REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) - INVESTIGATION FOR AUTOMATED PACE TECHNOLOGIES

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)/ SOURCES SOUGHT (SS) NOTICE--INVESTIGATION FOR WIRELESS AREA NETWORK TECHNOLOGIES THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) AND NOT A SOLICITATION. This request for information (RFI) is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an invitation for bid, request for quotation, request for proposal, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. Your response to this RFI will be treated as information only. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses to this announcement or the Government use of such information. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing its acquisition strategy, or performance work statements, or performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or to otherwise pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. INTRODUCTION The US Army Communications Electronics Research & Development Engineering Center (CERDEC) Space & Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD) is interested in receiving information from companies that have experience in the design, development, and implementation of soldier wireless communications network for the Squad Area Network (SQAN) program. The SQAN program will focus on adapting a commercial wireless technology to meeting current Army requirements. SQAN will provide a small, low power mesh network to support intra-squad communications independent of any backhaul. This will allow for wireless communication that includes data transfer and voice between soldiers within a squad. The SQAN network shall be capable of operating in a benign, heavily contested, and lastly a congested RF environment. Benign is defined as but not limited to: � Spectrum restrictions due to civil uses � Availability of military spectrum exceeds demand Congested Environment is defined as but not limited to: � Spectrum restrictions due to host nation and civil issues � High military demand for spectrum (US & coalition) � Terrain challenges (Mountains, Cities) Contested Environment is defined as but not limited to: � Adversarial attempts to degrade/deny access to spectrum � Congestion due to competing military uses SQAN attributes should include, but not limited to: � Low Probability of Interception/Low Probability of Detection � Adequate bandwidth that can pass voice (Push To Talk (PTT)) and data traffic (situational awareness, Position Location Information (PLI), still images etc...), � Anti-jam features � A Commercial Solution for Classified (CSfC) for security. Lastly, the main objective is to provide intra-squad communications at the tactical edge. For the purposes of this RFI, the SQAN program development effort will include, but not be limited to, the following activities: 1. Defining the waveform that will provide intra-squad communications. 2. Defining the technology interfaces and embedment approaches for currently fielded Soldier equipment and planned future systems. 3. Defining the system network architecture for a low power, secure mesh network capable of intra-squad communications. 4. Adapting and hardening the selected SQAN technology to make it suitable for the stringent demands of the Army operating environment (LPI/LPD, AJ, etc.) 5. Minimizing power consumption and developing power charging architecture. 6. Developing and implementing a security solution adapting CSfC. BACKGROUND The US Army is focused enabling intra-squad communications within contested and congested environments using networking techniques to adapt and continue operation under interference signals. Currently, the capability described does not exist at the dismounted tactical edge. To enable the Army's vision, CERDEC S&TCD is looking for information to develop a Government owned SQAN solution capable of soldier-to-soldier communications. Assured and resilient communications are essential characteristics. The ability to maintain communications in contested and congested environments with no backhaul are key attributes to realizing the vision of the SQAN network. Novel approaches to operating undetected, operating in the presence of Electronic Warfare (EW) attacks, and operating through or around Radio Frequency (RF) interference must be investigated, designed and validated to make the US army vision a reality. SCOPE The objective of this RFI is to solicit information regarding technologies that can provide intra-squad communications to the dismount that would serve U.S. Army goals for a Squad Area Network Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). CERDEC S&TCD will be evaluating the responses to help shape and validate feasible requirements. DATA SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS CERDEC STCD request industry provides the following, but not limited to: General � Statement of interest. � Description of qualification: demonstrated products, projects, and applicable experience. State whether your current experience is in design, development, or both. � Description of existing or planned work in this area. Include strategies for embedding end products into both commercial and GOTs Soldier devices. Provide information on partnerships agreements planned or existing. Waveform � Recommendations and/or feedback on waveform(s) that can apply. Provide suggested protocols, and standards to suit the Army's needed stated within this document. � Recommendations on different network approaches including mesh, point to point and point to multipoint that can be utilized for the SQAN. � Recommendations on a waveform that can provide intra-squad communications with adequate range. The distance between soldiers within a squad can go from 100 meters to up to approximately 300 meters. � Recommendations on waveform that can provide adequate bandwidth that can pass voice (Push to Talk (PTT)) and data traffic (situational awareness, Position Location Information (PLI), still images etc...) Power Consumption � Information/recommendations on power interfaces and battery sources. � Strategies to reduce and optimize power consumption to achieve long battery life while reducing weight. Security � Information on security implementation approaches, reference any related experience. Notices are due by 05:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on Friday 9 March 2018. Respondents should identify their company's name, address, telephone number, point of contact, and whether they are a large or small business. Proprietary information should be clearly marked. All submissions shall be sent via e-mail. The electronic format may be in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) or compatible with Microsoft Office suite of software. The white paper response shall not exceed 15 pages. Responses shall be delivered in electronic format to the following address: Name: Mr. Patrick Charles Email: Patrick.n.charles.civ@mail.mil For any clarifications or questions regarding RFI, please contact Mr. Patrick Charles.