RFI LP-CRADA

Synopsis 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure A. INTRODUCTION: The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) is hosting the 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure (GET-CI) event. This event will take place from April 17-21, 2017, at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC) in Butlerville, Indiana. S&T's GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure events are intended to be executed as a series of test opportunities over the next year or two. The April 2017 event is intended for manufacturers of commercial GPS receivers or equipment used in critical infrastructure. DHS S&T recognizes the importance of accurate and precise position, navigation, and timing (PNT) information to critical infrastructure and has a dedicated multi-year program to address GPS vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure, with a multi-pronged approach of conducting vulnerability and impact assessments, developing mitigations, exploring complementary timing technologies, and engaging with industry through outreach events and meetings. Through these sustained efforts, the goal of the program is to increase the resiliency of critical infrastructure to GPS vulnerabilities in the near term future. Examples of measures that can be taken to enhance resiliency can be found in a DHS issued set of best practices released via ICS-CERT, titled "Improving the Operation and Development of Global Positioning System (GPS) Equipment Used by Critical Infrastructure." As part of outreach efforts, DHS S&T will be hosting a series of test opportunities for stakeholders to test equipment in unique live-sky signal environments that are only legally possible to create under controlled conditions authorized by the U.S. Government. For this event in April, DHS S&T will be creating live-sky test scenarios focused on spoofed GPS signals. DHS S&T invites manufacturers of commercial GPS receivers and equipment used in critical infrastructure to submit applications for participation to the 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure event. This is a Request for Information for Participation (RFIP) only. Respondents must either (1) have ownership of any intellectual property submitted for the purposes of participating in the event or (2) possess sufficient rights to permit the use of the technology. The Government will not award a contract on the basis of this RFIP. Organizations that respond will not be paid for the information submitted and the Government will not pay for any submission preparation or related costs. The Government will be paying to host the test event and there will be no registration fees. However, participating organizations are responsible for costs associated with traveling to and attending the event, such as transportation, lodging, and other related costs. Respondents who are selected will be asked to enter into a Limited Purpose Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (LP-CRADA) with DHS S&T in order to participate in the 2017 test event. Documents submitted in response to this RFIP will not be returned. The Government is under no obligation to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFIP. There is no guarantee that any submission in response to this RFIP will result in a Government invitation to participate in the April 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure event. The Government may or may not use any responses to this RFIP as a basis for a subsequent project. B. OBJECTIVE: Prior vulnerability testing by DHS S&T in both laboratory and live-sky environments have found all tested GPS receivers to be vulnerable to jamming and spoofing to varying degrees. The purpose of this event is to provide manufacturers of commercial GPS receivers used in critical infrastructure the opportunity to perform testing in a rarely available live-sky spoofing environment. The intent is that the data collected by equipment manufacturers in such an environment will help and inform the development of mitigations in future equipment revisions and/or firmware updates and to foster adoption of mitigation techniques from the best practices guidance referenced above. C. WHAT TO EXPECT The test event will be hosted in a simulated urban environment so space is limited compared to rural test events that can host hundreds of participants. Invitations to participating organizations will be based on availability of space. Please note that due to the nature of the testing that will occur at the event it is likely that personal communication devices (smartphones, laptops, etc.) may be unable to reliably receive and send messages. Invitations will be sent out within ten business days after the deadline for this RFIP. Afterwards, additional information will be collected to begin the process for a Limited Purpose Cooperative Research and Development (LP-CRADA) agreement. Completion of the LP-CRADA is required for participation in the event. The agreement will indicate responsibilities and obligations between the Government and participating organization. In addition, the LP-CRADA will address examples of Government responsibilities (i.e. facility costs and logistics relating to the hosting of the event) and the responsibilities of participating organizations (i.e. paying for their own travel to the event and a summary test report). Participating organizations should come with enough personnel and resources to independently setup and run their equipment during the test event. Information on the test scenarios, test space layout, testing time windows, and other logistical information will be shared at a later date with participating organizations. There is the possibility that portions of the testing will occur in the overnight hours during April 17-21. For further questions, please email contact@example.gov. If the 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure event is canceled for any reason DHS will be unable to compensate Respondents for any funds that may have been expended for the purposes of participating in the event. D. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: THE DEADLINES FOR PARTICIPANT APPLICATIONS is no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, March 3, 2017. Review of applications received after the deadline is not guaranteed. All applications must be submitted via email to contact@example.gov with the subject "(Organization Name) Application - 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure." CLEARLY IDENTIFY ALL PROPRIETARY INFORMATION in the application. If proprietary information is required to adequately describe equipment, ensure that it is appropriately marked on the application form. If you must submit proprietary information as part of your application, you should be aware that despite all precautions, the Government can only protect the confidentiality of proprietary information contained in applications to the extent that it is exempt from disclosure under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA, 5 U.S.C. - 552). Generally, Exemption 4 of the FOIA [5 U.S.C. - 552(b)(4)] will protect from release information submitted to the Government that constitutes either (1) a trade secret or (2) commercial or financial information which is privileged or confidential. Therefore, any such proprietary information contained in your application form must be clearly marked in accordance with the following directions. 1. Insert the following paragraph in the comments section on page 2 of the application form: This application includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed-in whole or in part-for any purpose other than to evaluate this application or develop a subsequent LP-CRADA for the 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure event. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in the data if they are obtained from another source without restriction. 2. Application Form: In any equipment descriptions that contain restricted information on page 2, insert "(PROPRIETARY)" at the start of the section of text. DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION in the application. If classified information is required to adequately describe a technology solution, submit an unclassified application with a request for a classified submission of supporting materials. DO NOT SUBMIT ACQUISITION PROPOSALS. Submit participation applications. No contracts will be awarded based on this announcement, but selected participants will be asked to sign an LP-CRADA. Submitting an application in response to this RFI does not guarantee an invitation to participate in the 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure event. All submissions shall use the application form provided in Appendix A. Please ensure that all required fields are completed. All application forms shall be submitted in the Microsoft Word (DOCX) file format. All applications shall be submitted via email to contact@example.gov and must include the following information in the subject or body of the email: - Subject: (Organization Name) Application - 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure - Organization Name - Primary Point of Contact for the application: o Name o Email o Phone number You will receive an email verifying receipt of your application. Each organization should submit one application. The application form will have space to list out multiple attendees and lines for equipment to be tested. You will be notified by email if your equipment is deemed suitable for invitation to the 2017 GPS Equipment Testing for Critical Infrastructure event. Applications must be submitted to contact@example.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Friday, March 3, 2017. Applications received after this time are not guaranteed to be considered. The DHS S&T team will provide the test venue, supporting infrastructure, and personnel running the test scenarios. Costs specific to running the Participating Organization's equipment, as well as the travel costs to the test venue, will be at the Participating Organization's expense. Selected participants must be prepared to independently set up and run their equipment for the test event and cannot be dependent on venue resources or personnel to do so. If you have questions regarding the submittal, please email contact@example.gov. E. BASIS FOR SELECTION TO PARTICIPATE: DHS S&T and appropriate supporting Government organizations will review the applications for technical merit, range of capabilities, and applicability. DHS S&T will notify selected participants via an emailed invitation to the original submitter. No review outcomes or selection criteria will be made available to submitters. G. SPECIAL NOTICE: While only federal employees will participate in the final selection process, Government support contractors may review and provide support during the application evaluation process. All participants involved in the evaluation process, including those in support roles, will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to such involvement. Submission in response to this RFIP constitutes approval to release the applications to the evaluation team that may include Government support contractors. H. APPENDICES A. 2017 GET-CI Event - Participant Application Form