCE-PC-BASED OPEN-ARCHITECTURE FOR RECONFIGURABLE TRAINING SYSTEMS (PORTS) 2027

The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) has a requirement to provide PORTS technology based Surface Navy training systems.  PORTS is a simulation architecture technology used in the design of many Surface Navy shore-based trainers.  The current PORTS program is based on the use of a Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) simulation engine called the Combined Tactical Training and Analysis System (CTTAS).  CTTAS provides an instructor station and manages the simulation for each specific trainer being developed.  The PORTS/CTTAS architecture forms the core of a family of trainer simulations.  The program is intended to meet immediate and future training needs for the Surface Navy.  Serco North America, LLC. (Serco), has ownership of and licensing rights to the CTTAS software.

A single award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity Contract (ID/IQC) with a 5-year ordering period is anticipated.  The anticipated contract value for this procurement is $49M in total.  Program requirements are currently being fulfilled utilizing the PORTS Contract Number N6134020D0016.  Prior to this, the PORTS ID/IQC, N6134011D0005 & N6134019C0048, were utilized to fulfill these requirements. The incumbent is Serco, for the aforementioned contracts.

Ongoing market research performed by the Government supports there does not exist a commercially available item or non-developmental item to satisfy the Government’s requirement. 

In accordance with FAR 6.305, the Justification and Approval for this sole source action will be made publicly available within 30 days after contract award.  Small businesses looking for subcontract opportunities are encouraged to reach out to Serco’s Small Business Liaison Office (SBLO) POC, Ms. Patricia (Patty) Honeycut at patricia.honeycutt@serco-na.com.

This notice of intent is not a request for competitive proposals. It is a notice in accordance with FAR 5.201 outlining the Government’s intent to contract on a sole source basis with Serco.  Interested sources are solicited to provide their written technical capabilities.  Written response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government.  Interested sources must submit detailed written technical capabilities to deliver the requirement.  Detailed written capabilities must be submitted by email to Ms. Christina Garcia (Christina.d.Garcia2.civ@navy.mil) in an electronic format that is compatible with Microsoft Office 2016 applications (MS Word), no later than close of business on Thursday, 01 July 2026.  Verbal submissions via phone will not be honored. Response to this announcement should consist of the following:

1) A submission of your firm’s detailed capabilities to meet the requirements listed above.

2) Demonstrate the required familiarity, access to, and technical proficiency to procure, license, or re-engineer all baseline elements of the existing PORTS/CTTAS software suite. This capability must explicitly encompass the sustainment and integration of the underlying PORTS simulation architecture, integration with the existing PORTS applications, associated data repositories, strict adherence to DoD cybersecurity compliance mandates, and seamless interoperability with both Navy Continuous Training Environment (NCTE) remote connectivity nodes and separate Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) standard connected training systems. Furthermore, the contractor must substantiate its capacity to rapidly acquire specialized Subject Matter Expert (SME) technical acumen necessary to develop, test, and field equivalent complex trainer applications that ensure absolute interoperability within the candidate system without degradation to current PORTS trainer readiness.

All information shall be furnished at no cost or obligation to the Government.  Responses shall be limited to no more than TEN (10) pages.  A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement.  This notice is not to be considered a request for quotations or proposals.  No solicitation document is available.  No contract will be awarded on the basis of offers received in response to this notice but will be used to determine if a comparable source is available and more advantageous to the Government.  If conducted as a sole source procurement, a separate synopsis will not follow.  This synopsis will satisfy the intent of the requirements under FAR 5.201 and 5.204.  In accordance with FAR 5.102(e), copies of the solicitation will be available upon request.

PLACE(S) OF PERFORMANCE: 

• Surface Combat Systems Training Command (SCSTC) Southeast Mayport, FL
• SCSTC Hampton Roads Norfolk/Dam Neck/Little Creek/Virginia Beach, VA
• SCSTC Great Lakes, IL
• NAWCTSD Orlando, FL
• Surface Warfare Schools Command (SWSC) Newport, RI
• SCSTC San Diego Pt, Loma, CA
• SCSTC Pacific Northwest Everett, WA
• SCSTC Middle Pacific Pearl Harbor, HI
• SCSTC Western Pacific Yokosuka, Japan