RETS_RFI_Final_29Aug2019.pdf

Research, Development, Test, Evaluation (RDT&E), Engineering and Technical Services

Sources Sought – RETS08292019

The intent of this Sources Sought notice is to gauge industry interest, capabilities, and relevant experience to support Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering ( OUSD (R&E)) personnel in performing highest quality Research, Development, Test, Evaluation (RDT&E), Engineering and Technical Services (“RETS”). The mission of OUSD (R&E) as the Chief Technology Officer is clearly defined to foster technological dominance across the Department of Defense and ensure the advantage of the American warfighter. The OUSD (R&E) enterprise is composed of the Directorate of Defense Research and Engineering for Advanced Capabilities (AC); the Directorate of Defense Research and Engineering for Research and Technology (RT), and 11 modernization priority areas.

The DDR&E (AC) recognizes, identifies, explores, and ensures the development, integration, and funding of new technology and capabilities to maintain U.S. technological superiority. It takes a unified, missions-level view across the entire DoD enterprise to analyze joint missions and identify cross-cutting technology gaps critical to military readiness. It maintains a focus on the innovative application of technology and works with a robust network of transition partners within and external to the DoD to mitigate gaps through accelerated prototyping, demonstration, and fielding, with the ultimate goal of operational sustainment.

The DDR&E (RT) oversees the Department’s entire Science and Technology (S&T) portfolio and ensures that DoD’s S&T enterprise is postured to develop the next generation of game-changing technologies and enable rapid delivery of superior capabilities to the warfighter. It serves as the chief steward and advocate for the Department’s S&T workforce and laboratory infrastructure, oversees the Department’s Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC) and University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC), and cultivates the next generation of S&T Professionals for the Department.

Eleven Modernization Priority Areas are led by an Assistant Director or Technical Director, who are collectively responsible for unifying and advancing the Department’s investments and capabilities in the following areas: Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning, Autonomy, Biotechnology, Cyber, Directed Energy, Fully Networked Command, Control & Communications (FNC3), Hypersonics, Microelectronics, Space, Quantum Science, and 5G Network Technology. The anticipated task areas for RETS is as follows:

1. Hardware/Software Design, Development & Test: Includes developmental hardware design engineers with expertise including circuit boards, microchips, and testing of prototypes;

software development employee skill sets includes software requirement analysis (SRA), embedded-system software and board-level software design, programming, and test expertise.

2. Prototyping: Physical Infrastructure and employee skill sets necessary to rapidly fabricate a hardware/software design for experimentation, test and evaluation.

3. Modeling & Simulation: Employee skill sets and expertise in the use of physical, conceptual or logical representation of a given system to generate data and assist in decisions or making predictions about the system performance.

4. Mission & Systems Engineering: Employee skill sets and expertise to support Mission and Systems Engineering. Mission Engineering is the planning, analyzing, and integration of current and emerging operational and system capabilities to achieve desired warfighting mission effects.

Mission engineering treats the end-to-end mission as the “system”. Mission Engineering goes beyond data exchange among systems to address cross cutting functions, end to end control, and trades across systems. Systems Engineering is applied to the systems of systems supporting operational mission outcomes.

5. System Integration: Employee skill sets, processes and expertise to bring together and implement the component sub-systems into one system that delivers the overarching mission functionality.

6. Operations Research: Employee skill sets and expertise employing techniques (e.g., mathematical modeling, statistical analysis, mathematical optimization, etc.) to arrive at optimal or near-optimal solutions to complex decision-making problems. Operations research also includes Net Technical Assessment of military capabilities, including Kill chain Analysis, and evaluations of operational scenarios.

7. Research and Technology: Broad knowledge and expertise in support of scientific research and technology development in the area of material science, microelectronics, artificial intelligence, machine learning, autonomy, energy and power, software engineering, networking, communication, cyber, electronic warfare, aerial/ground/naval platforms, biotechnology, space, basic science for defense and military applications.

8. Science and technology roadmap Support: Broad knowledge and expertise in support of science and technology (S&T) roadmap maintenance, update and evaluation. Articulate the capabilities, accomplishments, and investment of S&T. Identify and bridge technology gaps and provide recommendation and options. Development of performance metrics and lesson learned.

9. Executive Support: Employee skills sets, knowledge, expertise, and experience (e.g. executive assistant/officer manager, workflow manager, executive communications/speechwriting/public affairs, Congressional liaison, travel coordinator, research assistant/project coordinator, graphic design) necessary to proactively and with minimal supervision support senior executives at the highest levels of the Defense Department.

Location of work to be performed: Contractor facility(s) and onsite at various Government locations in the Washington D.C. area National Capital Region (NCR). The anticipated security classification to be completed under this requirement will be up to TS/SCI.

Sources Sought Response Format:

Responses will be evaluated solely for market research purposes. Consequently, the Government is primarily interested in Qualified Sources providing specific technical details indicating how that source can meet the Government’s needs. Interested parties, at a minimum, should provide the following information:

a) Name of Company and Point(s) of Contact

b) Address, Telephone Number, Fax Number, and Email Addresses(s) of POC

c) Vendor Cage Code & DUNS

d) The anticipated NAICS Code for this effort is 541715, Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology, Biotechnology, Aircraft, Aircraft Engine and Engine Parts), with a corresponding size standard of 1,500 employees.

e) Identify business size, & applicable Socioeconomic Categories and number of employees in relation to the proposed NAICS Code, 541715.

f) Identify vendor Facility Security Clearance.

g) Concise technical description of the offeror’s capabilities (including relevant employee skill sets) in any of the modernization priorities or task areas listed above.

h) Indicate if your company would respond to the Request for Proposal as a prime or subcontractor.

i) Indicate if subcontracting possibilities exist and/or if all the task areas can be performed by a single vendor.

j) Provide in this response a list (of at least 3) Department of Defense (DoD) contracts supported currently or during the past 36 months with a brief description of the supply or services provided for the same or similar type of work.

Response to this Sources Sought Notice should not exceed 10 pages, single-spaced, 12 point font and 1 inch margins, inclusive of charts, graphs, or other illustrations. All responses to this notice must be UNCLASSIFIED, and must be received electronically no later than 3:00 pm (Eastern) on 01 October 2019. Submit responses to: marge.a.niedzwicz.civ@mail.mil.

When submitting a response, please use “RETS Sources Sought Notice” in the email subject line. Any responses submitted through different channels or to a different email address will not be considered.

The Government will NOT acknowledge receipt of submissions, and is under no obligation to provide feedback. The Government will review the responses to assess relevance and potential performance capabilities.

Disclaimers and Important Notes

This announcement contains all information required to submit a response. Submission of a response is entirely voluntary and is not required to propose to a subsequent solicitation. This announcement does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals. This Sources Sought Notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes; it does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals. No solicitation exists; therefore, do not request a copy of the solicitation. If a solicitation is released in the future it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities website. It is the responsibility of any potential offerors/bidders to monitor this site for release of any solicitation or synopsis. The Government will NOT provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this notice.

Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted.

To the maximum extent possible, please submit non-proprietary information. If proprietary information is submitted, it must be appropriately and specifically marked. It is the submitter’s responsibility to clearly define to the Government what is considered proprietary data. Any proprietary information should clearly be labeled as “Proprietary”. The Government will not publicly disclose proprietary information obtained as a result of this notice. Submissions may be reviewed by Government personnel and support contractors bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements.