Request for Information (RFI) for a Radio Integrated Systems (RIS) Portable Antenna Mast

The Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division (NAWCAD), Special Communication Requirements (SCR) Division is surveying the commercial vendor community for all interested parties in a proposed requirement for portable antenna masts in support of SCR, at St. Inigoes, MD. The purpose of this RFI is to gain insight into the best practices / capabilities in industry for portable antenna masts in order to maintain communication between upcoming and currently fielded systems. The Government is interested in feedback from the commercial market on the requirements listed in this RFI that may be available to meet the requirements. Vendors are asked to respond with documentation outlining their capabilities and feedback on the requirements listed within this RFI. The Government would like to see concepts presented through drawings, slick sheets, website, or PowerPoint brief. Below is a list of mandatory requirements. General Capabilities Required Specifications for the Radio Integrated Systems (RIS) Portable Mast Antenna: - The mast must be at least 15 meters tall at its highest mountable point. - The mast must support at least four antennas simultaneously. It must support a sloping V long wire antenna, as well as antennas varying from Omni-directional antennas to other Long-wire HF antennas. - The mast must come equipped with the following antenna mounting hardware: ? x2 NATO mount ? x2 COM201B ? x2 minimum 9 way adjustable cup holder style antenna mount ? x2 DC80 antenna mounting poles - The mast must also be capable of having primary and secondary guy wires attached to the top and mid-section of the mast with any given antenna configuration. - Mast must be capable of supporting a minimum of a 70 lb payload at a height of up to 15 meters. - The mast kit must be man portable. - The mast kit must have a removable winching system that allows one person to raise and lower the mast. - The mast must have a clip or other hardware to raise and lower the sloping - V' HF antennas. - The mast kit must provide tools or other hardware to assist in the raising of the mast poles. - The mast kit must be constructed of military grade aluminum alloy. - The mast kit must include a guy wire kit that includes stakes for both hard ground and snow/loose soil, a compression collar, a 5lb hammer, and at least 4 rolls of 15 meter guy rope. All items must be stored in a guy wire bag that will be stored in the mast kit bag. - The mast kit must provide a grounding bracket. - The mast kit must include a packout card listing all of items in the kit and their respective quantities. - The mast kit must include clear and concise setup and operational instructions. - All accessories for the mast kit must be stored in a separate bag that is stored inside the mast kit bag. - The mast kit must be delivered in a durable rollaway bag for ease of transportation and set-up. The bag must be made of durable ballistic nylon with reinforced handles on both ends of the bag and on the top of the bag. The bag must have durable ball bearing rollers on one end. The bag must also have durable zippers and heavy duty hook and loop fasteners. Required Specifications for RIS-Lite Portable Mast Antenna: - The mast must be at least 15 meter tall at its highest mountable point. - The mast must support at least four antennas simultaneously. It must support a sloping V long wire antenna, as well as antennas varying from Omni-directional antennas to other Long-wire HF antennas. - The mast must come equipped with the following antenna mounting: ? x2 NATO mount - The mast must also be capable of having primary and secondary guy wires attached to the top and mid-section of the mast with any given antenna configuration. - Mast must be capable of supporting a minimum of a 70 lb payload at a height of up to 15 meters. - The mast kit must be man portable. - The mast kit must have a removable winching system that allows one person to raise and lower the mast. - The mast must have a clip to raise and lower the sloping - V' HF antennas. - The mast kit must provide a two handled tool to assist in the raising of the mast poles. - The mast kit must be constructed of military grade aluminum alloy. - The mast kit must include a guy wire kit that includes stakes for both hard ground and snow/loose soil, a compression collar, a 5 lb hammer, and at least 4 rolls of 15 meter guy rope. All items must be stored in a guy wire bag that will be stored in the mast kit bag. - The mast kit must provide a grounding bracket. - The mast kit must include a pack out card listing all of items in the kit and their respective quantities. - The mast kit must include clear and concise setup and operational instructions. - All accessories for the mast kit must be stored in a separate bag that is stored inside the mast kit bag. - The mast kit must be delivered in a durable rollaway bag for ease of transportation and set-up. The bag must be made of durable ballistic nylon with reinforced handles on both ends of the bag and on the top of the bag. The bag must have durable ball bearing rollers on one end. The bag must also have durable zippers and heavy duty hook and loop fasteners. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: Please note that the Government will NOT be responsible for any costs incurred by interested parties responding to this RFI. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. While the Government intends to use this information for future acquisition planning purposes, including any set-aside decisions, it will not release any information about your approach that might in any way compromise your competitive posture or proprietary information. The Government will not use any information provided to level your approach relative to another competitor. All information received in response to this RFI that is marked PROPRIETARY will be handled accordingly. The Government will not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations. Responses to this RFI will not be returned. Respondents will not be notified of the result of the review. Failure to respond to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future associated RFP/RFQ that may be issued. Information provided in no way binds the Government to solicit or award a contract. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website: www.fbo.gov. It is the potential vendor's responsibility to monitor this site for the release of any follow-on information. HOW TO RESPOND: In response to this RFI, respondents shall submit written responses, not-to-exceed twenty (5) pages in length via electronic mail. Product specification, sketches, or listings of authorized distributors are not to count as part of the page count. The Government is interested in receiving vendors' commercial published price lists for items they believe meet the requirements of this RFI, as well as identification of long lead item(s), sub-systems(s), or systems(s). Supplying price data does not imply a contractual obligation and must be provided as a separate document, marked as PRICE DATA, and sent only to the Contracts points of contact identified below. In addition, please provide your company's CAGE code and company size standard with your submission by November 26, 2012 to the following individual: Ms. Wendy Bell at: wendy.bell@navy.mil