Inactive

12 July 2023 Update: Reference to classified annex added, response due date extended from 28 July 2023 to 4 Aug 2023 11 July 2023 Update: Response date extended from 14 July 2023 to 28 July 2023 Purpo... 12 July 2023 Update: Reference to classified annex added, response due date extended from 28 July 2023 to 4 Aug 2023 11 July 2023 Update: Response date extended from 14 July 2023 to 28 July 2023 Purpose This is a Sources Sought. The Space Systems Command (SSC), Enterprise Corps and Special Programs Directorate located at Los Angeles Air Force Base, California, is seeking information in the form of Statements of Capabilities (SOC) from interested parties in support of the SSC Warfighting Enterprise Division requirement for the Counter Communications System (CCS) Emerging Threat Integration Program (CETIP) described below. The Government is conducting early market research to inform its Acquisition Strategy. The purpose of this notice is to identify potential sources that can meet SSC’s requirement. The Government reserves the right to set this acquisition, or portions thereof, aside for small business – to include socially and economically disadvantaged businesses, 8(a) firms, or woman-owned businesses. The Government is seeking contractors interested in and capable of providing all technical and logistical effort required to design, develop, and deliver new capabilities and hardware enhancements to the CCS Meadowlands system. Scope This effort encompasses all of the technical, logistical and hardware efforts required to design, develop and deliver new capabilities, as well as hardware enhancements to the CCS Meadowlands system. It includes, but is not limited to, providing ground-based expeditionary, deployable, and reversible Offensive Space Control (OSC) effects to deny adversary satellite communications (SATCOM), as well as providing required equipment refresh with time relevant and intelligence-informed capabilities. Period and Place of Performance The period of performance for the contract execution is anticipated to be Q3 CY2024 – Q3 CY2029. This period covers the time from contract award through delivery, and the first two years of sustainment and training support. The activity may occur at a location selected by the contractor that meets security requirements. Background CCS is a ground-based counter SATCOM system specifically designed to reversibly deny, disrupt, and deceive adversarial SATCOM. The basic CCS concept provides a flexible, modular, scalable, rapidly deployable system with a key set of signal processing and generation (SP) capabilities, selected counter SATCOM missions, and a robust transmit capability. Its architecture is designed to host core capabilities and/or other more sophisticated “plug and play” type modules to address the advancing threat. The latest CCS Meadowlands, also known as CCS Block 10.3, will have upgraded capabilities compared to the existing CCS 10.2 Systems. The future CCS Meadowlands fleet will compose of 32 systems. Meadowlands is a transportable SATCOM system composed of modular Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) / Government Off-The-Shelf (GOTS) Radio Frequency (RF) monitoring and generation equipment. The design incorporates multi-band antennas and equipment in transit cases. The system will be transported by C-130 or larger aircraft and by ground transport over improved or semi-improved roads. The system will be designed for operations by trained operators in US-controlled facilities world-wide, and in the Developmental Support Facility (DSF). The Meadowlands and Mission Development Kit (MDK) constitute a Government Reference Architecture, which is a platform for Government and Contractor third parties to develop CCS operational applications. The infrastructure software provides control, monitoring, and processing of the mission data from the software defined radios. Meadowlands interacts with the user via browser web pages. The mission profile screen allows the user to setup, save, recall, create and otherwise manage various hardware plus mission software profiles for each mission on the system. The equipment pages provide positive control and feedback for all the hardware on the Meadowlands system. The MDK can be provide to the awarded contractor as Government Furnished Equipment (GFE). Schedule Authority to Proceed (ATP) - Contract Award (~2024 Q3) Key Deliverables Large Multiband Antenna (LMA) Band additions Design, build, integrate, test, document, and support operational acceptance on the addition of S-and X- bands to the Meadowlands LMA antenna. This item will require new dual-polarization feeds, new low-noise amplifiers and power amplifiers, hardware integration, and interfaces with on-antenna trailer equipment and the Antenna Photonics Unit (antenna-side interface to L3Harris’ Frequency Conversion Subsystem). This effort also includes the addition of an optional replacement Pol3 antenna that covers S-band. Alternative SATCOM Antenna A single-band or multi-band dual-polarization alternative SATCOM antenna design using advanced techniques to address specific mission concerns, identified by current intelligence. Development must include baselining the antenna into the Meadowlands system. The company may propose multiple alternative designs and approaches. Port, Field, Test, and Train Existing Missions Port and integrate two existing legacy missions (RAMS and FALCONS) into the Meadowlands baseline. The existing code is a combination of CUDA, C/C++, and Java. The codebase includes large sections of complex signal processing with strict performance requirements and may require experienced signal processing programmers to port and optimize for the new Meadowlands environment, including L3harris’ Software Defined Radio Daemon hardware abstraction layer. Development will require use of the Meadowlands MDK. New Mission Studies Mission identification studies for future mission techniques include: Development Plan, Concept of Operations, (Deliverable) System Requirements Review, Analysis of Alternatives: make or buy, (Deliverable) Ceiling Rough Order Magnitude or Budgetary Planning Estimate and Schedule. Studies will involve the mission developers, Meadowlands integration personnel, the government program office, and other support personnel. Develop, Field, Test and Train New Missions Develop and integrate new software applications and algorithms into the CCS Program of Record to meet emergent threats (6-12 months). Begin concentrated stand-alone testing of CCS capabilities to refine space warfighting techniques and integrate into counter-EW architecture (ATP + 6-12 months). If the government decides to proceed after the study, the mission developers will implement the design, integrate it into the Meadowlands baseline system, and perform delta-Integrated Test leading to Operational Acceptance (OA). OA requires documentation including Technical Orders (TOs) and Technical Manuals (TMs), preparation of training material, and train the trainer type training. Response Content Interested vendors must submit a SOC in a narrative report that includes all four sections below, and specifically responds to the info or questions in each section. All submissions must be in accordance with the administrative requirements identified herein. Submitted SOCs must include all the following sections to be accepted. Company Information Corporate Capabilities & Experience Responses to Technical/Programmatic Inquiries Responses to Contractual/Business Inquiries SOC Administrative Requirements The Government requests a maximum 10 page PDF response for sections A-D with a three page limit for Section A: Company Information and Section B: Corporate Capabilities & Experience. Please submit all four sections thoroughly completed via unclassified email to all the following points of contact by the designated suspense. Melanie Gipson, CETIP Contracting Officer; melanie.gipson@spaceforce.mil Capt Jacob Hurst, CETIP Program Manager; jacob.hurst.5@spaceforce.mil Maj Benjamin Bingham, CCS Portfolio Lead; benjamin.bingham.1@spaceforce.mil A: Company Information Company name Company’s ownership and other relevant information Personnel/Business size classification (Small/Large Business, HUB, veteran, etc.) Mailing address Point of Contact, including name, title, e-mail, and telephone numbers B: Corporate Capabilities & Experience At minimum, responses must address all numbered items below. If the company is unable to specifically address any item in this section, please provide a negative response for that item. Please respond to the following in a manner that demonstrates the company’s work and inherent expertise relevant to the role of a Prime Contractor: Company history with providing ground-based expeditionary, deployable, and reversible OSC effects to deny SATCOM to an adversary. Relevant products and services from the company. Organization name and a brief description of any relevant current or intended subcontractors. Specifically mention the capabilities, products and services offered by the subcontractor. Corporate and teaming experience to develop, integrate and test operational software at this magnitude. C. Technical/Programmatic Inquiries The government does not have the Data Rights for the Photonics Frequency Conversion Subsystem (FCS) included within CCS Meadowlands. The FCS handles frequency conversion, equalization, and transport of RF within the system. How does this limitation impede the company’s ability to perform the antenna related tasks cited in this effort? If the company needs to replace the current CCS photonics subsystem, Please explain if and how the company could provide the capability. Please provide the cost impact with, in millions of dollars, with supporting rationale. What information does the company need from the government to integrate additional frequency bands into the existing LMA antenna? Include how the company’s design would interface with the L3Harris Antenna Photonics Unit. Please explain the company’s approach to providing and baselining a new optional alternative Pol3 antenna, to include: Any proposed integration and regression testing requirements. The expected effect on documentation, training, fielding, logistics, and operations. Any additional information you would need. Please address the company’s expertise as it relates to the design of the Alternative SATCOM Antenna, to include: Information and interfaces necessary for integration with Meadowlands systems. Efforts needed to add design to the Meadowlands baseline. Major risks, anticipated benefits, ROM cost and schedule. How many months will it take your company to accomplish porting, integration, training, regression testing, and operational acceptance of the RAMS legacy mission? Please describe your process in a single summary schedule PowerPoint slide. This slide does not count against the page limitations of the RFI response. Please provide a ROM for the scope above. The software work required for porting existing missions and implementing new missions onto the system may or may not affect the existing Meadowlands Software Baseline. If the company’s anticipated software work may not affect the baseline, please explain how it may integrate and maintain separation. If the company’s anticipated software work may affect the baseline, please answer the following: What technical changes may be made to the software baseline? Please include rationale for each, and the expected effects to documentation, training, fielding, and operations. How much and what type of regression testing would be required? Please include expected effects to documentation, training, fielding, and operations. How would such changes affect the operational acceptance of both the new and existing functionalities? Please include expected effects to documentation and training. Is the company able to address the scope and key deliverables in the time frame described? What are the company’s major risks with creation of the key deliverables? Describe how the company would approach and overcome difficulties inherent in the study phase of new missions. Explain the company’s approach to develop and port intrinsically classified code, and minimize the negative effects of disconnected development. D. Contractual/Business Inquiries Does the company have any concerns regarding the timeline or Period of Performance? Does the company identify as a small business? If not, please provide an appropriate Small Business set aside for this requirement? Does the company plan to partner with other contractors? Please discuss the company’s risk and willingness to deliver under a Fixed-Price Incentive (Firm Target) contract type for mission development. Discuss any key cost and schedule drivers, cost tradeoffs, schedule considerations, and assumptions. How could the government better incentivize prime contractors, sub-contractors, and developers to meet requirements, schedule, and cost? Please provide the company’s recommendations and rationale for an incentive and payment structure. Does the company anticipate using any proprietary technology or information as part of the proposed solution? What other contract vehicles does the company currently have with SSC or other government organizations that CETIP may be able to leverage? What GFE might the company need from the government? What support may the company need from L3H (CCS prime contractor) to successfully integrate into the CCS Meadowlands system? What incentive structure does the company recommend to ensure that the CETIP contractor and L3H (as the CCS prime contractor) integrate and collaborate effectively? Response Classification Narrative and SOC reports may be up to TOP SECRET/SCI/SAP. Materials will be reviewed separately at Los Angeles AFB, CA. If a company plans to submit a SAP level SOC, the submission needs to be coordinated no later than one week in advance of submission. All material provided in response to this notice shall be kept non-confidential and non-proprietary to the maximum extent practical. Companies providing confidential or proprietary information shall, separately and clearly, identify and mark all confidential or proprietary information. The Government will take all necessary steps to protect and safeguard any confidential or proprietary information provided. The Government will NOT be held responsible for any proprietary information not clearly identified or marked. A classified annex to this RFI is available. Please provide a JWICS or SGN email to the POCs listed above in order to receive the document Disclaimers and Notes THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION ONLY. This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a solicitation (Request for Proposal or Request for Quotations) or a promise to issue a solicitation in the future. This notice does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Furthermore, the Government is not, at this time, seeking proposals. Responders are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this notice. The Government will also not assume liability for costs incurred by any attendee for travel expenses or marketing efforts. All costs associated with responding to this notice will be solely at the company’s expense. Lastly, the following companies/organizations may review the submitted responses: The Aerospace Corporation, Tyto Corporation, SAIC, RSE, ARK GSI, Linquest and Tecolote. These companies are bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements with the Government. For further information regarding these agreements, contact the Contracting Officer, Melanie Gipson at melanie.gipson@spaceforce.mil.