AEC Recompete 2025 RFI.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, which, as part of market research, is being issued in accordance with (IAW) Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) subpart 15.201(e). This is not a solicitation/request for proposal and no contract shall be awarded from this synopsis. There is no solicitation package available at this time. All interested parties are to send company and/or descriptive literature along with responses to the following questions and any comments/questions to the following point of contact (POC): Whitney Trent, United States (U.S.) Army Contracting Command (ACC) – Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (ACC-APG), email: whitney.j.trent.civ@army.mil. All responses are due no later than 12:00 PM Eastern time 12 Mar 2024. All questions and comments must be in writing; no telephone calls will be accepted. The Government will not pay for any information received in response to this request, nor will the Government compensate any respondent for any costs incurred in developing the information provided to the Government.

Purpose: RFI - The Army issued seven (7) Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee (CPFF) and Firm-Fixed- Price (FFP) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) Multiple Award Contracts (MAC) in May 2020 with a total value of $249M to provide engineering and test support services to support the mission of the U.S. Army Evaluation Center (AEC). AEC is a subordinate activity of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC). AEC conducts independent evaluations and assessments of operational effectiveness, operational suitability, survivability, and safety of all Army systems and Joint weapon systems where the Army is the Department of Defense (DOD) executive agent.

Evaluations are based upon adequate, efficient, and well-planned developmental, integrated, and operational testing designed in collaboration with cross functional system test teams, leveraging all available sources. The MAC ordering period will end in May 2025. The responses received from this RFI will assist in developing an acquisition strategy. ACC-APG is seeking to identify business sources that may be capable of providing the required support to AEC.

Business Size Standard: The North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS) code is 541330, exception Military and Aerospace Equipment and Military Weapons, size standard is $47M.

Industry Day: This acquisition will have its own industry day, projected to be held in June 2024. Government representatives will be available to discuss this opportunity at that time.

Estimated Dollar Value: $200M - $249M

Estimated Period of Performance: April 2025 – March 2030

Contract Type: The Army is considering using a multiple award ID/IQ that includes the use of multiple contract types. The types under consideration are FFP and CPFF.

Major Support Services: Provide engineering and test support services for test and evaluation (T&E) including, but not limited to: assistance in evaluation and analysis planning and methodology; assistance in preparation and review of T&E documentation;

data reduction and analysis support on-site during testing and post-test; assistance in preparing input to draft system assessment and evaluation documents; and assistance in planning and executing training and professional development of T&E evaluation and analysis competencies. Contractors must be familiar with the system specific acquisition documentation, evaluation requirements, and DOD, Army and ATEC regulations, pamphlets, instructions, and guidance. Continuous evaluation support will be requested in the following commodity areas: Missile Defense System of Systems; Aviation-Fires;

Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber (C5); Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR); Soldier Systems; Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear (CBRN) Defense Systems; Integrated Suitability and Readiness; and Integrated Survivability.

Performance Requirements include, but are not limited to, the following functional areas:

1. T&E Planning Support to include, but not be limited, to:

a. Support the development and refinement of test requirements documents

b. Support the development and preparation of planning documents

c. Propose and implement approved test methodologies

d. Propose survey and/or interview questions to effectively capture data for evaluations

e. Knowledge of threats and mission scenarios

f. Propose new approaches to evaluation, modeling, simulation, instrumentation, and other areas

g. Support Design of Experiments activities

h. Support reliability growth planning

i. Support Instrumentation certification planning

j. Participate in early involvement activities for future programs

k. Support cybersecurity evaluation planning

l. Support evaluation planning for emerging technologies

m. Provide meeting support for T&E planning

n. Provide technical editing for T&E planning documents and products

2. T&E Execution Support to include, but not limited, to:

a. Participate in T&E events to include coordination of participation; documentation of accomplishments, activities, observations, and due-outs; and preparation of after action reports and lessons learned

b. Observe, monitor, and collect data onsite at test events

c. Trace functional and operational performance data during test events

d. Execute surveys and/or interviews for data collection

e. Support evaluation, analytical, and verification for tests, evaluations, and special projects

f. Participate in assessments of suitability, performance, effectiveness, reliability, maintainability, logistics support, safety, survivability, human systems integration, and integrated logistics

g. Participate in Combatant Commanders’ exercises for cybersecurity and interoperability assessments

h. Support execution of instrumentation certification events

i. Support execution of modeling, simulation, and stimulation activities

j. Support logistics demonstrations and technical manual reviews

k. Support safety events and demonstrations

l. Support verification, validation, and accreditation activities

m. Support live fire T&E events

n. Provide meeting support for T&E execution

3. T&E Reporting Support to include, but not limited to:

a. Support development and preparation of T&E evaluation and assessment reports

b. Support development and preparation of modeling, simulation, and stimulation reports

c. Support development and preparation of survivability and lethality evaluations

d. Support development, preparation, and distribution of Safety Releases for system tests and training involving Soldiers

e. Support development, preparation, and distribution of Safety Confirmations for milestone decisions

f. Provide updates to safety and test policies, procedures, and guidance

g. Provide meeting support for T&E evaluations and assessments

h. Provide technical editing for T&E assessment and evaluation reports

4.Data and Database Management support to include, but not be limited to:

a. Assist in the identification of data requirements for tests and assessments

b. Establish tools to store, search, and retrieve data for system evaluations

c. Establish database repositories to archive, store, and retrieve T&E documents

d. Interface and/or coordinate with organizations to receive data for tests and evaluations

e. Assist in data authentication and reduction efforts

f. Conduct data entry

g. Conduct data analysis

h. Prepare data visualization and displays

i. Provide data sciences services

j. Support computer programming for T&E

k. Conduct statistical analysis of available test data

5. Training and Professional Development Support to include, but not limited to:

a. Assist in the development and preparation of training plans and instruction materials

b. Instruct and/or facilitate instruction during the execution of training events

c. Provide meeting support for training and professional development

6. Progress and Labor Reporting, to include providing monthly progress reports and a monthly invoice, and reporting labor hours to the COR bi-weekly.

RFI: Responses to this RFI shall be no more than 10 pages in length and include responses to the following subject areas:

1. POC Information:

Company:

CAGE Code:

Unique Entity Identifier (UEI):

Address:

POC:

Phone Number:

Email Address:

2. Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI): AEC is the Army’s operational test and evaluation activity that performs operational and developmental assessment testing of a wide range of systems developed across DOD. As such, compliance with FAR Subpart

9.5 is a concern to ensure no entity operationally tests and assesses a system they have developed under another government contract. Please respond to the following OCI concerns:

a. Describe the process used to complete an enterprise review across all business and affiliates to identify any governmental developmental work performed as either a prime or subcontractor.

b. This acquisition will evaluate and assess systems as prescribed by FAR Subpart 9.505-3. To assure compliance with this FAR requirement the Army intends to identify and analyze potential OCI as prescribed by FAR 9.504(a)(1)(2). Describe what information the Army should provide to assist industry in identifying governmental development work.

3. Please identify your company’s size standard per the primary NAICS code of 541330. The Small Business Size Standard for this NAICS code is $47M.

Large Business:

Small Business (SB):

8(a):

Small Disadvantaged Business (DB):

Woman-Owned Small Business:

Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone):

Veteran-Owned Small Business:

Service-Disable Veteran-Owned Small Business:

4. If you identified your company as a small business or any of the SB subcategories as stipulated above, then would your company likely submit a proposal as a prime contractor?

5. If your company is a small business, is your company capable of performing at least 50% (percent) of the work? If so, please explain how your company will perform the work.

6. Small businesses, provide rationale to support setting this entire acquisition aside to small business.

7. Large businesses, provide a list of the basic service areas that are appropriate to subcontract with small businesses.

8. Large businesses, provide a percentage of work that is appropriate for small business subcontracting. Additionally, explain why the percentage is realistic and achievable.

9. Does your company possess the capabilities to provide the entire range of services for every functional area discussed in this RFI? If NO, please provide specific areas that you intend to provide?

10. Does your company possess the capabilities to support every commodity area? If NO, is your company planning on business arrangements with other companies? If so, please list the process used in selecting the members.

11. Please provide details regarding proposed joint ventures, teaming arrangements, strategic alliances, or other business arrangements to satisfy the requirements above.

Offerors are encouraged to identify teams, indicating each team member's size based upon the NAICS code of the work that the team member may be doing.

12. Please provide the following information for up to 3 examples of similar work that your company has performed:

a. Contract number(s).

b. Aggregate dollar value of entire contract.

c. Aggregate dollar value of task orders you were a prime on.

d. How was this work similar in scope?

13. Does your company have or is it capable of obtaining a TOP SECRET facility clearance?

14. Is your company able to provide employees who are US citizens and capable of obtaining at least a SECRET clearance with possible requirements for TS/ Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) clearance?

15. Does your company possess or is it capable of obtaining an approved Defense Contract Audit Agency accounting system prior to contract award?

16. Please provide additional information that you believe we should know about your company in support of this RFI.

17. As experts in your field, please provide additional comments to assist the government in this fact finding.