Inactive

1.0 Summary The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), Cambridge, MA, is a Federal fee-for service organization within the O... 1.0 Summary The U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT), John A. Volpe National Transportation Systems Center (Volpe Center), Cambridge, MA, is a Federal fee-for service organization within the Office of Secretary of Transportation (OST-R) of the United States Department of Transportation (US DOT). The Volpe Center's mission is to improve the nation's transportation systems. In partnership with sponsoring agencies, the Volpe Center provides technical services to the US DOT, other Federal agencies, state agencies, and other organizations in connection with the transportation-related components of their missions. The Volpe Center utilizes a combination of Federal and contractor personnel to assemble the broad range and quantity of skills needed to perform sponsoring agencies' projects. By establishing a "pool" of professional technical/scientific resources, the Volpe Center can respond to uncertain and sometimes long-range requirements of its technical program in a timely and effective manner. The Volpe Center is conducting market research to identify businesses for services to provide high-technology capabilities and skills targeted to the Volpe Center's programmatic requirements in the area of CNS & ATM support. This Sources Sought Notice does not constitute a solicitation and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. The Government will not pay for any effort expended in responding to this notice. 2.0 Background The Volpe Center works with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to provide continuous improvement to National Airspace System (NAS) operations in anticipation of future air traffic and system demands. These enhancements are focused on areas such as satellite-based navigation, trajectory-based operations, and increased information sharing capabilities among users and stakeholders. The Volpe Center currently supports a variety of FAA programs including System Wide Information Management (SWIM), SWIM Flight Data Publication Services (SFDPS), Terminal Flight Data Manager (TFDM), Traffic Flow Management System (TFMS), SWIM NAS Common Reference (NCR), Flight Information Exchange Model (FIXM), Integrated Terminal Weather System (ITWS), Corridor Integrated Weather System (CIWS), and SWIM Terminal Data Distribution System (STDDS). The Volpe Center also supports other Government agencies (e.g., Department of Defense (DOD), U.S. Air Force [USAF], and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on aviation-related activities including the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and commercial space launch and reentry operations into the NAS. 3.0 Description The Volpe Center requires services to assist in the execution of projects in area of CNS & ATM which advance the mission and goals of the US DOT. The Volpe Center requires services to research, define, execute, and enhance projects in such technical work areas as communications, navigation, and surveillance systems and air traffic management systems, including system requirements definition; planning, including policy and environmental considerations; testing and evaluation; operations and maintenance of developmental and prototype systems; and the interfaces between these systems and other elements of the transportation infrastructure. The work covers traffic management and control systems, with the majority of the work expected to relate to aviation. Tasks in this area relate to systems at various stages in their development including initial research, feasibility studies, design, proof-of-concept models, prototyping, development, verification, implementation, analysis, and continued operation and maintenance. The size of the system may vary from small operations with a limited number of users to very large distributed operations with many users over wide geographical areas, such as those found in a national air traffic management systems with international interfaces. This task area also provides the mechanism that is used to integrate and synthesize CNS & ATM information and display a meaningful interpretation of data to users and decision makers. Tasks will include: • Developing new traffic management systems; • Modifying existing traffic management systems with goals of improving the efficiency of traffic flow; • Improving the efficiency and increasing the safety of intermodal transitions; • Reducing the impact of weather on traffic; • Reducing the impact of traffic incidents on traffic; • Reducing the impact of traffic on the environment; • Increasing the fuel efficiency of traffic; • Increasing traffic capacity through traffic management; • Improving collaboration between all decision makers and users; • Improving the accuracy of traffic predictions; • Generating air traffic management system requirements • Evaluating air traffic management capabilities Necessary and incidental to these tasks are the provision of administrative and logistic services that are an integral and interconnected part of the work performed. These support services may include business and technical writing; development of presentations, graphic arts design and production (demonstrations); and organizing and/or participating in conferences, workshops, meetings, or symposia. Specific requirements to be met for which sources are sought can be categorized within the following Task Areas: 1. Operations Assessment • Analyze the impact of traffic and traffic management systems on fuel efficiency; • Analyze the environmental impact of traffic, traffic-related infrastructure, and traffic management systems; • Provide support for forecast metrics, project metrics, project forecasting, and earned value management; • Recommend the types, accuracies, precision, and frequencies of vehicle position measurements needed to achieve a desired improvement; • Specify desired routes and predict future positions of vehicles or crafts, from a variety of information which may include past positions, velocities, accelerations, decelerations, historic data, weather data, incident data, surveillance data, fuel economy, and other data; • Recommend the most desirable human interfaces necessary to meet system and display requirements, • Assist in hazard analysis in accordance with the FAA Safety Management System (SMS) • Plan and coordinate requirements for site assessments, including team staffing, security clearances, site contacts, and notifications; • Support in-briefs and out-briefs, including benefits and features of planned NAS improvements along with general system requirements and logistics concepts and anticipated implementation schedule; • Provide support on ATC operational and user evaluations of the systems at the selected test sites. An evaluation might require systems testing, assessment of human factors considerations, interviews with site facility personnel, and documentation of findings; • Provide technical assistance for various System Life Extension Program (SLEP) activities on existing systems; • Provide operational support for data feeds originating from NextGen automation systems and services; • Identify and assess technical, operational, and procedural considerations (e.g., integration opportunities, program conflicts) attendant to potential interactions between legacy NAS automation systems and future NextGen automation systems and procedures; • Examine and assess considerations attendant to the integration of unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) (e.g., electric Vertical and Take Off/Landing (EVTOL)) vehicles and associated capabilities into routine NAS operations; e.g., detect-and-avoid (DAA) functionality 2. Concepts and Requirements Development • Assist in developing cost estimates, analyze benefits, and perform trade-off studies to support the economic feasibility of proposed traffic management systems and solutions; • Provide support for forecast metrics, project metrics, project forecasting, and earned value management; • Assist in developing the framework and/or strategic plans for dealing with the nontechnical factors such as the institutional, financial, and legal aspects of traffic management; • Assist in the development of design specifications, user guide documentation, training and training materials; • Assist in developing procedures to implement, test, and demonstrate system capability; • Characterize the dynamics of motion of vehicles within the traffic environment, and analyze and design CNS & ATM systems to control the motion and maintain the desired positions of vehicles with respect to other moving vehicles and fixed obstacles; • Specify the types, accuracies, precision, and frequencies of vehicle (ground, water, and/or air) position measurements that are needed to achieve a desired improvement; • Develop or refine architectures describing all aspects of traffic management automation and display systems and assist in the decomposition of architectures into functional components and program products; • Develop or modify requirements documentation for CNS and ATM systems • Assisting in the identification, definition, and implementation of advanced traffic management concepts and support traffic management research and development efforts; • Assist in developing and composing documents to support the advancement of concepts and programs through the FAA's Acquisition Management System (AMS) Lifecycle Process. AMS is FAA's process that details the full life cycle of an FAA program. AMS consists of guidance for life cycle management from initial system definition through deployment, in-service maintenance, and decommission. Work may include developing Concepts of Operation (CONOPs), shortfall analyses, cost benefits analyses, risk assessment, implementation strategy, Enterprise Architecture (EA) artifacts/products, and engineering alternatives and solutions, among others; • Assist in the development of requirements for future FAA, NASA, and DOD automation systems and concepts (e.g., ATM and tracking systems) including planning, coordination, site evaluations, assessment, interface and transition engineering, site preparation and installation of joint FAA/D NAS systems to be deployed at Air Force bases, and prototype systems to be field tested at civilian air traffic control facilities; • Provide input to vendor and sensor manufacturers with requirements definition, support, troubleshooting and/or diagnosis of installed equipment or future equipment to be installed; • Assist in developing cost-benefit, cost estimation, safety analyses, and other data as required to support development of a concept, capability, functionalities, and/or systems and system components (e.g., for an FAA Joint Resources Council [JRC] program investment decision); 3. Proof-of-Concept (POC) Prototype Development, Demonstration, and Evaluation • Develop, engineer, and maintain proof-of-concept prototype capabilities, software/hardware, devices, technologies, and applications in support of legacy or advanced NAS operational concepts; • Provide support for forecast metrics, project metrics, project forecasting, and earned value management; • Develop models and simulation capabilities to support the exploration and demonstration of future ATC and ATM concepts and requirements; • Perform functional and engineering analyses to evaluate the viability of proposed NextGen functions and capabilities and provide proof-of-concept prototype demonstration and evaluation 4. Systems Engineering • Provide engineering input and support for information systems security (ISS); • Provide network/telecommunications engineering and Cloud engineering services; • Prepare load scenarios that examine the system under varying traffic conditions and evaluate safe and reasonable thresholds; • Assist in designing, developing, installing, and maintaining software and hardware for system-wide processing, transfer, and distribution of near-real-time traffic information • Develop algorithms to achieve automated improvements in the safe and efficient movement of persons and freight to their destinations; • Provide support for forecast metrics, project metrics, project forecasting, and earned value management; • Assist in the analysis of archived data and the development of simulations that demonstrate, either analytically or by event tracking, the effects of various traffic management methods; • Conduct and document of software verification and validation testing; • Build, test, and support traffic management adaptation datasets; • Support the operation and maintenance of operational traffic management systems in the areas of communications, interfaces, flight database processing, adaptation data, and other related traffic flow management technology; • Assist in the deployment of traffic management systems by providing integrated operation concepts and procedures; site implementation assessments, coordination, and surveys; and develop and provide training; • Prepare and update documentation for installed equipment and system modifications; • Provide support for optimizing system and user performance, delivering technical knowledge to users, technology transfer, and maintenance and sustainment of systems and system components; • Provide support for conducting performance tests and analyses for automation systems (e.g., response times, bandwidth needs; • Provide support for installation and maintenance of NextGen automation system hardware and software; • Provide support for site implementation engineering, analysis, and planning. This may include site visits and operations analysis for select existing or conceptual capabilities; • Provide support for data models including FIXM, Aeronautical Information Exchange Model (AIXM) and Weather Information Exchange Model (WXXM) including collaboration with stakeholders, logical model development, XML schema creation, release package creation, and document preparation • Retrofit fielded NAS systems with hardware and software upgrades. 4.0 Submission Instructions Interested Contractors must submit a written Statement of Capabilities of sufficient detail demonstrating: 1) Understanding of the description of requirements in Task Areas 1-4 within Section 3.0 (above). 2) Description of the Contractor's relevant and substantive past performance (either current or previous experiences in the past five (5) years) pertaining to some or all of the following activities applicable to Tasks 1-4 in Section 3.0 of this solicitation such as: a. Developing and maturing concepts, functionality, and requirements for FAA decision support automation (such as TFMS, TFDM, and Time Based Flow Management (TBFM)) and operations b. Generating and refining technical products for a concept, system, or program lifecycle process, such as shortfalls analysis, concept of operations, functional analysis, preliminary requirements, analysis of alternatives, and business process model notation (BPMN) diagrams c. Advancing operational, technological, and procedural solutions to the integration of "new entrant" operators into the NAS, such as unmanned aircraft systems (UAS) and commercial space launch and reentry vehicles. Regarding UAS, specific experience with detect and avoid (DAA) solutions should be described where applicable. d. Developing and demonstrating proof-of-concept and/or prototype functionality and applications which support the exploration and evaluation of future ATM concepts and requirements e. Developing, testing, deploying, and maintaining enterprise information exchange systems, services, networking, and infrastructure f. Developing and refining conceptual, logical, and physical data models Where no substantive relevant past performance exists with respect to activities 2(a) through 2(f), the Contractor should affirmatively state so. Capability information for the three (3) previous or current past performance experiences shall include: Contract number; Customer (Government agency, private industry); Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) name, telephone and fax numbers; contract value and type of contract; period of performance; and description of product/services. Information provided shall be detailed and shall show technical capabilities, knowledge, and expertise so the Government can assess the ability to provide the described services in each of the above stated work areas. All of the information sought should be conveyed in no more than eight (8) pages. Each response must reference the Sources Sought title. Ensure to provide the Contractor's name and the following Contractor information: 1) Point of Contact (along with telephone and email address); 2) DUNS Number and CAGE Code; 3) Contractor Address; and 4) NAICS code as registered in the System for Award Management. 5) Contractors shall identify any General Services Administration (GSA) Multiple Award Schedules (MAS) that may carry the desired services (OASIS, Schedule 70, etc.) Interested small businesses shall indicate their socio-economic small business size status (Total Small Business, 8(a) business development, historically underutilized business zone, service disabled veteran owned, small disadvantaged, or woman-owned) in the appropriate North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code. As a result of recent changes to the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 19, small business concerns must ensure that their status certifications are up to date. All responses must be submitted via e-mail to Camille Hogan at Camille.hogan@dot.gov by August 5, 2019 5:00 PM EST. Electronic attachments to the e-mail should be submitted in Microsoft Office 2007 (or later) productivity application formats, or any format that can be imported by Microsoft Office. 5.0 Information Availability THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This notice is for information and planning purposes only, and is a market research tool to determine the availability and technical capability of Contractors prior to determining the method of acquisition and possible issuance of a Request for Proposal. The notice does not constitute a solicitation for bids, quotations, and proposals, and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. However, the Government places tremendous value on the information received and may utilize it to finalize its acquisition strategy. Interested small business companies are strongly encouraged fully use this opportunity to describe their capabilities. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract. The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources as a result of response to this Sources Sought notice. The Government will not pay for any materials provided in response to this synopsis and submittals will not be returned to the sender. Submissions must be disclosable to the public or the submitter should provide a summary statement that can be disclosed to the public with fuller supporting information that is clearly marked as restricted. The Government will use customary means to safeguard proprietary information, but only when such information is (1) clearly marked as proprietary; (2) is, in fact, information that could not have been obtained from another party or source; and (3) is otherwise deserving of such treatment under standards and processes described in the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and Executive Order 12600. For information about the Volpe Center refer to the Volpe Center website at http://www.volpe.dot.gov.