Product Director (PD) Aerostats System Engineering & Technical Assistance (SETA) Support

This Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an Invitation for Bid (IFB), Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. All business types can respond to this RFI. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor responses and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government reserves the right to reject input resulting from this request. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The Army may use the information provided in developing its acquisition strategy, Performance Work Statement, Statement of Objectives and/or Performance Based Specification(s). Parties responding to this RFI are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government will not pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. BACKGROUND: Product Director (PD) Aerostats, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) is seeking sources to provide systems engineering & technical assistance (SETA) to include but not limited to, program management, engineering, logistics, business, operations, and security support services under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 541614 - Process, Physical Distribution and Logistics Consulting Services. PD Aerostats is determining the availability and technical capability of potential offerors to provide SETA support for the following programs: Persistent Surveillance System Tethered; Persistent Threat Detection System; Persistent Ground Surveillance System; Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Combat Systems, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance; and, the Joint Combat Identification Marking System. INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDERS: Please respond only if you can support the entire requirement. Responses are requested outlining firms capabilities for providing SETA services. Responder's solutions may incorporate teaming arrangements as authorized by Federal Acquisition Regulation subpart 9.6. Small business concerns are encouraged to respond. Responses shall be submitted via electronic mail. The size per electronic mail cannot exceed 9MB. Respondents are permitted to provide only ONE (1) response package. Submissions shall be compatible with the Windows 7 operating system and be made, as appropriate, in Microsoft Office 2003 or more recent versions [Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel (data file should be .xls file format), Microsoft Project and Microsoft PowerPoint]. Excel files shall not contain any hidden cells, hidden sheets, locked formulas, or access data from any files that are not included with the response package. The response package shall not exceed 20 pages in total, and shall be delivered in an outline structure highlighted in the requirements section. Pages containing text shall be typewritten, on standard letter 8.5 quote mark x11 quote mark size paper. Each paragraph shall be separated by at least one (1) blank line. Drawings or other graphics shall be reduced only to the extent legibility is not lost. Each page shall be single spaced with a minimum of 12-point Arial font and no less than one (1) inch margins/borders. Any table or graphic shall utilize a minimum of 10-point Arial font and may be landscape. REQUIREMENTS: Respondents are asked to provide a detailed approach for the following questions that include a summarization of past relevant aerostat, other Lighter than Air, or comparable deployed system operation and mission support equipment experience. When responding, please retain the outline structure provided below. Assumptions: Tour of duty in CONUS locations consist of 40 hour work weeks. Tour of duty OCONUS will vary dependent combatant commander mission setting. When applicable contracted support will procure necessary materials that are incidental to the services that are provided. A rough estimate of 25% of the SETA workforce will be located OCONUS. A rough estimate of 75% of the SETA workforce will be located CONUS. 1. Engineering Services: (a) Describe your organizations ability to provide systems engineering expertise to analyze system concept, system design, interoperability, and providing input and analysis of system architectures for current and future systems. (b) Describe your organization/team approach to providing engineering services such as; reach back support, integration and test of new capabilities, sustainment of software baselines, hardware obsolesce, and maintenance of the technical data (documentation, drawings, and training aids). (c) In reference to field engineering perspective, discuss your company's/team's approach to troubleshooting in the field of; internet protocol networks, firewalls, cross domain solutions, system software, system architecture, communications, electro-optical/infrared sensors, radar, and other sensors that may fail during an operational mission. (d) Discuss any special test diagnostic or specialized skill sets that your organization possesses and how/what you would recommend for PD Aerostat systems engineering. (e) Discuss your organizational approach to configuration management, integration and modification or engineering change proposals to aerostat systems. These may include; aerostat airframes, avionics, telemetry, sensor and communication equipment, mobile mooring stations, ground control stations, and other auxiliary equipment. Include details of planned contractual relationships. (f) Discuss your organizations skill set as it relates to commonly known configuration management programs (g) Discuss your organizations knowledge of the Department of Defense (DoD) Defense Acquisition University System Acquisition Framework and experiences related to system engineering roles and responsibilities within. (h) Discuss your organizations knowledge and experience of technical data packages (TDP), technical data rights (TDR) and the acquisition of TDP's & TDR's. (i) Discuss your organization's knowledge and experience in executing the Risk Management Framework (RMF) process. (j) Describe your organizations ability to review Information Assurance Vulnerability Analysis and Security Technical Implementation Guides and test security patches as required. Describe your organizations ability to troubleshoot, diagnose, and assist in resolving security vulnerabilities that may arise during testing and verification of software enhancements. Describe your organization's knowledge in using DOD approved cyber tools. Describe the method used to apply and functionally test system configurations, and provide the mitigations in place where security requirements (i.e., patches, STIG configuration settings) cannot be implemented as required. 2. Operations: (a) Explain any data collection and analysis techniques that could be used to increase the aerostat mission effectiveness, such as capturing relevant data then implementing lessons learned. (b) Discuss your organization's operational knowledge and experience with OCONUS requirements as it relates to programs within U.S. Central Command's (CENTCOM), PACOM, AFRICOM, SOUTHCOM areas of responsibility (AOR). (c) Describe your organization's experience and ability to provide site survey support for the deployment and removal of the aerostats or comparable deployed systems in the above mentioned COMCOMs, which includes assistance in conducting site surveys to determine suitability of potential locations for stationing, operating, sustaining, and removal of aerostats and assisting military and Government officials in preparation of sites. (d) Discuss your organization's experience with customer assistance in the above mentioned COCOM AORs such as conducting aerostat battle staff training, monitoring program activities, participating in local command meetings/activities, and reporting information back to the CONUS team. (e) Describe company's capability to provide qualified support staff upon contract award both CONUS and at multiple COCOMs. Description should include knowledge of staffing expertise and diversity essential to establish a qualified support staff to implement and maintain mission sets. (f) Demonstrate company's capability to coordinate in-theater activities including reporting between sites located within the same COCOM and CONUS sites, personnel life support requirements, transportation requirements, and provisioning and maintaining necessary support equipment. (g) Demonstrate your company's capability and timeliness to provide surge support personnel in both CONUS & OCONUS environments to mirror mission ramp up & ramp down. (h) Discuss your organizations familiarity with Synchronized Pre-deployment & Operational Tracker (SPOT) and ability to provide accurate reporting to leadership of deployed personnel in theater environments. 3. Logistics: (a) Discuss your organization's familiarity with, and capabilities for: developing, processing, and managing provisioning technical data for military equipment in accordance with military standards, military adopted industry standards and U.S. Army regulations. (b) Discuss your company's capability sets and experience in developing level of repair analysis, maintenance allocation, and sparing strategies for military equipment using U.S. Army approved methods and automated tools. (c) Discuss your company's understanding of, and experience in developing and sustaining logistics supportability plans and products such as: Life Cycle Sustainment Plan; Item Unique Identification Plan; Product Support Business Case Analysis; Source of Repair Analysis; Core Depot Assessment; Demilitarization and Disposal Plan and/or other logistics sustainment data products. (d) Discuss your company's capability sets and experience with the development and sustainment of U.S. Army technical publications and supplementation of commercial-off-the-shelf publications to meet U.S. Army standards for military equipment. (e) Describe your understanding of the requirements, processes, and challenges associated with migrating a quick reaction capability developed for the U.S. Army to a sustainable U.S. Army Program of Record capability. (f) Describe your company's capability sets and understanding of the following integrated product support elements as applicable to a post Milestone C program: sustaining engineering; supply support; product support management; maintenance planning and management; and training and training Support. (g) Describe your process for spares demand analysis and stock levels at operational sites and hubs. Include concepts for hub and warehouse development to support the systems in various geographical locations at a minimum logistics footprint. (h) Describe your Government furnished property management, control, and reporting processes. (i) Describe your corporate capabilities and understanding of DoD and U.S. Army requirements for coordinating transportation of personnel and equipment to and from various geographical locations both CONUS and OCONUS. (j) Describe your capability sets and experience in supporting supply chain management operations for equipment that has not been provisioned by the U.S. Army or has limited stock availability in the DoD supply system. 4. Foreign Military Sales (FMS) Services: (a) Describe your company's experience supporting FMS cases to include pre-LOR/LOA development, case implementation, execution, and closure. (b) Describe your company's understanding of the laws, regulations, and polices that govern the sale/transfer of DoD equipment to foreign governments. c) Describe your company's experience working with US Security Corporation Offices (SCO) in the different COCOMs to include in-country offices and the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army (DASA) Defense Exports and Cooperation (DE&C), United States Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC), and Communications Electronics Command (CECOM) Security Assistance Management Directorate (SAMD). 5. Program Protection: (a) Discuss your organizations knowledge and experience with program protection plans, Security Classification Guides, delegation disclosure letters, export control laws, International Traffic in Arms Regulations, national disclosure policies, Cyber Security Strategy, Critical Function Analysis (CFA), Critical Program Information Assessment (CPIA) and Critical Program Information (CPI). (b) Describe your organizations methods and practices for handling critical and sensitive information and knowledge of Army Regulation 530-1. Describe your organizations knowledge of NISP SP800-171. (c) Describe how and when your organization feels the DoD 5 Step operations security process should apply to the PD Aerostats workforce environment. 6. Budget: (a) Describe your organization experience with preparing funding documents, forms, and charts. (b) Describe your organizations experience with obligation plans, spend plans, financial analysis and forecasting. (c) Discuss how you would reconcile lines of accounting for both unliquidated obligations and negative unliquidated obligations. (d) Describe your experience with the Army's financial systems. (e) Describe your organization's experience with execution under new Army Audit Standards. 7. Acquisition & Contracting: (a) Describe your organizations experience in providing daily advisory services for contractual development and archiving of common acquisition requirements documents to include (but not limited to): acquisition plans, justification & approvals, performance work statements, cost estimates, Government furnished life support, Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification - DD Form 254 documentation, quality assurance surveillance plans, Contract Data Requirements Lists - DD Form 1423-1, service contract approvals, market research, and source selection plans. (b) Describe your organizations experience and knowledge with the DoD acquisition policy as specified in DoDD 5000.1 and the DoDI 5000.2. (c) Discuss your organizations ability to analyze potential impacts and/or disconnects within the integrated master schedule (IMS). Describe your organizations experience with IMS development and design. (d) Describe your organizations ability to advise in contractual reviews and meetings with the local contracting command, PEOs, as well as other leadership and their respective staff. COMPANY INFORMATION: 1. Please provide the following Point of Contact information: Company: Address: Point of Contact: Phone Number: Fax Numbers: Email Address: 2. Please identify your company's small business size standard based on the NAICS code of 541 -- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services. 541614 - Process, Physical Distribution and Logistics Consulting Services The small business size standard for this NAICS code is $16.5 Million. For more information refer to http://www.sba.gov/content/table-small-business-size-standards. Small Business (SB) Concern 8(a) Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB) Woman-Owned Small Business Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) Veteran-Owned Small Business Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business 3. If you identify your company as a Small Business or any of the SB subcategories as stipulated in Question #2, than is your company interested in a prime contract for the PD Aerostats SETA requirement? 4. Under the current SB recertification regulations, do you anticipate your company remaining a small business, under primary NAICS Code of 541 -- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services/541330 - Engineering Services or 541611 - Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services or 541614 - Process, Physical Distribution and Logistics Consulting Services? If you are a SB please answer questions 4a & b. All others skip to Question #5. a. What percentage of this requirement do you plan to perform in house (not sub-contract out)? Also indicate (with supporting rationale) if/how your company would be compliant given the restrictions identified in the Defense Authorization Bill 2013, which states that at least 50 percent of the total contract cost will be performed by the small business prime contractor or small business similar situated entities. b. If you are a small business, does your company have adequate resources, financial or otherwise, to perform the requirement? 5. Please provide details regarding any anticipated teaming arrangements, strategic alliances, or other business arrangements to satisfy the PD Aerostats SETA requirements. Respondents are requested to identify teams, indicating each team member's size status based upon the NAICS code of the work that the team member may be doing. Please list the process used in selecting the teaming members. 6. 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. 7. Please identify your company's past and current customers to which you provided this type of service or similar services, including a customer/company name and point of contact, phone number and address/e-mail where they can be contacted. 8. Does your company have a Defense Contract Audit Agency approved accounting system? 9. Please identify the company's facility clearance level. Also indicate the number of company employees and their position(s) that currently possess or are eligible for SECRET and TOP SECRET clearances.