U.S. Army Aviation Rotary Wing Flight Training Simulation Services

Project: U.S. Army Aviation Rotary Wing Flight Training Simulation Services Notice Type: Request for Information/Market Research Background: Ft. Rucker, AL is the home of the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence (USAACE), which leads the Army's Flight School XXI (FSXXI) program, the main training program for all Army rotary wing aviators. Nearly forty percent of flight training is conducted through the use of the advanced simulation devices found at Ft. Rucker's contractor-owned helicopter simulations facility, the largest of its kind in the world. Currently simulation services for FSXXI are provided under a long-term (19.5 year period of performance), contractor-provided simulation services contract. This contract provides simulation services for TH-67 and UH-72A Training Helicopter Virtual Simulators; UH-60A/L, UH-60M, and CH-47F Advanced Aircraft Virtual Simulators; and UH-60A/L, UH-60M, AH-64D, and CH47D Reconfigurable Collective Training Devices (RCTD). Additionally, it provides a training support/management oversight capability. Each simulator training device is owned, operated and maintained by the contractor. The number, type, functionality, fidelity and availability of the flight simulators meet the needs of student loads, training schedules, and individual/crew and collective training requirements prescribed by the USAACE. Brief Description: The U.S. Army Program Executive Office for Simulation, Training, and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), Program Manager Integrated Training Environment (PM ITE) is conducting market research to identify innovative training approaches/solutions for a follow on simulation services contract. Each respondent to this inquiry shall provide a short summation for what they envision will be necessary to develop, operate, maintain, upgrade, and support flight simulation training for the Army Aviation Flight School XXI (FSXXI) curriculum. This simulation effort will support the training of FSXXI students conducting Initial Entry Rotary Wing (IERW) training, graduate-level pilot training, collective training, and Professional Military Education (PME) in both training helicopter and advanced rotary-wing platform simulators. Beginning no later than 01 April 2023, the contractor shall be responsible for providing a seamless continuation of simulation capabilities to support USAACE's annual throughput of approximately 3,500 flight students. These simulation capabilities shall include a sufficient number of UH-72A Virtual Simulators (VS) to support FSXXI Phase I Primary Core and foreign military advanced Instrument Flight Rules (IFR) training. Additionally, these capabilities shall include a sufficient number of UH-60L/M/V, CH-47F, and AH-64D/E Advanced Aircraft Virtual Simulators (AAVS) to support FSXXI Phase II Advanced Track, graduate flight, PME, refresher, and Active Component/Reserve Component (AC/RC) sustainment training. Each training device shall support individual/crew task training to standard without negative habit transfer to live-aircraft training in accordance with IERW course requirements and the FSXXI curriculum. The contractor shall also be responsible to provide simulation capabilities to support collective, combined arms, and joint training. Each collective training device shall have the ability to support UH-60L/M/V, CH-47F, and AH-64D/E platform configurations. Additionally, collective training device functionality and fidelity (including motion cues); visual system; training environment; interoperability [including Manned-Unmanned Teaming (MUM-T)]; and Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities shall support individual/crew, collective, combined arms, and joint training requirements. These requirements include training individual/crew and collective tasks to standard in accordance with aircrew training manuals (ATM) and mission training plans (MTP). A multi-function training staff is required to manage, support, schedule, operate, maintain, and upgrade the UH-72A VS, the AAVS, and their associated facilities; develop training support packages (TSPs) and associated training scenario generation tools; develop tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP); develop combined arms training strategies (CATS); and provide training support in terms of battle master, semi-automated forces, role play, and instructor/operator activities. Acquisition Strategy Planning Information: 1. Contract Vehicle: The determination of Contract Vehicle and Small Business Set Aside or Full and Open Competition will not be established until market research has been completed and the Acquisition Strategy has been approved. 2. Contract Type: The determination of Contract Type will not be established until market research has been completed and the Acquisition Strategy has been approved. 3. Approximate Funding: Funds will be appropriated using Operation and Maintenance Army (OMA) funding with an annual amount T.B.D. RESPONSES REQUESTED: Contractors shall submit responses to the RFI to the Technical and Contracts POC not later than Monday 4:00 PM EST, November 21, 2016 indicating their capabilities. Contractors shall submit a capability statement that provides the information requested below (10 pages maximum). 1. Contractors shall describe their capabilities and similar experience on contract vehicles providing the same type of capabilities at similar magnitude to the FSXXI mission. Contractors shall describe their experience (not just knowledge of the process) of the following areas: a. Providing and maintaining aviation simulation devices b. Working with and applying federal and military aviation regulations c. Maintaining configuration management throughout multiple technical upgrades d. Managing aircraft/simulator concurrency and integrating Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) Operational Flight Program (OFP) software into simulation devices e. Managing subcontractors, industry partners, and vendors f. Supply chain management, to include maintaining vendor base and qualifying alternate sources of supply g. Ability to provide real-time management information, to include: i. Financial status data such as invoices and funds available ii. Supply, ordering, and inventory status iii. Personnel status reports iv. Incident Reports v. Inventory status of Government Furnished Property and classification, tracking, and inventory of Contractor Acquired Property vi. DD250s for equipment delivered to the Government vii. Contract Line Item Number close-out information 2. Contractors are invited to describe what investments, information and contractual conditions they will require to be able to prepare a future proposal. For example: a. What period of performance will you require, in order to recoup start-up costs? b. How do you foresee providing facilities to accommodate this large scale effort? c. What general fielding schedule will you require to provide seamless services beginning on 01 April 2023? d. What is your capital investment strategy? e. If you don't already have simulation capabilities, what would you require in order to obtain them? f. Are there technological advantages you can provide or gaps/considerations you will need to address to be successful? g. All additional comments or concerns not mentioned are welcome. 3. Contractors are invited to send brochures, briefings, multi-media presentations, catalogs or other information describing capabilities. This does not count against the page count total. 4. All responses to this notice shall include the following: Company Name, address, contracting and technical Points of Contact to include telephone numbers and email addresses; DUNS number, CAGE code, TIN and Small Business Size Status with any applicable socio-economic status such as Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), 8(a), etc. as it relates to the NAICS code 561990, for this effort. Small businesses are asked to indicate interest in participating as the prime contractor or as a subcontractor. Each page should have a header containing the company name, page number and date. 5. Respondents are reminded to properly mark any proprietary information. DISCLAIMER: THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION is for Market Research purposes only and is being used as an instrument to identify potential sources that can provide the capabilities described within this notice. The information provided in this notice is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. This notice does not constitute an Invitation for Bids (IFB) or a Request for Proposal (RFP) and is not a commitment by the U.S. Government to procure subject services. No funds are available to pay for preparation of responses to this notification. The Government will use the information received to determine its acquisition strategy. Additionally, all submissions become government property and will not be returned. No basis for a claim against the Government shall arise as a result from a response to this RFI. Contracts POC: Laura Parsons, (407) 380-8036, laura.l.parsons.civ@mail.mil Technical POC: Captain Christian Abney, (334) 255-2524, christian.a.abney.mil@mail.mil Contracting Office Address: U.S. Army Contracting Command-Orlando (ACC-ORL), 12211 Science Drive, Orlando, FL 32826 Technical POC Address: Building 5101 Night Hawk Street, Fort Rucker, AL 36362 Place of Performance: Ft. Rucker, AL 36362