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

Project: U.S. Army Aviation Rotary Wing Flight Training Simulation Services Notice Type: Request for Information/Market Research GENERAL INFORMATION: Intro: This is the second RFI released for Army rotary wing simulation services following the closing of the first RFI in 1QFY17. Based on interested respondent's questions and comments pertaining to government furnished equipment and government contractor relationship, this RFI provides further detail and asks each respondent to provide additional information on their organization's capabilities, potential and a plan of action to fulfill this requirement. 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 3,900 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: It is our intent to solicit a multiple-year Single Source, Indefinite Delivery Requirements Contract. The determination of Small Business Set Aside or Full and Open Competition will not be determined until market research has been completed and the Acquisition Strategy has been approved. 2. Contract Type: The contract will be Firm Fixed Price (FFP) with provisions to award the Contractor additional periods of performance through an Award Term incentive. 3. The contract Period of Performance will be determined after market research and will be included and supported in the Service Acquisition Strategy. 4. 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 no later than 4:00 PM EST on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, indicating a plan of action for how they would provide flight training simulation services in the event the Government determined to pursue a course of action as detailed below. Please outline your response in a written format that best conveys your proposed strategy. At a minimum, include the following considerations in your plan of action and include time-lines and charts as necessary. Additional details are encouraged as they will allow the Government to better assess the Contractor's ability to provide the required services. 1. Government/Contractor relationship a. The Government intends to pursue strictly a Contractor Owned-Contractor Operated simulation services contract where the Contractor is responsible for providing and maintaining all training capabilities with the appropriate functionality and fidelity to conduct individual/crew and collective training for initial entry, graduate level and professional military education rotary wing pilot training. b. The Government does not intend to provide any Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) and will require the Contractor to develop or acquire, operate, maintain and upgrade the simulator devices as necessary to maintain a high (T.B.D) operational availability rate and timely concurrency with live airframes. 2. Training a. Training is conducted 5 days a week (Monday - Friday) from 0600 - 2400. The Government must have the ability to conduct individual/crew and collective training events simultaneously. b. Plans that result in proposing 24 hour operations are not expected or desired. c. A single training period for 1 instructor and 2 students is 3 hours. d. Capabilities should enable the training of approximately 3,900 aviators per year. i. 1300 initial entry rotary wing pilots conducting training in high fidelity/full motion UH-72A platforms. ii. 1200 graduate level pilots conducting training in high fidelity/full motion UH-72, UH-60, CH-47 and AH-64 platforms. iii. 1400 professional military education students conducting collective training events in UH-60, CH-47 and AH-64 platforms. e. The Government does not require the contractor to provide instructors. The Government only requires the ability to train its students in Contractor owned and provided devices located in a Contractor owned and operated facility. 3. Simulator devices a. The number of simulator devices provided by the Contractor is determined by the Contractor and is based on the Contractor's analysis of approved USAACE POI and annual throughput numbers. b. The Government requires the following aircraft types: i. High fidelity/full motion devices 1. UH-72As for initial entry common core and instrument training 2. UH-60A/L/M for initial entry advanced airframe and graduate level pilot training 3. CH-47F for initial entry advanced airframe and graduate level pilot training 4. AH-64D/E for initial entry advanced airframe and graduate level pilot training ii. Network capable and linkable devices for collective training events and Manned-unmanned Teaming (MUM-T) Levels 1-4 training that support the following aircraft types: 1. UH-60M 2. CH-47F 3. AH-64D/E 4. Facilities a. The contactor shall provide information on its facility development plan. i. Where will the facility be located? Does the contractor own a current facility, or will you have to acquire or build it? ii. The contractor is responsible to transport the students from Fort Rucker to the simulation facility. What modes of transportation will be employed? iii. How long does the contractor anticipate it will take to acquire facilities or build new facilities? b. There is potential to conduct a limited amount of training in Government owned facilities on Ft. Rucker. For example, services for collective training and aircraft start-up and shut-down procedures are currently conducted in Contractor owned devices in Government owned facilities. 5. Schedule a. The contractor shall specify the full contract period of performance they desire based on the investment strategy for the proposed plan of action. The rationale supporting the recommended POP should be included (e.g. ROI, Break Even Analysis, etc.) Separate the costs associated with the transition and ramp up period to Full Operational Capability (FOC) and the yearly service cost once FOC is achieved. b. Provide a services implementation schedule highlighting key milestones with a target date for FOC on 01 April 2023. If that target date cannot be achieved, provide a NLT FOC date. i. Include: 1. Proposed Contract Award 2. Facility development/acquisition time-frame 3. Date that Government use of facilities is anticipated 4. Initial Operational Capability (IOC) - 30% of training capability available 5. FOC - 100% of training capability available 6. Contractors are invited to send brochures, briefings, multi-media presentations, catalogs or other information describing capabilities. 7. 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. 8. Respondents are reminded to properly mark any proprietary information. 9. The Government intends to meet with respondents after reviewing the submissions to ensure there is a clear understanding of the information submission. The dates, times, location and Government participants will be coordinated with the POCs listed in the submitted information. All attempts will be made to identify topic areas for discussion purposes so the appropriate participants can be present. 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: Major Christian Abney, (334) 255-2524, christian.a.abney.mil@mail.mil Contracting Office Address: U.S. Army Contracting Command - Orlando, 12211 Science Drive, Orlando, FL 32826-3224 Technical POC Address: Building 5101 Night Hawk Street, Fort Rucker, AL 36362 Place of Performance: Ft. Rucker, AL 36362