CSO - NMUSA Speaker Array AoI 016.docx

Federal Agency: Army Office: Army Contracting Command – Detroit Arsenal (ACC-DTA) Area of Interest (AoI) Title: NMUSA Speaker Array Replacement Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) AoI Number: AoI 016 AoI Release Date: 10 August 2026

1. General Information

1.1 Introduction

This Area of Interest (AoI) is issued utilizing the ACC-DTA Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) W912CH-25-S-C001, Amendment 1. The National Museum of the United States Army (NMUSA) seeks Solutions Brief submissions for a non-personal service contract to provide an Auditory Projection System and Speaker Array Replacement for the museum campus. This procurement requires the contractor to provide all personnel, equipment, tools, materials, supervision, supplies, and non-personal services necessary to design, deliver, install, test, and sustain a high-fidelity speaker array system, including the reconstruction and replacement of the main tower and its associated components.

Providing a state-of-the-art acoustic environment is essential to NMUSA’s mission in ensuring high quality, immersive visitor-facing experiences, educational programs, and military ceremonies. The exterior speaker arrays and the main tower became inoperable following a lightning strike, making system replacement and tower reconstruction critical.

Offerors must demonstrate that their technical protocols, system architecture, and deployment processes are comprehensive, all-inclusive, and grounded in proven audio-engineering practices. These protocols must be effective and actively implemented within the Offeror’s professional Community of Practice, aligning with industry standards recognized by national organizations such as the Audio Engineering Society (AES) and the American Alliance of Museums (AAM). Protocols must reflect best practices in:

· High-Fidelity Outdoor Audio & Acoustic Clarity: Clear, distortion-free vocal reproduction and broad-spectrum sound distribution designed to maintain optimal clarity across wide-open, highly reflective outdoor areas.

· Modern Digital Audio Networking: Native, plug-and-play interoperability with modern audio-over-IP protocols (e.g., Dante, AES67, AVB, or MILAN) to ensure seamless integration into NMUSA's existing digital infrastructures.

· Ruggedization, Weatherproofing, & Surge Protection: Ensuring all exterior sound equipment, cabling, and structural elements have a minimum rating of IP55 (preferably IP65 or higher) for long-term resistance to moisture, dust, and UV exposure. Crucially, solutions must include robust lightning protection and surge suppression systems to prevent future electrical damage.

· Proven Performance: Demonstrating a successful track record of system overhauls in high-profile, world class museum facilities, public institutions, or premier military event spaces supported by CPARS or equivalent past performance metrics.

This CSO AoI seeks to solicit innovative solutions that meet the objectives detailed in Sections 1.1 and 1.3. The term “innovative” is defined as any technology, process, or means & methods, including research and development that is new as of the date of proposal submission, or any new application of an existing technology, process or method as of the proposal date. Offerors are encouraged to submit multiple options.

ACC-DTA is not obliged to extend a Request for Proposal (RFP) or make an award because of this CSO AoI; all awards are subject to the availability of funds and successful negotiations. This CSO AoI is not an authorization to begin performance, and in no way obligates the Government for any costs incurred by the Offeror associated with developing a response. Prior to commencement of any activities associated with developing with performance under this CSO AoI, the Government will issue a written directive or contractual document signed by the Contracting Officer with appropriate consideration established. ACC-DTA reserves the right to modify the requirement of this CSO AoI.

The authority to issue this CSO AoI is derived from ACC-DTA CSO W912CH-25-S-C001. The CSO authority is Section 803 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2022, Public Law 117-807, and Class Deviation 2022-O0007.1.2 AoI Background NMUSA is located at 1775 Liberty Drive, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060 at the intersection of Fairfax County Parkway (VA 286) and Liberty Drive. Construction was completed in June 2019.

The NMUSA campus is approximately 84 acres. The primary area requiring exterior auditory coverage is the entire area north of the building, including the parking lot. The system previously relied on a main exterior speaker tower, which was hit by lighting, causing the entirety of the outside speaker array system to become non-functional. To restore vital outdoor operations, the museum requires a complete rebuilding of the main speaker tower, integrated outdoor speaker arrays, cabling, and power/network interfaces with a modern, ruggedized solution.

1.3 Identify AoI Solution

The proposed solution must provide a comprehensive, turn-key, fully integrated Outdoor Mass Notification and Auditory Projection System to replace the non-functional outdoor speaker arrays and the lightning-damaged main tower. The solution must encompass the full spectrum of equipment supply, tower reconstruction, spatial acoustic modeling, digital network integration, secure physical installation, and ongoing system resilience.

To align with NMUSA's infrastructure and security environment, the proposed solution should address the following core requirements:

A. Technical Architecture & Performance Specifications

· Acoustic Performance & Power: Deliver high-fidelity, distortion-free audio across the 5-acre Parade Ground. Solutions must feature high-power speaker arrays (minimum 600W output) equipped with a dedicated Central Control Unit (CCU) and local battery backup systems to ensure uninterrupted system availability during facility power losses.

· Redundant Communications: Utilize IP-based communications as the primary data and transport layer for system operations, configuration, and monitoring. Offerors should include an optional, secondary radio frequency (RF) backup link to ensure high-availability broadcast triggers in the event of local network disruptions.

· Multi-Modal System Activation: Support a flexible, multi-modal activation framework. Authorized personnel must be able to securely trigger or broadcast announcements through:

· A centralized AV management console.

· A dedicated physical Rapid Response Console (optimized for deployment in key physical security locations, such as the guard gate/shack).

· Authorized secure network desktops.

· Cybersecurity & Secure Network Deployment: The system's digital control and network components must be built on a highly secure architecture. The proposed software and hardware stack must meet Department of Defense (DoD) cybersecurity requirements, facilitating a direct path to acquiring an Army Authority to Operate (ATO) for seamless deployment on the secure government network.

· Structural Reconstruction & Environmental Resilience: Design and erect a physical replacement for the main speaker tower. The solution must feature robust physical grounding, surge suppression (TVSS), and lightning protection systems engineered to safeguard all attached and inline electronics from future environmental strikes. All outdoor components must maintain weatherized ratings (IP65 or higher).

B. Expected Deliverables Offerors must outline a clear roadmap from contract award to full operational capability, detailed in three distinct phases:

1. System Architecture & Design: Provide a detailed acoustic model (e.g., EASE or equivalent) showing simulated sound coverage and SPL mapping tailored to the Parade Ground, along with structural engineering drawings for the tower, lightning mitigation plans, and an Army ATO network compliance blueprint.

2. Prototype / On-Site Demonstration: Deliver a physical or scaled system prototype for on-site calibration, audio testing, and validation in a designated outdoor zone.

3. Deployment, Transition, and Training Strategy: A complete roadmap for physical tower installation, system commissioning, local AV network transition, and administrator training. Crucially, this must include a Spare Parts Kit for critical components to allow immediate field replacement and maintain near-zero system downtime.

C. Budgetary & Administrative Planning To assist with budgetary planning, offerors should provide:

· A non-binding Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for the total estimated cost of this project, broken down by equipment acquisition (including tower structures, lightning suppression, CCUs, battery backups, and the spare parts kit), engineering, installation, and the first full year of sustainment support.

· A brief description of your professional insurance coverages (e.g., comprehensive general liability, workmen’s compensation, and employers’ liability coverage).

Note: This financial and insurance information is for planning purposes only and does not constitute a formal pricing proposal.

2. AoI Constraints Any selected company or company will be required to be registered and active in the System for Award Management (sam.gov) prior to contract award.

3. Requirements

a) Submission Instructions A written Solution Brief must be submitted via email no later than 5:00 P.M. (EST) on 17 August 2026.

Email Subject Line: " Speaker Array Replacement for AoI 016 National Museum United States Army"

· Recipient POCs: Submissions and any technical or administrative questions regarding this AoI should be sent to the following points of contact:

· CSO AoI POC: Roman Stokes / roman.a.stokes.civ@army.mil

· COR / ACOR: Zachary Evans / zachary.r.evans25.civ@army.mil

· Contract Specialist: Roman Stokes / roman.a.stokes.civ@army.mil

· Contracting Officer: Elida Kellezi / elida.kellezi.civ@army.mil Note: Solutions received after the specified due date and time will be discarded and will not be evaluated by the Government.