ROLL-ON, ROLL-OFF OPERATOR STATION

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ROLL-ON, ROLL-OFF OPERATOR STATION THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This is an RFI released pursuant to FAR 15.201(e). This RFI is issued solely for information, planning purposes and market research only; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP or Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). This RFI does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service. CBP is not at this time seeking proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay any cost incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP or BAA. If a solicitation is released, it will be via the Federal Business Opportunities (http://www.fedbizopps.gov). It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this website for any information that may pertain to this RFI. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government, and will not be returned. 1.0 INTRODUCTION: Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Office of Air and Marine (OAM) mission statement is: Protect the American People and Nation's critical infrastructure through the coordinated use of integrated air and marine forces to detect, interdict and prevent acts of terrorism and the unlawful movement of people, illegal drugs and other contraband toward or across the borders of the United States. Since September 11, 2001, the CBP OAM P-3 mission set has dramatically evolved and grown while its sensor suite capabilities have remained largely static. Generational gaps between current technology and currently installed equipment exist, creating capability shortfalls in mission performance due to maintenance/sustainability issues and operational capabilities. Current aircraft operator stations are becoming increasingly more difficult to sustain due to reduced vendor support for significantly dated equipment and are not capable of taking advantage of upgrades featured on later sensor models. This directly affects the P-3's ability to reliably respond to required tasking and maintain high-tempo mission performance. Older interface design and extensive modification over the long term to incorporate new mission requirements have taxed the processing capability of the mission computer system to its limits. This demands increased operator workload and can lead to task-saturation. This can potentially reduce the domain awareness capability of the aircraft and adversely affect the quality of information provided to supported agencies, as well as reduce safety margins for not only the P-3, but aircraft and vessels it is directly supporting. In order to improve the mission capability of the P-3 platform current operator stations need to be modernized, and additional capabilities added. Operator station modernization would introduce critical upgrades in hardware performance, reliability, and support, as well as improve sensor mission performance and operator interface. The ability to take only the necessary operators stations during a mission will increase the range and endurance on the aircraft, improving operations performance. Additionally, it will allow CBP OAM to share stations among multiple aircraft, making more effective use of each and allow for easy replacement of stations as new technologies develop. 2.0 REQUEST: CBP is seeking information on commercially available Roll-On/Roll-off operator stations that could be configured to satisfy all or a large portion of the desired capabilities stated below. The submitted information should include the current availability of a configuration that emphasizes Open System Architecture (OSA) that is based on a modular hardware design. 3.0 DESIRED MINIMUM OPERATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (GENERAL): The information submitted in response to this RFI should include a design that provides "Commercial-off-the-Shelf" (COTS) or "Government-off-the-Shelf" (GOTS) manufactured and supported equipment if available. The information shall also state whether or not the components are designed and manufactured for rugged operations in accordance with the specifications of MIL STD 810G or RTCA DO-160 series. It is necessary to state whether or not the desired system is currently operational and capable of being easily retrofitted with the latest configurations. The Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall meet all requirements without exceeding the specified aircraft operational limits established and maintained by the original equipment manufacturer. Each Roll-on/Roll-Off operator station shall be capable of operating independently of any other operator station. Each Roll-on/Roll-Off operator station shall be capable of operating continuously for 12-16 hours. Component design and materials shall meet aviation standards and specifications. The Roll-On/Roll-off operator station manufacturer shall be capable of installing a minimum of 4 identical operator stations with hookups for a maximum of 7 operator stations. Each complete operator station plus its associated transport platform shall be capable of fitting through the P-3 door (29 inch width, 72 inch height). Installation/ removal of each operator stations shall not take maintenance operators more than an hour to perform and shall be done using standard maintenance tools (no specialized tools used only for this procedure). Maintenance personnel shall be capable of reaching any operator station without the necessity of moving any other operator station. The Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall be capable of being loaded and unloaded from the aircraft without needing any specialized equipment. Each Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall maximize the use of standard CBP or NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) floor tracks on the aircraft, to include operator seats. Each station shall include a keyboard, trackball (or sensor control) and high-definition capable (1600 x 1200) monitors screens. Operators shall require simultaneous access to primary sensor imagery, situational awareness/sensor displays and system menus. Monitor(s) displays shall be operator-configurable. The operator station shall allow the operators to modify their monitor(s) views to include, but not be limited to: resize, rescale, center on aircraft, center on target. It shall also allow operators to display sensor data individually or multiple sensors simultaneously on individual display stations. The operator station shall allow displays to provide multiple customized map overlays. The operator station shall allow displays to continuously display all sensor contacts with operator display filtering. Each Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall be equipped / provided with sufficient cooling to ensure proper long term operation of any embedded equipment. Each Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall allow the operator to control and monitor any sensor and communication system on the aircraft. Sensors include, but are not limited to: fire control radar, search radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR), Automatic Identification System (AIS), data links, Intercommunication system (ICS), S TADIL J/Link 16, and radios. Each Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall be capable of controlling and monitoring multiple sensors and radios simultaneously. The Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall be capable of incorporating an integrated communications suite to include, but not be limited to: touch-screen dial-up, radio selection, two-way voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication. The two way data communication (imagery and files) will be used for updated intelligence and mission communications. It is expected that the data and tracks produced by the various sensors shall be compared with data and tracks from other sensors to produce a correlated display for the operator. As such, the Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall be fully digital and compatible with P-3 Data bus standards. Data provided by the operator shall be capable of being formatted for automatic report generation and operator review, modification and distribution. The operator station shall also incorporate one or more USB ports for input of operator profiles. The desired Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall also be compatible with existing CBP/DHS networks, lights and equipment already installed in CBP OAM designated aircraft. The desired Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall include a utility light accessible to the operator workstation as well as adequate writing space. Installation and operation of the station should not negatively impact the flying qualities and performance of the aircraft as defined by the Limits of Basic Aircraft. The P-3 Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall have an Open System Architecture (OSA) that is based on a modular hardware design. All its hardware and software functional elements shall communicate with each other using open standards. Modifications to the internal mechanisms of a hardware and software functional element shall not impact any other functional element. The architecture shall support resource management to maintain optimal level of system performance in the presence of failures. Priorities will be assigned to flight safety, mission critical, and interoperability functionality. Modifications to the internal mechanisms of a functional element shall not impact any other functional element. The software shall be independent of the underlying hardware environment. Electrical AC and DC power requirements for any equipment being installed shall be compatible with existing CBP aircraft power generation and distribution equipment. Equipment installation shall be done in a manner that is consistent with the electrical power priority system onboard the aircraft. There shall be circuit protection and a means of disconnection between the equipment and aircraft electrical source. All equipment that will be installed shall comply with 14 CFR - 27.1351, MIL-E-7016F with Notice 1, MIL-STD-7080, MIL-STD-461E, MIL-STD-704F and certified by an aviation structural and systems engineer. Please submit information that identifies the level of maintenance required for this system. It is also necessary to know whether or not the Roll-On/Roll-off operator station can provide operators with indications of failure or degraded performance when required. Roll-On/Roll-off operator station instrumentation should be easily legible under all lighting conditions encountered, including direct sunlight and will comply with Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Part 23 and certified by an aviation structural engineer. 3.1 Operating constraints: Please submit information that will verify if: The available system is capable of meeting mission objectives while being subjected to aircraft maneuvers within its operational envelope. The available system has an Operational Availability (Ao) of 0.95 or greater (based on 1,000 annual hours per aircraft with a base operating seven 7 days by 24 hours). Ao is a measure of the average availability over a period of time and it includes all experienced sources of downtime, such as administrative downtime, logistic downtime, etc. Ao is calculated as: Ao = OT +ST OT + ST + TPM + TCM + ALDT - Operating Time (OT): Time that the equipment is in use - Standby Time (ST): Time in which the equipment is not operating but assumed to be operable - Total Preventive maintenance (TPM): Scheduled maintenance of equipment - Total Corrective Maintenance (TCM): Unscheduled maintenance of equipment - Administrative and logistics down time (ALDT): Down time due to waiting for parts, administrative processing, maintenance personnel, or transportation The Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall have a Minimum of 2,000 hours Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and a minimum of 200 hours Mean Time Between Maintenance Actions (MTBMA) as documented by actual field performance. 3.2 Safety The system should not present safety hazards and shall not significantly impact the respective aircraft's operating envelopes or expected airframe fatigue life. Installed systems and operating software should not interfere with navigational and safety-of-flight equipment. Each operator station shall carry all safety equipment required by the FAA for aircraft operations in accordance with FAA Part 25. It is, however, expected to fly under harsh environmental conditions in order to accomplish its mission. 3.2 Certifications The aircraft, with the system installed, should be certifiable as airworthy based on the FAA's "public use" directives covering the P-3 installations. Military equipment that cannot be FAA certified shall comply with the design and installation standards contained in military specifications, standards and handbooks. 4.0 RESPONSES: This Request for Information (RFI) is for information and planning purposes only and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government to issue a Request for Proposal or to award a contract. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses to this RFI or otherwise pay for the preparation of any information submitted. The Government's use of such information is at its sole discretion and is not accepting proprietary information. Sources responding to this RFI shall submit the minimum information necessary for the government to make a determination that the source is capable of satisfying the desired requirements. The maximum number of pages to be submitted shall not be more than 50. This does not include charts or drawings. Vendors should submit responses that describe their understanding of the technical and management requirements described in this RFI. Specifically, vendor responses should demonstrate their capability to: - Deliver or design/deliver roll-on/roll-off operator station(s) for the P-3 aircraft. - Deliver a currently operational versus a conceptual roll-on/roll-off operator station. - Deliver a system design that utilizes "Commercial-off-the-Shelf" (COTS) or "Government-off-the-Shelf" (GOTS) manufactured and supported equipment if available. - Deliver a Roll-On/Roll-off operator station capable of controlling and monitoring any sensor and operator radio on the aircraft. Sensors include, but are not limited to: radar, electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR), Automatic Identification System (AIS), data links, Intercommunication system (ICS), and radios. Each Roll-On/Roll-off operator station shall be capable of controlling and monitoring multiple sensors and radios simultaneously. - Meet the desired minimum operational requirements under paragraph 3.0 of the RFI. - Meet the operating constraints under paragraph 3.1 of the RFI. - Meet the safety requirements under paragraph 3.2 of the RFI. - Meet the certifications under paragraph 3.3 of the RFI. Vendors should also include commercially available pricing information for their products. Additionally vendors responding to this RFI should provide: (1) name and address of the firm; (2) size of the business; (3) years in business; (4) description of the client base; (5) type of ownership (i.e., large, small, small disadvantaged, woman-owned, hub-zone, and/or disabled veteran); (6) past performance of similar work; and (7) a complete description of the facilities and infrastructure that would support maintenance and logistics support Each respondent shall identify its business size. The associated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code is 334511 (Search and detection systems and instruments manufacturing) with a small business size standard of 750 employees. Acknowledgment of receipt of responses will not be made, nor will respondents be notified of the Government's evaluation of the information received. However, should such a requirement materialize, no basis for claims against the Government shall arise as a result of a response to this RFI or the Government's use of such information as either part of an evaluation process or in developing specifications for any subsequent requirement. Responses should be identified with RFI-CBP-20111129-03, and are due no later than 3:00 P.M. (EST) on December 9th 2011. For responses in other than electronic form please submit three copies of your response. Please submit your responses to: * Electronically (preferred): contact@example.gov OR * US Mail - If the proposals are submitted by US Mail, the address is: US Customs and Border Protection Office of Procurement 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW National Place - Suite 1310 Washington, DC 20229 Attn: Michael Hall - Mail Stop NP 1310 OR * Express Courier - If the proposals are submitted by expedited means (e.g. FEDEX, USPS Express Mail, etc.) or courier, the address for receipt of the responses is: US Customs and Border Protection Office of Procurement 1331 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW - Suite 1310 Washington, DC 20229 Attn: Michael Hall - Mail Stop NP 1310 Questions and comments should be submitted in writing and directed to Contracting Officer Michael Hall via email ONLY at contact@example.gov, no later than December 6, 2011, 12:00 PM EST.