Task order - statement of work (SOW) task title: regulatory compliance in multitier supplier networks 1.0 introduction/background: aircraft consist of a collection of systems performing a wide variety…

Task order - statement of work (SOW) task title: regulatory compliance in multitier supplier networks 1.0 introduction/background: aircraft consist of a collection of systems performing a wide variety of functions with different safety criticality levels. For decades now, there has been an ongoing trend of increasing adoption of ever more sophisticated computer-based technology to realize aircraft functionality. State-of-the-art aircraft avionics are highly complex, functionally integrated, network-centric systems of systems. The design and analysis of distributed-computation systems like the ones used on aircraft are inherently complex activities. Ensuring that such systems are safe and comply with existing airworthiness regulations is costly and time-consuming as the level of rigor in the development process, especially the validation and verification activities, is determined by considerations of system complexity and safety criticality. A significant degree of care and deep insight into the operational principles of these systems is required to ensure adequate coverage of all design implications relevant to system safety. The overall complexity of modern aircraft systems and the complex interactions between components (including hardware and software components) is not well understood, especially under failure conditions. This complexity is compounded by current trends in the aviation industry where system development and integration business models use multitier networks of suppliers, both domestic and foreign. Current regulation, policy and guidance allow for such organizational structures with a large number of participating companies. However, because the distribution of responsibilities among many disparate entities with different areas and levels of expertise continues to increase, there is a growing potential that the system requirements may not be complete or correct at every level of the design. Moreover, the validation and verification processes may not adequately cover all possible sources and manners of design errors under such complex development structures, thus allowing errors or omissions to remain even after final certification approval. Certification authorities actively support the efforts by the aviation industry by providing flexible ways of achieving compliance as more advanced systems technologies are developed. Nevertheless, ensuring that the systems are safe and comply with the airworthiness regulations remains the responsibility of the manufacturers and developers. New methods, tools, processes, guidelines or regimens of oversight may be needed to preserve or improve the level of safety in aircraft systems as technology and development strategies continue to evolve. This effort supports NASA's aviation safety program s system-wide safety assurance technologies (ssat) project which is conducting research directed at improving the safety of current and future aircraft operating in the national airspace system. Under ssat there is a technical challenge that targets the assurance of flight critical systems (afcs) a technical challenge that addresses, among other things, the sound assurance of safety-critical distributed systems properties and the complex interactions between systems and subsystems. 2.0 scope & objective(s): 2.1 the scope of this task order is for a study on the subject of computer-based aircraft system development, safety assurance, and regulatory compliance with multitier supplier networks. This study is to identify effective means to ensure, with a high level of confidence, that computer-based aircraft-level systems are safe and compliant with the letter and intent of regulations and development guidance. 2.2 the objectives of this task order are to generate a document that: describes the development of modern computer-based aircraft systems over a multitier network of suppliers following recognized development standa