PRD_RFI_09062019v1_F.pdf

58 – Request for Information - Personal Radiation Detector (STC PRDs)

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP or Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). This RFI does not commit the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office (CWMD) to contract for any supply or service. DHS CWMD is not at this time seeking proposals. Responders are advised that the CWMD will not pay any cost incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party’s expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP or BAA. If a solicitation is released, it will be released via the Government-Wide Port of Entry (GPE) at (http://www.fedbizopps.gov).

In order to receive an award from any resultant solicitation, should one be issued, the successful offeror must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). The SAM website is https://www.sam.gov. It is the responsibility of the potential responders to monitor the website for any information that may pertain to this RFI. The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the CWMD, and will not be returned. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the government to form a binding contract. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organizations’ capabilities. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

Proprietary, confidential, privileged commercial or financial information submitted in the RFI response should be marked accordingly to ensure appropriate handling and disposition by the Government. No classified information shall be submitted in the RFI response. Do not use Government security classification markings. Do not mark the entire response as proprietary.

Small Business Set-Aside

No decision has yet been made regarding the small business strategy for a possible acquisition. Your response should identify your business size (large or small) in relation to the NAICS code (334519 – Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing) https://www.sam.gov/ provided in this RFI. The government is interested in all small businesses, including 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zone, or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses that are interested in and capable of performing this requirement. The government requests interested parties submit a brief description of their company's business size (i.e. annual revenues and employee size), business status (i.e., 8(a), Historically Underutilized Business Zone, or Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Businesses, small business).

INTRODUCTION

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office’s (CWMD) mission is to detect and protect against the unauthorized importation, possession, storage, transportation, development, or use of a nuclear explosive device, fissile material, or radiological material in the United States and to improve that detection system over time. CWMD continually assesses, develops, and procures radiation detection equipment for deployment by Federal, State, Local, Territorial and Tribal agencies to enhance the nation’s ability to detect and prevent terrorists and other threat actors use of radiological and nuclear materials. CWMD has a total potential requirement for up to 140,000 Personal Radiation Detectors (PRD) over 10 years in support of State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial agencies.

PRDs are pager-size devices worn by users for radiological and nuclear detection capability and for personal protection. PRDs automatically monitor the environment and alert the user when radiation levels above the natural background are detected. PRDs also assist the user in localizing the source of detected radiation. The high sensitivity and rapid response time to the variations in the ambient radiation levels clearly distinguish PRDs from the family of electronic dosimeters which are mainly used for accurate dose and dose rate. The user interface must be simple and focused exclusively on the initial detection and localization of radiation.

PURPOSE OF RFI

CWMD is conducting market research to obtain information about the capability and availability of Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) PRDs in support of State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) agencies that meet the requirements in Attachment 1

(Attachment 1 provides the requirements by which CWMD may assess technical performance of PRDs offered under a solicitation, if issued). The NAICS code is 334519

– Other Measuring and Controlling Device Manufacturing. This is not a Solicitation.

CWMD is particularly interested in obtaining data concerning: Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost; reliability, availability, and maintainability; and data streaming capability, including maturity of smart phone applications, and the type data available from the PRD for streaming. Details are provided below and in the attached requirements.

Any price/cost requested in this RFI should only be an estimate (ROM). It will only be used for market research purposes.

SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

In response to this RFI, interested parties should provide the following information regarding their PRD device(s):

• Picture of the device.

• A technical description of the device. This may include product literature, full product specifications, or other documents. Technical descriptions should include any reliability, availability, and maintainability (Mean Time Between Failure, Operational Availability, etc.) data associated with the devices.

• An indication using the provided columns in Attachment 1, whether the PRD

“Meets” or “Does Not Meet” the stated requirements. For any entry where “Meets” is selected, indicate whether it “Meets” the Threshold (T) or Objective

(O) and provide an explanation and/or reference to support the level of performance and if additional hardware and/or software beyond the PRD itself is needed to meet the requirement. For any entry where “Does Not Meet” is selected, provide a brief explanation as to why the proposed device does not fully meet the requirement or to what extent it does meet the requirement and timeframe needed to meet the requirement (e.g., phone app for data streaming).

• An indication whether vendors have test results, analysis, and certifications performed by the following:

1) Government agency including previous DHS tests of the device,

2) Accredited laboratory,

3) Independent laboratory, or

4) Third party not affiliated with the vendor of the device.

• Any test reports are to include the test date, test location, system configuration/ version under test (tests of the same model and software version are considered more credible than those of a similar model or different software version than that of the device offered; vendors must explain how previous tests of different models and/or software version apply to the device offered), test plans, and test data/results. The test facility’s qualifications in performing the test (i.e., certification, accreditation, etc.) should also be listed. Provide a list of Federal Supply Schedule (FSS) contracts or other government-wide ordering vehicles the company holds, such as GSA Schedule 66, Scientific Equipment and Services, and 84, Security, Fire & Law Enforcement, for PRDs with the required communication functionality.

• Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) Cost Estimate information:

– Provide the estimated unit price of the PRD, assuming no discounts.

– Provide the estimated cost of data streaming/networking (wireless capability) options if not integrated with the PRD, to include pricing models, e.g., subscriptions, and assumptions that inform that pricing model, e.g., data speed and size.

Describe and provide estimated governmental costs for any additional Smartphone/mobile software applications needed, or recommended, to support wireless communications.

Provide the cost of warranty for the device. Discuss any options for duration of the warranty (e.g., 1,2, 5, and 10-year warranty), and when the warranty period starts, e.g., upon delivery acceptance or upon operational deployment.

• An indication whether the device has data streaming capability. Data streaming refers to the ability to provide secure near-real time continuous data transfer via mobile devices to an STC designated information sharing environment. If so, describe the extent of this capability to include the associated methods, protocol(s), available published data services and formats and network interfaces standards utilized.

– Identify and describe any additional hardware and/or software required and/or available to accomplish networking and data streaming capability such as through an intermediary device (e.g., Smartphone/Mobile App and wireless adapter).

• An indication whether the device can automatically transmit the following data, and if so, provide a description of the following:

– Manufacturer name

– Instrument model

– Serial number

– Cumulative operating hours

– Software version

– Gamma detector kind (e.g., CsI(Tl), NaI(Tl), GMT)

– Date, time, and location of measurement

– Measured radiation levels (e.g., exposure rate, dose rate, or level)

– Gamma-ray alarm indication

– System geospatial location identification

• If data streaming is a capability of the device, provide a description of the data streaming capability to include the following:

– Data streaming rate and periodicity of transmissions

– Data format (e.g., ANSI/IEEE N42.42)

– Data security standards, methods, and techniques

– Details about the Bluetooth protocols used, to include the Security level and type of encryption used

• If data streaming is a capability of the device, an indication whether the system’s wireless data streaming capability can be disabled.

• A description of production capacity and the estimated PRD per month production capabilities.

• A description of extended warranties and/or available maintenance/repair options.

• A description of the Mean Time Between Failure rate for the PRD and address vendor ability to provide reliability, availability, and maintainability sustainment data including repair costs on a quarterly basis for the lifecycle of the system.

• A representative Quality Assurance Plan and PRD production quality control procedures.

• Information on any additional capabilities of the PRD, such as tracking and providing total dose; identification (determining the present radionuclide(s));

categorization (declaring the detected/identified radiation as being from NORM, industrial, medical, special nuclear material); and geospatial position (having

GPS).

INDUSTRY ENGAGEMENT TELECONFERENCE NOTICE

This RFI informs interested parties regarding an upcoming SLTT PRD RFI Industry Engagement Teleconference on 18 September 2019, 2:00 PM-4:00 PM EST. The teleconference will provide CWMD the opportunity to clarify the RFI requirements and obtain industry feedback. Interested parties must contact the Contracting Officer listed below (See Submission Instructions) to pre-register and receive dial-in instructions NLT 16 September 2019, 4:00 PM EST in order to participate.

ALGORITHM REPLAY TOOL

Any detector purchased by CWMD must have an algorithm replay tool that is in compliance with AOS Report No. (AOS-16-0082) DNDO REPLAY TOOL

REQUIREMENTS SPECIFICATION

(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/OCPO/DHS-OCPO/SN-DNDO-RPM- CRADA/listing.html) which announced in February 2016 that all future acquisitions must provide the Government with a replay tool. The replay tool will be used by the Government to determine how effectively a proposed PRD will perform against the threat space. Due to the cost of testing and the large variation in possible conditions out in the field, the replay tool provides a synthetic analysis to evaluate a larger range than would be possible through testing.

Some PRD systems might not record or transmit measurements for replay. In this case, output of the system is limited to audible, vibrating, or visible alarms. Verification and validation of the replay tool for this device type is expected to be less exacting than for a device that produces an input data file. Similarly, output from the replay device can be considerably simpler than that from other radiation detection and identification systems.

The replay tool shall take input data with the same fidelity provided to the in situ algorithm in the detection system along with any parameters provided to the recognition algorithm in the system. The ANSI standard N42.33-2006 [1] requirement is that for any instrument that records data, the data format shall comply with ANSI N42.42-2012 [2].

For radiation detection systems that do not store and retrieve measurements, the data or other sensor information shall include the following in the documentation for the replay tools:

• Specification for how an input data file is generated and retrieved or transmitted for replay; and

• Specification for the generation of synthetic or injected data for replay.

Validation: The minimum number of replay installation validation input and output files are 60 if input and output files are produced in the PRD. If input and output files are not produced, the validation procedure shall be documented as stated above. (see https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/OCPO/DHS- OCPO/SN-DNDO-RPM- CRADA/listing.html for the full set of requirements)

Verification: Minimum number of replay verification input and output files is 100 if input and output files are produced in the PRD. If input and output files are not produced in the device, the verification procedure shall be documented as stated above (see https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/OCPO/DHS-OCPO/SN-DNDO-RPM- CRADA/listing.html for the full set of requirements).

Submission Instructions

RFI submissions should include a cover letter along with Point of Contact information and email. An interested party may submit responses regarding more than one device.

Vendors are requested to include page numbers; there is no page limit. Responses must be in .pdf, .xls, and/or .doc compatible formats.

Vendors may submit questions or comments regarding this RFI in writing by e-mail to the points of contact indicated below. Vendors may request clarification or submit technical questions regarding this RFI in writing for any requirement that is unclear.

Responses and substantiating evidence (e.g., test reports, certifications) any questions or comments are to be submitted via e-mail to Annemarie Spence, Contracting Officer, at Annemarie.Spence@hq.dhs.gov and Marcus Datcher, Contract Specialist, at Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov no later than 5:00pm (Eastern) on September 26, 2019.

The subject line of the email should contain the RFI number (70RWMD19I00000001).

Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. Please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become government property and will not be returned.

Company-to-Company NDA

Responses to this RFI will be reviewed by technical experts within the CWMD and other federal agencies. DHS uses support contractor personnel to assist in the review of RFI responses. The support contractors are bound by NDAs with the Government.

Nonetheless, the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) at Subpart 9.505-4(b) requires that whenever a Government contractor gains access to proprietary information of other companies in performing advisory and assistance services for the Government, the companies must agree to protect the information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished.

The FAR further requires that the contracting officer shall obtain copies of these agreements and ensure that they are properly executed.

mailto:Annemarie.Spence@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Marcus.Datcher@hq.dhs.gov

Accordingly, any submission in response to this RFI that is considered to be proprietary, and contains proprietary information must include a signed NDA with the following companies:

Contract Supervisor:

Jeanne Ralls Jeanne.Ralls@gryphontechnologies.com 603-591-3049 Agreements Specialist

Nancye Bates Nancye.E.Bates@saic.com 703-984-5121 Contracts Principal

The Government does not dictate the form or content of the NDA; that is a business decision between the companies. However, a sample NDA is included as an Attachment (Attachment 2). Use of the sample agreement, or one substantially similar to the sample, will expedite signature. It is important for all respondents to understand that without signed NDAs with all above-named contractors, your RFI submission cannot be reviewed. It is the vendor’s responsibility to provide these signed NDAs in order to be responsive to this RFI. The companies named above are under no obligation or compunction to agree to other more onerous company-provided NDAs, and potential quoters/offerors that submit onerous NDAs for signature assume the risk that the above-named companies will not agree to such terms.

IMPORTANT NOTE: If your response to this RFI does not contain proprietary information, and is not marked as such, there is no requirement for a Non-Disclosure Agreement.

mailto:Jeanne.Ralls@gryphontechnologies.com mailto:Nancye.E.Bates@saic.com

58 – Request for Information - Personal Radiation Detector (STC PRDs)