Submarine Tethered Expendable Buoy (STEB)

THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS PUBLISHED FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. THE GOVERNMENT IS NOT SEEKING OR ACCEPTING UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS. This Sources Sought/Request for Information notice (as authorized by FAR 15.201) is issued by the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), in support of Program Executive Office Undersea Warfare Systems (PEO UWS), to identify sources interested in fulfilling the development, production, and installation requirements for the submarine-launched Submarine Tethered Expendable Buoy (STEB) system. The STEB system provides a submerged submarine with a surface buoy platform for communications, situational awareness and collision avoidance data. It will provide data to feed a real-time operator interface and display console within the AN/BLQ-10 system and would reduce the risk of counter detection by allowing the submarine to stay submerged while it provides situational awareness related to imaging, communications, and electronic warfare data. The procurement contemplated by this Sources Sought notice is for - end-to-end system engineering development including the bus (launch vehicle) / payload components of the buoy and the tethering mechanism, environmental qualification, life cycle support, program management, engineering services, software development, logistics and supportability, configuration management, hardware and software integration (including material procurement and/or fabrication), production, testing, evaluation, and installation for modernization and new construction submarines. The STEB system shall achieve the requirements of a Performance Specification (STEB System Performance Specification). Interested parties are requested to respond with a White Paper that addresses their proposed plan, and concepts to delineate a viable approach to meeting the requirements of the performance specification. The White Paper should address, at a minimum the following: Technical Approach Provide an overall technical description of the functions and capabilities that you are capable of delivering. Capabilities (including technical, program management, prototyping, production etc.) related experience, facilities, techniques, or unique combination of factors that would directly relate to this effort. The qualifications, capabilities, and experiences of Contractor employees, who would be available to support this effort. Provide a description of your company's experience with Information Assurance (IA) or Cybersecurity requirements. Maintenance Philosophy Describe your approach to providing field-maintenance related engineering services contracted using a delivery order approach. Describe your approach to providing fleet-support field-maintenance repair on-site assistance to submarine platforms for STEB system troubleshooting and repair. Data Rights The Government generally desires at least a Government Purpose Rights (GPR) license (as defined in DFARS 225.227-7013 and DFARS 252.227-7014) in noncommercial technical data, computer software, and computer software documentation, including object code, executable code and source code. Provide details of any limitations on technical data rights for the equipment. Specifically, provide details of any proprietary information that would not be shared with the US Government. Recent and Relevant Contract Experience Given the complexity of the work described in this announcement, please describe your company's historical experience completing work with the above focus Technical Approach and Maintenance Philosophy areas. Security Requirement Describe whether your company is capable of meeting the following security requirements (1) an active SECRET Facility Clearance Level (FCL); and (2) SECRET or higher clearance for all personnel. Sources Sought Document Access/ Request submission due date: The Government performance specification will not be posted online as an attachment to this sources sought notice. It is available by request. Federal policy does not support release of these documents to foreign sources. The document will be provided only to those companies with a valid security clearance of SECRET or higher. To obtain a copy of the documents, companies shall submit a written request via email to Mr. Patrick Dooley at patrick.s.dooley3.civ@us.navy.mil and Ms. Sydney Cline at sydney.m.cline.civ@us.navy.mil by 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), 19 October 2023. The subject line of the email should have - STEB (insert company name) TOU N00024-24-R-6230. Telephonic requests are not acceptable. Interested companies who are interested in receiving the performance specification shall provide a written request that includes the following data: Company name CAGE code and UEI Complete company address Point of Contact information, to include E-mail address Telephone number Name/Job Title Fax number Facility Clearance level of facility (including issuing Government agency information, and expiration date), to include Security Point of Contact information Once a company's need-to-know and security clearance is verified and approved the company will be authorized to receive the detailed documents and related controlled files. This SECRET material will be returned to the government or show proof of destruction within 30 days following the submittal package due date. DD Form 2345 A filled Out Terms of Use attached to this sources sought posting Business Size/Status (i.e. Large, SB, VOSB, SDVOSB, WOSB, etc.) Number of Employees Once a company security clearance is verified and approved the company will be authorized to receive the requested document. This SECRET material will be returned to the Government or show proof of destruction in accordance with the TOU. Sources Sought Response/Submission and Deadline: All written expressions of interest and information in response to this sources sought shall be submitted to Mr. Patrick Dooley at patrick.s.dooley3.civ@us.navy.mil and Ms. Sydney Cline at sydney.m.cline.civ@us.navy.mil no later than 4:00 pm Eastern Standard Time (EST), 03 November 2023. The subject line of the email should read "(company Name) Sources Sought Response - STEB N00024-24-R-6230." NOTE: SS/RFI responses are limited to 20 pages or less, 1 inch margins, and 10 point Times New Roman font or larger. The Government will accept specific questions or comments submitted in response to this notice or information provided as a result of this Sources Sought Notice. The Government may or may not be able to provide answers at this time. Responses may contain a separate annex classified up to the SECRET level, if necessary, but any classified annex needs to be marked, handled and transmitted appropriately in accordance with the referenced security classification guides for the AN/BLQ-10 system. Disclosure: This notice is not a request for proposals and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. Sources choosing to respond to this notice are wholly responsible for any costs/expenses associated with submitting a response. Therefore any cost associated with the market research submission is solely at the interested vendor's expense. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organization's qualifications to perform the work. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. Respondents will not be notified of the results of this notice. The information obtained from submitted responses may be used in development of an acquisition strategy and a future solicitation. Submissions will not be returned. Response to this notice is not a request to be added to a bidders list or to receive a copy of a solicitation. THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO AWARD A CONTRACT SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE. Information submitted in response to this RFI will become the property of the United States Government. Submitters should properly mark their responses with the appropriate restrictive markings. Information that is proprietary or competition-sensitive may be protected from disclosure under the public records law only if properly labeled as such.