OBAA TS 8 70RWMD21R00000002 Questions and Answers Pitch Papers.pdf

Questions and Answers for CWMD OBAA Topic Solicitation No. 8: 70RWMD21R00000002 Pitch Papers

Question

Reference Offeror Question Government Response

1 General Is the Combined synopsis/Solicitation 70RWMD21R00000002 a follow-on requirement to any work performed currently or in the past, or will this be a new requirement?

Topic Solicitation Number 70RWMD21R00000002 is for a new requirement.

2 General We have technical capabilities in this area and would like to participate. Is it too late for our firm to be in the list of proposal participants?

Topic Solicitation Number 70RWMD21R00000002 is open for submission of pitch papers from Offerors who can provide the technical capabilities requested.

The pitch paper submission deadline is December 7th, 2020 at 3

P.M. EST.

3 Attachment 2, Section 8 The paragraph states that Phase I CLINS are expected to be Firm Fixed Price; would you consider Cost Plus Fixed Fee terms?

Budget constraints prevent the Government from accepting such terms in Phase I of the contract.

4 General Is there an intent for DHS or its organizations to procure robots at the end of this contract? If so, what are the anticipated procurement numbers?

This is a contract of a pilot program only, with only one or two prototypes to be procured.

Any future DHS acquisition programs have not been finalized to such detail.

5 Attachment 1, Page 14 How many systems will be procured for the Phase 1, Stage 2? And does your plan allow for delays and challenges during field trials with the prototype?

There is anticipated a single system procurement with current funding. The Government also anticipates having to have field maintenance of this single prototype which is why such services are requested for Phase I, Stage 3 of the proposal.

6 Attachment 1 How many robots are to be deployed in the training phase?

Can the Offeror supply additional units to supplement training?

The Government has anticipated purchasing a single unit for this program. The Offeror may supply an additional familiarization unit(s), that would remain the Offeror's property, to assist in familiarization. Additionally, simulators, or other Offeror hardware for training, may be allowed upon agreement with the Government.

7 Attachment 1, Page 9, Task 5

What is defined as a consumable?

The Government has found that some UGV vendors label components that can be easily broken and replaced in the field as 'consumables' and supply them in ‘consumable kits.’ However, this should also include any parts for the sensors or ground vehicle that need to be regularly replaced to maintain operation such as filters.

8 Attachment 6 How should consumables be priced in the contract?

As was illustrated in Attachment 6 of the Topic Solicitation, spare parts and consumables were intended to be priced out as a Firm Fixed Price under CLIN 0003 to allow for replacement of these items due to operational damage, or other unanticipated issues during the contract. Note that these are to be additional to a single 'consumables kit' to be provided with the finalized unit under CLIN 0002, Task 7.

If referring to the pricing of a kit versus pricing individual consumables, a price for both would be preferred by the Government where kit consumables are noted in the Offeror provided pricing sheet.

9 Attachment 1 How many Government personnel are expected to be trained?

The Government anticipates at a maximum 30 individuals to be familiarized with the system at a single event; but expects 8 to 15 individuals at any of the familiarization events.

10 Attachment 1 Does the offeror have expectations set for the number of Offeror personnel supporting each event?

The Government does not have a limit on the number of Offeror personnel who can support at the familiarization event.

11 Attachment 1 How many familiarization events will be held?

From 1 to three familiarization events may be held; depending on delivery dates of equipment and other events occurring within

DHS.

12 Attachment 1 How long with the familiarization events be held?

Per the Topic Solicitation, the Government is scheduling for one week, or 5 workdays, for familiarization events.

13 Attachment 1 Do the individual trainings need to be conducted with all 30 people at one time or can training be conducted with smaller groups over a period of time?

The Offeror will be able to organize the actual familiarization sessions as they see fit. However, it must be organized to complete the familiarization of up to 30 individuals over a one-week period.

14 Attachment 1 With the exception of training and onsite repairs, is there any additional requirement for personnel to be at the testing sites?

The Government would expect that the Offeror would be present for the acceptance trials of the delivered units found in Stage 3, Event 1 as noted in the Topic Solicitation.

15 Attachment 1 What events would the Offerors be able to observe?

Offerors, upon agreement of the PM and meeting facility restrictions, will be able to attend:

Event 1-Acceptance Testing and Check Out Familiarization Events, and likely part of Event 5.

Other field events (2 through 4) will be DHS personnel only.

16 General What is the standard for communication back to the DHS field components?

DHS currently does not have a standard communication protocol for all DHS UGVs at this time.

The Government would prefer to utilize a DoD communication standard; if available from the Offeror.

17 Attachment 3, R-20

How many field groups are expected to have data streamed to simultaneously?

At a minimum the operator should have access to all data and controls linked to the UGV. The ability to maintain communications with multiple groups in the field should be noted in the proposal.

18 Attachment 3, R-20

How many system components are expected to be streamed simultaneously?

All attached sensors and robotic components should be transmitting and receiving data between the ground vehicle and operator.

19 Attachment 1, Page 3 What are the requirements for mounting sensors on the robotic platform?

Per Attachment 4, Item S-2 all sensors should be attached/de-attached by the operator using common tool(s), or no tools at all.

No further guidance is given due to various methods used by various UGV suppliers at the moment.

20 Attachment 1, Page 3 Should the system allow for supporting of dropped sensors?

Capability to drop (deploy) additional sensors with wireless communications and support is not a capability noted in Attachment 3 but should be noted in the proposal if available and would support meeting Topic Solicitation goals.

21 General In terms of sensor capabilities, in what priority should sensors be integrated? (e.g., 1. gas detection,

2. chemical detection, 3. rad/nuc detection)

For this program, the goal should be to have the requested and priced sensors integrated by the end of the integration period.

22 General What is the required target standoff distance from the sensor to the target?

This is dependent on the type of sensor and the situation and has not been defined by the Government for this pilot;

however, the standoff distance should be noted in the proposal to the Government.

23 Attachment 1, Page 3 Are the GSE preferred sensors preferred over non-GSE sensors?

GSE versus non-GSE sensors will be based on the best value for the Government in terms of capability achieved versus cost.

24 Attachment 3, R-9 Are there weight and size dimensions the Government would like to meet with the robotic unit?

The Government understands that the capabilities of carrying and manipulation of materials is balanced against the ability of the robotic unit to enter constricted spaces for scouting missions.

Therefore, the Government has not required specific weight and size dimensions at this time versus other capabilities that need to be achieved.

25 Attachment 3, R-15 Does the robot have to be able to climb furniture? if so, can you specify generic dimensions for the furniture

The robotic unit is anticipated for use in both law enforcement and disaster response situations.

Therefore, the ability to maneuver around, or over obstacles, such as common household and office furniture (that may be in place or displaced) should be noted in the proposal.

26 Attachment 3, R-28 Why does the manipulator need to be detachable and is it just to open and maneuver items?

Per Attachment 3, the criteria of the manipulator include: To manipulate doors, push objects, carry objects, pick up objects, leave objects and similar tasks. It is desired for the manipulator to be detachable, but the not all criteria maybe met by the best overall proposal.

27 Attachment 3 Does the detachment of the manipulator have to be

The only criteria for the manipulator attachment/ detachment are noted to utilize conducted while the robot is turned on?

only basic tools in the field and be 'plug and play' when doing so without the need to have the operator 'reprogram' the unit.

28 Attachment 3, SC-4.4

Is any portion of the robot allowed to be exposed?

Because the ability to minimize the exposure of any ground vehicle is dependent on location and objects available there, the Government cannot define the amount of the robot to be exposed. The goal in such a situation would be to attempt to minimize the exposure of the ground vehicle to prevent it from being noticed and possibly targeted.

29 Attachment 1, Page 9 – Task 4

Is it up to the offeror to determine the manner of delivery for the software updates?

The manner of providing software updates will have to be negotiated with the Government due to DHS security restrictions.

30 Attachment 3, S-3 Is data extraction (download) from the handheld control panel a requirement?

Being able to download data from a component other than the ground unit allows for operational flexibility.

31 Attachment 3, S-4 May offeror use a separate device (tablet, laptop, phone, etc.) to view and process sensor data?

Sensor data should be provided to the operator via a handheld controller per Attachment 3.

However, processing of data may occur on a different component(s) available to the operator such as the base station noted in the nominal system design.

32 Attachment 3, S-4 Per criteria S-4 what is the required relationship between the ATAK and the handheld controller?

The goal of criteria S-4 is for situational awareness to be provided to the operator; who will be primarily using the handheld controller.

33 Attachment 3, R-18

Per criteria R-18 if interference is unavoidable will DHS allow for "on the fly" frequency adjustments?

Any method which maintains communications without serious operator intervention, or guidance, should be included in the proposal.

However, the interference noted in R-18 is typically through induced internal signals and electrical gradients; caused within the robotic device by near antenna electromagnetic effects on unshielded electronics and wires.

34 Attachment 3, R-24

Must handheld controller have wireless communication to the base station or may it

If a base station is used, then a tether of 30 meters would be acceptable to meet the threshold of this criteria.

the handheld controller be tethered?

35 Attachment 3, R-25

Is there a preferred method for this type of communication?

Meaning do they want to it via cellular network, satellite, etc.?

R-25 specifically does not define the mode of communication; only the need to have a wireless mode such as cellular, satellite etc.

36 General Utilizing existing MFK sensors could shorten the development time and decrease the costs associated with sensor integration. Does DHS intend to leverage existing MFK integrations?

The Offeror can utilize whatever existing, modular architecture they judge will meet the Governments requirements to integrate the sensors. However, the sensors integrated do need to meet the base requirements set forth in Attachment 3 of the Topic Proposal. This might require integration of the sensor into an existing architecture, or framework, such as MFK.

37 Attachment 3, R-40

Does this mean that the components would not create an electrical shock on the external shell of the robot?

The requirement is for an individual touching the robot should not receive an electrical shock.

38 General What are the thermal, electrical, and eye safety standards DHS applies to UGVs?

The Offerors are encouraged to note what safety standards their proposed system meets; as DHS current safety criteria varies depending on the situation the UGV is involved in.

39 General Are research and development activities limited to U.S.-based teams?

No, US only teams are not a requirement for this procurement.

However, in supporting events, maintenance and similar, Offerors will require access at US Government facilities where foreign national access require long lead times or be further restricted.

40 General Does DHS have a standard for encryption?

The standard for DHS encryption is typically 256 bit such as AES 256 but varies depending on mission space.

41 Attachment 3, S-C4.1

Are Cameras classified as an optical sensor for DHS purposes?

Cameras are classified as optical sensors for this criterion.

42 Attachment 3, S-C4.1

Is the 360-degree requirement needed at all times, or can a camera be used that can view regions to accomplish the 360-degree requirement?

The request was for providing 360 view area, how this is provided is per the Offeror's own ideas.

43 Attachment 3, S-C4.2

Does the zoom of criteria C4.2 have to be optical or can it be digital?

Digital zoom systems typically provide lower resolution under 'zoom' conditions than optical zooms making the ability to achieve criteria S-4.3 more difficult.

44 Attachment 7, Statement of Work, Section 3.3 and Section 3.4

Can the Government clarify if both the Principle Investigator\Technical Lead and the Project Manager described in SOW Section 4.1 are designated as Key Personnel?

As noted in section 3.3 of Attachment 7, Section 3.3 the key personnel are identified by the Government at the time of award.

Currently, the Government anticipates that the principle investigator/technical lead will be identified as key personnel. The project manager was not identified as key personnel in the draft SOW.

45 Attachment 1, Topic Solicitation, Page 21 and Page 23.

Can the Government clarify the tasks to be demonstrated in the Ground Vehicle Demonstration video requirements? There are two tasks listed in the Full Proposal requirements (Page 23) that are not listed under the Pitch Paper (Page 20-21). They are 1) “Traversing through 20 cm of water for two meters” and 2) “Grabbing and Removing an object from under a vehicle”

The two tasks noted in the Full Proposal, but not found in the Pitch Paper, were removed from the pitch paper portion to allow Offerors the ability to focus on the other demonstrations in a timely manner.

46 Attachment 3, Requirements Table

Is there a specific Ingress Protection (IP) rating requirement for the overall system and/or any subsystems or components?

As noted in Attachment 3, R-14, the system is required to survive decontamination after probing an area filled with hazardous chemicals. The actual IP rating to meet this should be defined by the Offeror, based on their own design work and provided in the criteria questionnaire Attachment 4. The Government has an objective of receiving a system with an IP rating of 68.

47 70RWMD21R0000000

2 Attachment 1, Attachment 6

For CLIN 0003, Is the Offeror required to price out a replacement UGV platform and/or the individual Sensor Integration Kits?

If the Offeror feels that the Government may require buying an additional ground vehicle and sensor integration kits to support the project, the Offeror may add them to the pricing sheet under

CLIN 0003.

48 70RWMD21R0000000

2 Attachment 1, Attachment 6

If the Offeror's proposed UGV platform is available within the Gov't inventory, can it be provided as GFE to the Offeror?

Per Attachment 1, section 12, Criteria I, Platform Capability that is similar or duplicative of efforts of ongoing programs within the

Government will not be selected, especially CBRN UGV systems.

49 Attachment 5

Is the offeror expected to price out the sensors listed in Attachment 5? If yes, are the prices listed current, and can they be used?

The Government plans on supplying the GFE equipment noted in Attachment 5; however, other equipment is noted, and pricing should be discussed with the firms providing that equipment.

50 Attachment 1 For Phase III, can offerors assume that the GFE components will be provided to the offeror as GFE if the offeror proposes those sensor components?

The Government can supply the GFE sensors noted in criteria S-C1 to S-C3 per agreement with the Government if Phase III is implemented. However, there is no GFE currently available to meet S-C4.