Inactive Partial Small Business Set-Aside (FAR 19.5)

This is a Sources Sought notice. All information generated from this notice will be used as market research of sources capable of providing analytical services in support of the U.S. Army Combat Capab... This is a Sources Sought notice. All information generated from this notice will be used as market research of sources capable of providing analytical services in support of the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Data and Analysis Center (DAC) Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Munitions Effectiveness (JTCG/ME). DEVCOM DAC JTCG/ME is concerned with 1) the description and vulnerability of enemy targets to various damage mechanisms associated with kinetic/non-kinetic weapons such as fragments, blast, conical shaped charges, linear shaped charges, self forging fragments, armor piercing projectiles, high explosive projectiles, Directed Energy (DE) (High-Energy Laser (HEL) and High Power Microwave (HPM)), cyber capabilities (attack vectors), and others; and 2) weapon system effectiveness analysis including: methodology, computer simulation, data analyses, model verification and validation, documentation of models, systems effectiveness analyses, tests and experiments for Joint Live Fire (JLF) program, and data base management systems; 3) the plan, conduct, and support of weapons effects tests, detailed experimental investigations, and combined theoretical/experimental studies; and 4)the general technical support to Current Operations, publications, databases, and reporting such as identification of data, materiel, and/or capabilities, preparation of documents and reports, development of database and/or techniques for testing and analysis of experiment data, and establishment of programmatic support to enable technical tasks. DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENT -The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Data and Analysis Center (DAC) Joint Technical Coordinating Group for Munitions Effectiveness (JTCG/ME) is a joint service group whose mission is to provide the Services effectiveness data for fielded non nuclear munitions. The U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Data and Analysis Center (DAC) supports the Army and the JTCG/ME with studies on the effectiveness of both fielded and developmental munitions. The JTCG/ME prepares and continuously updates Joint Munitions Effectiveness Manuals (JMEM) for air to surface, surface to surface, anti-air and other non-nuclear munitions systems (to include Non-Kinetic: Electromagnetic Spectrum (EMS), Cyber, and Directed Energy (DE)) including management of joint service efforts (to include test, experiment, and analysis) for associated data bases in target vulnerability, weapon characteristics, delivery accuracy, and JLF program efforts. JTCG/ME is charged with establishing standardized procedures for important test factors such, as kill criteria, weapon lethalities, delivery accuracies, methodologies and data format for reporting new munitions effects into JMEM's for kinetic/non-kinetic weapon systems. Weapon effectiveness calculations require a number of inputs such as weapon characteristics, weapon delivery accuracy and target vulnerability to specific damage mechanisms. The objective of this contract is to obtain support in the areas of target descriptions, target vulnerability analysis, target survivability analysis, kinetic/non-kinetic weapon system effectiveness and performance, data analysis, target disablement evaluation, component damage, warhead lethality, threat modeling, vulnerability/lethality methodology development (to include EMS, Cyber, and DE) and other areas including, but not limited to, tests and experiments support for JLF program. For the purpose of this documents, targets fall into one of five target types: facility, individual, virtual, equipment, or organization; and weapons fall into six weapon system types: surface, sub-surface, air, EMS, cyber, DE, and space. The planned acquisition will have a five year ordering period with cost plus fixed fee and firm fixed priced task orders. The anticipated date of award is December 2022. Work will be performed in the DEVCOM DAC offices at Aberdeen Proving Ground MD and additionally at places to include, but not limited to, Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), MD; Naval Surface Warfare Center - Dahlgren, VA, Eglin Air Force Base, FL, Joint Base Langley-Eustis, VA, Naval Air Station - China Lake, CA or other locations specified by the Government in individual task orders. INFORMATION REQUESTED - This Sources Sought Notice(SS) /Request for information (RFI) is for planning purposes, and is not to be considered an invitation for bid, request for quotation, or as an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. No reimbursement will be a made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this SS/RFI or any follow up information request. Respondents will not be notified of the results of the evaluation of the information they provide. No questions will be taken on the SS/RFI. No contract award will be made on the basis of responses received. The information will be used in a market research report assessment of sources capable of providing professional support services in support of DEVCOM DAC. No late submissions will be considered in the development of the report. RESPONSE INSTRUCTIONS - Responses should be emailed to Dr. Jin Kwon, jin.h.kwon.civ@army.mil with a copy to robert.m.roche2.civ@army.mil, by the response date listed above. Responses which do not clearly and completely address the below series of questions will be considered as submitted for general informational purposes only, and not considered a demonstration of intent to submit a proposal to any eventual Request for Proposal (RFP). A lack of small business responses to this RFI must be treated as evidence of disinterest/incapability of small businesses to submit a proposal to any eventual RFP. Responses must include the information shown below: 1. Business Information - Name, CAGE Code, Point of Contact, Size Status(es) under this RFI's identified size standard (SB, 8a, SDVOSB, etc) 2. If a different NAICS code appears more appropriate for this action, please provide the suggested code with an explanation as to why it is more appropriate. Note, your organization does not currently need to be registered under the NAICS to provide capabilities information in response to this RFI. 3. Please estimate the maximum percentage of the overall requirement which your organization could perform with in-house resources. Consider the language at FAR Clause 52.219-14(c) -- Limitations on Subcontracting in your response. 4. Upon any eventual release of a Request for Proposals, is your organization's intent to issue a proposal as Prime Contractor for this effort, or as a Subcontractor? 5. Does your company possess the capabilities to provide the entire range of services called for in the above Description of Requirement? You are reminded that this acquisition may be considered for a small business set- aside in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 19.502. In this case, the small business would only be required to perform at least 50% of the range of the work in accordance with FAR 52.219-14. YES or NO If you answered YES to the question above, provide specific capabilities and examples. If you answered NO to the question above, please identify the areas for which subcontract support would likely be utilized. 6. Has your company performed this type of effort or similar effort (to include size and complexity) either currently or in the past to another Government agency or non- government customer? YES or NO If YES, please identify the agency, contact information and contract number as applicable. 7. Has your company performed following type of efforts or similar efforts relating to vulnerability analysis and assessment? If YES to any of below, please identify the agency, contact information and contract number as well as description of specific capabilities and examples. a. Develop and provide drawings, target description, and computer models for a wide variety of vulnerability analyses, including details on all interior and exterior components and surfaces. b. Provide detailed vulnerable area, kill, success, automate, and other probabilistic data on selected targets using Government-approved methodologies when considering a variety of damage mechanisms, with the analyses including, but not limited to, a realistic treatment of multiple hits as well as single hit considerations. c. Provide vulnerability assessments for selected targets using approved methodologies when matched against a variety of damage mechanisms. d. Update existing target descriptions and models to incorporate new or revised target information, changing threat potentials, and any known advances in weapon technology. e. Develop hypothetical, physically plausible models of generic target classes involving facility, individual, virtual, equipment, or organization that permit rapid perusal of the target class. The target classes considered include both armored and "soft" targets ashore, afloat, aloft, underwater, and virtual. f. Develop recommendations for reduction of ballistic, cyber, and other threat vulnerability of domestic military equipment. g. Apply vulnerability methodology and technology to enhance the survivability of domestic targets and weapon systems when exposed to various threats and damage mechanisms. h. Conduct analyses of live fire and other testings like cyber capabilities against simulated and actual targets to determine the penetration, exploitability, behind armor debris characteristics, and other vulnerability characteristics produced by production, development, and conceptual weapons. i. Develop vulnerability methodology (i.e., algorithms from test data, etc.) that can be applied to existing and developmental vulnerability assessment codes or tools. 8. Has your company performed following type of efforts or similar efforts relating to effectiveness analysis and performance assessments? If YES to any of below, please identify the agency, contact information and contract number as well as description of specific capabilities and examples. a. Conduct sensitivity studies in order to evaluate the impact of parameters such as target descriptions, weapon characteristics, component contribution, and methodology on estimates of target vulnerability and weapons effectiveness. Weapons effectiveness estimation may also include estimation of collateral damage. b. Continue analysis of actual combat data to produce both summary and system specific estimates of combat effectiveness. c. Evaluate the psychological and psychophysical primary and secondary effects of various weapons, and estimate the contribution of these effects to system performance to include collateral damage. May also include analysis and evaluation of effectiveness of suppressive fire, collateral damage of the psychological effects or physical collateral damage from impacting near personnel. d. Conduct experiments and analyze data from firings and attacks against various target components and sub-components and computerize these data for increased utility. e. Characterize and develop simulations for the assessment of item/system performance in a variety of standard and special scenarios to include the application of digitized terrain and virtual environments. f. Develop methodology, test plans, data reduction procedures, data analysis and/or assess performance and effectiveness of US and foreign weapons and support systems (e.g., aviation, air defense, armor, infantry, artillery, mines and barriers, command, control communication, intelligence, EMS DE, cyber, space, submersibles, etc.). This could include, but not limited to, countermeasure influence (and counter countermeasure evaluations), evaluations of target acquisition, Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) evaluations, cyber defense, and delivery accuracy evaluations. 9. Has your company performed following type of efforts or similar efforts relating to test and experiment conduct and support? If YES to any of below, please identify the agency, contact information and contract number as well as description of specific capabilities and examples. a. Plan and conduct specialized weapons effects tests to verify computer generated estimates of weapon outputs and/or target response. b. Conduct detailed experimental investigations of various detonation processes, cyber capabilities employing high-speed photographic techniques, including laser photography and digital instrumentation. c. Conduct combined theoretical/experimental studies of various mechanical, electromechanical, cyber, and explosive components to arrive at component probability of effect (e.g., probability of kill given a hit (PK/H)), probability of success/automate, predict time-to-effect, and estimates of the performance capabilities of damaged components. d. Prepare detailed plans for testing weapon systems. e. Provide analysis and general support to testing programs. f. Assess test induced damage to targets and document in a standardized format. g. Conduct and support vulnerability tests at remote locations. h. Construct surrogate targets or components based on intelligence information or specifications. i. Construct specialized test stands for munitions firing supporting and virtualized test environments for cyber capabilities (attack and defense) of targets during tests. 10. Has your company performed following type of efforts or similar efforts relating to support to current operations, publications, database, and reporting? If YES to any of below, please identify the agency, contact information and contract number as well as description of specific capabilities and examples. a. Identify data, materiel and/or capability gaps and deficiencies for current operations through all available sources. Identify and perform analytical efforts directed at potential solutions. Provide recommendations to expedite solutions to the Warfighter. b. Prepare and edit documents and reports encompassing both technical and target descriptions of specified targets, as well as discussion and results of the particular vulnerability analyses conducted against these targets. c. Develop and improve techniques for the testing and analysis of vulnerability/lethality of weapon systems. d. Prepare test reports. e. Prepare and present briefings on the overall programs and specific test results. f. Analyze experimental data on behind armor effects of munitions or projectiles. g. Develop automated databases and database management systems for item and system performance data for CD-ROM and/or web-based applications for both local area and/or wide area networks (LAN and/or WANs). h. Develop and prepare for publication, on CD ROM and other electronic media, comprehensive effectiveness information (text, figures, tables, drawings, photographs, data and computational tools) for collections of weapons systems against targets. i. Perform review and modification of electronic publications of the JTCG/ME, to allow for their release to foreign countries under foreign military sales (FMS) and information exchange agreements (IEA). j. Develop, update and standardize methodologies, translate them into computational tools, and accomplish their integration into generalized computational environments. Make recommendations to enhance such tools for various factors such as efficiency, speed and accuracy, and develop simplified approximation tools as are used, for example, in computational partitions of CD ROM publications and/or web-based applications. k. Conduct and document various activities in support of verification and validation of methodologies and data. l. Provide programmatic support to enable technical tasks to include but not limited to development and sustainment of databases, schedule, reports, metrics, strategic plans, mission area analysis, and analytical deliverables. 11. A SECRET security clearance will be required of all contractor personnel at time of award. Will your company be able to comply with this requirement? YES or NO 12. A TOP SECRET security clearance will be required of all contractor personnel performing cyber work. Will your company be able to comply with this requirement? YES or NO