MCWS-X RFI_Market Research - Final.pdf

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

M67854-25-I-2026

MARINE CORPS SYSTEMS COMMAND, QUANTICO, VA

Marine Corps Wideband Satellite Communications – Expeditionary Program

SECTION ONE: GENERAL INFORMATION.

Document Type: Request for Information/Market Research (RFI)

Sources Sought: All Businesses – Under North American Industry Classification System

(NAICS) Code 517919

Closing Date for RFI: 7 May 2025 at 3:00 pm, local time, Quantico, Virginia

This RFI initiates market research under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Section

10.002(b)(2) and is not a Request for Proposal or Request for Quotations. The information herein initiates communication with industry only in order to assess market potential. No solicitation document exists at this time. This RFI constitutes no Government obligation to procure these items or issue a solicitation. In addition, the Government has no obligation to pay for information received in response to this RFI and will not treat any responses as offers. The information provided herein is subject to change and in no way binds the Government to solicit for, or award, a competitive or sole source contract.

SECTION TWO: DESCRIPTION.

The Marine Corps Systems Command (MCSC), Program Manager Tactical Communications

Electromagnetic Warfare Systems is initiating market research under FAR Part 10 to determine industry interest in, and capability to, meet a particular Marine Corps need. MCSC has, to date, procured Marine Corps Wideband Satellite Communications – Expeditionary (MCWS-X) terminals from L3Harris, and has had all non-organic system maintenance and sustainment needs addressed by L3Harris. This request is intended to inform the Government on whether industry has the capability to competitively provide the Marine Corps with the necessary system maintenance and sustainment in addition to related products and services. In addition to the non-organic system maintenance and sustainment required, the Marine Corps is seeking a provider to build new terminals, make enhancements to the systems, perform associated engineering, conduct training on, and testing of, the systems, and provide systems engineering products and services. The software and firmware for the MCWS-X systems is proprietary, and the Marine

Corps lacks sufficient rights in the software to make it available to potential competitors. Also, the Marine Corps does not have a Level 3 technical data package for the system or possess sufficient rights in such a package to make it available to third parties for competition.

MCWS-X is a multiband (X, Ku, Ka) Super High Frequency, multi-waveform satellite communications (SATCOM) terminal capable of being transported by one Marine and being set-up by one Marine in under 15 minutes. The MCWS-X performance specification threshold throughput rate is up to at least 2 Megabits per second (Mbps) and, objectively, up to 10 Mbps, and utilizes waveforms that are backward compatible with legacy Marine Corps SATCOM systems via Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) satellites, and Department of Defense (DoD)

Enterprise SATCOM Gateways, and forward compatible with future upgrades planned to implement the Protected Tactical Waveform (PTW) and function via Medium Earth Orbit

(MEO) satellite constellations.

The Marine Corps will use the results of this announcement to determine what capabilities currently exist in the marketplace that meet the Government’s requirements outlined above. No related Industry Day is scheduled in conjunction with this RFI. All MCWS-X terminals, non-organic system maintenance and sustainment for these systems was initially provided by

L3Harris, the Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM). This RFI is intended to inform the

Government on whether industry has the capability to competitively provide the Marine Corps with the necessary products and services.

SECTION THREE: SUBMISSION REQUEST.

The response is limited to no more than 10 pages. Responses may include advertising or marketing information. Vendors deciding to submit competition sensitive or proprietary information bear the sole responsibility for marking the information for appropriate safeguarding. Please include the following information in the response:

1. Company Name;

2. Company Address;

3. Point of Contact’s Name, Title, email, and phone number;

4. Brief, relevant company biograph;

5. Business size classification;

6. Description of capabilities that meet the requirements and scope of work identified in

Section 2 of this RFI. Be certain to address your company’s right (or license) to use the necessary intellectual property in fulfilling these requirements. Additionally, for vendors interested in building new terminals,

a. Identify how you would ensure your terminals would be fully compatible with the

L3Harris terminals in the Marine Corps inventory.

b. Identify how the terminal’s interfaces would work with the equipment the Marine

Corps has already fielded.

c. Identify whether you already have an existing training package that meets current

Marine Corps training requirements.

d. Identify whether your terminal’s performance has been 100% independently verified against the current MCWS-X Performance Specification.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Provide the requested information via email, using “Response to RFI# M67854-25-I-2026” in the subject line, to victoria.downing@usmc.mil and tarah.goggins@usmc.mil, no later than the closing date and time provided in Section 1. After reviewing comments, the Government may, in its sole discretion, set up a teleconference with a respondent to discuss their submission.

SECTION FOUR: PROPRIETARY DATA.

mailto:victoria.downing@usmc.mil mailto:tarah.goggins@usmc.mil

The Government may use information received from this RFI to establish future Marine Corps requirements. Vendors deciding to submit competition sensitive or proprietary information bear the sole responsibility for marking the information for appropriate safeguarding. Proprietary information will be protected from unauthorized disclosure as required by Subsection 27 of the

Office of Procurement Policy Act, as amended (41 U.S.C. 423), as implemented in the FAR.

Proprietary information submitted, if any, should be kept to the minimum and MUST BE

CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government in identifying and protecting submissions, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that submissions will not be returned.

DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN YOUR RESPONSE.

SECTION FIVE: NOTICE.

Vendors are advised that the Government may use non-Government support contractors to assist in collecting and reviewing market information and in providing technical advice to the MCSC team. MCSC contractually binds these companies with respect to proprietary information by organizational conflict of interest and non-disclosure clauses. Proprietary information submitted in response to this RFI will be protected from unauthorized disclosure as required by Subsection

27 of the Office of Procurement Policy Act, as amended (41 U.S.C. 423) (hereinafter referred to as “the Procurement Integrity Act” or “the Act”), and as implemented in the FAR. Supporting personnel are procurement officials as defined within the Act and will take all necessary action to preclude unauthorized use or disclosure of the vendor’s proprietary data.

By submitting a response, a company will be deemed to understand and agree to, the

Government allowing its support contractor, with the appropriate Non-Disclosure Agreement in place, to access any information submitted in relation to this RFI.