Request for Information for Project Manager Distributed Common Ground System-Army (PM DCGS-A)

1.0 Introduction Request for Information. This a Request for Information Only (RFI). Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) in support of the Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare, and Sensors (PEO IEW&S), Project Manager Distributed Common Ground System-Army (PM DCGS-A), is conducting market research to identify commercial items to satisfy required United States Forces - Afghanistan (USFOR-A) capabilities for data management, ingestion, and analytics supporting the mission inside of Afghanistan. The Government invites all business and academic organizations to respond to this RFI notice. Will be referred to as - Vendors in this RFI. 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. The Government may revise its draft requirements at any time, or may elect not to proceed with a procurement. Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. This RFI is not an authorization to begin work, and the Government will not pay any costs that contractors may incur in response to this RFI. Vendors are not required to respond to this announcement, but may do so at their own cost. The United States Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the United States Government. The Government does not intend to hold an Industry Day in accordance with this RFI. 2.0 Current Capability The current capability is provided by a single vendor as a turn-key solution that includes hardware, software, and services. The incumbent is Palantir USG, Inc. Note: The combined solution is able to support a minimum of 200 concurrent users, as a baseline and sustained level of capability. Hardware: The hardware infrastructure is Vendor-owned, operated, and maintained. The Vendor has/will determine the appropriate hardware footprint in CONUS and/or OCONUS to maintain high availability (99% or better) with continuity of operations, and high quality of service for the end-users currently in Afghanistan and Kuwait. The current hardware footprint is dynamic and is based on user demand and mission needs. In general, the current capability is hosted on commodity hardware, tactical servers, and in a cloud environment from over 10 locations world-wide. The current solution stores tens of millions of enriched data objects accumulated over the course of a decade, and processes thousands of new objects each day. Software: Enterprise Data Warehouse and Analytics software with intelligence workflows and tools that support rapid collection/analysis of all combat information. Includes rapid analysis of Improvised Explosive Device (IED) threats to maneuver forces and the targeting of IED groups/networks threatening United States/International Security Assistance Forces (US/ISAF). Includes robust, customized search and discovery functionality that allows analysts to rapidly fuse numbers data sources such as biometrics, exploitation, and threat networks diagrams collectively. The software provides powerful, intuitive & geospatial functionality including geo-searches, heat-mapping and density plotting for military users in the battle space. The capability integrates, visualizes and analyzes lED threats to US, Coalition, and ISAF forces. Services: The current capability is accredited to operate on Unclassified, SOFNET-S, JIANT, SOCRATES, and SIPR networks. The vendor is responsible for attaining and maintaining accreditations (Approval to Operate). The current capability also supports FSRs in Afghanistan to maintain availability of the hardware and software, integrate new data sources, and troubleshoot any issues with the capability. The current capability also supports CONUS and OCONUS based training for deploying or deployed Soldiers. Training is provided on an ad-hoc and routine basis as units rotate into theater every 6-9 months. Additionally, the vendor provides 24/7 help desk support to its supported users from CONUS location/s. 3.0. Additional (New) Requirements. The Army is seeking feedback from interested vendors with commercial item solutions that can maintain the current capability (with no gaps or breaks in capability) as described above (Section 2.0), and, support several new requirements, including: Seamless and automated data synchronization across all aforementioned networks (SIPR, SOFNET-S, JIANT, SOCRATES, & Unclassified) using an accredited, vendor-provided cross-domain solution (CDS). The CDS will need to be accredited/approved to operate on all networks. Interested vendors must have a scalable and extensible capability and must possess a solution that can handle a five-fold increase in the numbers of concurrent users in both CONUS and in the OCONUS theater that may include users located in both Afghanistan, Kuwait, and other locations throughout the middle-east. The current capability is predominantly an Intelligence solution. However, the new capability must also include doctrinally-correct operational and maneuver workflows to achieve operations and intelligence convergence onto a single platform, with a single user interface and an integrated suite of tools. Last, the capability must be fully integrated and interoperable with the USD (I)-sponsored SMART system provided by Palantir USG, Inc. 4.0 White Paper Response Any interested business or academic organization (Vendor) should provide a white paper response to Vaishali Tulsulkar at vaishali.r.tulsulkar.civ@mail.mil and Nick Mitrocsak at nicholas.m.mitrocsak.civ@mail.mil no later than 1600 EST on 19 MAR 2020. The white paper shall not exceed 5 pages, not including the cover sheet or cover letter. The white paper must include a description of how the vendor solution meets or can meet the current capability requirements and the new requirements described in Sections 2.0. and 3.0 above. The white paper must address the aforementioned hardware, software, and services components of the Governments requirement. In addition, the vendor must detail in the white paper how it can meet the following challenges: Seamlessly transition the current capability provided by Palantir USG, Inc with no gaps or breaks in support. The vendor must describe expected timelines and level of effort/resources required. The Vendor must describe its assumptions about how this transition could occur. Vendors must assume that this transition will occur with little to no Government assistance. Quickly and seamlessly transition tens of millions of data objects currently in a proprietary data format into a format that the new vendor could ingest, process and store, without losing critical information including entities, attributes, relationships, pedigree, and provenance. The vendor must describe its technical (and other) assumptions and timeline about how this transition could occur. Vendors must assume that the Government does not have any insights into the current software solution or proprietary data schema, and is not able to offer assistance to a new vendor during this transition. Identify its current accreditations/approvals to operate (ATO) on the following networks: SIPR, SOFNET-S, JIANT, and SOCRATES. If no accreditations/approvals currently exist on any of these networks, describe the vendor's process and timeline to attain these accreditations/approvals. Additionally, Vendors must identify whether its CDS is accredited/approved to operate on the aforementioned networks. If no CDS accreditation/approvals currently exist on any of these networks, describe the vendor's process and timeline to attain these accreditations/approvals. Vendors must describe its assumptions about how it could attain these accreditations/approvals with minimal Government assistance. Quickly and seamlessly integrate with the SMART system. The vendor must describe its technical (and other) assumptions and timeline about how this integration could occur. Vendors must assume that this effort will occur with little to no Government assistance. Vendors must describe in the white paper how its commercial item solution meets the FAR 2.101 definition of a commercial item. Also, Vendors must detail at least one recent and relevant example of how and where its commercial item solution has been implemented in the commercial market. Last, Vendor white paper must provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) price of the Government's requirement, as described in Sections 2.0 and 3.0, for a 12-month level of effort. The requirement is for the turn-key solution described above, including hardware, software, and services described in Sections 2.0 and 3.0. Vendors must assume that they will perform on a Firm-Fixed Price basis.