Request for Information: Loitering Munitions

SOURCES SOUGHT TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION FOR SERVICES INTRODUCTION The Army Contracting Command-Research Triangle Park Contracting Office is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify parties having an interest in and the resources to support the requirement for research in employing lethal and non-lethal effects delivery capabilities from unmanned aerial systems. The intention is to procure these research services on a competitive basis. BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE/MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES (IN FULL OR IN PART) OR PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, and multiple awards MAY be made. All Small Business Set-Aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions. DISCLAIMER - THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY. RESPPONSES WILL NOT BE RETURNED TO THE RESPONDER. NOT RESPONDING TO THIS NOTICE DOES NOT PRECLUDE PARTICIPATION IN ANY FUTURE REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ) OR INVITATION FOR BID (IFB) OR RFP, IF ANY ISSUED. IF A SOLICITATION IS RELEASED, IT WILL BE SYNOPSIZED ON THE GOVERNMENT-WIDE POINT OF ENTRY (GPE). IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF POTENTIAL OFFERORS TO MONITOR THE GPE FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMMATION PERTAINING TO THIS REQUIREMENT. PROGRAM BACKGROUND The Army Futures Command- Army Application Laboratory is to improve future readiness by ensuring Soldiers have the weapons, equipment, technology and tools they need, when they need them, to deploy, fight and win future conflicts. The conflict in Ukraine has clearly demonstrated the ability of unmanned systems at increasingly lower echelons of employment to be highly effective in different roles from intelligence gathering, reconnaissance, and strike actions by both partners and potential near peer adversaries. The Army is looking to develop knowledge of innovative ways to employ lethal and non-lethal effects delivery capabilities from unmanned aerial systems (UAS) from the Brigade Combat Team to the squad Level. Conflict in the EUCOM Area of Responsibility has demonstrated technology used in new ways by partners and potential near peer adversaries. The US industrial base must be ready to rapidly respond and provide capability forward to US service members. The Army is interested in exploring a spectrum of kinetic delivery options to include unmanned aerial systems with built-in kinetic capability or those UAS that can be retrofitted with munition carry/release capabilities. The Army is analyzing the loitering munitions (LM) market and adjacent markets to identify readily available options for the purposes of rapid unit-level experimentation in an operational environment. REQUIRED CAPABILITIES The Contractor shall provide research services in support of the areas specified in Program Background (above). Further detail is provided in the Information Document attached to this announcement (Attachment 1). If your organization has the potential capacity to perform these contract services, please provide the following information: 1) Organization name, address, email address, Web site address, telephone number, and size and type of ownership for the organization; and 2) Tailored capability statements addressing the particulars of this effort, with appropriate documentation supporting claims of organizational and staff capability. If significant subcontracting or teaming is anticipated in order to deliver technical capability, organizations should address the administrative and management structure of such arrangements. The Government will evaluate market information to ascertain potential market capacity to: 1) provide services consistent, in scope and scale, with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated; 2) secure and apply the full range of corporate financial, human capital, and technical resources required to successfully perform similar requirements; 3) implement a successful project management plan that includes: compliance with tight program schedules; cost containment; meeting and tracking performance; hiring and retention of key personnel and risk mitigation; and 4) provide services under a performance-based service acquisition contract. SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS: TBD ELIGIBILITY The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 541715 with a Small Business Size Standard of 1,000 employees. The Product Service Code is AJ11. Businesses of all sizes are encouraged to respond; however, each respondent must clearly identify their business size in their capabilities statement. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION AND SUBMISSION DETAILS (CAPABILITIES STATEMENT) Interested parties are requested to submit a capabilities statement of no more than ten (10) pages in length in Times New Roman font of not less than 10 pitch. The deadline for response to this request is no later than 2 pm, Central Time Zone December 15, 2022. All responses under this Sources Sought Notice must be e-mailed to Mr. Jermain Compton at jermain.m.compton.civ@army.mil and Mr. Rudy Estrada at rodolfo.estrada6.civ@army.mil QUESTIONS FOR INDUSTRY Interested parties must respond to as many of the questions within Attachment 1- Information Document to the best of their ability. Estimated period of performance: TBD The contract type is anticipated to be Firm-Fixed Priced contract. Upon evaluation of the capability statements, if it is determined that this requirement will be an unrestricted competition, the Government intends to evaluate the Small-Business responses and conduct further market research to identify a subcontracting goal. Your response to this Sources Sought, including any capabilities statement, shall be electronically submitted to Mr. Jermain Compton at jermain.m.compton.civ@army.mil and Mr. Rudy Estrada at rodolfo.estrada6.civ@army.mil All data received in response to this Sources Sought that is marked or designated as corporate or proprietary will be fully protected from any release outside the Government. No phone calls will be accepted. All questions must be submitted to the point of contracts identified above. The Government is not committed nor obligated to pay for the information provided, and no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this Sources Sought.