COMET RFI Letter_Signed.pdf

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18 JUNE 2025

MISSION PLANNING SYSTEMS PROGRAM

AIRCREW COMPUTER PROCUREMENT (PROJECT: COMET)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

C3 & BATTLE MANAGEMENT DIRECTORATE

HANSCOM AFB, MA 01731

THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) NOTICE ONLY and has been posted on multiple Government-wide point of entries (GPE). This RFI is for informational and planning purposes only, and it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP)/Request for Quote (RFQ)/Fair Opportunity Proposal Request (FOPR) or a promise to issue an RFP/RFQ/FOPR in the future. This RFI is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government for any actual procurement of materials, machinery, or services. Respondents are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI are solely at the responding parties' expense. White papers shall be UNCLASSIFIED and shall not contain any proprietary information or trade secrets. Any white papers containing restrictive markings will not be read by the Government. Any response submitted by respondents to this RFI constitutes consent for that submission to be reviewed by Government personnel, Federally Funded Research and Development Center employees, and Advisory & Assistance Services contractor employees supporting DAF/PEO C3BM/C3M employed by Odyssey Systems Consulting Group LTD, Leidos, E.L. Blake Inc. and Summit Technologies Inc., unless the respondent clearly objects in writing to the release of this information to Federally Funded Research and Development Center employees, and Advisory & Assistance Services contractor employees supporting DAF/PEO C3BM/C3M.

1. SCOPE

The United States Air Force (USAF) Mission Planning Systems (MPS) program provides standardized mission planning tools essential for all Department of Defense (DoD) aircraft operations. MPS enables planners to create comprehensive flight plans that account for critical factors such as threats, targets, terrain, weather, and aircraft capabilities, directly contributing to mission success and safety.

The Statement of Work (SOW) for Project Comet defines the specifications for centrally managed mission planning equipment to be distributed through the USAF Supply System. The End Item is a secure and reliable Network Attached Storage (NAS) device ("The Device" throughout the SOW) that will serve as a centralized repository for mission planning data. Each End Item includes an approved Ethernet Hub and all necessary peripherals and accessories and offers robust data protection, user access controls, and network connectivity to authorized clients.

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The SOW outlines requirements for two distinct packaging solutions, resulting in two separate End Items:

• Item A: The Device integrated within a hardened reusable transit case, designed to support highly deployable Air Force units.

• Item B: The Device packaged within a durable cardboard box, suitable for long-term storage and reshipment.

Before the contract is awarded, the Government will require contractors to submit up to six complete Devices for product evaluation. The primary goal of this evaluation is to verify that the proposed configuration is compatible with Government-developed software and systems. Please note that only the evaluation units from the winning contractor will be retained and procured by the Government.

All other evaluation units will be returned to the unsuccessful contractors at their own expense.

After contract award, the Contractor will be required to submit Early Production Items within 45 days. A First Article, defined as the first fully compliant and packaged production unit, must be submitted within 100 days of contract award. Following First Article acceptance, the Contractor shall complete delivery of all compliant, fully packaged production units within 190 days.

2. RESPONSES

This RFI will be cross posted to multiple Government Points of Entry (GPE). Contractors are not permitted to provide more than one response.

Contractors are strongly encouraged to offer candid feedback, as it plays a crucial role in the Government assessing the practicality of the requirements, both in terms of timeline and technical specifications.

Responses shall be in the form of a white paper that addresses three (3) specific sections:

1. Administrative; 2. Requested Information; and 3. Additional Information. Sections 1 and 3 of the white paper shall be single-sided pages, 12-point Times New Roman font. If responding on GSA, please follow the GSA format for response submission. White papers shall be UNCLASSIFIED and shall not contain any proprietary information or trade secrets. Any white papers containing restrictive markings will not be read by the Government.

Interested potential sources should provide their responses directly through the GPE. If unable to do so, Contractors may email the Contracting Officer, Cody Sheehan at cody.sheehan@us.af.mil and Contract Specialist, Capt. Uibin Kim at uibin.kim.1@us.af.mil directly.

The anticipated North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) is 334111. This may change depending on what contract vehicle is utilized.

All questions are due on or before 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, Wednesday, 25 June 2025.

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Answers will be posted to GPE not later than COB, Tuesday, 1 July 2025.

RFI responses are due on or before 12:00 PM Eastern Standard Time, Thursday, 10 July 2025.

Additional questions may be submitted to the Contracting Officer, Cody Sheehan and Contract Specialist, Capt. Uibin Kim. All communications must include the PCO and Contract Specialist and may only be made via email; no phone calls will be accepted. If emails are not sent to all designated Points of Contact (POCs), as specified, there is a risk that they may not be received or responded to in a timely manner.

White Paper Format

Section 1: Administrative Provide administrative information (not included in the page count for Section 3, below), and shall include the following as a minimum:

1. Firm name, mailing address, cage code, Unique Entity ID, phone number, and name and e-mail of Firm’s designated point of contact.

2. Please list your Business type (large business, small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a)-certified small disadvantaged business, Historically Under-utilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran- owned small business).

3. Applicable contract vehicles your Firm has contracts with (GSA MAS, Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPAs), Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contracts, etc.) to include contract numbers.

4. Interest as a Prime or Subcontractor.

Section 2: Requested Information Attachment 2 – Clarifying Questionnaire is an Excel file containing a listing of questions in which the Government is requesting your Firm’s response. These questions are formulated in a manner to provide the Government insight into your Firm’s potential ability to meet certain aspects of the requirements currently stated within Attachment 1 – SOW, and an opportunity for your Firm to provide comments/feedback when your Firm determines that it is unable to meet a particular requirement, as currently stated. Your Firm’s responses to the Clarifying Questionnaire are highly critical to the Government’s market research and requirements definition for this effort. Your Firm’s responses will not be utilized for evaluation purposes, should a subsequent RFP/RFQ/FOPR be issued. Therefore, your Firm’s candid response to each question is requested and will be greatly appreciated by the Government.

Within the Clarifying Questions Worksheet of Attachment 2 – Clarifying Questionnaire, respondents are provided with a Topic and Information within Columns B and C, respectively, and relative question within Column D. Respondents are requested to only provide an initial “Yes” or “No” response, in Column E, to each question presented. If a respondent answers the applicable question with a “Yes” response, then no Comments/Feedback in Column F shall be required, but

4 | P a g e can be provided if desired; however, if a respondent answers the applicable question with a “No” response, the Government respectfully requests that the respondent provide “Comments/Feedback” in Column F to advise the Government why the respondent provided a “No” response to the question posed and any additional information the respondent identifies would be beneficial to the Government in its market research and requirements definition efforts. The Government requests that respondents answer all questions presented within the Clarifying Questions worksheet.

Section 3: Additional Information Section 3 should address additional relevant and recent information the respondent would like to include not listed in Section 2. Section 3 of the white paper shall not exceed 2 single-sided pages, 12-point Times New Roman font.

Attachments:

Attachment 1 – Statement of Work (SOW) Attachment 2 – Clarifying Questionnaire

CODY R. SHEEHAN

Contracting Officer

DAF PEO C3BM/C3MK

Airspace Mission Planning