Technical Support Contract (TSC)

Research and Development Sources Sought This is a SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS announcement. No proposals are being requested or accepted with this synopsis. THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION FOR PROPOSALS AND NO CONTRACT SHALL BE AWARDED FROM THIS SYNOPSIS. Description: The 705 Combat Training Squadron (CTS), Kirtland AFB, NM is seeking small business Statements of Capability (SOC) for its technical support requirements in support of the Distributed Mission Operations Center (DMOC), Kirtland AFB, NM. Background: The mission of the 705 CTS is to "develop, integrate, and deliver a virtual Air, Space, and Cyber environment for Air Force, Joint, and Coalition combat training, test, and experimentation." This mission requires the 705 CTS to maintain a highly-qualified staff of government and contractor personnel with expertise in exercise design and execution, weapons systems integration and interoperability and Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) technology development. Since the Air Force inherited Modeling and Simulation (M&S) capabilities from the Identification Friend, Foe, or Neutral Joint Test and Evaluation (JT&E) in 1990, the mission and capabilities of the DMOC, have undergone significant change. One of the major drivers in this change was the Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) endorsement of the DMO vision in 2004. DMO promotes the use of advanced M&S capabilities as a realistic means to connect Command, Control, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C2ISR) assets and combat systems to test and train on modern tactics, particularly during times of high Operations Tempo (OPSTEMPO). Furthermore, training and testing transformation initiatives within the Department of Defense (DoD) will continue to have a major influence on the DMOC. Since 2005, the DMOC has experienced a significant growth in mission requirements and in staffing levels to achieve the DMO vision established by CSAF. The 705 CTS anticipates continued expansion of the DMOC mission primarily in the areas of seamlessly integrating the Theater Air Control System (TACS) at the operational and tactical levels of warfare, providing robust joint and coalition training, controlled interface and Multi-National Information Sharing (MNIS) operations, testing in realistic operational environments, integrating live and simulation environments, and experimenting with advanced weapons systems and evolving Tactics, Techniques, and Procedures (TTPs). Utilizing the DMOC and associated resources, the 705 CTS performs training, tests, and experimentation with military personnel operating live weapon systems and high fidelity simulations in a dense synthetic environment. DMOC resources include simulations of airborne systems; surveillance systems; airborne and ground command, control and communication systems; Surface-to-Air Missiles (SAMs); voice communications systems, data link systems; data loggers; network analysis tools; and intelligence systems. The battlespace is currently capable of simulating up to 50,000 simultaneous air and ground objects. Digital terrain databases include Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED), Digital Feature Analysis Data (DFAD), and Controlled Image Base (CIB) imagery. Standards for Electronic Warfare and weather effects are under development and may be modeled. The DMOC is linked to a large number of military and contractor simulation facilities through point-to-point and wide area networks. Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS), High Level Architecture (HLA) and Test and Training Enabling Architecture (TENA) gateways and corresponding network components allow the DMOC to interface with a variety of joint Live Virtual - Constructive (LVC) simulation facilities. Translators are available to allow exchange of tactical data link messages between actual field equipment and simulation models. Objective: The offeror shall provide technical and analytical expertise for the execution of DMOC training events, tests, and experimentation activities and system development in support of battlespace operations. This effort includes program management and engineering support tasks. Contract deliverables will include, but will not be limited to, technical exercise plans, test schedules, acceptance test plans and reports, after action reports, technical reports, study reports, controlled interface and Multi-National Information Sharing (MNIS) ruleset and risk assessment documents, engineering analysis reports, engineering drawings, system, and technical architectures; simulation interoperability standards and technical schematics. Based on current trends the estimated labor total for this scope of work is 42,000 hours per year. Mission Areas: Efforts under this synopsis for the required support have been broken into six Primary Mission Areas (examples provided are not exhaustive): 1) Internal Training Events - DMOC internal training events include major exercise events such as Virtual Flag (VF) and smaller scale training events such as Warfighter Focused Events (WFEs), Joint Kill Chain Events (JKCEs), and Air Force Weapons School Training Events (WSTEs). 2) External Training Events - External training event examples include Northern Edge (NE), Fleet Synthetic Training - Joint (FST-J), and Northern Goshawk (NG) exercises. 3) Testing Events -Testing event examples include the Joint Command & Control of Net-Enabled Weapons (JC2NEW) and Joint Fires Coordination Measures (JFCM) joint tests. 4) Experimentation Events - Experimentation event examples include Defense of the Homeland Against Asymmetric Missile Attacks (DoHMA) and Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) events. 5) Projects - The 705 CTS manages a large number of Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation (RDT&E) and facility improvement projects aimed at improving M&S capability within the DoD and the international community. 6) Distributed Warfighting Center (DWC) - As the integrator of United States Air Force (USAF) and LVC training, the 705 CTS provides the majority of manpower associated with DWC tasks and responsibilities. Required Skill Set: The contractor shall demonstrate that they can provide the following skill sets and/or knowledge bases in order to accomplish all of the above mission areas. Additionally, the contractor shall address experience in the above mission areas and, specifically, in the areas listed below. The list is not intended to be all-inclusive of every skill-set that the 705 CTS may request from the contractor but represents the core skill sets required by the 705 CTS. Labor Category Description Program Manager Master of Science (MS) in engineering or an analytical discipline with 15 years of experience, or Bachelor of Science (BS) in engineering or related operational discipline with 20 years experience. Experience must be in engineering and/or operations management and must include 5 years of specific experience in C2 systems design, weapon air defense systems, or program management. Senior Engineer/Technical Director MS (Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline) with 10 years relevant experience, BS in the same fields with 15 years relevant experience, or no degree and 20 years relevant experience. Engineer MS (Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline) with 3 years experience, BS in the same fields with 5 years relevant experience, or no degree and 10 years relevant experience. Jr Engineer/Analyst MS (Applied Statistics, Ops Research, Mathematics, Engineering, Computer Science, or related discipline) with no experience, BS in the same fields with 2 years relevant operational experience or no degree and 6 years relevant experience. Systems Engineer MS (Systems Engineering, or related discipline) with 3 years experience, BS in the same fields with 5 years relevant experience, or no degree and 10 years relevant experience. Technician BS in a relevant area with 1 year experience or no degree and 3 years related operational experience. All contractor employees shall maintain, at a minimum, a Secret level clearance. At least 75% of contractor employees shall maintain a Top Secret clearance. At a minimum, the Program Manager and the critical positions will require a Top Secret clearance. At least 50% of contractor employees with a Top Secret clearance shall maintain Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and Special Access Program/Special Access Required (SAP/SAR) eligibility. Request for Statement of Capability (SOC): Small businesses having the capability to perform this work are invited to submit a Statement of Capability (SOC) in order for the Government to determine whether the acquisition should be set aside for small business. Offerors shall indicate whether they are/are not a small business, a small disadvantaged business, 8(a), hub-zone certified, woman-owned, veteran-owned, service disabled veteran-owned or Historically Black College or University. Foreign owned firms are advised they may be precluded from submitting a SOC. These firms are advised to contact the Contracting Point of Contact or Technical Point of Contact before submitting a SOC to determine whether there are restrictions. The Statement of Capability (SOC) shall contain the following information: (1) Demonstrate ability to respond to all mission areas as well as integrate all areas; (2) Clearly demonstrate the ability as the prime to complete fifty percent of the effort for each mission area as well as all areas concurrently and demonstrate how the efforts not supported by the prime will be supported; (3) Include a notional plan to assure the availability of an adequate number of qualified personnel to perform the continuous mission requirements and the short term, quick response requirements; (4) Demonstrate how classified work at the Top Secret level would be accomplished in the execution of this requirement; (5) Provide a correlation of the skill sets to the mission areas and identify personnel associated with each mission in a table format or similar format; (6) Discuss expertise within the last five years in each of the mission areas. Interested small businesses are requested to submit a SOC. Original plus two (2) copies are due no later 12:00 pm MST on 30 October 2009. The SOC shall be submitted to: Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center/PK, Bldg. 20604, Rm. B-9C, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5606. Any responses received for this synopsis that do not address all of the mission areas may not be evaluated as being capable. The SOC is limited to 10 pages, single spaced, 12-point font, Times New Roman, excluding resumes. Resumes, submittal of names, professional qualifications and specific experience of all personnel who may be assigned, not including clerical, should be included to enhance our consideration and evaluation of the information submitted. This information does not count against the 10 page response. Submitted information shall be unclassified. NOTE: Should there be a contract it will be made only to offeror(s) who currently have access to a facility cleared to the Top secret level and have sufficient Top Secret cleared and qualified personnel available at the time of contract award. An organizational conflict of interest clause is anticipated in any resultant contract. Reference AFMC FAR Clause 5352.209-9002, Organizational Conflict of Interest (Jul 97). Potential offerors responding to this sources sought synopsis must indicate whether they qualify as a small business under NAICS Code 541712, size 500 employees. This is not a Request for Proposal and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Any costs incurred as a result of this announcement shall be borne by the offeror and will not be charged to the Government for reimbursement. Do not summit a SOC if you do not intend to be a prime or lead. Potential offerors should refer contracting concerns to the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center Contract Specialist, Rinda L. Kearney at (505) 846-7947, or refer technical concerns to the 705 CTS Technical Point of Contact, Maria Appelzoller at (505) 853-0910. At present, the Contracting Officer for this synopsis is Ms. Annette Griego-Shaw (AFRL/RVKE). The Contracting Officer may change during the course of this synopsis, please do not refer questions to Ms. Griego-Shaw. Refer questions to the Contractual or Business Point of Contact identified below. Point of Contact Contractual or Business Point of Contact - Rinda L. Kearney, Contract Specialist, AFNWC-/PK, Phone (505) 846-7947, Email rinda.kearney@kirtland.af.mil Technical Point of Contract - Maria Appelzoller, Program Manager, Phone (505) 853-0910, Email maria.appelzoller@kirtland.af.mil Place of Performance Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico Acronym Chief of Staff of the Air Force (CSAF) Command Control Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C2ISR) Control Image Base (CIB) 705th Combat Training Squadron (705 CTS) Defense of Homeland Against Asymmetric Missile Attacks (DoHMA) Digital Feature Analysis Data (DFAD) Digital Terrain Elevation Data (DTED) Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS) Distributed Mission Operations Center (DMOC) Distributed Mission Operations (DMO) Fleet Synthetic Training - Joint (FST-J) High Level Architecture (HLA) Integrated Air and Missile Defense (IAMD) Joint Command & Control of Net-Enabled weapons (JC2NEW) Joint Fires Coordination Measures (JFCM) Joint Kill Chain Events (JKCEs) Joint Test and Evaluation (JT&E) Live Virtual - Constructive (LVC) Modeling and Simulation (M&S) Multi-National Information Sharing (MNIS) Northern Edge (NE) Operations Tempo (OPSTEMPO) Research Development Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) Statements of Capability (SOC) Surface-to-Air-Missiles (SAMs) Theater Air Control systems (TACS) Tactics Techniques and Procedures (TTPs) Test and Training Enabling Architecture (TENA) Theater Air Command and Control Simulation Facility (TACCSF) Virtual Flag (VF)