Request for Information # M67854-21-I-0071: GROUND COMBAT VEHICLE TESTING, RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

NOTE: THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is for planning and informational purposes only and shall NOT be considered as a Request for Proposal (RFP) or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. The Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred in responding to this RFI or furnishing the requested information. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of a contractor's submission of responses to this RFI or the Government's use of such information. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any contractor's input resulting from this RFI. No contract will be awarded from this announcement. Pursuant to Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. 1.0 INTRODUCTION: Program Managers within Program Executive Office Land Systems (PEO LS) and Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC) are responsible for the evaluation of emerging ground vehicle technologies, testing of candidate commercial and military ground vehicle systems, and the conduct of engineering efforts to support the life cycle management of ground vehicles. Standard engineering and testing services along with the associated test courses, facilities, ranges, and instrumentation must be available to support the Program Managers. This requirement is for the work, engineering design support and testing that must be provided in order for Program Managers within PEO LS and MCSC to succeed in the development and sustainment of the best ground vehicle capabilities for the Marine Corps and to assist other Department of Defense agencies in attaining the same success. 1.1 PURPOSE: This RFI constitutes market research in accordance with FAR Part 10 and is not a RFP. The Marine Corps Systems Command is issuing this RFI, in support of PEO LS, to assess the capability of small businesses to provide the support described in Attachment 1, Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS) for PEO LS Ground Combat Vehicle Testing, Research and Development, and Attachment 2, Marine Corps Mission Profile Terrain Description. 1.2 OBJECTIVE: The Government will use the data submitted in response to this RFI to assess the market potential for small businesses to provide the U.S. Marine Corps with the support described in the PWS and Marine Corps Mission Profile Terrain Description. 2.0 REQUESTED INFORMATION: Respondents are requested to provide information that fully demonstrates their capability to provide the support described in Attachment 1, Draft PWS for PEO LS Ground Combat Vehicle Testing, Research and Development, and Attachment 2, Marine Corps Mission Profile Terrain Description. All capability statements must include the below information: Company Profile: Company name; company address; company business size; point-of-contact (POC) name, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address; and company profile to include number of employees, annual revenue history, annual financial report, office location(s), Data Universal Number System (DUNS) number, and business classification (i.e., large, foreign, small disadvantaged, veteran owned, minority owned, etc.). Vendor Capabilities: Overview of Staff Composition and Management Structure specific to this RFI, to include test engineers, program management, logistics support, data management, trade study analysis, and GFE, GFI, GFP accountability. Vehicle fabrication facilities and throughput capacity to produce or upgrade up to ten prototype vehicles simultaneously to maintain potential program management schedules. Capacity for vehicle maintenance facilities and test range facilities to segregate up to three separate vendors to protect intellectual property rights and minimize concerns due to competition while conducting simultaneous testing of two or more OEM vehicles. Test courses that meet all the various attributes that comprise the Marine Corps Operational Mission Profile and are described in Attachment 1 Draft Performance Work Statement (PWS). MOUT Facilities Commercial Test Tracks Mountainous Terrain at elevations above 6000 feet above sea level. Live Sand Dunes with less than 1 percent moisture content. River Crossing/Stream Fording. Deep Water Swim Capabilities. Corse grain/fine grain soil beds for mobility analysis Cold/Hot Chambers Tilt Tables Rail Impact Test Facilities Air Load Certification Capabilities Test facilities which facilitate the ability to conduct both developmental and operational testing based on operational scenarios Experience: Past and recent experience similar in complexity to this RFI. Provide examples of past vehicle programs that the Contractor has designed, built and tested to include subsystem or full-up system prototypes that have been utilized by a Government program office to develop and validate initial program requirements or specifications which led to a follow on development program and subsequent capability that is currently in service to date. Familiarity with Marine Corps Vehicles: What Marine Corps vehicles have you conducted testing on in the past? What Marine Corps vehicles have you developed Engineer Change Proposals (ECPs), Commercial off-the-Shelf (COTS) or Modified COTS solutions to provide a solution for a past technology gap or critical operational issue? Was the ECP and or the proposed technological solution adopted and transitioned for integration, production and fielding? Capacity: Current and projected workload requirements with existing personnel, and plans for incorporation of increased workload. Facilities: Approved work spaces and personnel cleared to conduct and handle classified information at the - SECRET level and the ability to maintain a COMSEC account. 3.0 RESPONSES: Interested small businesses possessing the requisite skills, resources, and capabilities to perform the stated requirements are invited to respond to this RFI via a submission of a capabilities statement on 8-1/2 x 11 in paper, no more than 20 pages in length (including cover page) using 12-point font describing Ground Combat Vehicle Testing, Research and Development capability in accordance with Attachments 1 and 2 and containing all information requested in section 2.0. Please be advised that any proprietary information must be marked as such on a page-by-page basis. The Government will not assume that any of the information provided by a respondent is proprietary unless it is conspicuously marked on a page-by-page basis. Moreover, the Government does not assume any duty to contact a respondent and inquire whether any unmarked information submitted in response to this RFI is proprietary. Please do not submit proposals at this time. The Government is only seeking sources/information for market research to determine the availability of capabilities in the described areas. Acknowledgement of receipt will not be made. Availability of any formal solicitation will be announced separately. Submittals will not be returned to the sender. Respondents will not be notified of any market research results. It is the interested party's responsibility to check the Beta System for Award Management (Beta SAM) website at https://www.beta.sam.gov/ to get additional data. Responses shall be submitted electronically via e-mail to Kasey Reddick at kasey.reddick@usmc.mil, Contract Specialist, no later than 2:00 PM Eastern Time on 01 October 2021 with the subject line - RFI - M67854-21-I-0071. Inquiries by telephone will not be accepted. 3.1 QUESTIONS: Questions or comments regarding this notice may be addressed to Kasey Reddick at kasey.reddick@usmc.mil by email only. No questions will be accepted after 27 September 2021 at 2:00 PM Eastern Time. Any subsequent procurement notifications will be posted on the Beta SAM website at https://www.fbo.gov/. All interested parties are encouraged to register on the Beta SAM website to receive email notifications when information related to this acquisition is updated, or documents related to this acquisition are issued and available for download. The Government requests that all interested parties ensure that they are listed on the "Interested Vendors List" in Beta SAM. As a rule, the Government will not send notifications directly to interested parties, and it is recommended that the interested party periodically check this website for updates. This RFI does NOT constitute an RFP nor a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit Government to contract for any supply or service. Further, the Government is not seeking proposals at this time and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. 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 items discussed and the release of this RFI should not be construed as 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.