AN ARC 260 Antenna Coupler RFI.docx

Serco Business

Serco Business

Request for Information (RFI): AN/ARC-260 Antenna Coupler

1. Request for Information for Planning Purposes The United States Air Force (USAF), Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Combat Avionics Division, AFLCMC/WNX, Robins Air Force Base, GA, is conducting market research to identify potential sources that may possess the expertise and capabilities to competently respond to requirements in this RFI. Specifically, the Government is seeking information and solutions for an affordable modernization path for the development, test, and production of a new modernized wide-band replacement antenna coupler for the AN/ARC-260 High-Frequency (HF) radio.

THERE IS NO SOLICITATION AT THIS TIME. Contractors/institutions responding to this market research are placed on notice that participation in this survey may not ensure participation in future solicitations or contract awards. The Government will not reimburse participants for any expenses associated with their participation in this survey. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued.

FAR 52.215-3 -- RFI or Solicitation for Planning Purposes (Oct 1997)

(a) The Government does not intend to pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205-18, Bid and proposal costs, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation.

(b) Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this RFI, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal.

2. Program Description

The AN/ARC-260 is a software-defined HF radio scheduled to replace 2.5K+ AN/ARC-190 legacy radios on 14 DoD aircraft platforms across 1.3K aircraft. The AN/ARC-260 retains the legacy AN/ARC-190 Antenna Couplers (CU-2314/CU-2275) that are obsolete and facing Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages starting in 2027. There is one coupler per radio. To address this forecasted capability gap, a replacement antenna coupler must be developed/fielded to prevent negative aircraft availability impacts.

The AN/ARC-260 HF radio is nearing the end of development and will soon begin production. A modernized or replacement AN/ARC-260 antenna coupler shall be compatible with all fixed wing DoD aircraft scheduled to use the AN/ARC-260 HF radio. The below draft schedule at Figure 1 and attached draft AN/ARC-260 Antenna Coupler System Requirements Document at Attachment 1 is provided to better inform RFI responses.

Figure 1 - Draft Antenna Coupler Schedule

3. Instructions:

Contractors/institutions are requested to respond to the questions in the General and Capability Response sections below.

Both large and small businesses are encouraged to participate in this market research. The results of this assessment will provide the Government key information to develop the AN/ARC-260 Antenna Coupler acquisition and contract strategy. The Government will assess provided information to ascertain potential market capacity to:

1) Provide a common modernized AN/ARC-260 antenna coupler solution consistent with those described in this notice and otherwise anticipated.

2) Estimate potential acquisition program development and production costs and schedules.

Please provide a sufficient response to all questions below to allow the Government to appropriately assess your company’s capabilities.

4. General Response Information In your response, please provide the following general information for your company or institution and for any teaming partners:

· Company/Institute Name

· Address

· Point of Contact

· Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code

· Phone Number

· E-mail Address

· Web Page URL Size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code: NAICS 541330 (Engineering Services, Military & Aerospace Equipment/Military Weapons)

Based on the above NAICS Code, state whether your company is:

· Small Business

· Woman-owned Small Business

· Small Disadvantaged Business

· 8(a) Certified Small Business

· HUBZone Certified Small Business

· Veteran-owned Small Business

· Service Disabled Veteran-owned Small Business

· Is your company registered in System for Award Management (SAM)?

5. Capability Response Information Please provide the following information for your company and for any anticipated teaming partners. If a responding company is capable of some, but not all, of the requirements stated, please provide a response that explains the requirements for which you are capable.

1. Briefly describe the capabilities of your company and the nature of the goods and/or services you provide.

2. Describe your company’s plan for teaming and/or subcontracting this requirement.

3. Describe proposed technology options for replacement or development of the AN/ARC-260 Antenna Coupler by modifying an existing product or developing a new system.

4. Describe your company’s capabilities on previous projects (no more than a total of two examples) which are most technically relevant to developing, testing, and producing an aircraft communications system. For each project, provide information on the following:

• Project Name

• Brief description of communication system and work performed

• Contract number

• Contract Value

• Prime or subcontractor role

• Significant teammates (other contractors)

• Period of Performance (calendar dates); if on contract now, provide estimated duration

• Development of first units (# of months, cost of development)

• Production of all units (# of units, average # of units per year, production unit cost)

• Government organization supported

• Government POCs and contact info (Contracting Officer or Program Manager)

5. As applicable, describe your current HF antenna coupler system readiness via DoD Technology Readiness Level and Manufacturing Readiness Level standards.

6. Describe your company facilities for development and production up to 2.5K+ antenna couplers (location, capacity, size, etc.), and what facility clearance you have (Secret or Top Secret).

7. Discuss aircraft integration (e.g., Group A or B hardware, software, flight test), system challenges, performance enhancements/synergies associated with the AN/ARC-260 antenna coupler development.

8. Address potential solutions that incorporate non-proprietary interfaces and solutions in accordance with DoD or commercial open standards, including modular open systems architecture approach.

9. Provide top-level non-binding price and development/delivery schedule estimate that includes production unit cost for the antenna coupler.

BASED ON THE RESPONSES TO THIS MARKET RESEARCH, THIS REQUIREMENT MAY BE SET-ASIDE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES, PROCURED THROUGH FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION, AWARDED SOLE SOURCE TO ONE OR MORE SELECTED CONTRACTOR(S), OR NO AWARD MAY BE MADE. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding their submissions.

SPECIAL NOTICE: Respondent’s attention is directed to the fact that contractor consultants and advisors to the Government will review and provide support during review and evaluation of submittals. When appropriate, non-government advisors may be used to objectively review a particular functional area and provide comments and recommendations to the Government. All advisors shall comply with procurement integrity laws and shall sign Non-Disclosure and Rules of Conduct/Conflict of Interest statements. The Government shall take into consideration requirements for avoiding conflicts of interest and ensure advisors comply with safeguarding proprietary data. Submissions in response to this RFI constitute approval to release the submittal to necessary Government Support Contractors.

Direct and concise responses are preferred. Marketing material is considered an insufficient response to this RFI. Please limit responses to electronic submissions no more than ten (10) 8.5”x 11” pages, minimum 11 points Times New Roman font, using Word or PDF format. This includes all graphs and charts. A point of contact that can represent your company should be identified to answer further Government inquiries and provide explanations that might be needed about the information provided. Respondents should indicate which portions, if any, of their response are proprietary and should mark them accordingly.

Questions relative to this RFI should be addressed to the Contracting Officer, Mr. Todd Rissmiller (todd.rissmiller@us.af.mil) or the Program Manager, Samuel Burney (samuel.burney@us.af.mil).

Responses are due NLT 11:59 PM EDT 14 Jun 2024 and must be sent electronically via AMRDEC SAFE (https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/safe) or emailed direct to:

· Contracting Officer – Mr. Todd Rissmiller, todd.rissmiller@us.af.mil

· Contracting Specialist – Ms. Mallory Jones, mallory.jones.2@us.af.mil

· Program Manager – Mr. Samuel Burney, samuel.burney@us.af.mil

The Government may converse with respondents regarding this RFI. Such conversations are intended to clarify potential capability to perform the requirements.

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