MDA_CSO_QA_20240529.xlsx
XLSX spreadsheet 29 KB Posted
- Solicitation number
- HM157524SC001
About this file
This document contains questions and answers regarding a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) issued by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for a Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA) Topic of Interest (TOI) on Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU-F).
The CSO seeks innovative commercial solutions to provide near real-time tracking and exploitation of vessel activities in the Asia-Pacific region, with a focus on approximately 18 vessels of interest. Solutions should be capable of providing exploited imagery, analytical reports, and user interface tools to enable maintained custody of the vessels, regardless of "dark" status. NGA desires flexible pricing options, with an initial $1.5 million pilot program budget. The CSO is open only to U.S. entities, with no foreign involvement allowed. Proposals are due by May 31, 2024, and NGA plans to award shortly after with a period of performance ending by November 30, 2024. NGA requires no less than government purpose rights for any deliverables or data.
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| File | Type | Posted |
|---|---|---|
| MDA_CSO_20240529.docx | DOCX document | |
| MDA_CSO_QA_20240523.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| MDA_CSO_20240522.docx | DOCX document | |
| MDA_CSO_QA_20240522.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| MDA_CSO_TOI_IUUF_20240522.docx | DOCX document | |
| MDA_CSO_QA_20240515.xlsx | XLSX spreadsheet | |
| MDA_CSO_SD_Template_20240425.pdf | ||
| MDA_CSO_TOI_IUUF_20240425.docx | DOCX document | |
| MDA_CSO_Clause_List_20240425.docx | DOCX document | |
| MDA_CSO_20240425.docx | DOCX document |
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MDA-CSO-IUUF
| MDA-CSO-IUUF Vendor Questions | ||
| Question Numbers | Comment/Question | NGA Response |
| 1 | Do you anticipate a certain range of funding available per proposal? This will help us develop a scope | Our intent is to remain flexible on any myriad of scenarios ranging from one solution that is viewed as most favorable in an amount commensurate with the total available funding, as well as multiple less expensive solutions. |
| 2 | Is there a timeframe by which you anticipate delivery of solutions? Is there a difference for such a timeframe for software vs hardware solutions? | There is no pre-determined delivery timeframe beyond the need to ensure the available funding is obligated and expensed IAW fiscal law. The current planned funding is FY24 O&M. Given the wide array of potential solutions, flexibility on our end is paramount so long as we remain compliant with fiscal law and DOD expenditure guidelines. |
| 3 | Is there a particular Area of Interest size (eg. square nautical miles) that we should provide a scope for? | The Asia-Pacific region is comprised of 38 nations. The primary AOIs are the open ocean from a country's coast to the outer edge of its EEZ. |
| 4 | Would you recommend the submission of partial solutions (eg a hardware solution without a graphical user interface) or only solutions and/or proposals that meet all listed attributes? | The submission of partial solutions are encouraged and will be considered. |
| 5 | You mention certain sensing capabilities as solution attributes (eg AIS, RF, EO, SAR) – are there other sensing types that you are open to (eg acoustic)? | Yes |
| 6 | You mention in the Problem Statement the solution providing “exploited imagery” – while this is stated as a problem and not as a Solution Attribute, are you looking for solutions to ultimately provide “exploited imagery of a small number of identified vessels as a result of maintained custody regardless of “dark” status”? | Solutions that ultimately provide exploited imagery are highly desired. However, solutions that can provide analytical reports of a VOI’s weekly activities or a user-interface tool that can be integrated into a Common Operating Platform that enables maintained custody of a VOI are also desired. |
| 7 | In terms of sensing, are you primarily interested in satellite-based solutions, or would you be interested in in-situ sensing capabilities as well? | NGA is open to both satellite and ground-based solutions. |
| 8 | I reviewed materials for the Open Topic on Maritime Domain Awareness/IUU Fishing. Are foreign commercial entities (one French, the other Austrian) eligible to submit? | Foreign commercial entities are not eligible to submit. |
| 9 | Are solutions limited to only those which process imagery? In other words, are solutions that exploit AIS or other SIGINT data applicable to this topic? | Yes, other solutions besides processed imagery are acceptable. |
| 10 | What is the risk-tolerance posture for this effort? Is something that a solution in the TRL-5/6 range with a TRL advancement plan in the next 2 years able to propose? | The most competitive solutions will be operational/demonstration capable at the date of award. |
| 11 | Are existing, fielded solutions in consideration and within the scope of this solicitation or is the NGA, under this program, only looking for new or strictly commercial technologies that can be adapted to address the stated requirements? | The most competitive solutions will be operational/demonstration capable at the date of award. |
| 12 | How many EEZs does the Client wish to monitor? Can the Client provide general and/or specific locations of these EEZs at this time? | The Asia-Pacific region is comprised of 38 nations. The primary AOIs are the open ocean from a country's coast to the outer edge of its EEZ. |
| 13 | Regarding this requirement: 'exploited imagery of a small number of identified vessels as a result of maintained custody regardless of "dark" status.' 1. Does the client know many vessels are required to be tracked? 2. When referring to imagery does the client mean actual photos of the vessels, or a real-time map image overlay of the vessel traffic? | 1. Proof of concept will include approximately 18 vessels and should describe how the solution could be scalable 2. The solution can refer to both actual photos of the vessels and real-time map image overlay of the vessel traffic. |
| 14 | Can the Client provide the type of mobile SATCOM service the vessels of interest use? (i.e., Thuraya, Immarsat, Starlink, ect.) | NGA will not be providing this information. |
| 15 | We wanted to confirm the $1.5M funding contraint is for the entire pilot program, divided amongst all awardees. | The $1.5M is available to be divided amongst all awardees. NGA may increase funding in the future based upon solutions received. |
| 16 | Does the sponsor have a target period of performance for the pilot program phase? | The PoP for the $1.5M is anticipated to end by 30 November. Any periods beyond 30 November will require additional funding, which may or may not become available. |
| 17 | Will NGA consider submissions from Australian firms for this solicitation? | Foreign commercial entities are not eligible to submit. |
| 18 | The NGA Article states this is a “1.5 million pilot program” and we understand that the government is looking for flexible pricing options. Is the NTE amount for this effort $1.5M? | The $1.5M is available to be divided amongst all awardees. NGA may increase funding in the future based upon solutions received. |
| 19 | What is the expected Period of Performance (or execution start date)? | NGA desires to award shortly after the pitch dates in June 2024. The PoP for the $1.5M is anticipated to end by 30 November. Any periods beyond 30 November will require additional funding, which may or may not become available. |
| 20 | What does “near real-time” mean in the context of information? (Ex: Is it x < 12,6,4,.. hours?) | Near real time refers to less than or equal to 24 hours |
| 21 | Should objects under custody ever be archived/removed from the current/active custody list? | The most competitive solutions would be capable of adding and/or removing archived vessels of interest from the active custody list. |
| 22 | Are there any defined specifications for the preferred exploited contents? | The most competitive solutions should describe the metadata (vessel characteristics) available, at a minimum to include location and date time group. |
| 23 | Does the Government have preferred methods/formats for exporting data to other partners? | The most competitive solutions will describe the available methods/formats for exporting data. |
| 24 | Can the Governmnent clarify the data rights and licensing desired for the commercial solution? | NGA intends to have no less than government purpose rights. |
| 25 | Can proposals include Electro-optical sensors that enable better data collection? | Yes, proposals can include electro-optical sensors. |
| 26 | Regarding a solution, are you looking for Data as a Service, or to buy a product, or could be either? | It could be either data as a service or a product. |
| 27 | Is there a long term budget for this need beyond the $1.5M noted for this CSO? I.e. Do you already have funding of a given amount appropriated in O&M for IUUF? | NGA currently has $1.5M allocated for this CSO effort. NGA may allocate additional funding in the future. |
| 28 | I just have a quick question about the Solution Document template. Are we not to alter it in any way (i.e. keep the grey "Cover Page", "Technical Volume I", and "Technical Volume II" text that runs diagonally across each slide)? | The document should not be altered. |
| 29 | Are foreign commercial entities allowed to be part of a submission as a subcontractor? The prime would be a US entity. | This initial CSO is limited excusively to US entities. No foreign involvement allowed. |
| 30 | Who are the anticipated end-users of the solution? Will the end users be using the proposed solution platform or is the intention to send outputs and deliverables to other platforms/systems at NGA? | The anticipated end users are members of the INDOPACOM command. The solution will be delivered to INDOPACOM and NGA platforms/systems. |
| 31 | How is NGA considering imagery acquisition as part of the solution? Must offerors also include the provision of the imagery or analytics as part of the solution or will NGA consider that acquisition separately? | The most competitive solutions will not require NGA provided imagery. Offers should not anticipate reliance on NGA provided imagery. However, if your solution requires NGA provided imagery, please ensure you appropriately identify that need. Please note solutions that require access to imagery will not be viewed as favorably as solutions which do not require access to imagery. |
| 32 | If selected, is there an anticipated date for the in-person demonstration at DIU? | Currently, anticipated demonstrations are 24 - 28 June 2024. However, depending on Phase I evaluations, these dates may change. |
| 33 | Would the government consider the ability to integrate and deliver outputs to higher-classification systems or capabilities in their evaluation? While the solution itself must be unclassified and using unclassified data, will the deliverables and operational outputs only be used at the unclassified level? Even if the solution and its capabilities are unclassified, will it only ever operate in the unclassified environment or is there a need for higher classification integration capabilities? | Integration capabilities may or may not be viewed favorably. This will be dependent on the nature of the solution and the future use case of the solution as well as how well the solution may achieve its intended outcomes. The initial use case in unclassified. Future use cases are still being determined and will be determined in the future. |
| 34 | Can you please clarify the definition of “near real-time?” Are there specific latency metrics NGA is seeking to for the solution to be able to meet? | Near real time refers to less than or equal to 24 hours. For example, delivering unclassified imagery of a vessel of interest from the time it enters a country's EEZ. In this case, from the time a vessel enters an EEZ to the time the imagery is deliverd to INDOPACOM is less than 24 hours. |
| 35 | Will the government consider proposed solutions consisting of commercial services that utilize a software platform that was developed with mixed funding, and allows for government unlimited rights (GUR) / government purposed rights (GPR)? | Yes |
| 36 | Will commercial items, solutions, or services not registered within the DoD Commercial Item Database at https://piee.eb.mil, be considered compliant for this solicitation? | So long as evidence can be provided that the solutions are commercial in nature, then yes. |
| 37 | How much can be subcontracted? | As this is not set aside for small businesses, no limitations in subcontracting clauses apply; offerors should however not anticipated as being most favorable |
| 38 | Where does the work have to physically be done? (e.g. can we do flight tests around pacific nations and/or integration work in United Kingdom) | All offers must come from US only entities. NGA does not have a requirement where the work is completed. |
| 39 | Considering the amount of technical response required to include the Basis of Estimate (BOE), would the Government consider extending the submission due date by at least two weeks allowing the industry to provide quality technical responses and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) with fidelity? | Solution due date has been extended to 31 May, 12pm Central. |
| 40 | Can the Government confirm they are just looking for the company name, notice of active registration and UEID in the SAM screenshot | Yes |
| 41 | Step 1, SD Content table states should be a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM), but the Solution Documents Basis of Evaluation states a Basis of Estimate is required as well sufficient details to determine fair and reasonableness as well as make an award. In addition, the MDA_CSO_SD_Template (slide 11) states the Government is also looking for pricing options. We recommend the Government consider allowing a ROM with options in Solution Document Submission, and a more detailed pricing be submitted after Step 2 so that the Offeror knows what detail to include after the Government has identified which “pricing option” they desire. | A solution may be viewed as more favorable if it can be provided with actual costs for the immediate solution's initial implementation. However, in the event the offeror has the ability to showcase the anticipated costs for use beyond the initial period, and/or with different levels of capability attached to such solutions, an offeror should be afforded the opportunity to provide such info. |
| 42 | Will the Government consider a two week extension through 12PM CST 07JUN? This is a new requirement and an unusual contract vehicle. The Government did not provide any early indications or information on this requirement ahead of its released, which was during the GEOINT conference. Most companies who would have a role in responding have just been getting back from GEOINT this week. The government desires a solution that brings the best innovation from several companies together and it has taken time to identify teammates as well as put necessary agreements in place. Additional time is needed to formulate the solution the Government requires such that the Government gets the best innovative ideas meeting their requirement. | Solution due date has been extended to 31 May, 12pm Central. |
| 43 | We would like to request clarification and confirmation as to whether NGA is requesting GPR rights for the pilot program alone or the entire CSO/TOI. | Any outcomes from this CSO/TOI need to be provided with no less than GPR. |
| 44 | MDA CSO Section B. Instructions & Procedures for Preparation and Submission of Solutions - To ensure successful email submission, can the Government please provide the maximum PDF file size that can be accommodated? | NGA doesn't expect to receive solutions with PDF files sizes that are too large to be emailed. |
| 45 | Approximately how many vessels of interest will there be, and how will they be selected for use with the solutions opening? | Proof of concept will include approximately 18 vessels and should describe how the solution could be scaleable. |
| 46 | Is NGA open to solutions that would utilize existing data repositories or streams already procured by the Government? | Yes |
| 47 | How does the NGA define or consider "optimal data persistence and coverage"? Is this defined by age of data, amount of data associated with a track, etc.? | This should be viewed through the lens of being able to track vessels in near real time. |
| 48 | How does NGA define "maintained custody regardless of dark status"? | The most favorable solutions will be able to track a VOI by its location despite attempts to spoof its location. |
| 49 | Is there a requirement for detection storage? Does NGA want to be able to look back through historical detections? If so, how long would this history go back? | The most favorable solutions will be able to hold historical detections for five years. |
| 50 | Is there a requirement to correlate multiple detections over time? In other words, does NGA need to know that 2 different detections are from the same target? | Yes and yes. An example would be a vessel that identifies itself as belonging to Country A then spoofs to identify as Country B, the most favorable solutions should be able to identify the accurate country of origin. |
| 51 | If the solution includes SBIR data rights, will those be accorded SBIR data rights in accordance with the Phase III mandate? | Any solutions from this CSO/TOI need to be provided with no less than GPR. |
| 52 | What is meant by “Sam.gov screenshot” as far as the required content for the Cover Slide? | See response above (Question 40). |
| 53 | Can you please confirm the meaning of “Solution Validity Date”? | The validity date should be the date at which your proposed solution document expires or is no longer valid. Please insure a minimum duration of 90 days after proposal response due date. |
| 54 | Can you please confirm the meaning, or possibly provide examples, of “Period of Performance Constraints” | An example of a constraint would be "Our solution would not be able to provide a working capability until six months from now". |
| 55 | Clause List, DFARS 252.204-7012 and 252.204-7008 - To what extent do you expect any CUI to be used or shared in connection with the opportunity? | Most favorable solutions should be capable of utilizing CUI. |
| 56 | Clause List, DFARS 252.204-7012 and 252.204-7008 - As the request is for commercially available solutions, we request the removal of DFARS 252.204-7012 and 252.204-7008. | Although this request is for commerically available solutions, that does not automatically preclude inclusion of these clauses |
| 57 | Should data costs be included in the ROM? | Yes |
| 58 | Will there be any government furnished data? | No |
| 59 | Can the government confirm that the ROM and schedule to be proposed for the solution is the cost needed to get the solution ready to be tested in an operational environment? Should the operational use of the solution beyond testing be proposed at additional cost? | Yes and yes. Please note the response to questions 2, 15, and 16. |
| 60 | Are there any requirements on the sizes of the target areas or duration and frequency of monitoring ? E.g - (Analyzing entire INDOPACOM AOR for a year ? Or analyzing limited sqkms for a shorter duration like a day ? ) | The most favorable solutions will maintain near real time custody of the approximately 18 VOI. |
| 61 | One of the requirements is “operationally share it with international partners” . Do we need advanced authentication & authorization on what analysis can be shared with the partners ? | The solutions will be delivered to USINDOPACOM, the command will decide wheter to share with partners. Consequently any solutions shall be delivered with no less than GPR. |
| 62 | For the UI/UX - Is there any specific information the government is seeking? (example any metadata associated with detections) | Yes, solution should include vessel name, flag, International Maritime Organization (IMO), owner, operator, charterer, change in AIS destination. |
| 63 | Does the government intend to attach any alerts or notifications to these detections ? | Yes. The most favorable solutions should be able to account for implementing alerts or notifications, such as but not limited to, alerts when a VOI enters an EEZ of interest. |
| 64 | Does near real time of less than 24 hours include the latency for data acquisition or is it the time to purely analyze the data? | See response to previous questions. |
| 65 | SAM listing states 5pm CST for submissions, CSO file states 12 pm CST. Which is correct? | Solution due date has been extended to 31 May, 12pm Central. |
| 66 | How did NGA come to the determination of 18 vessels? 1. Please confirm if it is 18 vessels or 18 vessel types. | The most favorable solutions will include the capability to track 18 vessels. Offerors are encouraged to submit ROMs to scale the solution beyond 18 vessels. |
| 67 | Does NGA anticipate the vessels being tracked simultaneously? If not, please provide NGA’s intent and desire for tracking these vessels. | Yes |
| 68 | Does NGA anticipate this as a real time exercise over the PoP (5 months)? If not, please provide NGA’s complete requirements for the Proof of Concept. | Yes |
| 69 | Does NGA anticipate selecting a specific subset of vessels, or will these be selected in a random/generic manner? | These will be selected in a random manner. |
| 70 | Is NGA's intent to receive no less than GPR applicable only to the technical data "outputs/analytics"? Please confirm NGA is not intending for providers to assert GPR to their commercial solution/technology that has been developed exclusively with private expense. | Yes, NGA intends to receive no less than GPR for delivered data, outputs, and analytics. |
| 71 | As Canada is considered a domestic contract, explained further below, we would like to confirm that Canadian exporters will have the opportunity to propose on this CSO. | This initial CSO is limited exclusively to US entities. No foreign involvement is allowed at any tier. All offers must come from US-only entities. Canadian exporters will not have the opportunity to propose on this CSO as they are not US entities. |
| END OF QUESTIONS |
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