Remote Visual Assessment (RVA) Sustainment Program

*Notice: This is a sources sought announcement. No proposals are being requested or accepted at this time. This is not a solicitation for proposals and no contract shall be awarded from this synopsis.* Supporting Documents: Draft Performance Work Statement The purpose of this Sources Sought is to conduct market research to determine if responsible sources exist, to assist in determining if this effort can be competitive and/or a total Small Business Set-Aside. The proposed North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 334220 Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing. The Government will use this information to determine the best acquisition strategy for this procurement. The Government is determining interest from small businesses, to include 8(a) Service-Disabled Veteran Owned, HUBZone, and Women-Owned small business. The government requests that interested parties respond to this notice, if applicable, and identify your small business status. Additionally, please provide any anticipated teaming arrangements, along with a description of similar services offered to the Government and to commercial customers during the past three years. Any responses involving teaming agreements should delineate between the work that will be accomplished by the prime contractor and the work accomplished by the teaming partner(s). The government is flexible with the NAICS code and companies can recommend other codes if they feel a different one would be more applicable. This is not a solicitation for proposals, proposal abstracts, or quotations. The purpose of this notice is to obtain information for planning purposes only. This notice DOES NOT constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), request for quote, invitation for bid, nor does it in any way restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach. The Government encourages all responsible businesses, including small businesses, to respond to this RFI/SSS; however, the Government is not liable for any costs incurred by any respondent to prepare and/or submit its response to this RFI/SSS. The Government will not return submittals to the sender. As stipulated in FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. No solicitation (Request for Proposal) exists at this time; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. The decision to solicit for a contract shall be solely within the Government's discretion. Respondents will not be individually notified of the results of any government assessments. The Government's assessment of the capability statements received will factor into any forthcoming solicitation which may be conducted as a full and open competition or as a set-aside for small business. Remote Visual Assessment (RVA) System Description The RVA system provides video surveillance of top-side activity at the USAF Minuteman III (MMIII) Launch Facilities (LFs), Missile Alert Facilities (MAFs) and Missile Support Centers (MSC). RVA is a diverse network distributed across three Missile Wings (MWs): Malmstrom AFB, MT (Wing I), Minot AFB, ND (Wing III), and FE Warren AFB, WY (Wing V), Strategic Missile Integration Complex (SMIC) at Hill AFB, UT and Network Operations Center (NOC) near Hill AFB. The system provides real-time threat assessment and situational awareness for critical nuclear assets by Security Forces (SF). RVA consists of a fixed camera and a pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) camera mounted on the same pole, outside the fence of each LF. Signals are transmitted through point to point (PTP) radios, utilizing supporting network equipment including routers, switches, firewalls and cabling. The RVA system is running 24/7 at all locations and data transmission is secured through end-to-end encryption. RVA is currently being sustained on a Contractor Logistic Support (CLS) contract. The CLS contract provides efficient and effective depot-level maintenance for: 1) Physical interfaces at the LF; 2) Physical interfaces at monitoring stations; 3) RVA surveillance system; 4) RVA monitoring system; and 5) RVA data transmission system. The standalone RVA components are all Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS), integrated into a system. Description of CLS Performance Activities The prospective contract awardee will be required to perform CLS maintenance at all 450 LFs, 45 MAFs, 3 MSCs, 3 alternate MSCs, 6 Flight Security Controller (FSC) trainers, 3 LF trainers, two additional command and control workstations and the NOC near Hill AFB. Missile field and base support activities will require the contractor to obtain and maintain a facility security clearance and employee security clearances. CLS includes executing repair/response throughout the three MWs, capturing, mitigating, and reporting on all field failure discrepancies and anomalies that prevent full functional operation at each individual LF, MAF, MSC, trainer and the NOC. Monthly metrics program reporting of Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF), Mean Time to Repair (MTTR), and Availability (Ao) is required per Contractor Data Requirements List (CDRL) requirements to ensure system readiness and operational performance over time at each site. A failure is defined as: No LF video being displayed from a selected source on the FSC workstation. The metrics for these indicators are cumulative month over month, and year after year .i.e. running total of operational hours and failures used for calculating MTBF, MTTR, and Ao. The selected contractor will be required to maintain a field discrepancy database capturing all pertinent program metrics. The RVA II program is an ongoing modification to the existing RVA system. The modification is currently in the Production and Deployment (P&D) phase and will be fully deployed by Q3 2023. The CLS contractor will be responsible for maintaining RVA II upgrades to the legacy RVA system, after installation by the RVA II contractor. RVA II adds the following capabilities: 1) Network operations software upgrades; 2) Video to SFs ground vehicle and helicopter; 3) Retrieve and display 7 days of archived video; 4) Auto-activation of RVA video for intrusion alarm notification; and 5) Extended power backup for surveillance equipment. LF LFs are unmanned facilities where operational MMIII missiles are located. The RVA system monitors the top side of the LF for SFs. RVA equipment at the LF externally mounts to a concrete pole at approximately 30 feet high outside of the LF fence. The equipment is stored in a weather rated enclosure. The enclosure at the LF has sensors to detect door tampering/unauthorized access, which triggers a notification; the FSC at the affected MAF will receive a visual notification alarm. The fixed camera and the PTZ camera are attached to the enclosure containing all supporting equipment. The system uses PTP radios to communicate with the FSC at the MAF. The system uses Infrared (IR) illuminates to enhance nighttime visibility. RVA uses the Digital Video Recorder (DVR) located inside the enclosure to store captured video data. MAF MAFs are protected facilities manned via 24/7 rigorous access controls. The MAF has cameras at each facility and communication equipment requiring periodic maintenance. The FSC has full control over two cameras at each of 10 LFs they are overseeing. The MAF workstation is located in the Security Control Center. A workstation consists of one computer with two monitors. The networking equipment transmits data from the workstation to the Network Video Recorder (NVR) and is stored in a locked communication room. Some networking equipment is stored in a weather-rated box, at the base of the communication tower inside the perimeter fence. Additional networking equipment is located inside the communication room. The towers range from 120 to 300 feet tall. Certified climbers are required to perform maintenance and inspection on towers. MSC The MSC and alternate MSC are located at each of the three MWs. The MSC contains two RVA workstations used to monitor sites at each MW. Each workstation consists of one computer with two monitors. The MSC also houses networking equipment and servers to interconnect RVA assets. MSC servers and networking equipment are in the communication room. Trainer The trainer facility provides training and certification for personnel operating RVA at the MAFs for each MW. There are six FSC trainers, two at each MW. The workstations simulate situations the FSCs may see in the field. A workstation consists of one computer with two monitors and is used to evaluate the FSC's performance. Each MW has functional RVA systems are located at LF trainer facilities. The LF trainers contain the same equipment located at an LF. The FSC and LF trainers are also used to test software updates before new software is deployed to the operational sites. Towers The RVA system utilizes additional government and commercially own towers both on and off the MW bases. These towers are use as repeaters or as the receiving tower for the MSC. The towers are similar to the MAF towers; however, they are not manned. Several towers are greater than 100 feet with RVA radios and antennas on the tower and equipment located on racks at the base of the tower. Certified climbers are required to perform maintenance of RVA equipment and inspection on towers. Several towers in Montana are located at the top of mountains and require special vehicles for maintenance access. Network Operations Center (NOC)/Security Operations Center (SOC) The NOC/SOC performs 24/7 monitoring and troubleshooting of the RVA system including all LFs and MAFs throughout the MWs. The NOC/SOC is located near Hill AFB. The servers and networking equipment, used for systems administration, are stored at the NOC/SOC. The NOC/SOC provides remote software support for equipment failure ticketing/tracking system, cybersecurity patches, and all field network support. SMIC The SMIC provides integration testing for both hardware and software before installation and deployment at the MWs. The equipment at the SMIC has the same functionality as operational LF and FSC workstation at the MAF. Software Integration Lab (SIL) The Software Integration Labs (SIL) are designed to test new software and hardware for the RVA system. The SIL refers to the enclosures and not necessarily the room. Currently there are three enclosures at the contractor's main facility; three enclosures at the NOC; and one enclosure at each of the three MWs. Each MW has a slightly different LF enclosure configuration. Classification RVA CLS contractor clearances are required to facilitate MAF access and resolve maintenance issues. The Government will post responses to questions that are broadly applicable to all on the SAM.gov website. The Government encourages unclassified responses to the maximum extent practicable. Administration Questionnaire Respondents should explain capabilities and experience that meets (or can be modified to meet) or exceeds the requirements for the RVA CLS effort listed in the sources sought sections. Respondents should submit questions and comments regarding the documents for this effort in writing to the Government. What is your experience/past performance in either designing or sustaining software-intensive security surveillance equipment? What is your experience/past performance sustaining or modifying existing software? What is your experience/past performance creating software for COTS integration? Describe your experience installing, maintaining, and testing equipment in extreme conditions and/or at remote locations. Describe your ability to manage sub-contractors, in terms of both schedule and performance. Describe your experience engineering, maintaining, troubleshooting and integrating networks and DoD-approved subsystems. If you plan to subcontract, what percentage and portion of the performance work statement do you intend to subcontract? If you plan to be the integrator, what benefit is there to having you as the integrator? Describe how troubleshooting would be covered for the MWs during business days, weekends and holidays? What access do you have to government-shared databases or how would you recommend reporting and providing system data on a regular basis to the government program office? What contract type would you think is appropriate for this CLS effort? What is your ability in performing the required duties as the RVA network administration? What potential risks do you see in terms of cost, schedule, and performance? What is your experience with cybersecurity and information assurance requirements? Specifically, pertaining to obtaining network systems Authority to Operate (ATOs) and software licensing. What experience does your company have with the following: generating, editing, reviewing, and validating drawings, Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs), Engineering Orders (EOs), preventative maintenance processes, Reliability, Availability and Maintainability (RAM) processes? Do you have the ability to update this information (e.g. Engineering Orders, Engineering Change Notices, and Engineering Change Orders)? Please describe. Does your company currently maintain and successfully execute a Configuration Management System (CMS) for hardware, software, and documentation? Please describe. Does your company currently maintain a facility clearance? Does your company currently maintain and successfully execute a Quality Management System (QMS)? Please describe. Does your company have past program experience executing closed loop-corrective actions and total quality management fundamentals, using Failure Reporting Analysis and Corrective Action System (FRACAS) based principles? Please describe. Does your company have past program experience with frequency management and spectrum approvals? Please describe. Provide any additional recommendations, questions and/or concerns that might assist with this solicitation.