The Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) GPS Space Systems Division is requesting information from industry to better understand the potential impacts of reducing the Design Life (DL) of GPS SVs down from 15 years to a 7 year DL SV. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes - it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Government is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor the site for additional information pertaining to this RFI. Background Over time, the demand for higher reliability and more robust SV designs has led to a gradual increase in the SV DL. In an effort to explore all potential options for delivering fiscally responsible mission capability, the GPS Directorate is requesting information on the impacts of reducing the SV DL. Any information provided in response to this RFI should utilize the following assumptions: Planned Production: 24 GPS SVs Delivery Period: 2035-2045 Limitations: Not specified at this time Security Requirements: Not specified at this time Requested Information The requested information is listed below: Parts (Parts shall be compliant with TOR-2006(1590)-4430 Rev A and TOR-2006(1590)-4432 Rev A) What are the cost, schedule and performance impacts of reducing the SV DL from a 15 year DL to a 7 year SV? What are the SV trades and/or modifications that would be required for a 7 year DL SV? What are the impacts to the part procurement process (e.g., lot testing qualification)? What are the impacts to the prime contractor's parts management process? What are the part options to meet a 7 year DL SV? Part Suppliers What are the impacts to the SV parts supplier base and/or assembly provider? What are the impacts to sub-contractors parts management process? Optimal SV DL If the design life was left open for the contractor to choose, what would an optimal design life be in regards to on-ramping newer capabilities and reducing cost? What are the cost, schedule and performance impacts of reducing the SV DL from a 15 year DL to an optimal SV DL? What are the SV trades and/or modifications that would be required for an optimal SV DL? SV DL impacts What impacts does a shorter GPS SV DL have on the design timeframe? What impacts does a shorter GPS SV DL have on the test timeframe? What impacts does a shorter GPS SV DL have on the production timeframe? What improvements can be made to achieve an optimal design/test/production timeframe? Responses Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. The RFI whitepaper should be in Microsoft Word for Office 2013 compatible format. The whitepaper response shall be submitted via e-mail only to the Government Point of Contact (POC). Responses to the information in paragraphs above shall describe the respondent's current and/or near-term potential capability to design, manufacture, test, and deliver a 7 year DL GPS SV solution. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. If any respondent does not currently have a Proprietary Data Protection Agreement (PDPA) that would permit the SMC support contractors listed below to review and evaluate white papers submitted in response to this RFI, the respondent is requested to sign PDPAs with these SMC support contractors for this purpose. Please note that government contractor personnel have executed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDA) for all information related to this RFI. The Air Force has entered into contracts with Booz Allen Hamilton, Canyon Consulting, Stellar Solutions, MITRE, Tecolote Research, Engility, and the Aerospace Corporation. These companies support the Air Force program office. Respondents are hereby notified that all responses will be provided to the Government's support contractors for their services to the U.S. Air Force. If a respondent does not wish to have any of those companies review its response, or requires those companies to enter into a non-disclosure agreement with it prior to SMC/GP releasing that response to those companies, the respondent shall clearly state. White paper requested format should provide administrative information, and shall include the following as a minimum: Section 1. Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of responder's point of contact. Provide a 1-page Executive Summary highlighting the key points of the response. Section 2 of the white paper shall answer the issues addressed above of this RFI and shall be limited to 15 pages. The number of pages in Section 1 of the white paper shall not be included in the 15-page limitation, i.e., the 15-page limitation applies only to Section 2 of the white paper. Summary THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide GPS SV DL information. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Government has not made a commitment to procure any of the RFI requirements discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.
