RFI UUV Docking Station

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Docking Station 1.0 DESCRIPTION The Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division, Newport (NUWCDIVNPT) is seeking information on Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Docking Stations. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY per FAR 15.201(e). This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Navy is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Small Businesses having the capabilities to meet the Government's need as specified in Section 3.1 are encouraged to reply to this RFI. Failure to respond to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If an RFP is issued, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website at https://www.fbo.gov. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. It is the responsibility of potential respondents to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement. 2.0 BACKGROUND In order to support current operational demands of the US Navy, investigations are being conducted to increase UUV persistence and operational capability. The future need is to have a docking station that can interface with a UUV to support data and energy transfer autonomously undersea. 3.0 TECHNICAL OBJECTIVES 3.1. UUV DOCKING STATION OBJECTIVES Current Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUV's) are required to surface to a host platform to have their battery recharged and to upload/download data. The potential future Navy need is to have a Docking Station that can interface with a UUV, and support data and energy transfer to reduce the need of a host platform and to increase autonomous persistence. The Docking Station should operate autonomously, be ruggedized to meet the demands of the environment for extended period of deployment, and have the ability to connect to and interface with UUV's. 3.2. UUV DOCKING STATION The areas of focus for White Papers in response to this Request For Information (RFI) should include, but are not limited to, the analysis, development, and demonstration of current and future Docking Stations emphasizing the approach employed and performance achieved (including near term, less than 4 years, objectives) in homing, docking, capture and restraint, as well as energy transfer and data transfer. 3.3. DOCKING STATION CHARACTERISTICS Docking Station Provide a description of the Docking Station arrangement employed. This would include size and weight, as well as photos or figures. Include a description of past testing and/or demonstration efforts and results, as well as information on demonstrated system performance such as duration of testing or demonstration. Include a discussion of ongoing or potential near term performance objectives, including those that could be achieved within the next 4 years. Homing Describe the homing technique(s) employed to bring the UUV within the vicinity of the Docking Station. Identify the likely range for each aspect of homing, as well as any UUV requirements or considerations. Capture and Restraint Describe the capture and restraint technique(s) employed to mechanically and electrically connect the UUV with the Docking Station autonomously. Identify the tolerance requirements, as well as any UUV requirements or considerations. Data Transfer Describe the Data Transfer technique(s) employed by the Docking Station to transfer data to and from a UUV. Identify the transfer rate demonstrated, as well as any UUV requirements or considerations. Energy Transfer Describe the Energy Transfer technique(s) employed by the Docking Station to transfer energy to a UUV. Identify the transfer rate demonstrated, as well as any UUV requirements or considerations. Energy Source Describe the Energy Source employed by the Docking Station to both power its onboard systems, as well as for the transfer of energy to the UUV. Identify the performance demonstrated, as well as any system requirements or considerations. Unmanned Undersea Vehicle Describe the Unmanned Undersea Vehicle(s) employed with the Docking Station. Identify the performance demonstrated, including the number of docking evolutions performed and success rate. 4.0 REQUESTED INFORMATION Respondents to this RFI should provide detailed information on how the existing or proposed product would meet the desired requirements specified in Section 3.3 above. 5.0 RESPONSES Interested parties are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. Receipt of all white papers will be acknowledged by the Technical Point of Contact listed below. White papers will be retained by the Navy and, should an application be identified for the concept proposed, additional responses maybe requested of the Offeror. 5.1. WHITE PAPER FORMAT White Papers shall be submitted in Microsoft Word for Office 2010 compatible format and are due no later than thirty (30) days after publication of this RFI. Responses shall be submitted in writing, via e-mail only, to Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Mr. Laureano A. Costa (laureano.costa@navy.mil), Code 4123. Proprietary information, if any, must be clearly marked. To aid the Government in its review and evaluation, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. Offerors that include in their proposals data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes, shall -- (1) Mark the title page with the following legend: This proposal 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 White Paper. If, however, a contract is awarded to this offeror as a result of -- or in connection with -- the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]; and (2) Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend: Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal. 1. Section 1 of the white paper shall be labeled "Administrative Information" and shall provide the following minimum information (there is no page limitation for Section 1 of the white paper): a. Name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated point of contact. b. Recommended contracting strategy, with emphasis on whether the requirement can be met by items of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace, consistent with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 12. 2. Section 2 of the white paper shall be labeled, Technical Description, and shall provide information in response to Section 3 of this RFI. Section 2 of the white paper is limited to ten (10) pages. 3. Section 3 of the white paper shall be labeled, Programmatic Description, and shall address the maturity of the technology and provide a "road ahead" to the development of the solution described in Section 3.0. Section 3 of the white paper is limited to one (1) page. 4. Section 4 of the white paper shall be labeled, Summary, and shall contain a single page "quad chart" in Microsoft PowerPoint format that includes at a minimum the following data: a. One or more graphics or photos that illustrate the technical concept addressed in the response. b. Highlights of primary solutions referenced to the requirements of section 3.0. c. Maturity of the concept and the relevant technology components. d. List of milestones and dates to achieve a fully functional in water demonstration of the technology assuming an effort were to begin immediately. 6.0 QUESTIONS Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing, via e-mail, to Naval Undersea Warfare Center Division Newport, Mr. Laureano A. Costa (laureano.costa@navy.mil), Code 4123. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. All questions will be answered via an addendum to this RFI; accordingly, questions shall NOT contain trade secrets or classified information. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 15 days from the publication date of this RFI will be answered. 7.0 SUMMARY THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to identify sources that can provide an Unmanned Undersea Vehicle (UUV) Docking Station as described. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Navy has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such 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.