Request for Information (RFI) for Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) Competition

The Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Innovation and Prototyping (DCI) Directorate is performing market research to help inform the acquisition strategy to recompete the Space Enterprise Consortium (SpEC) Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). The SpEC Government team is requesting information from parties interested in managing this consortium. SMC wants to continue its use of a consortium-managed OTA for prototyping space related requirements per 10 USC 2371b. The U.S. Government (USG) is seeking responses from industry and other interested parties detailing their acquisition approach and capabilities of managing a space prototyping consortium. SMC/DCI is examining options concerning a competitive award of the management of an Other Transaction (OT). This company will be expected to manage a consortium of large and small organizations ranging from academic institutions to traditional and non-traditional defense contractors. The mission of the consortium is focused on Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) of space related prototypes for requirements held by Department of Defense. The consortium manager (CM) will have many responsibilities to the government and its members. Which include, but are not limited to: holding beneficial events on member's behalf, possessing the ability and authority to speak for members, making legally binding agreements on their behalf, and providing additional helpful tools for use by the consortium's members. Manager activities may also include recruiting and vetting consortium members, managing interaction between the USG and consortium members, facilitating intra-consortium teaming arrangements, and helping the USG prepare prototype solicitations. Additionally, a major concern for the Air Force in recent years has been the protection of information and cybersecurity. In order to promote cybersecurity within the consortium's members, SMC expects the CM to have knowledge of existing government requirements and help members meet those requirements. RFI respondents may also suggest additional ways to advance the cybersecurity health of members within the consortium. OTA Objectives: - Minimize barriers to entry for small businesses and non-traditional vendors - Promote integrated research and prototyping efficiencies - Leverage partnerships to increase flexibility and agility, reduce cost, improve technology and capability insertion, and decrease program development cycles - Enable the integrated employment of force enhancement, space command & control and situational awareness capabilities Procurement Objectives: - Increase engagement from non-traditional defense contractors to bring in advanced commercial technology to the United States Air Force (USAF) - Facilitate a smooth transition for consortium members within the existing consortium to the next consortium manager to avoid any gap in capability through the transition - Improve the cybersecurity posture of the entire consortium through exposure to current cybersecurity trends, training in government cybersecurity guidance & industry best practices, ensuring implementation of said guidance & best practices and performance of pre-award - Improve the timeline from solicitation to award for USAF prototypes Management and Engineering Objectives: - Apply a continuous feedback process for prototype customers - Track metrics associated with managing a large consortium with a diverse customer base - Minimize risk of technology perishability by executing rapid, iterative, evolutionary, demonstration-to-delivery cycles - Continuously evolve an appropriately "open" technical architecture that optimizes government investment in both leveraging best available existing commercial technology, and developing new technology in partnership with industry The scope of SpEC prototyping projects includes any topic generally consistent with the RDT&E of any space related prototypes, which may include, but is not limited to, space vehicles, payloads, launch capabilities, and associated ground segments. In addition, that scope may include projects having multiple classification levels, up to Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmentalized Information. USG is considering applying the following authorities regarding options for award, which are enumerated in 10 USC 2371b: - $12B accumulative funding ceiling may be apportioned across a 10 year award period The government anticipates responses to this announcement from interested parties, eligible entities or groups of entities, to include: industry, non-profit, and not-for-profit organizations for research and development. The government is especially interested in feedback from organizations that would be interested in being a consortium manager. An interested parties list will be created, to include entities and groups of entities that would be interested in managing the consortium as well as individual entities that are interested in joining the resulting consortium. All respondents to this request for information will be added to the interested parties list, unless the response requests otherwise. Responses should be emailed to the primary and secondary points of contact listed below. At a minimum, provide the following: 1. Name of company, name of corporate point of contact (POC), name of technical POC, telephone number for each POC, mailing address, e-mail addresses for each POC, CAGE code, and any other pertinent information. 2. Feedback about the draft USG objectives and scope of the SpEC OT. 3. Please indicate if respondent is interested in holding one-on-one discussions with the USG. In addition, the USG would be interested in the following information, to be provided as an attachment: (a) Narrative describing how the OTA objectives would be addressed and fulfilled. Specifically address any challenges classified prototypes may create and any mitigation plans industry would propose. (b) Corporate competencies and past performance with respect to USG objectives. Explain experience with regard to consortium management in context with government and/or commercial applications. (c) Describe experience gained by working on projects across the services and the other defense agencies, as well as affiliations, associations, and specific involvement in and with the federal and non-federal research and development, testing and engineering community, sufficient to demonstrate a well-established presence in that community. (d) Describe recommendations on how real or perceived organizational conflict of interest (OCI) issues can be addressed or mitigated. (e) Describe recommended business arrangements between the USG and consortium manager. Also, speak to how you will manage awards to & relationships with consortium members, specifically how members would benefit under your management. (f) Describe experience handling and managing protected information (i.e. classified, PII, intellectual property). (g) Address how to improve the cybersecurity posture of members within the consortium in detail. Whether through training of government guidance or industry best practices, selecting an outside source to offer cybersecurity as a service to members, implementing pre-award vulnerability scans/adversary emulation or additional ideas to improve the cybersecurity risk standpoint of all members. Ideas are not limited to those described above. (h) Develop a strategy to transfer members from the existing consortium to the next consortium to minimize the difficulty of switching and to ensure there is not a capability gap with a goal of a high retention rate of existing members. Responses shall be in searchable Microsoft Word or PDF format and sent electronically to the primary POC by the response due date. Hard copy responses will not be accepted. The response is limited to 10 pages. Page shall be 8.5'' x 11" with 1 inch margins. Font shall be 11 pt. Calibri. The government will not accept company literature or marketing materials. Responses shall also indicate which portions of their response are intellectual property and should mark them accordingly. Classified submittals will not be accepted. Information should be provided as email attachments as appropriate. Please be advised that all submissions become government property and will not be returned. In order to review RFI responses, proprietary information may be given to Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) and/or Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) contractors working for the government. Non-government support contractors listed below may be involved in the review of any responses submitted. These may include, but are not limited to: Company Name: 1. The Aerospace Corporation (FFRDC) Address: 2310 E El Segundo Blvd, El Segundo, CA 90245 2. Tecolote Research Address: 2120 E Grand Ave Suite 200, El Segundo, CA 90245 Each of these contractors is contractually prohibited from disclosing such information outside the performance of their government contract. If respondent takes exception to this, respondent must explicitly state so in their response. This notice solicits information for planning purposes only, shall not be construed as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or a commitment by the USG. The USG does not intend to award a contract or any other type of agreement on the basis of this announcement. All information is to be submitted at no cost or obligation to the government. The USG is not obligated to notify respondents of the results of this announcement. The USG reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any private sector input as a result of this announcement. If a formal solicitation is generated at a later date, a separate solicitation notice will be published. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. No sensitive or classified information will be discussed. Foreign-owned, controlled, or influenced firms are advised that security restrictions may apply that may preclude their participation in these efforts. If the government decides to award a contract for this or related effort, a solicitation will be published and posted on the FedBizOpps website. The FedBizOpps offers a registration service that will send an e-mail notification when a change is made to this announcement. To register, click on the "Add To Watchlist" button at the top of this announcement in FedBizOpps. This service is provided for convenience only and does not serve as a guarantee of notification. References "OTHER TRANSACTIONS" GUIDE FOR PROTOTYPE PROJECTS, 2018, OFFICE OF THE UNDER SECRETARY OF DEFENSE FOR ACQUISITION AND SUSTAINMENT https://www.dau.mil/guidebooks/Shared%20Documents/Other%20Transactions%20(OT)%20Guide.pdf