E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training Systems (HITS) 3. 5
INTRODUCTION
The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) Orlando, FL intends to sole source the E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training Systems (HITS)-III effort to Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions (RCSTS), LLC of Cedar Rapids, Iowa under the authority of 10 USC 2304 (c) (1) as implemented by FAR 6.302-1. RCSTS is the only source which possesses the required source data and training media baseline information necessary to timely deliver an updated HITS training device. In order to comply with PGI 206.301-1 the Government is seeking information on the availability of potential comparable sources to provide E-2D HITS products to the fleet. Responses to this sources sought will be utilized to ensure no comparable source is available and more advantageous to the Government.
PLACE OF PERFORMANCE
The E-2D HITS-3.5 effort involves the following training system:
-Aircrew Procedures Trainer (APT), Device 2F211, located at Naval Air Station (NAS) Norfolk, VA
DISCLAIMER
THIS SOURCE SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
HITS are a combination of media, curriculum, and courseware which provides an immersive training environment for E-2D aircrew and maintenance personnel. The HITS products, developed by RCSTS on competitively awarded delivery orders, are designed to be a multi-media instructional platform that integrates instructor led training, computer based courseware, and complex, high fidelity training devices to meet approved proficiency and qualification curriculum. It reports readiness within a training management system to facilitate efficient student production while reducing development and operational support costs to the E-2D program.
Ongoing market research performed by the Government supports there does not exist a commercially available item or non-developmental item to satisfy the Government’s requirement. Notwithstanding the market research, an ancillary reason is due to the integrated requirements of HITS products in content, networking, and interoperability. Segregating products into multiple contract actions outside of a single HITS contract action is not viable and doing so will induce a prohibitive risk of incompatibility between training media and an unacceptable Cyber Security posture within the HITS secure network enclave.
The E-2D HITS-3.5 contract involves the procurement of the following: an APT deployed to NAS Norfolk, Virginia. HITS 3.5 will also include aircraft-to-simulator concurrency updates, integrated interoperable devices, and provisioning to facilitate successful transitioning of the HITS to the post-delivery support phase. The preponderance of work will be accomplished at a classification level commensurate with the E-2D Aircraft Program. The anticipated award date is October 2020 with deliveries in 2022.
REQUIRED CAPABILITIES
The Government requires the design, development, integration, installation, and test expertise to produce flight devices, access to use necessary training media source and design data, and provide logistics support to meet the Government required for training (RFT) date of FY2022.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
Any resultant contract is anticipated to have a security classification level of SECRET. Any resulting contract shall be compliant with the specialty metals restriction of the Berry Amendment in accordance with DFARS clauses 225.7003 and 252.225-7009, unless an exception applies.
ELIGIBILITY
The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 333318 (Other Commercial and Service Industry Machinery Manufacturing), which carries a 1,000 employee small business size standard. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 6910 (Training Aids).
All new entities registering in GSA’s System for Award Management (SAM), as well as existing registrations being updated or renewed, will require the submission of an original, signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity Administrator for the entity associated with the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number before the registration will be activated. It is recommended that all interested parties be aware that processing this additional information may take several days and are proactive in maintaining the SAM registrations in an “Active” status as the government cannot award to an entity without an “Active” SAM registration. More information can be found at www.gsa.gov/samupdate.
SUBMISSION DETAILS
This sources sought notice is not a request for competitive proposals. It is a notice to determine if a comparable source exists for purposes of market research and outline the Government’s intent to contract on a sole source basis with RCSTS. Interested sources shall submit their written technical capabilities to provide the supplies described above. Written response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government. All responses shall include Company Name, Company Address, Company Business Size & applicable socio-economic category(ies), and Points of Contact including name, phone number, fax number, and e-mail address.
If you are a small business interested in being the prime contractor for this effort, please be advised that the FAR 52.219-14 Limitations on Subcontracting clause has changed. Deviation 2019-O0003 is now in effect which adds the definition of “Similarly Situated Entity” and changes the 50% calculation for compliance with the clause. Small business primes may now count “first tier subcontracted” work performed by similarly situated entities as if it were performed by the prime itself. Please read the full text of the clause deviation (52.219-14 Class Deviation 2019-O0003 dated 12/3/18 at https://www.acquisition.gov/browse/index/far ).
To assist in our market research and determination of any applicable small business set-aside for this effort, if you are a small business interested in priming this effort and plan to utilize “similarly situated entities” to meet the Limitations on Subcontracting, please identify the name & CAGE Code of the specific firm(s) you intend to partner/subcontract with to meet the requirements as well as their SB size status under the NAICS that you as the prime would assign for their workshare. Information regarding any planned similarly situated entity should be included in answering any questions outlined in the SSN in order to assist the Government’s capability determination.
Detailed written capabilities must be submitted by email to Ms. Romy Roman-Conway (romy.roman-conway@navy.mil) in an electronic format that is compatible with MS Word, no later than 1 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Thursday, 19 December 2019. Verbal submissions via phone will not be honored. Information and materials submitted in response to this request WILL NOT be returned. Classified material SHALL NOT be submitted.
N61340-20-R-0040 Department of the Navy Naval Air Systems Command
12/13/19, 8:11 AM E-2D Hawkeye Integrated Training Systems (HITS) 3. 5
The Naval Air Warfare Center Training Systems Division (NAWCTSD) intends to negotiate, on a sole source basis, a contract for the procurement of the following: an Aircrew Procedures Trainer (APT) deployed to Naval Air Station Norfolk, Virginia. HITS 3.5 will also include aircraft-to-simulator concurrency updates, integrated interoperable devices, and provisioning to facilitate successful transitioning of the HITS to the post-delivery support phase. The preponderance of work will be accomplished at a classification level commensurate with the E-2D Aircraft Program.
The contract is planned for Rockwell Collins Simulation & Training Solutions (RCSTS), LLC, Cedar Rapids, Iowa under the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c) (1) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.302-1, “Only one responsible source and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements.” RCSTS is the only source that possesses the required source data and training media baseline information necessary to timely deliver a HITS training device. Based on a prior sources sought notice, the determination was made not to compete this procurement since no viable response was received to the notice. It is noted that the Small Business Office concurred with the decision to sole source to RCSTS. The anticipated award date is October 2020 with delivery in 2022. The anticipated contract value for this contract is $22M inclusive of all work.
HITS is a combination of media, curriculum, and courseware, which provides an immersive training environment for E-2D aircrew and maintenance personnel. The HITS products, developed by RCSTS on competitively awarded delivery orders, are designed to be a multi-media instructional platform that integrates instructor led training, computer based courseware, and complex, high fidelity training devices to meet approved proficiency and qualification curriculum. It reports readiness within a training management system to facilitate efficient student production while reducing development and operational support costs to the E-2D program. Ongoing market research performed by the Government supports there does not exist a commercially available item or non-developmental item to satisfy the Government’s requirement. Notwithstanding the market research, an ancillary reason is due to the integrated requirements of HITS products in content, networking, and interoperability. Segregating products into multiple contract actions outside of a single HITS contract action is not viable and doing so will induce a prohibitive risk of incompatibility between training media and an unacceptable Information Assurance posture within the HITS secure network enclave.
This notice is not a request for competitive proposals. It is a notice outlining the Government’s intent to contract on a sole source basis with RCSTS. Interested sources are solicited to provide their written technical capabilities. Written response to this notice must show clear and convincing evidence that competition would be advantageous to the Government. Interested sources must submit detailed written technical capabilities to produce flight devices (to include aircraft concurrency updates), and provide logistics support to meet the needs of the Government. Detailed written capabilities must be submitted by email to Ms. Romy Roman-Conway (romy.roman-conway@navy.mil) in an electronic format that is compatible with MS Word, no later than 1 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on Monday, 06 January 2020. Verbal submissions via phone will not be honored.
All information shall be furnished at no cost or obligation to the Government. Responses shall be limited to no more than TEN (10) pages. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed contract action based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. This notice is not to be considered a request for quotations or proposals. No solicitation document is available. No contract will be awarded on the basis of offers received in response to this notice, but will be used to determine if a comparable source is available and more advantageous to the Government. If no written challenge to this synopsis is received (or if a response is received, but determined it cannot meet the Government’s need), a class justification and approval (CJ&A) for other than full and open competition in accordance with the statutory authority of 10 U.S.C. 2304 (c)(1) as implemented by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 6.303 based on the rationale provided above will be initiated. Authority to act under this CJ&A expires on 31 October 2023. If conducted as a sole source procurement, a separate synopsis will not follow. This synopsis will satisfy the intent of the requirements under FAR 5.201 and 5.204. In accordance with FAR 5.102(e), copies of the solicitation will be available upon request.
NOTE: All new entities registering in GSA’s System for Award Management (SAM), as well as existing registrations being updated or renewed, will require the submission of an original, signed notarized letter identifying the authorized Entity Administrator for the entity associated with the Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number before the registration will be activated. It is recommended that all interested parties be aware that processing this additional information may take several days and are proactive in maintaining the SAM registrations in an “Active” status as the government cannot award to an entity without an “Active” SAM registration. More information can be found at www.gsa.gov/samupdate.
N6134020R0040 Department of the Navy Naval Air Systems Command
12/20/19, 8:58 AM