CABSAA_Sources_Sought_20181018.pdf

Common Airborne Sense and Avoid (C-ABSAA)

Software Prototyping and Fielding

NOTICE:

This is a Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) to identify potential sources for information and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. This sources sought synopsis does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever nor does it restrict the Government to an ultimate acquisition approach. Further, the Air Force is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this SSS. All costs associated with responding to this SSS will be solely at the interested party’s expense. If a solicitation is released in the future, it will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Please read the following sections: “Requirements Description” and “Contractor Capability Survey” for the C-ABSAA program.

2. Interested vendors who desire to participate in this SSS are encouraged to submit an unclassified capabilities package that demonstrate they presently have the technology and qualifications of the scope of the requirements described herein. Failure to clearly describe/document experience and abilities may result in the government being unable to adequately assess your capabilities. If you lack experience in a particular area, please provide details explaining how you would overcome the lack of experience/capabilities in order to perform that portion of the requirement (e.g., teaming, subcontracting, etc.). Marketing materials are considered insufficient and direct/succinct responses are preferred. The capabilities package should be no more than 25 pages and shall use Times New Roman with font size no smaller than 10-point font. Smaller type may be used in figures and tables as long as it is clearly legible.

3. Both large and small businesses are encouraged to participate in this Market Research. Joint ventures or teaming arrangements are encouraged. If there is sufficient demonstrated interest and capability among small business contractors, a key factor in determining if an acquisition will be a Small Business Set-Aside is that two or more potential small business prime contractors must be capable of performing at least 50% of the effort, as defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting. If it is determined that a small business set-aside is appropriate and your company anticipates submitting a proposal as the prime contractor for a small business set-aside, please provide specific details and rationale as to how compliance with FAR clause 52.219-14 would be achieved, including specific details regarding teaming arrangements, etc. If subcontracts are to be used, provide anticipated percentage of effort to be subcontracted and whether small or large businesses will be used. Teaming and/or subcontracting arrangements should be clearly delineated and previous experience in teaming must be provided.

4. This survey and future solicitations or contracts are unclassified. Questions regarding classification and document marking should be addressed via email to Christopher Seagraves at christopher.seagraves.2@us.af.mil.

5. If there are any questions pertaining to this SSS notice than please submit in writing to Mr.

DeShaun Dilworth at deshaun.dilworth@us.af.mil by no later than 2 Nov 2018 in order to allow adequate time for the Government to respond. A consolidated list of Questions and Answers (Q&A) will be posted to FedBizOpps after this date and before the capabilities package due date. Questions relative to this market survey should be addressed via e-mail to DeShaun Dilworth.

6. All responses to this announcement shall be submitted by email or AMRDEC to Mr.

DeShaun Dilworth at deshaun.dilworth@us.af.mil. Submittals must be received by no later than 19 Nov 2018 at 4:00pm (EST).

mailto:christopher.seagraves.2@us.af.mil mailto:deshaun.dilworth@us.af.mil mailto:deshaun.dilworth@us.af.mil

REQUIREMENTS DESCRIPTION

Common-Airborne Sense and Avoid (C-ABSAA)

BACKGROUND:

The Air Force recently completed the Remotely Piloted Aircraft (RPA) Sense and Avoid (SAA) Analysis of Alternatives (AoA), and elected to use an Information Systems Capability Development Document (IS CDD) versus a traditional CDD to rapidly develop the Airborne Sense and Avoid (ABSAA) capability for Group 4 and 5 aircraft. The IS CDD applies to software intensive programs that require:

• Agile development, test, integration and fielding of software

• Incremental software releases for platform/OFP integration

• Software applications that are reconfigurable, portable, maintainable, reusable, scalable and interoperable

The C-ABSAA software, when integrated on the platform, must enable RPA Groups 4 and 5 to increase current safety margins, maintain safe separation (SS), collision avoidance (CA), and safely integrate with other airspace users across the full range of military operations in global airspace environments.

DESCRIPTION:

The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Sensors Division, Geospatial Intelligence Branch, Common Airborne Sense and Avoid (C-ABSAA) System Program Office (AFLCMC/WING) is conducting market research to determine potential sources capable of rapidly developing software in response to the IS CDD. Market research results will assist the Government in determining whether this requirement will be full and open or a small business set-aside. Also, market research will be used to determine if commercial items, modified commercial items, or non-developmental items are capable of meeting the Government’s requirements. At this time, the acquisition strategy has not been determined. The Government is considering an Acquisition Strategy of competitively awarding a Section 804 Middle Tier Acquisition contract. The primary purpose of any potential contract action resulting from this market research is to develop prototype software. The prototype software is to be demonstrated in an operational environment and provide for a residual operational capability, by calendar year 2023, or within five years of the development, of an approved requirement. Key requirements are summarized below:

1. The software shall be designed using Open System Architecture (OSA) principles and use commercial, open Application Programming Interfaces (API's) that maximize software and interface module independence and minimize the effect of technology refreshes required to integrate new input and output requirements such as sensor data, flight control requirements, and adaptability to future RPAs.

2. Controls and techniques shall be included in the architecture, design, and implementation of software components or subsystems to guarantee integrity of software image and detect any unauthorized modification of software once fielded.

3. The software, when integrated on the RPA, shall provide the ability to perform safe separation and collision avoidance appropriate for class of airspace, type of flight clearance, and perform airspace regulatory authority established minima. The software shall eliminate or control identified hazards during support and operations defined in reference MIL-STD-882E for SEVERITY CATEGORIES (Table I), PROBABILITY LEVELS (Table II), RISK ASSESSMENT MATRIX (Table III), SOFTWARE CONTROL CATEGORIES (Table IV), and SOFTWARE SAFETY CRITICAL MATRIX (Table V) to no greater than "Medium" risk level under the 'Catastrophic' category (Table III) based on Software Criticality Index 1 defined under ‘SwCI 1’ under Table V (Software Control Category 1/Catastrophic.

4. Software is designed to operate at a level of security that is consistent with the potential harm that could result from the loss, inaccuracy, alteration, unavailability, or misuse of the data and resources that it uses, controls, and protects.

5. If the aircraft loses its command and control (C2) link(s), the software provides the capability to maneuver autonomously to avoid other traffic and then return to its previous altitude and course once the avoidance maneuver is complete. If the aircraft maneuvers to avoid traffic while lost link, it shall notify the aircrew of this fact upon re-establishment of the link.

6. The system shall be compliant with the Cybersecurity and Risk Management Framework (RMF) for DoD Information Technology (IT) requirements in DoDI 8510.01, NIST SP 800-53, and CNSSI 1253 through the life of the contract, as required by guidance on RMF Knowledge Service website:

https://rmfks.osd.mil/rmf/general/securitycontrols/pages/controlsexplorer.aspx

7. Investigate establishing an organic software sustainment capability known as Post

Deployment Software Support (PDSS) or Post-Production Software Support (PPSS) as an alternative to the Contractor Logistics Support (CLS).

The purpose of C-ABSAA is to satisfy the regulatory ‘see and avoid’ requirement to routinely integrate RPAs into the national airspace and maritime environment. The regulatory requirements are 14 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) Part 91.111 & 91.113. To satisfy these CFRs, sensors will connect to the sensor/data fusion and avoidance algorithms, then to the flight management system and operator interface. The sensors development, operator interface, and integration/installation into the platform are not part of this notice. This notice strictly focuses on the development of the air traffic tracker and conflict avoidance software, which will be installed on the aircraft and must support airworthiness certification criteria following MIL- HDB-516 (latest revision).

https://rmfks.osd.mil/rmf/general/securitycontrols/pages/controlsexplorer.aspx

CONTRACTOR CAPABILITY SURVEY

Common-Airborne Sense and Avoid (C-ABSAA)

Part I. Business Information Please provide the following business information for your company/institution and for any teaming or joint venture partners:

• Company/Institute Name:

• Address:

• Point of Contact:

• CAGE Code:

• Phone Number:

• E-mail Address:

• Web Page URL:

All prospective contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) database to be awarded a DoD contract. Note that the NAICS code for this requirement, if applicable to your company’s capabilities, should be included in your company’s NAICS code listing in SAM. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code for this action is 511210, Software Publishers. The small business size standard for this NAICS code is $38.5 million of annual revenue. Based on the NAICS Code, state whether your company qualifies as a:

• Small Business _____ (Yes / No)

• Woman Owned Small Business _____ (Yes / No)

• Small Disadvantaged Business _____ (Yes / No)

• 8(a) Certified _____ (Yes / No)

• HUB Zone Certified _____ (Yes / No)

• Veteran Owned Small Business _____ (Yes / No)

• Service Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business _____ (Yes / No)

• A statement as to whether your company is domestically or foreign owned (if foreign, please indicate the country of ownership).

Part II. Capability Survey Questions

1. Describe your qualifications to analyze, design, code, integrate, test and sustain C- ABSAA prototype software using modular design, standards-based interfaces, and widely-supported, consensus-based standards (Rqmts 1 and 7 above).

2. Describe the specific knowledge you possess to address software assurance, cyber security and information assurance requirements in the subsystem architecture, modules, integration approach, and interfaces (Rqmts 2 and 4 above).

3. Describe the support infrastructure and technical staff available to maintain integrity of software image and detect any unauthorized modification of software in both the development and operational environments (Rqmts 2 and 4 above).

4. Describe the specific knowledge and experience you possess applying automation and other lean methods/tools during the agile software prototyping and test activities (Rqmts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 above).

5. Describe the support infrastructure and technical staff available you possess for tracking and measuring quality metrics and user analytics using automated tools. This includes security analysis tools that can be used in the build process, in addition to more specialized evaluations and stress tests (Rqmts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 above).

6. Describe how you have demonstrated efficient subcontractor and vendor product acquisition management; successful work and interaction with other government air platform contractors; and experience in customer interaction with government acquisition program offices (Rqmts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 above).

7. Describe the specific knowledge you possess applying business practices that enhance open system architecture that aligns with or supports agile software development. (Rqmts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 above).

8. Describe your understanding of the C-ABSAA hardware and software and your qualifications to assist air platform prime contractors with system integration (Rqmt 1, 3, and 5 above).

Note: If any company’s solution will require the use of a commercial item, modified commercial item, or non-developmental item, they should provide examples of how that item meets the Government’s requirements.