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REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Department of the Navy (DON) Office of Naval Research-Global (ONRG) Technology Operational Experimentation Events (TOEE) 24.1 experimentation series to focus on payload o... REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) Department of the Navy (DON) Office of Naval Research-Global (ONRG) Technology Operational Experimentation Events (TOEE) 24.1 experimentation series to focus on payload options for the Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. Purpose The U.S. Department of the Navy (DoN) issues this Request for Information (RFI) on behalf of the DoN Office of Naval Research – Global (ONRG). This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals. No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI. The Government will not pay for any response or demonstration expenses. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense (the Government will transport company material to CONUS locations for the Advanced Capability Experimentation (ACE)) if required. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. Any information received will become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the submitter. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or sensitive information. Government technical experts drawn from staff within DoN and other Federal agencies may review responses. This RFI will also be made available in Seaport and the Government reserves the right to use Seaport for service related contracts based on the results of Market Research. I. Introduction Technology Operational Experimentation Events (TOEE) 24.1 is a series of events designed to provide decision-quality information to Naval Research & Development Establishment (NRDE) leadership informing future Science and Technology (S&T) investments (further development, transition, or divestiture) through live force experimentation executed in operationally relevant scenarios and environments.? The Office of Naval Research Global, Experimentation and Analysis (ONRG E&A) planned and partnered with the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory to focus on littoral maneuver using small boats operated by Stand-in Forces (SIF). Missions will require small craft to operate in the littoral security area to gain and maintain custody of adversary targets and frustrate adversary reconnaissance capabilities. TOEE 24.1 will focus on key technologies and capabilities that will support these missions while operating from Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft (MMRC). Operations will require MMRC to be equipped with modular payloads and the ability to integrate with unmanned systems to enable intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and targeting capabilities. II. Scope In the TOEE 24.1 experimentation campaign, ONRG is looking for innovative, agile solutions, either in part or whole, to the following two mission objectives. Within each mission objective, the TOEE 24.1 experimentation series will explore technologies relevant to these problem sets and alternative concepts of employment through a series of experimentation events. Support Maritime Domain Awareness by sensor employment from MMRC Platforms Support Sea Denial and Control through coordinated defense, deterrence, and offensive multi-domain actions with the MMRC 1. Applicable North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes: 334290 - “Other Communications Equipment Manufacturing” 334511 - “Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing” 336611 - "Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture" 541330 - Marine Engineering and Naval Architecture 541715 - Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology) 2. Applicable Product Service Codes: 1905 - "Combat Ships and Landing Vessels" 5810 - “Communications Security Equipment and Components” 5865 - “Electronic Countermeasures, Counter-Countermeasures and Quick Reaction Capability Equipment” R425 – “Support- Professional: Engineering/Technical” AC12 - “National Defense R&D Services; Department Of Defense - Military; Applied Research” III. Request for Information Topic Areas: Mission Objectives: 1. Support Maritime Domain Awareness by sensor employment from MMRC Platforms 1-1) Detect, identify, classify, and track air, surface, and sub-surface threats within the area of responsibility 1-2) Share and receive information (sensor data/targeting) 2. Support Sea Denial and Control through coordinated defense, deterrence, and offensive multi-domain actions with the MMRC (lethal / non-lethal) 2-1) Deter adversary threat operations 2-2) Defense-in-depth to prevent sea lane penetration / force protection of small boats ONRG is interested in learning about the availability of technologies with a technology readiness level (TRL) of six or greater with the capability to support the problem areas (listed above). ONRG intends to provide standout systems with an invitation to participate in the TOEE 24.1 experimentation series in FY24. The experimentation series will begin with a demonstration of technology as part of a Limited Technical Assessment (LTA) in a virtual environment to government technology assessors. Successful technologies will be invited to participate in a Limited Objective Experiment (LOE), tentatively scheduled for March 2024 likely in the vicinity of Camp Pendleton, CA. With a successful limited objective experiment, the technologies may be invited to participate in the Advanced Capability Experiment (ACE) which will tentatively take place in June 2024 in the vicinity of Camp Pendleton, CA. Funding may be provided to participants for the ACE to support the travel, labor, and equipment or development costs necessary to participate. Industry Day Event The Naval Surface Warfare Center Panama City Division (NSWC PCD) and Office of Naval Research – Global (ONRG) will be hosting a virtual Industry Day Event on Thursday, 31 August 2023 from 11:00 am to – 1:00 pm (Central Standard Time, USA) via Microsoft Teams. The purpose of the Industry Day event is for interested parties to obtain a better understanding of the Office of Naval Research-Global (ONRG) experimentation series to focus on payload options for the Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft. TOEE 24.1 will focus on key technologies and capabilities that will support missions while operating from Multi-Mission Reconnaissance Craft (MMRC). The information to be disseminated is distribution limited to Department of Defense U.S. Contractors only. Requests for the access to the Industry Day must be submitted via e-mail to Contract Specialist Brandon.d.hayes11.civ@us.navy.mil. Requests must contain the vendors Contractor and Government Entity (CAGE) Code to be considered as potentially eligible to receive the controlled unclassified data. NSWC PCD requests that respondents, with intentions of attending the industry day, submit their request no later than 29 August 2023 to Contract Specialist Brandon.d.hayes11.civ@us.navy.mil. Information regarding access to the MS Teams meeting will be provided to those Contractors that are verified as eligible to receive the information. Submissions to the topic area must include a quad chart and white paper limited to ten pages including the following information (an example of requested quad and white paper are provided via appendix A): (1) Operational Relevance. Describe how the proposed technology or engineering innovation addresses one (or more) of the specific TOEE 24.1 topic areas. (2) Cost. Provide an estimated cost to mature the proposed technology/engineering innovation to low-rate production levels as well as a not-to-exceed estimate of a low-rate initial production (LRIP) cost for the technology/engineering innovation. For purposes of estimation, LRIP quantities shall range from 4-6 fieldable prototype units. In addition, provide a not-to-exceed estimate of a low-rate production cost for the technology/engineering innovation unless such a range is justifiably prohibitive (e.g., 4-6 units is too low/too high of a scale to be economically viable). These estimates are not contractually binding but could be used as evaluation criteria to determine suitability for further experimentation. (3) System/Sub-Systems Architecture. Describe the systems, interfaces, and the data architecture of the technology or engineering innovation being submitted. Include diagrams, architectural views, or other graphical representations to describe the major systems, sub-systems, and interfaces. Submissions are not required to provide end-to-end solutions but should identify external interfaces that will ultimately be required for the technology or engineering innovation to function in the intended operational environment. If submitters have Systems Modeling Language (SysML) or Unified Modeling Language (UML) models for their system, they are encouraged to provide these as part of their submission. Identify the current Intellectual Property (IP) rights (open-competitive or closed-proprietary) that apply to each of the major systems, sub-systems, and interfaces. (4) Critical Technical Parameters. Describe the critical technical parameters that characterize the specific contribution of the proposed technology or engineering innovation. In tabular format, quantify the performance that has been demonstrated and describe the environment or conditions it has been tested under. If test data in a contested operational environment is not available, estimate the technical performance that may be immediately achievable. Include supplemental artifacts, such as specification sheets, data sheets, test reports, or other documentation that supports performance estimates. (5) Dependencies and Special Considerations. The Government will provide technical and operational assessment personnel, basic access to approved training areas and ranges to conduct experiments, basic venue infrastructure including frequency allocation services, intra-network connectivity, and shore power. Identify all other government furnished information (i.e., interface specifications, launch and recovery procedures, topside surveys, etc.) and/or equipment required to support the submission (e.g., unmanned system deployment from host platform, iridium-enabled Gateway Buoy, GPS, GSM, Secret or higher facility clearance/storage capabilities). Identify any significant certifications required prior to conducting a planned experiment (i.e., Weapons Safety Review Board, Laser Safety Review Board, Li-ion Battery Certification, etc.). For each specific dependency or consideration, identify at least one feasible alternative (i.e. virtual or constructive event, test rigs, simulations, static displays) that would mitigate, for example, the uncertainty risk of operational asset availability(ies)). Following selection, the Government will provide submitters with a summary of range and support equipment that will be allocated to the specific submission. If the Submitters requirement for range support exceeds what has been allocated, the Submitter may acquire additional resources. The Government will work in good faith to identify requested resources and/or propose alternatives that meet the Submitters budgets. An extreme case might be that a required government asset is not available, and the costs to acquire a surrogate test asset are not affordable. The Government may then recommend the Submitter participate in TOEE 24.1 as a standalone, virtual, or constructive demonstration. For submitted technologies intended be physically located on and/or integrated with the MMRC on an exposed deck, the following are general specifications for consideration: Hull Specifications Length – 39’ Beam – 9.82’ Modular Deck – Yes Maximum Payload – 5000lbs Rear Ramp - Yes Electrical Systems Dedicated MIL-STD 24V and 12V power supply (DC) 360 amps of power supply (6) Technology and Integration Readiness Levels. Assess the current technology readiness level (TRL) of the major systems/sub-systems described in Section 2. Assess the current integration readiness level (IRL) of the critical interfaces also described in Section 2. For each estimate, describe whether the estimate is based on test data from a developmental (lab-, simulation-based) or operational (test range or other with operational users) evaluation. If applicable, project the TRL and/or IRL achievable upon completion of the proposed submission. Include supplemental artifacts, such as technology readiness assessments, design reports, test reports, or other documentation that supports technical and interface maturity estimates. TRL and IRL definitions are provided in Appendix B. (7) Team. Submitters are encouraged to team amongst industry, academia, and government partners. Provide a brief description of the subject matter expertise that each member of the team provides and a brief description of the participating organizations. (8) Limited Technical Assessment. Describe how the capability would be demonstrated/executed at LTA, if selected. LTAs will be Virtual and it will be on the vendor to design and describe the demonstration. Technologies selected for LTA will have a maximum of a 2-hour period in which to demonstrate their technology. LTAs will be observed virtually and evaluated by the Core Team consisting of the TOEE Team, warfighters, and technology experts. Submission Requirements Submissions in response to this RFI must be submitted via email to Brandon Hayes @ Brandon.d.hayes11.civ@us.navy.mil and Jonathan Faranda @ jonathan.d.faranda.civ@us.navy.mil by 5:00 PM Eastern Time 17 September, 2023. Appendix A: Requested Data Formats 1. Quad. Please see the Quad Chart Attachment (Microsoft PowerPoint) for the requested technology quad.