Attachment 01 - NSWC-PHD OTA Consortium RFI.pdf

Request for Information (RFI) Other Transaction Authority Agreement

Consortium Management Firm N63394-25-9-0001

Purpose:

The Naval Surface Warfare Center Port Hueneme Division (NSWC PHD or Government), intends to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) to competitively establish an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Agreement with a single consortium management firm under the authority of 10 USC § 4022, in order to carry out prototype and production projects to develop and mature technologies to enable advanced approaches to maintaining maritime superiority, and to solicit feedback from industry on the proposed approaches to projects.

Background:

10 U.S.C. § 4022, allows the Department of Defense (DoD) to "carry out prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components or materials proposed to be carried out by the DoD, or to improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces."

Constant innovation and rapid technology advances are occurring throughout the world.

Partnerships with commercial industry, the civil maritime sector, and others will be used to leverage these approaches and increase flexibility and agility, reduce cost, improve technology and capability insertion, and decrease program development cycles.

OTA objectives include rapid development prototyping and testing that can be demonstrated in an operational environment and provide for a rapid fielding of an operational capability. A prototype project can generally be described as a preliminary pilot, test, evaluation, demonstration, or agile development activity used to evaluate the technical or manufacturing feasibility or military utility of a particular technology, process, concept, end item, effect, or other discrete feature. Prototype projects may include systems, subsystems, components, materials, methodology, technology, or processes. By way of illustration, a prototype project may involve: a proof of concept; model; or process, including a business process; reverse engineering to address obsolescence; a pilot or a novel application of commercial technologies for defense purposes; agile development activity; creation, design, development, demonstration of technical or operational utility; or combinations of the foregoing, related to a prototype. As described in 10 U.S.C. § 4022, follow-on production contracts or transactions may be awarded pursuant to a prototype OTA under certain circumstances. The OTA offers an alternative to Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR)‐based acquisitions, allowing for access to participation by non-traditional defense contractors with innovative solutions that may not normally desire to participate in government procurements.

The OTA Consortium Model specifically allows for enhanced collaboration between Government and industry. The collaborative nature of this model also creates a longer‐term channel for the Government to capitalize on "technology push" by obtaining industry input and feedback on rapidly evolving technologies. The OTA Consortium model also fosters development of interoperable, modular, open architecture systems and prototypes that permit rapid, flexible technology upgrades and mission reconfiguration. Its emphasis on engaging non‐ traditional technology suppliers casts a wider net for capturing ideas and innovations. For all companies, the model provides a process to have a voice and the ability to "weigh‐in" on critical technology issues and inform Government technology requirements. The OTA Consortium model also establishes a mechanism for creating technology transition partnerships between small technology innovators and large system integrators.

Scope:

The selected consortium management firm will be responsible for recruiting industry partners as members of the consortium. Members of the consortium will be comprised of both traditional and non-traditional defense contractors. Additionally, the consortium management firm will support the entirety of the OTA procurement process. This includes helping to identify requirements through industry days, reverse industry days etc., assisting with the solicitation process, and executing the final OTA agreement to the selected awardee(s).

The prototype and production projects may involve both classified and unclassified requirements. The consortium management firm will not need to access classified information.

For classified requirements, it is anticipated the consortium management firm could be peripherally involved in soliciting the requirements (e.g., work with Government security and administer DD254s). In these scenarios, the consortium management firm may issue the solicitation and receive proposals at the unclassified level and the Government will complete award at the necessary classification level up to top secret/sensitive compartment information.

Fiscal and Property Laws are applicable to OTA agreements. Applicable Fiscal and Property statutes will be examined by the Government to ensure there is no conflict with a particular funding arrangement using an OTA agreement. Use of OTA does not eliminate the applicability of all laws and regulations.

Intellectual property rights consistent with the Bayh-Dole Act (35 U.S.C. §201-204) for patents and 10 U.S.C. §2320-21 for technical data and computer software are not applicable to OTA agreements. However, negotiation of rights of a different scope may be utilized when necessary to accomplish program objectives and foster Government interests, and to balance the interests of the awardee. Additionally, in cases where the prototype project is intended to, or likely to, result in follow-on production and deployment, the Government will assess the impact of restrictions on intellectual property rights, or the failure to obtain necessary intellectual property deliverables (e.g., technical data or computer software), on the Government’s total life cycle cost of the technology, both in costs attributable to royalties from required licenses, and in costs associated with the inability to obtain competition for the future production, operation, maintenance, upgrade, and modification of prototype technology.

Requirement:

Potential OTA requirements could include:

• maturing technologies that assist in surface maritime dominance

• experimenting to better inform and equip the warfighter

• demonstrating new technologies to increase warfighting capabilities

• developing innovative solutions for surface lifecycle challenges across the spectrum

The potential OTA agreement is anticipated to cover the following technology areas across Naval Surface Warfare Centers. The list is provided for planning purposes only - the RFP will contain the final technology areas.

Technology Areas:

It is expected the consortium manager will be able to form a Consortium whose members will be able to perform in the following technology areas.

NSWC PHD has several science and engineering initiatives across multiple mission areas with requirements for prototyping. Constant changes to technology and the rapid commercial-off-the-shelf insertion process demand expeditious technology development and prototyping efforts.

The 29 Surface Weapon System lifecycle technology areas covered under this OTA agreement are as follows: (1) Rapid Installation; (2) Cyber Security/Warfare/Defense; (3) Data Analytics; (4) Machine Learning; (5) Directed Energy Science and Engineering (including electrical power management); (6) Advanced Computing and Software Engineering; (7) Autonomous and Uncrewed Systems; (8) Sensor Systems; (9) Gun and Weapons Systems Interface; (10) Digital Engineering; (11) Human Systems Integration; (12) Predictive/Remote/Corrective Diagnostics;

(13) Threat Engineering; (14) Mission Engineering and Analysis; (15) Integrated Warfare Systems;

(16) Virtualization; (17) Asymmetric Warfare; (18) Manufacturing; (19) Lethality; (20) Surface Offensive and Defensive Engagements; (21) Launcher/Missile/Radar Technology; (22) Advanced Manufacturing to include 3D manufacturing, robotics, and advanced materials; (23) Advanced Materials to include nanotechnology and biomaterials; (24) Missile Defense; (25) Command and Control; (26) Air Defense; (27) Rapid Prototyping; (28) Model Based Systems Engineering; and

(29) Virtual/Augmented Reality.

For example, NSWC PHD currently has the requirement to develop the next generation of Underway Replenishment (UNREP) System to allow for loading and reloading of missiles while underway. This project includes the prototype, test, and demonstration of the new system. Several areas of focus include the development and integration lifting and loading arm technologies and systems for multiple missiles while underway.

Other current requirements relative to prototyping include:

• Test, modify, repair or sustainment of autonomous and unmanned systems and payload technologies. Payload technologies include sensors, onboard computing, weapon capabilities, and payload deployment mechanisms.

• Development, prototype (including preliminary pilot), demonstration, test, and evaluation, and sustainment activities used to evaluate the technical or manufacturing feasibility or military utility of advanced radar systems for the surface navy.

• Development, prototype (including preliminary pilot), demonstration, test, and evaluation activities used to evaluate the technical or manufacturing feasibility or military utility of fusing data from multiple types of sensors (e.g., radar, electronic warfare, electro-optical/infrared) that are either geospatially co-located or separated.

• Development, demonstration, test and evaluation of technologies, algorithms, and methods that expand the ability for innovative design, manufacturing, assessment and sustainment approaches for gun and projectile systems.

• Development, demonstration, and exploitation of technologies, algorithms, and methods that enhance human and team cognitive, physical, social and behavioral performance, improve manpower, personnel, and training capabilities, increase safety, occupational health, and survivability, optimize environment and habitability conditions to support performance, and that advance human systems engineering modeling, simulation and analysis capabilities as they relate to Human Systems Integration engineering design, test, experimentation and sustainment.

• Development, demonstration, and analysis of alternatives associated with Virtualization technologies, including hardware abstraction techniques (hypervisors) and operating environment abstraction techniques (containers) for Combat System sustainment.

• Development, demonstration, and exploitation of advanced mechanical manufacturing technologies, such as additive manufacturing, and their applications used for development and fabrication of prototype and developmental surface warfare, combat, and weapons systems hardware in support of sustainment efforts for Combat Systems.

• Research, development, test and evaluation, systems engineering, rapid prototyping, fielding, and sustainment of systems to defeat and defend against non-traditional threats.

• Research, development, test and evaluation, systems engineering, rapid prototyping, fielding and sustainment of Distance Support Maintenance Systems for ship to shore communication and maintenance support for Combat Systems.

• Maintenance and sustainment of evolving electromagnetic systems and the management of those systems to more efficiently utilize the spectrum and address electromagnetic compatibility, electromagnetic interference, and radiation hazard, as it relates to fleet operations.

• Research, development, demonstration, test, and evaluation of tools, techniques, procedures, and processes that expand the state of the art in cyber warfare, cyber engineering practices, and system security engineering practices throughout the system sustainment.

procedures, and processes that expand the state of the art in Artificial Intelligence utilization for Combat System sustainment practices.

procedures, and processes that expand the state of the art in Condition-Based Maintenance Plus and Prognostics and Health Management competencies for Combat System.

All requested solutions will, to the extent possible, be required to use the technical information resources of the Navy Labs and other Government facilities to investigate recent and on-going research to avoid duplication of scientific and engineering efforts.

Request for Information:

Information from industry is requested to assist NSWC PHD develop the way forward. A capabilities statement is requested from vendors who are interested in proposing as a consortium management firm. Respondents shall provide information related to their potential member capabilities to fulfill, address, and contribute to the technology areas listed above, and specifically address the questions provided below.

1. What are the advantages/disadvantages of working under an OTA agreement?

2. Under what conditions or circumstances would industry participate in an OTA consortium?

3. What barriers does industry foresee in working with the Navy in an OTA consortium strategy? For example, are there any legal, security, or intellectual property rights implications?

4. What are the potential advantages and drawbacks to the structure of the OTA agreement, specifically as it concerns the number and value of projects to be awarded within the consortium, the time frame for the awards to be made and work to be accomplished, and how work is solicited (i.e. annually at set times versus ad-hoc as needs arise)?

5. Does your company intend to propose as a consortium manager?

6. Are there any technology areas not listed above that the Navy should consider?

7. What is your approach to marketing requirements to non-traditional contractors?

8. Have you previously managed a consortium model OTA?

a. If yes, do you believe it was successful in meeting its objective?

b. If yes, what lessons learned and best practices would you encourage to the Navy to adopt?

9. What are your consortium dues? Are they one-time or annual?

10. What services/benefits do you offer the Government? (hosting industry days, etc.)

All questions related to this RFI must be received no later than 12:00 PM on 22 January 2025 by email to Tim Scully (timothy.c.scully2.civ@us.navy.mil) and Mariluz Chan-Endres (mariluz.l.chan-endres.civ@us.navy.mil). All email responses with the capability statement shall be received no later than 12:00 PM on 31 January 2025 and contain the subject line

“RFI_N63394-25-9-0001_COMPANY NAME”.

This RFI is not an RFP. The requested information is for planning purposes and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a procurement action will be issued nor will the Government pay for the information solicited. All information and data received in response to the RFI marked or designated as corporate proprietary information will be fully protected and held in strict confidence. The Government will post responses to questions received in response to this RFI via an amendment; the amendment will be posted within the SAM.gov portal. Any future competitive requests for proposals will be issued by a separate announcement.