Draft LEO_REACH Statement of Work - (FINAL).pdf

Remote Expeditionary Area Communications Hub (REACH)

Statement of Work

LEO Terminals, Airtime, Support Services, and Ancillary Equipment

Updated: 1 May 2026

REACH Attachment A Statement of Work

Contents

1. Introduction & Background

2. Scope of Work

3. Equipment Requirements

3.1 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Hardware

3.2 Ancillary Hardware

3.3 Basic Internet Communications (BIC) Kits

4. Airtime & Network Services

5. Shipment, Deployment & Logistics

6. Online Account Management Tool

7. System Monitoring, Reporting & Account Management

8. Technical Support & Warranty

8.1 Maintenance Types

8.2 Economic Repair Limit

8.3 Technology Refresh

8.4 Equipment Requirements

8.5 Technology Refresh Quote

9. Acceptance Testing

10. Security, Compliance & SCRM

11. Training Requirements

12. Period of Performance

13. Deliverables

14. Management & Risk Requirements

15. Section 508

16. Billing ACRONYMS and ABREVIATIONS

1. Introduction & Background The Bureau of Diplomatic Technology, Enterprise Infrastructure Directorate, Network Technologies Office, Global Tactical Communications Division (DT/EI/NT/GTC) administers the Remote Expeditionary Area Communications Hub (REACH) program. The mission of REACH is to provide contingency communications and crisis IT response capabilities domestically and to 277 embassies, consulates, and diplomatic missions worldwide.

REACH systems support:

o Off-grid crisis operations o Contingency communications when terrestrial services are denied or degraded o Emergency evacuations, election monitoring, remote consular operations, and other mission-essential activities

The REACH program office was established in 2008 to facilitate, through technology, a greater level of expeditionary and transitional diplomacy providing scalable tactical IT services to meet the demands of expeditionary diplomacy off the grid, redundancy at overseas Posts and addressing the longstanding requirement for reliable tactical communications during a crisis.

These systems are used in support of special/non-standard missions off grid, solutions for diplomats operating outside of the normal IT infrastructure, overseas posts in situations such as local election monitoring, consular support in remote areas for evacuations and American Citizen Services, and Public Diplomacy requirements that may be “off the beaten path.” REACH has enabled missions with “off-the-grid” communications ranging from basic Internet and voice to fully functional secure Embassy-like IT capabilities – all independent from local infrastructure.

2. Scope of Work The REACH program seeks to identify strategic sources that can allow DOS to manage and allocate these communications systems more effectively in its deployment office and help fulfill its communications missions worldwide. The desired outcomes for its customers and end-users are:

o offer DOS contingency communications to maximize global coverage to all embassies, consulates, and other diplomatic missions worldwide;

o achieve economies of scale from the use of equipment pooling;

o able to purchase systems and components commercially off the shelf or customized configurations;

o allow (near) real time usage, system monitoring, and outrage reporting;

o provide individual Posts/customer base to purchase airtime; and o offer help desk support via 24x7 help desk technical support for users worldwide.

3. Equipment Requirements

3.1 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Hardware

The Department of State requires the services of a contractor who can provide crisis and contingency communication low earth orbit (LEO) hardware and airtime services. The contractor must ensure consistency in the hardware and services provided. This includes providing a single online account management tool for usage monitoring, user training, reporting, and fault/resolution of service issues.

3.2 Ancillary Hardware

Samples of the ancillary hardware include:

• Tripods,

• mounting kits

• rooftop hardware

• ruggedization kits

• power supplies

• cables

• transit cases.

3.3 Basic Internet Communications (BIC) Kits

Flyaway Kit Technical Requirements: provide voice and data capabilities to an individual or small team on the ground anywhere, anytime. It must fit into a single package small enough to fit in standard airplane overhead storage (if requested).

4. Airtime & Network Services The Contractor shall provide airtime including, pooled data plans, and suspend/resume options.

Performance expectations include throughput, latency, and network management policies.

Service Activation Plan: Not more than 15 calendar days following award of this contract, the contractor shall present a written service activation plan to the government, detailing the contractor’s approach and risk mitigation strategy to transition active services from incumbent contractors under the expiring contracts. At a minimum, the service activation plan should include the proposed approach to transition all terminals, strategies to minimize or eliminate service disruptions, and general

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milestones and timelines to transition each terminal. Terminal order timelines shall include the time required to activate new service following receipt of order and the time required to coordinate the transfer of service from the original Data Provider, if applicable.

Upon awarding the contract, the Government will provide the contractor a list of transitioning terminals and associated service information.

The contractor must provide a Phase-Out Transition Plan, and a Phase-In transition plan for all terminals. The Phase-Out plan will be provided no less than 120 calendar days prior to the end of performance period, or earlier if required. The Phase-In transition plan will be provided no less than 20 days after the award of the contract. Both plans will include all activities necessary for a seamless transition, minimizing service disruption upon the completion of the contract’s period of performance.

Service Suspension: Service Representatives or customers may request service suspension during the contract as a management tool to control service when the users cannot account for their equipment or services. To suspend service, DOS will notify the contractor requesting suspension of services on the specified terminal. The contractor will notify the distribution partner and end user of the date of suspension, thus restricting all access. Service suspension is not a discontinuation of service or cancellation of the call order. Contractor shall reinstate the service when requested.

5. Shipment, Deployment & Logistics Delivery timelines include Standard (15 days), Accelerated (7 days), and Emergency (48 hours).

Shipping includes CONUS, OCONUS, and support to 277 global Posts. Contractor shall maintain surge capacity.

Table 1: DoS Equipment Delivery Time Response Time Option Days Following Award

Government Stated Delivery 15 calendar days or less Accelerated Service Delivery 7 calendar days or less

Time-Critical Delivery 48 hours or less

Response times aligning to one of the three options will be specified in each order for services.

The Government requires Government Stated Delivery and Accelerated Service Delivery of equipment be shipped via FedEx or UPS to any CONUS location at no additional cost.

Applicable shipping charges should be included in the contractor’s one-time, non-recurring charge (NRC).

Equipment Delivery – In some cases, the delivery location for equipment will be as follows:

a.

Department of State Attention: REACH Program 7500 Boston Blvd.

Springfield, VA 22153

Point of Contact:

Lloyd Hamilton/ Bradley Tarr Program Manager 7500 Boston Blvd. Room 200 Springfield, VA 22153 703-912-8599

b. Equipment, systems and services may also be ordered by overseas posts. The

Contractor will be required to ship commercially via the following: - 1) direct to REACH Program, 2) Direct to Post, or 3) Other domestic DOS location. Shipping instructions will be provided on the Call Orders.

6. Online Account Management Tool A unified portal is needed for user management, monitoring, reporting, ticketing, outage alerts, and API access with administrative features. Training shall be provided within 45 days of award.

7. System Monitoring, Reporting & Account Management The contractor shall be capable of collecting and delivering the near real-time usage, monitoring, fault/incident/outage reporting, and information access to ensure effective and efficient operations, performance, and availability. The contractor’s system monitoring capability should address the following metrics at a minimum: Usage Reporting, Automated Outage Indicators and Fault Reporting.

The Contractor shall provide an online account management tool capability solution to report usage, both aggregated and for each user account, that is updated near real time. Near real time is defined as within 24 hours. The Contractor’s tool solution will allow users to query their usage data over a user-specified period. The Contractor solution will be capable of allowing the Government the ability to manage users’ access to tool data through a user access hierarchy.

Querying capabilities within the tool shall include, at a minimum, the ability to pull detail records for a specified period comprising all information and level of detail.

The contractor shall provide a status report on fault/incident/outage on a near real-time basis and a monthly status report. The contractor shall provide written status reports on fault/incident/outage on a near real-time basis to the REACH Program Office at REACH- DSB@state.gov . At a minimum, fault/incident/outages can be defined as any system, hardware, terrestrial links, software, or component impacting customer service. The report shall identify the systems involved, the impact of the fault/incident/outage, the cause of the fault/incident/outage if known and the actions already taken and planned to correct the outage. Initial reports shall be provided within 10 minutes. Dependent on the severity of the incident, updated reports may be requested every 30 minutes till the issue is resolved. The faults reporting is a requirement for any issue reported to the contractor such as hardware/software issues, services, or teleport assigned or unassigned service interruptions.

The contractor shall continuously update their online account management tool with current fault information. Fault Reporting shall roll into the monthly status report and require an immediate fault/incident/outage report.

The contractor’s online account management tool shall be capable of restricting users’ data access in accordance with an access hierarchy provided by the Government to the vendor following award. The contractor’s online account management tool shall provide REACH, DOS bureaus, and end users with the ability to manage user profile (i.e.; accounts, ID/passwords, etc.), access to usage statistics and the option to customize layouts for viewing data usage information.

REACH and other DOS Bureaus and customers shall have the capability of querying all the data usage detail reports (current and past) for the life of the contract. The contractor shall ensure the appropriate Information Assurance (IA) controls are in place to prevent unauthorized access to user information. Table 2 depicts a high-level access hierarchy:

Table 2: Online Account Management Tool Access Hierarchy

User Type

Access Type Description Functional Roles

Initial User

Count

Service Managers

Restrictive Services Management;

Global Access

- Manages End User Accounts

- Cannot add or remove Service(s);

only suspend/resume

REACH and others as designated. 15 to 25 mailto:REACH-DSB@state.gov mailto:REACH-DSB@state.gov

Table 2: Online Account Management Tool Access Hierarchy

User Type

Access Type Description Functional Roles

Initial User

Count

- Access to all services under this contract

Reviewers Read-Only;

Global Access

- Query or pull call detail reports

- accountability

- Access to all services under this contract

GA/AM and

REACH

Less than

8. Technical Support & Warranty Comprehensive help desk support is required 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, year-round, along with tiered escalation procedures, remote troubleshooting capabilities, and activation of manufacturer warranties under the DOS name.

In accordance with FAR 46.706(b)(5), the Contractor shall stamp or mark the supplies delivered, or otherwise furnish notice with the supplies, of the existence of a warranty, if any.

Sufficient information shall be presented for supply personnel and users to identify warranted supplies. Warranty information shall include the terms and duration of the warranty and the name and telephone number of the Contracting Officer to be notified if the supplies are found to be defective.

In case of equipment malfunction, the manufacturer’s warranty prevails. The contractor must be prepared to provide support for that warranty for the full extent of the manufacturer’s warranty period. If annual maintenance licenses/contracts are purchased, the contractor must be prepared to provide support for the term of each maintenance license /contract procured.

This support shall include the removal and reinstallation of the defective item(s).

a. All manufacturer’s equipment warranties shall be activated in the DOS’s name and shall commence on the date of delivery from vendor to DOS final destination.

b. Contractor will provide a single point of contract for all warranty support regardless of manufacturer.

Service support shall be available, at a minimum, Monday through Friday 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, excluding U.S. government holidays. The contractor shall provide 24x7 help desk technical support for users worldwide. Help desk support shall consist of a fault resolution hierarchy and shall address airtime services under this contract. The contractor shall provide assistance by telephone, email, and/or Internet/messaging and shall assist the user with timely resolution of the reported problem. The contractor shall provide minimum response times for all supported services. The contractor shall maintain contact with the reporting user until final resolution of any identified problems and the reporting user has verified/accepted the resolution.

8.1 Maintenance Types

The contractor shall provide a point of contact (POC) to receive maintenance service requests. An email address, telephone number, and fax number will be provided to REACH for each order.

Customers requiring maintenance will initiate a trouble ticket with REACH, who will then determine if contractor maintenance is required. Review and approval by the COR to initiate a maintenance request shall be completed prior to the customer or REACH contacting the contractor to initiate the maintenance request, and prior to the acceptance of any maintenance request by the contractor.

a. Routine – Respond to routine requests placed by the customer, in conjunction with the REACH Program Office, and approved by the COR, during a standard principal period of maintenance (PPM) of 365 days from the date of acceptance or for the validity period for maintenance contracts/licenses purchased beyond the initial 365 day period.

b. Emergency – Respond to emergency requests placed by the customer, in conjunction with the REACH, during non-standard hours during the PPM or while the customer holds a valid maintenance contract/license. The contractor shall respond within 4 hours of receipt of the request for emergency services.

c. VIP – Respond to requests for VIP level customers, who may include accelerated service requirements in each task order in advance.

When performing repairs, only new parts of equal performance quality and interchangeability, without alteration will be used. Installed parts become property of the DOS. Expendable parts that have been replaced become property of the contractor and will be removed from the installation at their expense. Accountable replaced parts remain property of the DOS.

Accountable parts are generally those used in secure areas, or items with a high price for which the DOS has established annual inventory policies.

8.2 Economic Repair Limit

1. The contractor shall notify the CO and COR, and the GTM when repair costs are expected to exceed 50% of the replacement cost, prior to performing any such repairs.

The contractor may then be authorized to purchase a replacement item in order to return the system to operational condition. This authorization must be in writing (via memorandum or email) by the CO or COR.

2. Equipment that is damaged through, or by fault of, the contractor shall be repaired or replaced with equipment of equal or better quality at no cost to the DOS.

8.3 Technology Refresh

The DOS shall have the right to require, at any time, that the Contractor make available to the DOS under this contract, supplies available to the Contractor's commercial customers. In this way the DOS seeks to ensure that it can obtain the benefits of new design enhancements and technological updates or advances for supplies currently on this contract. When requested or offered, the Contractor shall provide, within 15 calendar days of request, a technology refresh quote including the supplies so identified.

In the event the Contractor is no longer able to provide the supplies in this contract (because they are no longer being manufactured, for example), the Contractor may, with the approval of the Contracting Officer, remove the supplies from this contract. The Contractor shall provide substitute supplies which shall have the functional capabilities of the supplies originally provided and shall meet or exceed the original supplies' rated performance characteristics, at the appropriate discount indicated in Attachment A - Price Schedule Template.

Discount Schedule Based on the Contractor's quote price at time of contract award, the Government shall calculate the sub line item discount percentage that DOS shall apply during all subsequent technology refreshes. At time of technology refresh, the Contractor shall quote the GSA MAS or FSS contract list price for each refreshed sub line item, and shall quote a discount price based on the discount percentage stated in this contract. Discount percentages shall go out 2 decimals.

8.4 Equipment Requirements

Prior to submitting a technology refresh quote, the Contractor shall successfully add the refresh supplies to the Contractor's Price List. The Government shall evaluate new technology which will upgrade, extend, or enhance the contract supplies if the Contractor submits a quote outlining the new technology. Included in this quote shall be pricing data and other technical information as listed below. With the receipt of a quote from the Contractor, the DOS shall have the right to approve any or all of the quoted contract CLINs and to modify this contract to provide for ordering of the new technology. The criteria for evaluation of the new technology are as follows:

a. Each supply shall satisfy all original mandatory requirements in the technical specifications of this contract.

b. Each supply shall be an appropriate existing GSA MAS or FSS contract supply.

8.5 Technology Refresh Quote

At a minimum, the technology refresh quote shall include the following header information:

(a) Technology Refresh (TR) Number (unique tracking number);

(b) Description of the technology refresh;

(c) Contract (GSA MAS or FSS) Number;

(d) Contract Number;

(e) Contact Name;

(f) Contact Phone Number;

(g) Contact E-mail address.

At a minimum, the technology refresh quote shall include the following information for each supply requiring refresh:

(a) Contract Line Item Number (CLIN) (unique for this contract);

(b) Name of Original Equipment Manufacturer;

(c) Original Equipment Manufacturer's Model Number;

(d) Supply Component Part Numbers (as applicable);

(e) Full Supply Description;

(f) GSA MAS or FSS Contract List Price;

(g) Contract Discounted Price (based on line item percentage specified above).

9. Acceptance Testing The Contractor is responsible for performing or having performed all inspections and tests necessary to substantiate that the supplies or services furnished under this contract conform to the contract requirements, including any technical requirements for the specified manufacturer’s parts and or third-party suppliers.

10. Security, Compliance & SCRM Contractor shall provide a description of their processes, procedures, and methodologies to protect against, detect, assess, and remediate cyber incidents and maintain a high level of cybersecurity of awareness when providing services to the Government and adequately address protection against malicious attacks and virus intrusion, SCRM practices are sufficient to mitigate or eliminate an adversary’s ability to sabotage, maliciously introduce unwanted function, or otherwise degrade the function, use, integrity or operation of the proposed products, ensure that the SCRM practices are employed throughout the product life cycle to include maintenance and repair, and the ability of the Offeror to adequately maintain a high level of cybersecurity and SCRM readiness. The offeror will provide information on supply chain protections, cybersecurity alignment with NIST SP 800-53, Section 889 compliance, and vulnerability reporting.

Offerors are to address the below.

Risk Identification

a. Physical failure (functional failure, incidental damage, malicious damage, or criminal/terrorist action)

b. Third-party threats

c. Security threats

d. Business continuity threats

11. Training Requirements Within 45-days after award, the contractor shall provide an initial training session of the online account management tool (either by teleconference, Video Teleconference (VTC) or in-person) to the various regional Bureau Information Technology personnel located in Washington DC and to the REACH program staff located in Springfield, VA. The session will cover navigation, reports and data query generation, and management of user permissions within the tool.

Training materials or soft copies of instructions should also be provided to be shared with users as they obtain services.

12. Period of Performance One base year plus four option years.

Table 3: PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE (PoP) Base Year TBD

Option Year 1 TBD Option Year 2 TBD Option Year 3 TBD Option Year 4 TBD

NOTE: All dates are contingent upon the date of award and will be adjusted accordingly. As directed by the Contracting Officer (CO), the contractor shall continue performance in emergency or mission essential conditions.

13. Deliverables

Deliverables include terminals, BIC kits, airtime activation, portal access, telemetry reports, training materials, technology refresh quotes, and transition plans.

The offeror will provide management plan that describes the effectiveness of its quality control processes to ensure it can meet on-time delivery requirements, track and locate returned items, ensure repaired items are in good working condition when returned, and meet out-of-the box quality standards. The plan will include the methods and tools the Offeror proposes to effectively manage and support multiple orders, provide on-going support, assess program risks (including identification and mitigation), maintain configuration management, meet quality standards, and communicate status to DOS.

14. Management & Risk Requirements Contractor shall maintain quality control, meet delivery timelines, track returns, provide configuration management, and maintain risk mitigation processes.

15. Section 508 Section 508 is not applicable for REACH hardware deliverables. However, all application portals provided by the vendor for management of terminals shall be Section 508 compliant.

16. Billing The vendor must be able to accept payment by:

Purchase Order Invoice Processing Platform (IPP) Credit Card (when credit card is used for payment all credit card convenience fees must be clearly disclosed in advance)

ACRONYMS and ABREVIATIONS

BIC Basic Internet Communications CCB Change Control Board DCIO/OPS Deputy Chief Information Officer of Operations DOS Department of State DSB Digital Services Branch EAP Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs EUR Bureau of European Affairs FAR Federal Acquisition Regulations AF Bureau of African Affairs A/GA Office of Global Acquisitions GTC Global Tactical Communications DT Bureau Diplomatic Technology ISDN Integrated Services Digital Network IT Information Technology ITI Information Technology Infrastructure Kbps Kilobits per second Kg Kilogram LWS LAN/WAN Service NEA Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs OEM Office of Emergency Management PSTN Public Switched Telephone Network REACH Remote Expeditionary Area Communications Hub RFI Request for Information RFP Request for Proposal RFQ Request for Quote SBU Sensitive But Unclassified SCA Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs SHARK Secure High-speed Area Reach-back System SMS Short Message Service USB Universal Serial Bus WHA Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs WLAN Wireless Local Area Network https://www.ipp.gov/about