DARC_Sources Sought_Notification 1.10.2020.pdf

SMC FBO Notice – Pre-Award

1. Agency/Office: Department of the Air Force/U.S. Space Force

2. Contracting Office Location: Peterson AFB, CO

3. Type: Special Notice/Sources Sought

4. Solicitation Number: FA8823-21-R-0001

5. Date Posted: 01/10/2020

6. Title: Deep-space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC)

7. Classification Code: 58 -- Communication, detection, & coherent radiation equipment

8. NAICS Code: The following North American Industry Classification System Codes may apply (industry feedback is welcome) :

NAICS 334511 - manufacturing search, detection, navigation, guidance, aeronautical, and nautical systems and instruments. Examples of products made by these establishments are aircraft instruments (except engine), flight recorders, navigational instruments and systems, radar systems and equipment, and sonar systems and equipment. Small Business size: 1250 average annual employees.

NAICS 541330 - applying physical laws and principles of engineering in the design, development, and utilization of machines, materials, instruments, structures, processes, and systems. The assignments undertaken by these establishments may involve any of the following activities: provision of advice, preparation of feasibility studies, preparation of preliminary and final plans and designs, provision of technical services during the construction or installation phase, inspection and evaluation of engineering projects, and related services. Small Business size: $38.5M average annual receipts.

NAICS 541512 - planning and designing computer systems that integrate computer hardware, software, and communication technologies. The hardware and software components of the system may be provided by this establishment or company as part of integrated services or may be provided by third parties or vendors. These establishments often install the system and train and support users of the system. Small Business size: $27.5M average annual receipts.

NAICS 811219 - repairing and maintaining (without retailing) electronic and precision equipment (except consumer electronics, computers and office machines, and communications equipment).

Establishments in this industry repair and maintain equipment, such as medical diagnostic imaging equipment, measuring and surveying instruments, laboratory instruments, and radar and sonar equipment. Small Business size: $20.5M average annual receipts.

9. Is this a Recovery and Reinvestment Act Action? NO

10. Response Date: NLT 24 January 2020 at 5:00pm Mountain Daylight Time

11. Primary Point of Contact: Mr. Seneca Alvarado, SMC.DirSP-G.DARC@us.af.mil.

12. Secondary Point of Contact: Ms. Stephanie Rosenthal, SMC.DirSP-G.DARC@us.af.mil.

13. Description: Sources Sought Announcement in support of the Deep-space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC)

14. Place of Contract Performance: Peterson AFB, Colorado; various locations worldwide

15. Set Aside: TBD

16. Archiving Policy: NONE

17. Allow Vendors to Add/Remove From Interested Vendors? NO

18. Allow Vendors to View Interested Vendors List? YES

19. Attachments: SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT

20. Is this package (attachment) sensitive/secure? NO

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ATTACHMENT 1

NOTICE TO PROSPECTIVE OFFERORS

for the

DEEP-SPACE ADVANCED RADAR CAPABILITY (DARC)

SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT

01/10/2020

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS A

COMMITMENT BY THE AIR FORCE TO ISSUE A SOLICITATION OR ULTIMATELY

AWARD A CONTRACT. NEITHER UNSOLICITED PROPOSALS NOR ANY OTHER

KINDS OF OFFERS WILL BE CONSIDERED IN RESPONSE TO THIS SOURCES

SOUGHT. NO CONTRACT WILL BE AWARDED PURSUANT TO THIS

ANNOUNCEMENT.

I. Synopsis:

The Department of the Air Force/U.S Space Force, Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC), Space Domain Awareness Division, Special Programs Ground Based (SMC/SPG) is conducting market research to identify sources capable of providing an affordable ground-based radar system that coherently combines a pseudo-monostatic array of steerable parabolic antennas.

The DARC system design will lower system cost and maximize performance for next generation deep space radars under U.S. Space Force responsibility. All information contained in this Sources Sought Announcement is preliminary, as well as subject to modification, and is in no way binding on the Government. The Government will not pay for any information submitted in response to this request. The information requested will be used solely within the Government. The determination of a procurement strategy, based upon the comments submitted in response to this Sources Sought

Announcement, is solely within the discretion of the Government. This announcement is open to all qualified contractors regardless of size. Reponses from small and small disadvantage businesses are highly encouraged.

II. Information Sought:

Qualified potential contractors are requested to provide the following information:

1.0 Respond to all or only a subset of the requirements.

2.0 At a minimum, the response should include:

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2.1 Relevant experience in the development of complex radar systems or similarly complex systems

2.2 Relevant experience in major site construction.

2.3 Relevant experience in providing functional level support for Technical Orders (TOs), Configuration Management (CM), Safety, Quality Assurance, Quality Control, Operational Safety, Suitability and Effectiveness (OSS&E), Risk management, and Product Support (all 12 product support elements).

2.4 Relevant experience in program level system engineering activities to include: (1) engineering planning and programming, life extension and modification of radar systems;

(2) radar performance monitoring and predicative analysis of degradation of radar performance; and (3) development of future operational architecture.

2.5 Relevant experience in complex radar system software development, hardware/software integration, and test.

2.6 Relevant experience in managing the Cybersecurity/Information Assurance posture of mission, systems. Relevant experience includes, but is not limited to, experience with Risk Management Framework (RMF), National Industrial Security Program (NISP), Information Assurance Vulnerability Alerts (IAVAs), Vulnerability Management System (VMS), and the Enterprise Mission Assurance Support Service (eMASS).

2.7 Stated knowledge of and capability to execute current DoD logistics policies and requirements.

2.8 Stated knowledge of potential mature solutions available to meet system requirements in the areas of antenna, transmitter cryo LNAs, coherent signal combining, precision timing, and digital signal processing.

2.9 Ability to access and work in a TS/SCI environment.

III. Response Information:

Submit your responses via a PDF or a MS Office 2016 compatible electronic format that is no more than five (5) one-sided and double spaced sheets with 12 pitch font to Mr. Seneca Alvarado, Contracting Officer, 1050 E Stewart Ave, Bldg 2025, Peterson AFB, CO 80914 at SMC.DirSP- G.DARC@us.af.mil. E-mail responses greater than 5 Megabytes (MB) should be submitted on CD- ROM or DVD in ISO 9660 format.

Interested contractors should identify any potential Organizational Conflicts of Interest have been, or are in the process of being, mitigated to the satisfaction of the Contracting Officer.

This is especially critical if a company is presently supporting the Government through an Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) contract. The Space Domain Awareness Division uses the

Odyssey (S3) and Tecolote (SAFS-3) contracts for A&AS for support to the DARC program.

Responders to this Sources Sought shall indicate whether they are a large business, small business, small-disadvantaged business, 8(a) small business, women-owned small business, HUBZone small business, veteran-owned small business, or service-disabled veteran-owned small business and all applicable North American Industrial Classification System (NAICS). Responders to this Sources Sought shall indicate whether they would propose to this effort as a prime contractor or as a mailto:SMC.DirSP-G.DARC@us.af.mil mailto:SMC.DirSP-G.DARC@us.af.mil

A5 subcontractor to a prime. Interested contractors desiring to do business with the Air Force shall be registered in the DoD Central Contractor Registry. Respondents must specify if they are a U.S. or foreign owned firm. This acquisition involves data that are subject to export control requirements under the Arms Export Control Act (Department of State) or the Export Administration Regulations

(Department of Commerce).

The information received will assist in formulating an acquisition strategy decision. Responses are due no later than 24 January 2020, 5:00pm Mountain Daylight Time (MDT).

Address all questions to the Contracting Officer:

Mr. Seneca Alvarado, Contracting Officer E-mail: mailto:SMC.DirSP-G.DARC@us.af.mil

IV. Scope of Work:

(U) The Deep Space Advanced Radar Capability (DARC) Program of Record effort will build and install a pseudo-monostatic ground system. It will coherently combine the pseudo-monostatic array of steerable parabolic antennas.

The DARC system will affordably field advanced, 24/7, all-weather capabilities not supported in any existing ground-based radar required to counter emerging threats and to support tactical timelines defined for Strategic Space Defense and for the Space Warfighting Construct. The DARC radar system will provide global coverage for High Value Asset (HVA) clearing (neighborhood watch) frequent revisits support persistent custody and provide custody of foreign launch and continuous tracking from launch to geosynchronous orbit including engagement support.

V. Acquisition Objectives:

1.0 The Government’s primary objectives are stated below:

1.1 Execute with flexibility and scalability while implementing and delivering new capabilities.

1.1.1 Meet current mission requirements while adding new capabilities and increasing performance to accommodate new missions.

1.1.2 Implement Open System Architecture (OSA) for maintainability and future growth

1.1.3 Institute effective and efficient business practices and reduce cycle time for activities consistent with sound risk management.

1.1.4 Establish and maintain effective business and technical relationships with all contractors.

1.1.5 Maintain technical baselines for the DARC system Program of Record using existing or comparable configuration management tools.

1.1.6 Deliver incremental operational capabilities to three global sites between 2023 and 2027.

1.2 Ensure long-term Space Domain Awareness (SDA) mission availability.

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1.2.1 Ensure system technical integrity through implementation of the Air Force’s Operational Safety, Suitability, and Effectiveness (OSS&E) processes.

1.2.2 Accommodate changes resulting from evolving mission requirements.

1.2.3 Establish and maintain effective business relations and technical relations with development offices to accommodate other changes resulting from evolving mission requirements.

1.2.4 Facilitate collection and management of SDA data to enable the actions across the larger Space Superiority Enterprise

1.2.5 Adopt common, integrated processes that support joint contractor and government teams.

VI. Specific contractor responsibilities:

At a minimum, contractor responsibilities will encompass:

1.0 System support, to include: (1) contractor program management, (2) maintenance of an integrated master schedule, (3) system analysis, planning, design, software development, construction and integration, (4) configuration and technical data management, (5) system security management including Certification and Accreditation (C&A), (6) risk management

(7) system safety, (8) quality assurance and quality control, (9) and test and evaluation.

2.0 Perform system engineering efforts to assess system performance, evaluate alternatives, conduct trade-off analyses, develop life-cycle costs, and provide engineering for requirements and plans for sustainment, life extensions, and modification of the DARC system.

3.0 Modifications, to include continued design and modification implementation to hardware and software for the DARC system to improve performance, improve RMA, and add new capabilities, while maintaining required mission effectiveness.

4.0 Supply support, assuring that spares for new and unique configuration items are available to support operational availability requirements. Supply support consists of all management actions, procedures, and techniques necessary to determine requirements to acquire, catalog, receive, store, transfer, issue and dispose of spares, repair parts and supplies.