Optical Augmentation

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION; The Government is not obligated to make an award as a result of this request. This Request for Information (RFI) is for informational purposes only; this is not an Invitation for Bid (IFB), a Request for Proposal (RFP), or Request for Quotation (RFQ). No solicitation document exists and a formal solicitation may or may not be issued by the Government as a result of the responses to this RFI. The Government will not be liable for payment of any response preparation expenses and information and materials received in response to this RFI and is in no way obligated by the information received. Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to this announcement will NOT be reimbursed. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing a future acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement, Statement of Objectives and/or Performance Based Specification(s). INTERESTED PARTIES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ADEQUATELY MARKING PROPRIETARY OR COMPETITION SENSITIVE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN THEIR RESPONSE. NOTE: The use of RFI Number W909MY-18-R-A016 is for tracking purposes only. All interested parties are encouraged to respond by submitting a white paper. The ideas presented in the white paper will be discussed and assessed by U.S. Army RDECOM U.S. Army Communications - Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center's (CERDEC) Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD) and other Government agencies involved in optical augmentation (OA) detection systems. BACKGROUND/DESCRIPTION: The Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) Belvoir Division is conducting market research on behalf of the U.S. Army CERDEC NVESD, in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10. The purpose of this RFI is to identify potential sources that have the skills, experience, knowledge, and capabilities required to build optical augmentation (OA) detection transceivers at high Technical Readiness Levels (TRL 7 or higher). Responses to this RFI will be used to evaluate potential sources of OA transceivers used for Vehicle Protection Systems in support of the Army's modernization priorities. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS: The Army is looking at Multi-Spectral Optical Augmentation transceiver capabilities to enhance preemptive engagement using transceiver systems. NVESD is interested in sources for current and future vendors of OA detection technology. Specifically, there is a strong interest in unique approaches to the illuminating sources which will provide sufficiently high output power and low size and weight for detecting targets at long range in all wavebands including VISible Spectrum of light (VIS), Near-InfraRed (NIR), Mid-Wave InfraRed (MWIR) and Long-Wave InfraRed (LWIR). White papers should focus on OA capability, high output power illuminators, SWAP and as-like systems that have been produced at TRL 7 or higher. Please provide the following information no later than 15 June 2018. Future communications related to this program will be distributed based on interested parties list. Sources responding to this request for information must provide the following information: 1. Brief Summary of the company. Company Information Company Name: Company CAGE Code: Company DUNS Number. If your Company holds a GSA Schedule contract (541 or other), please provide the Schedule number. Company Address: Company Website (if available): Company Phone #: Company email: Company Representative and Business Title: Company Socioeconomic Classification: Please identify your company's business size standard based on the primary North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code of 541715. For more information, refer to http://www.sba.gov/content/tablesmall-businesssize-standards: Small Business (SB), (8) (a), Woman-Owned (WOSB), Economically-Disadvantaged Women-Owned (EDWOSB), Veteran-Owned and Operated (VOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned (SDVOSB), or Historically Underutilized Small Business-Zone (HUB Zone), Historically Black College and Universities/ Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) 2. Do you plan to prime? If so, continue to question #3. 3. Does your company possess the capabilities to provide the entire range of these requirements? If not, please list which requirements your company can provide. If your company requires acquiring or building new capabilities, describe the effort and timeline required. 4. Discuss your qualifications in defining Optical Augmentation system requirements or similar efforts. For any previous effort, please provide Contract Number, Point of Contact (POC), email address, phone number, and a brief description of your direct support of the effort. 5. Does your company have experience working with Government providing Soldier sub-system architecture as described in the "DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS" section above? 6. Does your company possess an approved Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) accounting system? 7. Does your company possess the capabilities to provide the entire range of services called for in the above requirements?_____ YES _______ NO 8. If you answered YES to Question # 7, please provide specific capabilities and examples for how your company can provide these services. 9. Is your company planning on business arrangements with other companies, please describe the process used in selecting the members? 10. Please provide details regarding proposed joint ventures, teaming arrangements, strategic alliances, or other business arrangements to satisfy the above requirements. Offerors are encouraged to identify teams, indicating each team member's size based upon the NAICS code of the work that the team member may be doing. 11. Is your company currently providing similar services to another government agency (you may also include contract #s for government) or other non-government customer? If so, please identify the agency or non-government customer. If you are unwilling to share your customer's identity, please address whether your company offers the same or similar services commercially. 12. Has your Company performed this type of effort or similar type effort (to include size and complexity) in the past, if so provide Contract Number, Point of Contact (POC), e-mail address, phone number, and a brief description of your direct support of the effort? 13. What are the core competencies of your employees that would support the above requirements? Also, provide the total number of individuals currently employed by your company that are capable of supporting the above requirements. 14. Does your company have a SECRET facility or access to one should it be required? 15. Do all employees that would support the above requirements have a SECRET Clearance? 16. Existing Government Contracts: Indicate if vendor is currently on any Federal Supply Schedules, Government wide acquisition contracts, multi-agency contracts, and any other procurement instruments intended for use by multiple agencies. If yes, provide contract name(s) and number(s). 17. Given the listing of data available in the "DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS" section above, does this list represent an adequate amount of data to complete the effort? If not, what additional technical data would your company require in order to execute the described effort? Contractor is encouraged to provide details on impact of any technical data needs including cost or schedule impacts from lack of technical data at the start of the project. 18. Is your company certified by a quality management system (QMS) standards organization? If so, which one? 19. In reference to a system proposed or a description of an as-like solution, please include the following information in your response. Answers shall be provided at the appropriate classification level in accordance with EOCM classification guidelines and SCGs available with this RFI. a. What is the specific illuminator in each band? b. What is the center wavelength of illumination in each band? c. What is the spectral wavelength distribution in each band? d. What is the maturity level of the illuminating source? e. What is the Output Power level of the illuminating source? f. What is the per pulse energy of each illuminating source? g. What is the maximum repetition pulse rate of the illuminating source? h. What is the timed pulse width of the illuminating source? Please provide a pulse profile. i. What are the cooling mechanisms for the illuminating source? j. What is the Nominal Ocular Hazard Distance (NOHD) of each source? k. What is the SWAP-C of the illuminating source and the system? l. What are the proposed optical receiver characteristics? m. What is the detector proposed? Material and bandwidth? n. What is the Instantaneous Field of View (IFOV) of the proposed system in each band? o. What is the Field of View (FOV) of the proposed system in each band? p. How many Watts per Steradian will the system push down range? q. How will the system reject clutter objects? r. What is the dwell time on a target (3" diameter circle) in a scene at 5km? s. What is the angular scan coverage area and rate of coverage? t. What environmental standards are met, or will be met? u. Are there opportunities to mature your technology through process improvements? 20. What is your company's ability to provide the proposed hardware solution in less than 18 months? If able to provide the proposed hardware solution in less than 18 months, please provide support to demonstrate this delivery schedule. Capabilities: Provide the requested information for up to five (5) projects your company/team has performed within the past five (5) years. Complete one table per project. Agency/Customer: Project Name: If you have experience as a prime contractor, please provide as much of the following information as possible: a. Contract number(s) b. Identify the agency or non-government customer, Point of Contact (POC), email address, phone number, and a brief description of your direct support of the effort. If you are unwilling to share your customer's identity, please address whether your company offers the same or similar items commercially. c. Aggregate dollar value of entire contract you were the prime. d. Is the work similar in scope to that of the above performance capabilities and attributes? e. Period of Performance (for base and options). f. Were you the Prime or Subcontractor? g. Description of Work Performed. h. Security Clearance Requirements (number of personnel and level of clearance and/or designation). THE FOLLOWING ONLY APPLIES TO THE SMALL BUSINESS RESPONDENTS: In addition to the above, small businesses responding should provide the following information (questions 19-21 will not count against the 15 page limit) 19. If you are a small business and plan to prime please inform how you will meet the limitations on subcontracting Clause 52.219-14. 20. Under the current SB size standard, do you anticipate your company remaining a small business, under the stated NAICS code 541715? 21. If you are a small business, can your company sustain if not paid for 90 calendar days? Interested parties with the capabilities to meet the above requirements should electronically submit White Papers of not more than fifteen (15) pages, 8.5" x 11" paper, 12-point, Times New Roman font, with a minimum of one (1) inch margins all around, discussing your company' ability to meet the above requirements. The response should include a complete discussion of the ability to meet the above stated requirements and capabilities, contractor's facility availability and staffing capabilities. The supporting documentation must be in sufficient detail to enable the Government to determine if the potential vendor either has the required product, hardware, and data, or the capabilities and production qualifications for this combined effort. Please also include a discussion of any commercially available solutions, which your company can provide. Descriptive literature of the commercial product if available, should be provided and will not be included in the above page count. Responses should also include a cover letter (not included in the page count) providing: - Contact and company information - Name - Title - Mailing address - Phone number - Email address Responses are due no later than 12:00 PM EST (local time at Fort Belvoir, VA) on 15 June 2018. All requests for information must be in writing or via email; telephonic requests for additional information will not be honored. You may forward request for additional information and/or responses to Wanda Harner, Contract Specialist at wanda.n.harner.civ@mail.mil, and acknowledgement of receipt will be issued. Unclassified email responses should not exceed 5 Megabytes (MB). Responses received after this date and time may not be reviewed. Send responses electronically to (Include "RFI number W909MY-18-R-A016" in the subject line.): Wanda Harner, Contract Specialist, email: wanda.n.harner.civ@mail.mil and John Moore, Technical POC, email: john.r.moore397.civ@mail.mil *****Responses that contain SECRET information should be submitted by Registered Mail or Federal Express. RESPONSES THAT CONTAIN SECRET INFORMATION CANNOT BE SENT ELECTRONICALLY. Mark the highest classification of the information contained within the package on the top, bottom, front and back of the inner envelope/package. If submitting a response that contains SECRET information, please notify Gena Osborn at Gena.a.osborn.civ@mail.mil before submitting. Outer envelope: Department of the Army RDECOM, CERDEC, NVESD ATTN: RDER-NVO-SB (Security Office) 10221 Burbeck Road Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5806 OFFICIAL BUSINESS Inner package: Department of the Army RDECOM, CERDEC, NVESD ATTN: RDER-NVG-MS (John Moore) 10221 Burbeck Road Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-5806 Note that RFI respondents must designate a single point of contact for receipt of all information pursuant to this RFI. All information marked as proprietary information will be safeguarded to prevent disclosures to non-government personnel and entities. PLEASE NOTE THAT IF A CHARACTERISTIC OR CAPABILITY IS NOT ADDRESSED THE GOVERNMENT WILL ASSUME THE RESPONDENT DOES NOT OR CANNOT MEET THE SALIENT CHARACTERISTICS OF THIS MARKET SURVEY.