C2ISR RFI Notice 12.31.24 v6.docx

GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION (GSA)

ASSISTED ACQUISITION SERVICES (AAS) REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

I. Introduction

General Services Administration (GSA) Assisted Acquisition Services (AAS) is releasing this Request for Information (RFI) notice on behalf of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The purpose of this RFI notice is to ascertain whether multiple vendors can provide the requirements outlined within this notice. This is a market research exercise. The Government is not obligated to release a future solicitation.

This RFI does NOT constitute a Request for Proposal and is not to be construed as a commitment, implied or otherwise, by the Government that a procurement action will be issued or that a specific strategy will be executed. Response to this notice is not a request to be added to a bidders list or to receive a copy of a solicitation. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of the submission of the requested information. No reimbursement will be made for any costs associated with providing information in response to this announcement and any follow up information requests. Responses to this RFI may be considered in the future determination of an appropriate acquisition strategy for the program Any information submitted by respondents as a result of this notice is strictly voluntary.

Access to an Electronic Reading Room (eRR) is required to view Attachment C - ISR Assets and Technical Orders. To be granted access to the eRR, interested industry partners (IPs) shall:

a. Complete and return Attachment A - Electronic Reading Room (eRR) Rules of Behavior (RoB) and Attachment B - Electronic Reading Room (eRR) Non-Disclosure Agreement to joann.darlington@gsa.gov, and korena.jones-brown@gsa.gov.

b. Provide a GSA Affiliated Customer Account (GACA) email address to joann.darlington@gsa.gov and korena.jones-brown@gsa.gov. Interested IPs, without an existing GACA account, shall create one at http://mail.google.com/mail/signup. User names must follow the format “GSA.firstname.lastname” (e.g., GSA.john.smith@gmail.com ).

Upon receipt of a complete eRR request, the Government will grant access to the eRR within 48 business hours. Please plan accordingly; the response date in Section VII will not be extended due to issues accessing the eRR.

II. Background Previous iterations of this requirement facilitated the effective integration of specific sensors on existing weapons systems. Historically, sensors that were installed on the various DoD systems created an obstacle for the Command, Control, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance Transport (C2ISR-T) experts. To maintain these assets, the Government has acquired engineering, acquisition, operation, and sustainment services to operate these system subcomponents to enable downlink, process, distribute, and produce sensor data as a necessary mission/task of the C2ISR-T Infrastructure.

USSOCOM requires an industry partner that will provide a host of services to support, maintain, and upgrade existing systems integrated into various platforms and locations across the globe. These services will enable applicable Common Data Link (CDL), Command Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), and Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) requirements by focusing on the utilization of existing and future architectures, configurations and resources to support data relay ingest, and throughput at the ground stations and other customer locations. These services are anticipated to expand existing data link capability enabling worldwide operations and provide critical intelligence data to users in near real time.

III. Functional Areas

a. Program Management: The contractor shall be solely responsible for managing the work performed in the execution of the contract/order. This includes the responsibility to assign appropriate resources to each task. Maintain clear organizational lines of authority. Ensure effective task management and administration, following the requirements set forth in the performance work statement (PWS). The contractor shall maintain the personnel, organization and administrative control necessary to ensure that the work delivered meets the specification requirements. Establish and use proven policies, processes, analyses and best practices. Handle all Subcontractor management.

b. System Delivery and Installation: The contractor shall provide all necessary materials, containers, transportation, and personnel to ship the items to the designated site. The contractor shall remove/dispose of all packing and installation materials. The contractor shall provide a schedule and installation plan, including personnel, required access, and escorting needs. The installation shall be conducted in a safe and professional manner. If applicable, the contractor shall perform link tests both before and after the installation to characterize radio frequency (RF) performance and document the results. All recorded data shall be documented and submitted to the customer for review. The contractor shall deliver and install fully functional systems to support C2ISR-T SATCOM Gateway locations. The contractor shall conduct acceptance testing of systems at the source using Government approved acceptance test procedures. All acceptance test procedures shall be coordinated with and witnessed by a Government program management office (PMO) or a PMO-designated witness/official. Specific acceptance testing criteria will be laid out at the order level. The contractor shall recommend the quantity of spares to support the procurement of the systems and subsystems. The recommended spares shall be identified at the system and component level, and not at the kit level. The contractor shall recommend the quantities and types of support equipment required for system installation and follow on sustainment and operational support. The contractor shall work with the Government at the order level to identify specifications for systems foundation and anchorage of the appropriate size order level account for local environmental, regulatory, and operational requirements. The contractor shall assist the Government to identify the site design, layout, and bed-down. For all antenna terminals/systems the contractor shall draft, or update required terminal New Skies certification, Form 1494s, and any other related documentation. For all antenna terminals/systems the contractor shall be responsible for bridging the connection from the Government supplied power drop to the antenna dish and antenna equipment enclosure. Any power conditioning shall be accomplished by the contractor. The Government will provide power service requirements. For all antenna terminals/systems the contractor shall be responsible for bridging the fiber optic connection from the Government supplied fiber optic drop to the antenna enclosure and indoor equipment. If required, the contractor shall perform the engineering and testing required to satisfy and meet Wideband Global SATCOM (WGS) certification standards, including in-house and onsite analysis and testing— which shall be defined at the order level.

The contractor shall provide NSA Type 1 certified Link 16 terminals in a variety of form factors (such as AN/PRC-161/HHL-16, KOR-24A STT, and derivative products) to suit customer platform requirements. The contractor shall further provide ancillary equipment to support terminals to include Expeditionary Gateway applications, (such as DACAS-G-S and MOJO products), ruggedized transit cases, antennae, amplifiers, other ancillary equipment to support same, and support software tools to include mission planning, network and gateway management, and integration support tools.

c. Field Service Support: The contractor shall provide on-site Field Service Representative (FSR) to support operations at CONUS/ OCONUS locations. The contractor shall provide training courses to address installation, operation, and maintenance of the systems.

d. Systems Engineering & Integration Support: The contractor shall design, develop, install, test, and validate, operate, and maintain prototype applications and databases to determine solutions for integration to resolve issues and/or enhance overall performance on an order level basis. Identify and recommend courses of action (COAs) to correct or improve existing operational performance, existing transport infrastructures, system level vulnerabilities, and system level inefficiencies. Assist the Government to establish, document, and maintain recommended best practices at system levels. Support exercises. Support integration and training on various platforms. The contractor shall provide in-plant system engineering support for the on-site FSRs. The in-plant systems engineer shall answer technical questions from the FSRs, update the Operations and Maintenance (O&M) Manual. The systems engineer(s) may also deploy on an as required basis to conduct inspections, assessments, and provide system level engineering assistance visits as needed.

e. Logistics and Sustainment: The contractor shall provide sparing, repair, maintenance, logistical and technical labor support services to sustain and enhance equipment requirements for programs under USSOCOM’s scope of operations. The contractor will provide logistics analysis in support of maintenance and sparing of the contractor’s products. The contractor will also set up a system to support the efficient repair of the products both in warranty and in out-of-warranty. Software Maintenance: The contractor shall perform software maintenance, maintain configuration control, and update documentation on released and tested software. The contractor shall resolve system discrepancies, in a timely manner to include performing integration checkout and test functions for changes to the baseline, installations and de-installations as required, maintenance of all system specifications & drawings that document the software baselines, obtain and manage all software licenses and develop training materials for operators and maintainers. Encryption Products: Where applicable, the contractor shall provide a repair facility for encryption products. The repair facility will be capable of repairing or replacing each of the items or its component parts, at the contractor’s option, including circuit boards, power supply, chassis parts, batteries, and other components. The contractor, at its option, will use new or reconditioned material for both warranty and non-warranty repairs.

f. Equipment and Systems Warranties: The contractor will offer a Warranty period of 12-months. The period begins at one of two periods both based upon the date of the DD250 sell-off. 1) For hardware that ships directly to the end customer after sell-off, the warranty begins 1-week after the sell-off date and lasts for 12-months. 2) If the hardware ships “In Place” as is being held within the contractor’s Government Property Warehouse, the Warranty begins no later than 6-months after the date of sell-off. If the hardware ships prior to the 6-month period, the warranty period begins 1-week after shipment for a period of 12-months. The contractor will be performing Preventive Maintenance Inspection (PMI) on all hardware being shipped “In Place” and held within the contractor’s Government Property Warehouse, during the warranty period for up to 18-months from the date of the DD250. An exception to the warranty are items that have a “shelf life” in which the shelf life expires prior to the Warranty.

g. Cybersecurity Services: The contractor may have access to sensitive (including privileged and confidential) data, information, and materials of the Government. These printed and electronic documents are for internal use only and remain the sole property of the Government. Some of these materials are protected by the Privacy Act of 1974 (AMENDED). Unauthorized disclosure of PA covered materials is a criminal offense.

Cybersecurity personnel will have, or obtain, SIPRNet and National Security Agency Network (NSANet) accounts and access to cybersecurity databases for eMASS, Xacta, and Ports, Protocols, Services, Management (PPSM) to facilitate data entry.

Security Clearances In order to report to USSOCOM-designated spaces, contractor personnel must possess, at a minimum, a current Secret clearance determination reflected in the Defense Information System for Security (DISS). Requirements under this effort may require some contractor personnel to have up to a current Top Secret (TS) clearance with an Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) eligibility determination. All contractor personnel with access to a Government-accredited Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF) shall hold the appropriate clearances for the work to be performed, up to a TS/SCI. The majority of work is anticipated to occur at USSOCOM Government facilities. There is flexibility for contractors to perform services at non-Government locations with prior USSOCOM approval. Contractors may be permitted access to classified information/material up to and including TOP SECRET and TOP SECRET/Special Access Program (SAP) in performance of their duties. For access to SAP contractors must have a need to know and provide a reoccurring material contribution to the success of the program/operation. Access to Alternative Compensatory Control Measures (ACCM) will be required (ON-SITE ONLY). Additional training on the handling and safeguarding of ACCM material is necessary. The Government will consider a security clearance requirement waiver on a case-by-case basis based on the complexity of the skill set and a security clearance is initiated for the individual whose security clearance is being waived.

As a result, contractor personnel are required to have a fully adjudicated Secret clearance with the initial investigation, periodic review, or enrollment into the Continuous Evaluation (CE) process within the last five years; and the ability to obtain a TS clearance. Possess a current Secret security determination.

The contractor shall have a TS Facility Clearance (FCL). The contractor shall require access to Communications Security (COMSEC) information, SCI intelligence information, North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) information, foreign Government information, and controlled unclassified information (CUI) information.

c. Cyber-Supply Chain Risk Assessment In the event of contract award, the Government may perform a cyber-supply chain risk assessment of the awarded contractor at any time during the period of performance. The Government may review any information provided by the contractor to the Government as part of this contract action, along with any other information available to the Government from any other source, to assess the cyber-supply chain risk associated with the contractor. The Government may monitor the following cyber-supply chain risk information, including, but not limited to:

1. Functionality and features of awarded products and services, including access to data and information system privileges.

2. The ability of a source to produce and deliver products and services as expected.

3. Foreign control of, or influence over, a source, product, or service (e.g., foreign ownership, personal and professional ties between a source and any foreign entity, legal regime of any foreign country in which a source is headquartered or conducts operations).

4. Security, authenticity, and integrity of products and services and their supply and compilation chains.

5. The contractor’s capacity to mitigate identified risks.

6. Any other considerations that would factor into an analysis of the security, integrity, resilience, quality, trustworthiness, or authenticity of products, services, or sources.

Personnel Security: Work to be performed in a Government facility. This support involves access to classified systems and material. All personnel will require, as a minimum, a DOD TOP SECRET clearance. All documentation (i.e., DD Form 254) required for security certification will be the responsibility of the contractor and the client organization. The contractor shall ensure that classified data is handled in accordance with appropriate DOD security regulations.

IV. Business Systems The Government expects the following business systems will be required:

a. An adequate cost accounting system, as determined by the cognizant Federal agency (e.g., Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) or Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)) as defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 42.003 and the process for assignment of contract audit services as defined in FAR 42.1b.

b. An audited and approved purchasing system, as determined by the cognizant Federal agency (e.g., DCAA or DCMA) as defined in FAR 42.003 and the process for assignment of contract audit services as defined in FAR 42.1.

c. An adequate Property Management System as determined by DCMA.

V. Government Estimate The Government currently estimates the total potential award ceiling of $450,000,000 - $500,000,000, over a one-year base period, four, one-year options and a possible six-month extension in accordance with FAR 52.217-8.

VI. Questionnaires The Government requests responses in Written Email Submission. Submissions are due no later than 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time (ET) on January 10th, 2025. Further details are as follows:

a. Responses should be submitted by email to Contract Specialist Korena Jones – Brown (korena.jones-brown@gsa.gov), and Contracting Officer, Denise Darlington (Joann.darlington@gsa.gov). Use the attached questionnaires to provide the requested information (no substitutions, additions, or deletions).

b. All responses shall maintain one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and are single spaced.

c. Table 1: Corporate Overview shall be no longer than two (2) pages in length.

d. Table 2: Prior and Current Corporate Experience shall be no longer than three (3) pages in length. All Corporate Experience must be performed by the respondent as a Prime contractor.

e. Corporate Capabilities and Approaches shall be no longer than five (5) pages and is further limited below.

f. Total RFI pages should not be more than 10 pages in length.

g. Send questions to Contract Specialist, Korena Jones – Brown (korena.jones-brown@gsa.gov), and Contracting Officer, Denise Darlington (Joann.darlington@gsa.gov).

All information submitted shall be UNCLASSIFIED.

Table 1: Corporate Overview

Name of Company

Name of Business Unit Responding to the RFI (if applicable)

DUNS Number

Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code

Corporate Address

Total Number of Full Time Employees

Website URL

· NO

Type of Small Business, if applicable (e.g., Woman-Owned, Service Disabled Veteran Owned, 8(a), HUBZone)

· NO

· NO

Phone #:

Email:

Please identify which, if any, of the formal accreditations or certifications listed below are held by your firm (do not include any self-certifications):

· NO

· NO

· NO

· NO

There are several data restriction rights under this future requirement on all Attachments listed in the RFI. How do you think your company could complete this upcoming effort if the rights on those Attachment Items in the RFI are restricted? Please give a detailed answer.

Table 2: Prior and Current Corporate Experience Please respond to the following inquiries (Note: If your company is divided into separate business units, responses shall be based upon the Corporate Experience of the business unit responding to the RFI):

Please complete the following table for prior Corporate Experiences performed in the last five (5) years in which the contractor (serving as prime contractor) provided or currently provides services similar in size, complexity, and scope to the stated requirements and technical environment as listed in Sections III and IV. Use individual task order values for the table below, not the overall Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) or Blanket Purchase Agreement (BPA) ceiling value the task order may have been awarded from.

Contract Vehicle/Contract Number

Contract/Project Name

Value at Award

Value at Completion/Current Value

· Firm-Fixed-Price (FFP)

· Cost-Plus-Incentive-Fee (CPIF)

· Cost-Plus-Award-Fee (CPAF)

· Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF)

· Other __________________________

Client Department or Agency

Project Description

Client POC, Name, E-mail, Phone

Percentage of Services Sub-contracted

Number of Users

Average Monthly Service Contact Volume

Area of Responsibility (AOR) / Locations

Amount of Tools/Other Direct Costs (ODCs) Procured for Life of Task Order

Corporate Capabilities and Approaches (Total response limited to 5 pages)

a. In the absence of Government owned unlimited data rights, demonstrate your company’s abilities to execute the tasks described, on the equipment listed, within this request for information. Identify any pre-established business relationship or agreement that would enable executing the anticipated tasks identified within this RFI on the systems provided in the reading room.

b. Describe the industry partner capabilities as they relate to anticipated task areas listed above and ability to provide maintenance and on-site services on the equipment identified in the reading room. Please include which contract types these experiences were with and if you anticipate any issues utilizing a specific contract type for this requirement (e.g. Firm-Fixed Price, Time-and-Materials, or Cost-Plus).

c. Describe the industry partner’s operating, maintaining, integrating, phased transition-in, and updating the items identified within the reading room. Additionally, the offeror’s ability to meet Cyber Supply Chain Requirements outlined above.

d. Also describe the industry partner’s experience with maintaining operational status on information technology or communications equipment from a variety of Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and/or authorized resellers, managing equipment certifications, responding to urgent resourcing needs in a global environment, and managing and complying with OEM data rights.

e. Describe the industry partner’s, experience, and methodology for properly staffing a worldwide technical operations and maintenance contract, with the same size, scope, and complexity as referenced in Section II above. Additionally, please provide the methodology used to provide cleared personnel with a minimum SECRET clearance so as not to burden cleared Government and contractor resources with escort duty.

g. Provide the industry partner’s experience managing multiple task orders, with various clients, on a single ordering vehicle.

Attachments:

Attachment A - Electronic Reading Room (eRR) Rules of Behavior (RoB) Attachment B - Electronic Reading Room (eRR) Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) Attachment C - ISR Assets and Technical Orders image1.png image2.png