032 Statement of Work-final.docx

STATEMENT OF WORK

TITLE: Emerging Network Technologies Support Services

LAB REQUESTING SERVICE: Communications Technology Laboratory, Smart Connected Systems Division, Transformational Networks and Services Group (674.05)

I. BACKGROUND

The Transformational Networks and Services Group in the Communications Technology Laboratory, Smart Connected Systems Division, at the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) develops foundational network science, network measurement science, engineering, standards, and best practices to support smart industrial transformations critical to national priorities such as industrial automation, smart grids, and smart transportation. The Group’s research efforts include 5G/6G core networks, optical and quantum networking, cloud computing, information-centric networks, edge intelligence, indoor localization, smart grid communication networks, and teleoperation of automated vehicles.

II. OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this requirement is to obtain contractor services to evaluate communication technologies for connected and automated vehicles, the development of a 5G/6G core network testbed, and the assessment of the potential benefits that Named Data Networking (NDN) can bring to the automated vehicles (AV) and 6G use cases.

Specifically, the contractor shall support the evaluation of communication technologies for connected and automated vehicles while developing and recommending appropriate requirements, models/algorithms, as well as test scenarios. The Contractor shall develop a 5G core network testbed and assess the potential benefits that future internet architectures like NDN may bring to vehicular networking and 5G/6G core networking. While working closely with a team of engineers on the aforementioned activities, the Contractor shall also contribute to the design and development of new capabilities for high performance NDN forwarding.

III. SCOPE OF WORK / GENERAL REQUIREMENTS

Independently and not as an agent of the Government, the Contractor shall furnish all the necessary services, qualified personnel, material, equipment, and facilities, not otherwise provided by the Government as needed to perform the following technical requirements which involve support and documentation related to software applications and data networking applications. Deliverables which fall under Section 508 regulation shall be Section 508 compliant.

1. Develop and recommend communication requirements, measurement metrics and models, test scenarios, and algorithms for automated vehicles.

2. Develop tools (analytical/simulation-based) to evaluate the performance, trustworthiness, and privacy of vehicular communications technologies.

3. Develop a 5G/6G core network testbed, including making use of the source available Open5GCore implementation available at NIST, and contributing to actual testbed setup.

4. Quantify the benefits of using the ICN/NDN technology for 5G/6G core networking as well as AV networking and present the findings. NIST will provide the Open5GCore software.

5. Support the design and development of new capabilities for NIST’s high performance NDN router (NDN-DPDK), including enhancements for data-intensive experiments, Quality of Service (QoS) features for airborne networking, multi-tier caching design, and NDN traffic trace generation.

6. Produce documentation on architectural designs and the technical details of different components addressed as part of the above five technical requirements. The documentation shall also address and justify the different design choices. This documentation shall serve as the final report for the requirement.

7. Provide Monthly Progress Reports

a. Monthly progress reports shall detail progress made during the prior month, progress expected for the next month, any significant problems, risks or issues encountered, recommended actions to resolve identified problems, and any variances or expected variances from scheduled due dates. Monthly progress reports shall be due on the 10th of each month, beginning during the first full month of performance (if the performance period starts on a date other than the first of the month), covering all contract activity during the preceding month. [NOTE: GIVEN ITEM 6 ABOVE THERE IS NO NEED FOR FINAL REPORT. Only 11 monthly progress reports are required. Requirement 6 above shall serve as the final report.

8. Weekly Status Updates The Contractor key personnel shall participate in weekly status meetings with the COR or TPOC to discuss progress to date. These meetings shall take place via telephone or virtual video call and are expected to take no more than one hour.

IV. DELIVERABLES

Deliverables are subject to FAR Clause 52.227-17 – Rights in Data Special Works, to be incorporated into any task order contract resulting from this requirement.

Standards for Acceptance of Deliverables:

The COR will provide comments on each deliverable at weekly meetings as described in the performance requirement surveillance matrix in section XII below. The Contractor shall make any needed updates/enhancements and communicate with the NIST COR at subsequent weekly meetings. The COR will provide written notification when a deliverable is acceptable.

V. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

The work shall be performed primarily at NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland campus located at the following address:

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 100 Bureau Drive Building 222, Room A228 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640

Work may also be performed offsite in order to continue work during times when NIST is closed or access is restricted, for example during a government shutdown or due to pandemic-related restrictions. Offsite work may also be permitted whenever the Government determines it is advantageous to the Government for progress or performance of the work. All offsite work or telework requests must be approved prior by the COR or TPOC.

VI. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The Period of Performance shall be effective for 12 months from date of award.

VII. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY

All property, data and information provided by the Government in the performance of this requirement remains the property of the Government and shall be surrendered to the government upon completion or termination of this requirement. Likewise, all deliverables generated under this requirement remain the property of the Government.

Upon award of this requirement, the Government will provide the Contractor with equipment needed in the performance of this requirement. Specifically, NIST will provide on-site office space, a workstation, PC, email and Internet access, telephone, routine office supplies, and access to all facilities needed for the project. The Contractor shall only access low risk general-purpose IT equipment and common network services available to NIST associates. Government-furnished equipment will be provided in an as-is working condition. The Government will not provide the contractor with internet or telephone resources off-site; any such resources required are the responsibility for the contractor.

VIII. CONTRACT TYPE

The contract type will be firm fixed price in accordance with the following CLIN structure:

CLIN 0001: Fixed-Price – Completion of all Deliverables in this Statement of Work

IX. RISK LEVELS

The work under this purchase order is designated as IT-Low Risk and Non-IT Low Risk.

X. TRAVEL

No travel is required, and no travel costs associated with this requirement will be reimbursable by the Government.

XI. SECURITY

1. NIST is a restricted campus. An identification badge is required for access into buildings and must be presented to the armed Security Police when entering the campus.

2. Regular Business Hours: Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Local Time.

3. Identification Badges: Contractor employees shall comply with NIST identification and access requirements. Each Contractor employee shall wear a visible identification badge provided by the NIST Security Office.

4. Vehicle Registration: All Contractor employees must register their vehicles with the NIST Security Office to gain access to the campus. A valid driver’s license, Government-furnished civilian ID, proof of insurance and current registration must be presented to the NIST Security Office, at which time a NIST vehicle pass will be issued. The pass shall be displayed on the vehicle in accordance with NIST Security Office instructions.

XII. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENT SURVELLIANCE MATRIX

COR Review

XIII. KEY PERSONNEL REQUIREMENTS

One senior computer scientist is required as Key Personnel and must meet the following minimum qualifications:

• One (1) senior computer scientist This individual shall oversee all purchase order efforts.

The Contractor Key Personnel shall possess theoretical knowledge and practical experience in distributed systems, network measurements, network management, standard network protocols (e.g., IPv4 and IPv6), and basic security and cryptography concepts (e.g., digital signatures, digital certificates, authenticated symmetric encryption, key agreement schemes). The Contractor should also be familiar with at least one emerging networking paradigm such as Named Data Networking (NDN) and 5G/6G core networking technology. The Contractor should be able to independently design and efficiently implement all aspects of an application-layer network protocol. Knowledge of Java or a similar programming language is required for the implementation tasks. Experience with software version control systems such as Git and GitHub are also needed.

The Key Personnel shall have at least a MS degree in a related field to the Statement of Work requirements and at least 5 years of demonstrated experience in each of the subject areas described above.