AFN Radio_RFI_Sources Sought_FA2541-25-011_Signed.pdf

The Government is seeking industry feedback, recommendations, and best practices during the market intelligence phase of this effort. Please DO NOT provide generic capability statements; they will be deleted. The Government is seeking well defined responses with supporting documentation to assist with developing the acquisition strategy. All responses must be submitted via email to the contacts identified below. This is for informational purposes only and the Government will not be obligated to award to any interested vendors that present information in response to this RFI/ Sources Sought. The Government does not intend to pay for information received in response to this RFI. Responders to this invitation are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this RFI. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received in this RFI that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly.

***All information provided is optional; however, it will be used to assist the Government in determining its acquisition strategy***

Title: AFN-Europe (de-scope) Current Contract: HC1013-23-C-0002 / SBS0037 Current Contractor Intelsat Prior Acquisition Strategy Single Award LPTA

Description(s):

The Defense Media Activity (DMA) requires solutions for sustaining connectivity to remote, isolated American Forces Network (AFN) FM transmitter sites in Europe. The current distribution method, relying on AFN’s Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite service, will be discontinued in March 2026. This RFI aims to gather information on commercially available technologies and services capable of delivering AFN stereo audio programming ("The Eagle" service) to these sites.

Sought After Qualification’s for Possible Upcoming Requirement:

Performance Requirements:

- The solution must provide the capability to deliver AFN stereo audio to remote, isolated FM transmitter sites (see table 1 below) in Europe, replacing the functionality lost due to discontinuation of DTH satellite service.

- The service must have at least a 99.9% annual uptime.

- Current solution is a TVRO to a Ku antenna and a DVB-S2 receiver. Any solution that cannot use this hardware will need to include replacement hardware in the proposed solution.

- Potential Anticipated (non-exclusive) Solution Types:

i. Internet Solution An internet solution would require 1 audio stream at 256kbps.

-OR-

ii. TVRO solution A TVRO solution would require 5 audio channels at 128kbps.

1. Would you recommend satellite internet for this solution, a replacement TVRO solution, or another solution?

Please explain your reasoning for this decision.

2. Do you have any recommendations for improving the efficiency or effectiveness of AFN's audio distribution

AFN Europe Radio Request for Information/Sources Sought

Sources Sought ID# FA2541-25-011

United States Space Force Space Systems Command Commercial Service Office network?

3. How does your solution address the challenges associated with varied geographic locations (see table 1 below) and potentially challenging terrain?

4. What is the maximum permissible distance between indoor and outdoor devices that the solution may require?

5. How does your solution handle potential interference from other radio frequency (RF) sources?

6. Does your solution require any specific site preparation or infrastructure modifications?

7. Please provide a detailed description of your proposed solution, including all necessary hardware, software, any redundancy features (e.g., automatic failover, backup power), and services. Please specify the number of concurrent audio streams your proposed system can reliably support.

8. Please provide a description of your solution's scalability and ability to accommodate future growth or changes in requirements.

9. Please provide an itemized cost estimate for your proposed solution, including hardware, software, installation, training, and ongoing maintenance. Please include pricing options for different service levels or contract durations, and any information on potential cost savings of efficiencies associated with your solution.

# LOCATION AFFILIATE Physical Address Lat/Long

1 ANSBACH/KATTERBACH

(USAG ANSBACH)

AFN BAVARIA Bismarck Kaserne Katterbach, BLDG 5190, 91522 Katterbach

49°18'42.9"N, 10°38'00.9"E

2 GARMISCH (USAG BAVARIA) AFN BAVARIA Artillerie Kaserne, Breitenau, BLDG 700, 82467 Garmisch Partenkirchen

47°28'57.0"N, 11°03'19.8"E

3 HOHENFELS (USAG BAVARIA) AFN BAVARIA Training Area Hohenfels, BLDG 399, 92366 Hohenfels

49°13'44.0"N, 11°50'43.1"E

4 ILLESHEIM (USAG ANSBACH) AFN BAVARIA Storck Barracks, BLDG 5810, 91471 Illesheim 49°28'47.7"N, 10°23'10.5"E

5 BRUNSSUM AFN BENELUX Rimburgerweg 30, 6445 PA Brunssum, Netherlands

50°56'25.0"N, 5°59'11.3"E

6 BRUSSELS/EVERBURG AFN BENELUX Hollestraat 14 3078 Kortenberg, Belgium 50°52'10.3"N, 4°34'41.4"E

7 CHIEVRES AFN BENELUX Grand'Rue 75, 7950 Chièvres, Belgien 50°35'26.5"N, 3°48'55.9"E

8 KLEINE BROGEL AFN BENELUX Steenweg op Kleine Brogel 36 3990 Bocholt Belgium

51°10'46.0"N, 5°28'28.0"E

9 SHAPE AFN BENELUX Shape, Rue Grande, 7010 Mons, Belgium 50°30'00.2"N, 3°58'18.7"E

10 VOLKEL/ZEELAND AFN BENELUX Nieuwveldsestraat 2 5411 NZ Zeeland Netherlands

51°41'01.4"N, 5°40'41.6"E

11 SOUDA BAY, CRETE AFN Souda Bay Τοπική Κοινότητα Χωρδακίου, Akrotiri 731 00, Greece

35°34'45.6"N, 24°08'52.6"E

12 VICENZA AFN Vicenza QGXW+7VV Lusiana Conco, Province of Vicenza, Italy

45°47'53.7"N, 11°32'49.8"E

Table 1 Requested Information:

In addition to providing a tailored capability statement indication the ability to provide the above services, interested vendors are asked to submit the following information:

A. Vendor Information Requested

a. Name of Business

b. Cage Code

c. Business Type SB/Large

d. POC: Name/Phone number/email

B. If your company is currently awarded an appropriate GSA Schedule for this acquisition, please provide contract information to include Schedule #, NAICS and relevant CLINs. Additionally, if you have a GSA schedule but would require your schedule to be modified to meet this requirement, please identify what those would be. If there are other contract vehicles that should be considered, please provide recommendations.

C. If company is a small business, please describe ability to meet the requirements outlined in 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting.

All responses shall be submitted NLT 27 Jun 2025 by 1700 EST. Please submit your response to the following individual:

John Seacrist, Contracting Officer; Email: john.seacrist@spaceforce.mil

Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the contacts above. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Answers to questions will be posted to SAM.gov. The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 13 Jun 2025 will be answered.

Response Guidelines:

Interested vendors are requested to respond to this RFI with a white paper. Submissions cannot exceed 20 pages, single spaced, 12-point type with at least one-inch margins on 8 1/2” X 11” page size. The response should not exceed a 5 MB e-mail limit for all items associated with the RFI response. Responses must specifically describe the contractor’s capability to meet the requirements outlined in this RFI. Oral communications are not permissible. SAM.gov will be the repository for all information related to this RFI.

Upon conclusion of market research efforts, the Government anticipates releasing a formal solicitation for this effort.

Should you have any questions please reach out to the individuals above.

JOHN SEACRIST

Contracting Officer

SSC/CMK

Commercial Space Office (COMSO) mailto:john.seacrist@spaceforce.mil