TDLG RFI Amendment 1.pdf

Request for Information Air Force Communications Networking Research and Analysis Initiatives for Tactical Data Links and Gateways

1. THIS NOTICE IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. This notice is for information and planning purposes only. In accordance with Part 10 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), the Government is conducting market research to determine the availability and adequacy of potential business sources in providing the capabilities to meet the requirements of the Government. This Request for Information (RFI) does not constitute a solicitation for bids or proposals, and it is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. All information submitted by respondents to this request is strictly voluntary. The information herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a competitive contract.

Respondents are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI; all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested parties’ expense. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to provide feedback with respect to any information submitted. To the maximum extent possible, please submit nonproprietary information. Any proprietary information submitted should be identified as such and will be handled accordingly and protected from disclosure in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations.

The Government shall not be liable for damages related to proprietary information that is not properly identified. Please note, there is no solicitation available at this time and any requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. Not responding to this request does not preclude participation in any future solicitation, if any is issued. Funds are not currently available for this effort.

Please be aware that all unclassified information submitted in response to this request, whether written, oral, electronic, graphic, or any other medium, may be subject to disclosure upon receipt of a proper Freedom of Information Act request from any person. A response to this RFI constitutes an acknowledgement that you are interested and may submit a proposal against any prospective solicitation.

Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued.

Any submissions in response to this RFI constitutes consent for that submission to be reviewed by Government personnel, Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) contractor employees, and Advisory & Assistance Services (A&AS) contractor employees supporting the Air Force AFLCMC/HNAG Tactical Data Link and Gateways (TDL&G) unless the respondent clearly objects in writing to the release of this information to FFRDC or A&AS contractor employees supporting HNAG in a cover letter accompanying the respondent’s submission. All Government and Department of Defense (DoD) contractor personnel reviewing RFI responses understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information.

2. BACKGROUND: The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Aerial Networks Division (AFLCMC/HNAG) is seeking qualified and interested vendors to both self-identify and re-verify their specific expert qualifications and technical experiences that qualify them to continue Program Management Office (PMO) efforts.

There are two independent efforts to be considered: The Air Force Aerial Networking (AFAN) Roadmap Analysis Initiative and Common Tactical Edge Network (CTEN) Requirements Analysis.

AFAN ROADMAP ANALYSIS INITIATIVE REQUIREMENTS

The AFAN Roadmap Analysis Initiative will support the core analytical requirements for the Air Combat Command (ACC) 2026 core document update and the analytical requirements for generation of the AFAN Roadmap Special Annex. It will align with and support Department of the Air Force (DAF) Command, Control, Communications, and Battle Management (C3BM). The initiative will provide operational impact driven requirements analysis which is crucial for current force structure and AF Force Design 2033 built on the AF Future Operations Capacity (AFFOC). The initiative is a combination of a study, modeling and simulation, and experimentation. The primary focus is on current and emerging communications and networking technology operational impacts analysis. The initiative is a continuation and builds upon previously completed AFAN Roadmap analyses that provided critical analytical rigor. This will inform the requirements development process as well as facilitate requirements generation. Additionally, the initiative scope is expanded to address recent and emerging rapid operational impact analysis as directed by HQ ACC/A5/8/9 Director of Plans, Programs and Requirements.

The scope of the AFAN effort includes:

Analysis: Analyze C2 communications and networking (Agile and Resilient Comms) transport layer architectures focusing on the enterprise level and impacts to warfare execution based on transactional information flow to and from permissive, contested, and Anti-access/Aerial Denial (A2/AD) environments. Deliver results and findings to support development of the AFAN Roadmap and USAF future communications capabilities. The analysis will address Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) to provide a credible basis for subsequent analyses and support advocacy or opposition of potential solutions Gap Analysis: Effectively assess operational and tactical communications gaps as various capability configuration solutions are presented and assessed incorporating changes to technology and/or impacts of delays to planned capabilities Operational Impact Analysis: Provide operational impact analytics of experimentations as coordinated – directed by ACC/A5JT. Analysis will incorporate modeling and simulations, experimentation observations, and findings back into overall operation impact analysis with goal of better informing and/or defining the requirements to meeting warfighters operational needs Emergent Operational Mission Analysis in support of ACC/A5JT, ACC/A5J, and HQ

ACC/A5/8/9

CTEN SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS ANALYSIS

The CTEN Software Requirements Analysis will inform and guide the CTEN development to implement the best possible solution for advancing the Secretary of the Air Force Operational Imperatives. The CTEN Software will deliver a resilient network overlay, message translation, and advanced network routing capabilities via government-owned Modular Open Systems Approach (MOSA)-aligned software to enable information sharing over existing Line of Sight (LOS) and Beyond Line of Sight (BLOS) Tactical Data Links (TDLs).

The scope of the CTEN Requirements Analysis effort includes:

Reviewing the CTEN Requirements

Analyze the current requirements to establish efficacy of those requirements.

Analyze the CTEN Requirements to establish additional Information Exchange Requirements needed to support the CTEN operating environment.

Creation of modular elements of the IER database that will facilitate the quick creation of IERs, Joint Mission Threads, and Operational Scenario development support

Analysis of CTEN Transport Layer Technological Demonstration and Experimentation integration opportunities in support of the CTEN Requirements.

PERSONNEL AND FACILITY SECURITY CLEARANCES REQUIREMENTS

DD Form 254 Contract Security Classification Specification shall apply to this requirement. The offeror shall possess and maintain a Top Secret (TS) facility clearance and have TS classified storage capability at contract award and for the life of the contract. Contractor personnel performing work must be United States citizens, have an active Department of Defense (DoD) Top Secret/SCI security clearance based on a Tier 5 background investigation at time of award and must maintain the individual security clearance for the life of the contract. Operational Security requirements will apply.

DATA SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS: The Government requests that interested vendors provide the following documentation in a vendor selected format Not Later Than (NLT) February 2025 at 1:00PM EDT via e-mail to the Contracting Officer, Michael Lodi, michael.lodi@us.af.mil. The Target Date for submittal of questions is 06 February 2025 at 4:00 PM EDT. Questions received after the target date may not be answered. The Government, to the extent it determines practicable, will respond to questions from vendors. Any question submitted to the Government will be posted along with the Government’s response and available for review by all potential vendors.

A Statement of Interest (SOI) in the subject effort to support the initiative to provide in-depth operational warfighting mission research and analysis to determine impacts, effectiveness, and examine options for increasing the resiliency and adaptability of integrated communications and networks enterprise wide.

The Government requests interested and qualified vendors to respond to the following.

Describe briefly the capabilities of your facility and nature of the services you provide.

Include a description of your staff composition and management structure.

Describe your company's experience on previous projects similar in complexity to this requirement. Include contract numbers, a brief description of the work performed, period of performance, agency/organization supported, and individual point of contact (Contracting Officer or Program Manager).

Describe your company's capabilities for generating, handling, processing and storing classified and controlled unclassified material and data.

Describe your services capabilities and experience regarding the requirements of this effort.

If your company cannot perform the entirety of the requirement what part could or would your company be able to perform. Provide specific info on what could be broken out for your company’s performance.

Identify the names of company contracting personnel (including phone number and e-mail address) who may participate in discussions with the Government.

Physical Address and Performance Address Web Page URL CAGE Code DUNS Number DSS Authority Office (if known) Size of business pursuant to North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code 541330 Engineering Services (small business standard is less than $25.5M) Small Business Classification (if any) Identify any Indefinite Delivery / Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract vehicles or Blanket Purchase Agreements (BPA) the company is on.

The Government is not obligated to and will not pay for any information received from potential sources responding to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. This notice does not constitute a solicitation for bids and proposals and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government. Although “proposal” and “offeror” are used in this Request for Information, your response will be treated as information only.

The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for or award a contract. No solicitation regarding this announcement is available. Please be aware that all unclassified information submitted in response to this request, whether written, oral, electronic, graphic, or any other medium, may be subject to disclosure upon receipt of a proper Freedom of Information Act request from any person. The Government will not pay for any material provided in response to this RFI and submittals will not be returned to the sender. A response to this RFI constitutes an acknowledgement that you are interested and possibly submit a proposal against any prospective solicitation.

Primary Points of Contact:

Michael Lodi, DAF Contracting Officer

AFMC AFLCMC/HNAK

Phone: 781-225-2525 E-mail: michael.lodi@us.af.mil

Contracting Office Address:

5 Eglin Street, Building 1624 Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts 01731