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Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) Common Very Low Frequency (VLF) Receiver Increment 1 (CVRi1) This Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) is issued to assist the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) NCN Progr... Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) Common Very Low Frequency (VLF) Receiver Increment 1 (CVRi1) This Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) is issued to assist the Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) NCN Program Office in determining industry’s interest and ability to provide, repair and maintenance for the KGR-72 receiver in support of the Common Very Low Frequency Receiver Increment 1 (CVRi1) program. It is the intent of this SSS to assess the number of potential vendors capable of providing the sustainment capabilities the government is requesting. The government anticipates that the award of the CVRi1 sustainment effort will lead to a contract to fulfill the CVRi1 requirement. This is not a solicitation. USAF is contemplating issuance of a sole source contract to Collins Aerospace. NAICS Code: 334220, Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing Program Details The following is provided to identify potential contractors who have the ability to provide the described capability. The CVRi1 system was acquired by the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center B-2 Program Management Office (PMO), AFLCMC/WWZ, to add Very Low Frequency (VLF) capability to that platform. Designed, developed, tested and integrated, and fielded the by Collins Aerospace, the CVRi1 system provides current and emerging aircraft, with nuclear capable missions, the ability to receive secure and survivable, Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS), anti-jam communications, to receive Nuclear Command & Control Communications (NC3) Emergency Action Messages (EAM) to execute its strategic objective. The CVRi1 system consists of the KGR-72 Receiver, Human Machine Interface (HMI), and Portable Time Source (PTS), Ground Station (GS), Ground Station Augmentation Station (GSAS). Additional aircraft platforms beyond the B-2 received funding and initiated modification programs to integrate CVRi1 System LRUs and Peculiar Support Equipment (PSE) to modernize their respective VLF receipt capabilities. Additional platforms integrating the CVRi1 system include the B-52H and US Navy E-6B. The adoption of this equipment by these platforms expands CVRi1 from an aircraft-peculiar system to a common system and drives transition of commodity management from the B-2 PMO to an enterprise manager. Contemporaneously, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center, Nuclear C3 Division (AFNWC/NCN) VLF Enterprise Program Office (EPO) assumed responsibility for the procurement effort for the B52’s implementation of a subset of the CVRi1 suite. The Air Force Program Executive Officer, Nuclear Command, Control and Communications (AFPEO NC3), the VLF EPO was designated the most suitable office to assume oversight of common VLF LRUs and PSE as the Air Force’s enterprise manager for modern VLF receiver programs and was tasked to begin coordinating a transition process for this workload. Delivered without warranty to the USG, three Interim Contractor Support (ICS) Contract Line Item Numbers (CLIN) were established under the B-2 CVRi1 Production Program to address short-term maintenance. With the third and final ICS CLIN ending in Q3FY23, a long-term CLS contract is required to ensure the fielded systems are maintained through 2033. This CLS contract will also support the post-integration fielding of eighty-four (84) CVRi1 systems that will be acquired in Q2FY23, under the B-52 CVRi1 VLF/LF Modernization Production Program. All CVRi1 systems (fielded and future acquisitions) were manufactured with Intellectual Property (IP) designed and developed by Collins Aerospace. Collins Aerospace has stated that it will not sell or license the IP (software or data) required to allow another potential source to maintain the system. The CVRi1 System is highly specialized and consists of the following Line Repairable Units (LRUs) and Support Equipment (SE): LRUs: 1. VLF Receiver (Key Generator Receiver-72 (KGR-72)) - The KGR-72 VLF receiver: receives, amplifies, demodulates, decrypts, and processes VLF secure and non-secure messages. The KGR-72 provides availability services to protect data classified up to, and including, TOP SECRET. The KGR-72 is UNCLASSIFIED when un-keyed and handled as a Controlled Cryptographic Item (CCI) as described in CNSSI No. 400l, Controlled Cryptographic items (Reference c). The KGR-72 is classified to the level of the keying material loaded, up to, and including, TOP SECRET when the Cryptographic Ignition Key (CIK) is engaged in the equipment. The KGR-72 is classified at UNCLASSIFIED when the CIK is removed from the equipment. 2. Human Machine Interface (HMI) - The HMI will be the primary method of interfacing with the CVRi1 VLF Subsystem. It is also known as the VLF Control Panel (VCP). 3. Portable Time Source (PTS) - The PTS is the primary method for setting system time and storing/ retrieving pertinent mission and system data. SE: 1. Ground Station (GS) - The GS stores pre-mission program information into the PTS for transport to the platform and reads post-mission program information such as Built in Test (BIT) data stored in the PTS during mission operations. Operators use the GS to create and edit communications plans and write the communication plans to the PTS non-volatile storage media. The GS also archives continuous evaluation program data, BIT/status, and received messages recovered from the PTS non-volatile storage media for later study. 2. Ground Augmentation Station (GSAS) - A GSAS consists of a transportable rack with slots for up to twelve PTS units. A GSAS provides additional PTS slots for the attached GS. One (1) GS can be used in conjunction with up to two (2) GSASs to support up to 30 PTSs at the same time. The GS and GSAS are used in a benign office environment. The GSAS hardware is transportable in an Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) protected case. In accordance with AFPEO NC3 intent and direction, the B-2 PMO (AFLCMC/WBZ), located at Wright Patterson AFB, OH, will transition the lifecycle management ownership and responsibility, of the CVRi1 System Program to the AFNWC/NCN VLF EPO. To ensure the current and future systems are properly maintained, a long-term (10-year) Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) contract is required to provide Operating and Support (O&S), OEM factory maintenance, and training to the United States Air Force. This effort includes the required activities to support the CVRi1 system hardware and software sustainment, system technical data elements, system training, and maintenance/hardness surveillance. The primary supplies/services to be acquired are as follows: 1. CLS: The long-term maintenance and repair of fielded CVRi1 LRUs, Ground Station assets, and ancillary GFE test equipment. This includes the following tasks, as applicable: testing, troubleshooting, repair, acceptance test, return to base supply, and regeneration of cryptographic ignition keys (CIK). 2. Deficiency Reports: Investigate Deficiency Reports (DR), support DR resolution, maintain a log of all failures, and root cause determinations to identify trends, and provide product improvement recommendations. 3. Engineering: Provide Systems Engineering expertise in support of DR-related hardware or software modifications. 4. Deviations and Changes: Prepare, submit and initiate Engineering Change Proposals and specification deviations. 5. Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages (DMSMS) mitigation: Identify DMSMS mitigation strategies to reduce DMSMS cost and readiness impacts throughout the life cycle. 6. Configuration Management: Maintain a Configuration Management program to control and monitor all architectures, requirements, specifications, designs, drawings, interfaces, software, hardware, firmware, operational information and documentation. 7. Program Management: Perform administrative, technical, and financial management functions during the course of this effort, and maintain status by tracking progress towards achieving program objectives, including technical activities and efforts, through the resolution of problems/deficiencies, minimizing impacts. These services will be required, starting June 2023 and will be performed at the Contractor's facility. The AFLCMC Cryptologic and Cyber Systems Division (CCSD), (AFLCMC/HNC), located at Joint Base Lackland, TX, will provide mandatory cryptologic “ship, stock, and store” functions and perform "first-look", organic maintenance support for the KGR-72 only. The ability to perform first-look, a sub-set of depot-level maintenance at CCSD, will require the licensing of a Collins Aerospace proprietary software tool, named the VLF Control Interface (VCI). Any maintenance requiring removal of the KGR-72 cover (i.e. virtually all maintenance) will result in a tamper condition, requiring use of the VCI tool to restore the receiver to operational condition. Without the VCI tool, it is not possible to test, troubleshoot, or restore the KGR-72 receiver and LRUs to normal operation. Additionally, the VCI tool supports the following sub-set of depot-level capabilities: 1. The ability to control & monitor the Digital Signal Processor circuit cards during functional testing and repair troubleshooting. 2. The ability to load KGR-72 system keys during recovery from tamper and zeroize events; as well as loading KGR-72 system software and upgrading the Programmable Embeddable INFOSEC Product (PEIP) II+ End Crypto Unit operating system. 3. Allows for the initialization of CIKs, which are paired to unique a KGR-72 serial number during recovery from tamper and zeroize events. 4. The ability to perform diagnostics and fault isolation within the KGR-72, NSA defined cryptographic boundary. Contract award is anticipated to occur in FY23Q3. The period of performance (PoP) for this effort will be a base contract of sixty (60) months with an option period of sixty (60) months. Contractor Response This SSS is an opportunity for interested firms to provide a qualification package, in a Microsoft Word compatible format, that includes the following: 1. Company name, address, CAGE code, size of business (i.e., large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a) concern, veteran-owned small business, service-connected veteran-owned small business, women-owned business, or HUBZone small business). 2. Identify prior contracts (by contract number and issuing office) and Government points of contact (preferably the Buyer or Contracting Officer) where you have provided similar types of systems OR describe your ability to acquire and retain technical capability, including facilities, to perform the work. 3. Identify major subcontractors (if any), whether U.S. or foreign owned entity 4. Provide a company point of contact. 5. Please limit your qualification package to a maximum of five (5) pages. 6. Responses must be received not later than thirty (30) calendar days from the publication date of this announcement. 7. Send to AFNWC/PZHN via email to Ruji (Julie) Rumery at ruji.rumery@us.af.mil and cc Ian McGilvray at ian.mcgilvray.1@us.af.mil). Please direct questions and responses regarding this Sources Sought Synopsis to the Contracting Officer Ruji (Julie) Rumery, at ruji.rumery@us.af.mil or the Contract Specialist Ian McGilvray, at ian.mcgilvray.1@us.af.mil no later than thirty (30) calendar days from the publication date of this announcement. AFNWC/PZHN will not release to any firm, agency, or individual outside the Government, any information marked with a proprietary legend without written permission from the respondent. The Government is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. This SSS is solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. Information gathered will be used by AFNWC/NCN for market research purposes, and to assess industry interest. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this synopsis, nor will the Government compensate a respondent for any costs incurred in developing the information provided to AFNWC/PZHN. An AFNWC Ombudsman has been appointed to consider and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offers, potential offers, and others for this acquisition. Before consulting the Ombudsman, concerned parties should first address their concerns, issues, disagreements and/or recommendations to the Contracting Officer for resolution. In addition, AFFARS 5352.201-9101, Ombudsman will be included in this acquisition’s solicitation and contract. The AFNWC Ombudsman can be contacted at 505-846-5849 or DSN 246-5849.