SPEAD Call 005 - BAA FA8650-17-S-6001 - QandA as of 11 EST 5-22.docx

BAA FA8650-17-S-6001 Call 0005 SPEAD Questions and Answers PLEASE NOTE: The team is still working to compile additional questions and answers that were received after 11:00 AM EST on 22 May 2020. Check back for additional answers.

Q: How can I receive an FOUO copy of the SOW?

A: Please send requests for the FOUO SOW to AFRL.SDPE.skyborg@us.af.mil and copy nicole.johnson.44@us.af.mil and tara.peterson.3@us.af.mil in the email to ensure that the team has received the request. Please attach a DD 2345 to expedite the process.

Q: I would like to contact someone from the Skyborg System Design Agent program with some questions. Can you tell me who I can speak with?

A: Please submit questions in writing to nicole.johnson.44@us.af.mil and tara.peterson.3@us.af.mil. Questions will be addressed via Q&A updates to all potential offerors.

Q: Do Contractors have to submit an intent to bid?

A: Yes, 7 days prior to submission date, send an email to AFRL.SDPE.skyborg@us.af.mil.

Q: Please explain what Single Point of Entry means.

A: AFLCMC/WA will only award an ID/IQ contract to a single location (CAGE code) for a company. If your company is selected for award, all AFLCMC/WA interactions (contract, security, etc.) will take place through the single point of entry (primary CAGE code identified in proposal) regardless of where actual performance of the effort takes place. If a company has multiple divisions/locations/etc. interested in performing the work included in this solicitation, AFLCMC/WA expects those divisions to coordinate a single proposal to be submitted by the location identified as the single point of entry. The proposal should also include all locations (and their CAGE codes) that may perform work under the ID/IQ for incorporation into the DD254. If AFLCMC/WA receives an intent to bid from multiple divisions/locations/etc. of the same company, the divisions will be informed of the duplication and will be expected to submit only one proposal. The need for multiple divisions/locations/etc. to coordinate their responses into one proposal will not be accepted as a reason to extend the proposal due date.

Q: Is this IDIQ a way to establish a Skyborg Consortium or other such collection of partners? This looks almost like the original Skyborg plan (before the SDA) so we are trying to figure out how this BAA fits into the overall Skyborg strategy. It would make sense for this to be OEM (aircraft manufacturer) focused but the verbiage indicates that anyone with potential Skyborg content should respond. Are you looking for a particular niche of capabilities or are you casting a wide net to see what is out there?

A: The purpose of the Basic ID/IQ is to accomplish the following:

1. Conduct research to develop, demonstrate, integrate and transition air vehicle, payload and autonomy technologies and systems that will provide affordable, revolutionary capabilities to the warfighter through the Skyborg program; and

1. Develop a family of attritable platforms while inducing competition and driving industry to continue development of technology to support future capabilities and defeat threats.

This is the first step in an accelerated prototyping and experimentation schedule. Follow-on solicitations in the form of Fair Opportunity Proposal Requests (FOPRs) are expected to be issued on an aggressive timeline following this basic award. The first FOPR will be for procurement of vehicles for experimentation.

Q: What guidance can the Air Force provide for size, weight, power, and cooling for the Skyborg core and the mission systems?

A: The specific size, weight, power, and cooling details for the Skyborg core autonomy mission system have not been finalized. The majority of the system will be software-based and integrate with the sensors onboard the host aircraft. Extensive collaboration between the Skyborg system-design agent and the participants in this IDIQ is expected. Because follow-on delivery orders are expected to be aggressively time-constrained, proposers should provide their best estimate of the SWAP available for use in their proposed aircraft. Proposers should be able to provide aircraft systems and payloads that an autonomous mission system can use to integrate and team with manned aircraft within an operational environment.

Q: Is the intent of the Air Force to develop mission systems and payloads as a part of this IDIQ given the stated program intention of separately developing missions systems and payloads as part of the SDA?

A: Ideal proposals will showcase the proposer’s demonstrated capability in aircraft design and manufacturing, as well as the ability to provide the open interfaces necessary to rapidly integrate third-party payloads for missionized operational relevancy. Capability and mastery of only component development will not be considered sufficient. The immediate intent is to procure unmanned aircraft for experimentation that can host a physically and logically separated autonomous mission system (AMS). Proposers should be able to provide aircraft systems and payloads that an autonomous mission system can use to integrate and team with manned aircraft within an operational environment. If proposers choose, they can propose and describe their own AMS that may be used as a temporary replacement until the Skyborg AMS is ready for integration. Specific requirements will be further defined in the individual delivery orders.

Q: Are there minimum requirements for the experimentation campaign the Government envisions with FOPR 1 IDIQ flexible? Is the Government willing to discuss threshold requirements for experimentation capability of the aircraft the Government desires with FOPR 1?

A: The Government will plan to assess all future proposals based on required and desired objectives defined in specific delivery orders.

Q: The absence of an Air-to-Air mission in the Skyborg mission’s category listing is conspicuous. Is this because the USAF intends to procure this capability via a different approach than this IDIQ?

A: The list of Skyborg’s initial mission sets have been coordinated with Stakeholders and are provided to help proposers shape technical solutions. One of the primary missions identified in the IDIQ directly contributes to the Air-to-Air mission. Although Skyborg continues to leverage other efforts throughout the DoD, besides the SDA, this IDIQ is the only directly-contracted effort planned effort at this time.

Q: What is the relationship between this IDIQ and the ABMS attritableONE product line?

A: Skyborg and the attritableONE teams are closely coordinated for planning and collaboration purposes.

Q: What is the expected timeframe for the standup of the SDA?

A: The SDA is on contract as of 18 May 2020.

Q: What is the expected timeframe for the completion of the associate contractor agreements?

A: As soon as possible after award of specific delivery orders to meet Skyborg program objectives. ACAs are delivery order specific, no ACAs are required for this initial call.

Q: What is the Air Force target cost for a Skyborg system (APUC/Fly Away)?

A: APUC/Fly-away cost will be one of the variables that are assessed as part of an overall combat capability along with other performance, payload, and survivability parameters that are highly dependent on the mission and the level of acceptable risk. However, the host-vehicle must be able to support a business-case analysis for sustained-attritable combat mass. Additional information will be provided as part of subsequent Delivery Order calls.

Q: What contract type is envisioned from the IDIQ?

A: The type of contract will depend on the individual delivery order. This initial call is FFP. Subsequent delivery orders are anticipated to be a mixture of contracts as appropriate.

Q: Does the Government envision all Skyborg aircraft to have air refueling capability?

A: Air refueling capability is not a requirement at this time but may be considered as part of overall combat capability.

Q: Given the SOW comments on adaptive basing and agile deployability concepts, is it the desire of the Government that all Skyborg aircraft be able to operate independent of runways?

A: All methods of operation are desired, but operations away from traditional, large fixed runways are desirable.

Q: Can specific maturation areas be bid without address all three?

A: Proposers should describe the ability to address all three maturation areas, although it is understood that strengths in all areas will not be equal. The Government will determine selectability based on described capabilities across all three maturation areas.

Q: Are the subsequent calls going to be released on to the overall BAA or to this specific IDIQ?

A: Subsequent delivery orders are planned under this IDIQ.

Q: The BAA lists three maturation concepts one of which is autonomous mission systems. However, the SOW states “These aircraft may include some organic autonomous functionality, but must be designed to eventually accept the Skyborg core.” What autonomy work is being done under the SPEAD contract if the SDA is delivering the Skyborg Core?

A: Skyborg aims to produce a reusable, transferable core autonomy capability under the SDA contract. It is anticipated that some integration work will be necessary to host the autonomous missions system on host aircraft as well as prototyping of additional, mission-specific and vehicle-specific autonomy capabilities. This IDIQ may include future FOPRs to include integration and prototyping activities to host autonomy on the aircraft.

Q: If an aircraft platform is not proposed, does that mean we cannot compete on the autonomous mission systems and payloads?

A: Proposers should show the ability to produce or procure attritable aircraft that meet cost and schedule objectives prescribed in future FOPRs. If there is no ability to provide prototype or experimentation aircraft, then the proposal will likely not be selectable by the government for this IDIQ.

Q: From the SOW: “The intent of Skyborg is to integrate an autonomy mission system core and suite of services (developed under a separate Skyborg System Design Agent (SDA) program…)” Does this mean the autonomy mission system core and the suite of services are developed under the SDA or just the suite of services?

A: The autonomous mission system core and a suite of autonomy services will be developed by the SDA.

Q: Will SDA calls be released on beta.SAM?

A: The SDA contract was awarded on 18 May 2020. It was released under the STAT BAA as call 004.

Q: Please confirm that the performance specification requirements for the air vehicle/platform are outlined in this document? (i.e. speed, endurance, altitude, maneuverability, payload capacity, and power) we have a number of platform options at various TRL’s and we want to ensure that what we submit in our technical response to Call 005 aligns with the performance requirements.

A: The FOUO document relays program intent and potential missions. Skyborg envisions a range of potential air platforms to meet these missions. Call 005 establishes a pool of potential offerors for subsequent FOPRs for experimentation for the described missions based on proposed technical solutions. Performance specifications are not part of this initial call.

Q: Page 1 of BAA Call 005 describes future ID/IQ on-ramping. Must a contractor submit a proposal under this Call in order to be considered for later on-ramping to the ID/IQ through the BAA open periods?

A: No, you can be on-ramped later.

Q: Section I.1 (page 3) of BAA Call 005 states:

The purpose of the Basic ID/IQ is to accomplish the following:

a. Conduct research to develop, demonstrate, integrate and transition air vehicle, payload and autonomy technologies and systems that will provide affordable, revolutionary capabilities to the warfighter through the Skyborg program; and

b. Develop a family of attritable platforms while inducing competition and driving industry to continue development of technology to support future capabilities and defeat threats.

Is it appropriate that one can submit in response to this Call if interested in solely providing payload and autonomy technologies and systems … and not air vehicles?

A: Inclusion in the IDIQ will be based on ability to perform the entire SOW.

Q: Section I.1 (page 4) of BAA Call 005 states “Subsequent Calls may be released to develop sensors/mission systems based on mission requirements…”. Should “Calls” be replaced with “FOPRs” in this sentence?

A: No, additional calls may be released off the STAT BAA. FOPRs will be released to the SPEAD MAC IDIQ members once selected.

Q: Section III.1 (page 6) of BAA Call 005 states “Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of the Call.” Does the same guidance apply to large businesses?

A: This is an error, businesses of all sizes must propose to all parts of the SOW.

Q: Section IV of BAA Call 005, “Proposal and Submission Information”, Subsection 2., “Proposal Instructions”/ “Cost/Business Proposal”, item d., states: “Subcontracting Plans: For efforts to exceed $700,000, Subcontracting Plans shall be submitted in the cost/business proposal”. As the current “Cost/Business Proposal” is simply intended to represent a bid-price for the “Kick-Off Meeting” effort, do we assume correctly that a Subcontract Plan would only become applicable (at the $700K+ threshold) for future cost proposal(s) submitted in response to FOPRs? Also, is there an estimated date by which a model IDIQ-Contract will be released via addendum to the Call?

A: You must submit a subcontracting plan with the ID/IQ that accounts for the $400M. We hope to release a model contract in the next week to 10 days.