RFI-ACT-SACT-16-77.pdf

HQ Supreme Allied Commander Transformation

RFI 16-77

Headquarters Supreme Allied Commander Transformation Norfolk Virginia

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

RFI-ACT-SACT-16-77

This document contains a Request for Information (RFI) Call for Industry and Academia contribution on cognitive computing at the Chief Of Transformation Conference (COTC) that will take place in Norfolk on December 14th and 15th, 2016.

Suppliers wishing to respond to this RFI should read this document carefully and follow the guidance for responding.

General Information

Request For Information No. 16-77

Project Title Call for industry and academia contribution on cognitive computing and advanced analytics at the COTC (Chiefs Of Transformation Conference) in Norfolk on December 14th and 15th, 2016.

Due date for submission of requested information

November 10th, 2016

Contracting Office Address NATO, HQ Supreme Allied Commander Transformation

(SACT)

Purchasing & Contracting Suite 100 7857 Blandy Rd, Norfolk, VA, 23511-2490

Contracting Points of Contact 1. Ms Tonya Bonilla e-mail : tonya.bonilla@act.nato.int Tel : +1 757 747 3575

2. Ms Catherine Giglio e-mail : catherine.giglio@act.nato.int Tel :+1 757 747 3856

Technical Points of Contact 1. Simon Purton, e-mail : simon.purton@act.nato.int Tel : +1 757 747 3681 mailto:tonya.bonilla@act.nato.int mailto:curtis.day@act.nato.int mailto:mark.stoops@act.nato.int

1 - INTRODUCTION

1.1 Summary. HQ Supreme Allied Commander Transformation (HQ SACT) is issuing this Request for Information (RFI) announcement in order to facilitate collaboration between the 2016 Chief of Transformation Conference (COTC) and industry/academia regarding future technology. This engagement herein referred to as 2016 COTC Cognitive Computing and Advanced Analytics session and further described in Section III, will take place on 14 December 2016 within the Hotel Marriott Norfolk Waterside main ballroom and lobbies. The 2016 COTC Cognitive Computing and Advanced Analytics session aim is to provide an unthreatening and intimate setting for the Chiefs of Transformation to learn from industry/academia about emerging and future technologies and their likely impact on future military considerations.

1.2 Disclaimer. This request for information does not constitutes a commitment to issue a future request for proposal (RFP). The purpose of this RFI is to involve industry/academia, through collaboration, in the 14 December 2016 COTC cognitive computing and advanced analytics session entitled “Enhanced Alliance Decision Making through Advanced Computing”.

HQ SACT has not made a commitment to procure any of the items described herein, and release of this RFI shall not be construed as such a commitment, nor as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement will be required or sought. Further, respondents are advised that HQ SACT will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in responding to this RFI. The costs for responding to this RFI shall be borne solely by the responding party. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any subsequent RFP if issued in the future.

RFI respondents would be willing to share their technical knowledge, expertise, and observations with NATO COTC members and other attendees participating in COTC.

2 – GENERAL BACKGROUND: ACT Framework for Collaborative Interaction (FFCI)

2.1 ACT has implemented a Framework for Collaborative Interaction (FFCI) to increase opportunities for industry and academia to contribute to ACT capability development efforts through collaborative work. Such collaboration enables HQ SACT, and NATO as a whole, to benefit from industry/academia models, advice, capabilities and experience in the course of this work. In addition to the benefits ACT gains from such projects, this collaborative effort will provide industry/academia with an improved understanding of NATO’s capability requirements and the associated issues and development challenges to be addressed by ACT. Potential collaborative projects are on specific topics that are of mutual interest to both parties but shall be restricted to collaborations in non-procurement areas. Several mechanisms have been already developed to support the initiation of collaborative projects between industry/academia and ACT ranging from informal information exchanges, workshops, studies or more extensive collaboration on research and experimentation.

2.2 Depending on the level and type of interaction needed for a collaborative project, a specific agreement may be needed between parties. The FFCI agreement for any specific project, if required by either party for the project to proceed, will range from “Non-disclosure Agreements” (NDA) for projects involving exchange of specific information to more extensive “Declaration of Mutual Collaboration” (DOMC) to address intellectual property and other issues.

For the topics listed below, it is not envisaged that the level of contribution will be such that RFI respondents will wish to sign a NDA before entering into any significant collaborative work.

2.3 More extensive information on the ACT FFCI initiative can be found on the ACT web site being developed to support FFCI projects at http://www.act.nato.int/ffci.

3 - DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

3.1 Background.

The COTC is an annual forum for invited Chiefs of Transformation and other stakeholders to interact and collaborate with senior leaders from ACT in areas aimed at strengthening the NATO Alliance and improving interoperability. ACT, as the driving agent of transformation for NATO, supports the 2016 COTC.

This year, the COTC has a session called “Enhanced Alliance Decision Making through Advanced Computing.” As for now, the session is planned as follow:

- first part: educate the participants on how cognitive computing and advanced analytics have the potential to have a positive impact on the ways that the future warfighters will operate: at the strategic, operational and tactical levels;

- second part of the session: demonstrate the potential of cognitive computing and advanced analytics in both plenary format (with practical examples and demonstrations), and a booth format;

- third part: illustrate the use of cognitive computing and advanced analytics capabilities by injecting them into a scenario based discussion that will occur the following day.

The way this session will be handled (durations of each part, etc.) depends on the number of the positive responses to this RFI; therefore it will be refined later. The respondents of this RFI will be informed as soon as the exact schedule is available.

3.2 Intent/Objectives.

The intent of this RFI is to call for formal collaboration with industry/academia in order to identify which companies/universities wish to contribute at the session of the COTC, and to choose who will eventually contribute, and work on the contents and organisation of the session with the selected respondents of the RFI.

3.3 Expected benefits to respondents

This collaboration with ACT is an opportunity for industry and academy to demonstrate their products and which benefits they can deliver to senior military leadership from over 28 nations.

Also, it is expected that the respondents will gain an awareness and knowledge of military thinking in this area. Up to three participants from each organisation are welcome to attend the whole conference at no charge.

3.4 Expected input from industry/academia. Industry/academia will have on hand relevant materials that will bring to life an area of expertise and create a tangible learning environment for our Chiefs of Transformation.

http://www.act.nato.int/ffci

4 - REQUESTED INFORMATION

4.1 Answers to the RFI. The answers to this RFI should be submitted by email and must contain information on how the responder plans contributing to the COTC cognitive computing session. References to any existing available materials or documentation that can serve to determine the level of expertise of the responder are welcome.

4.2 Follow-on. Post-submission, selected RFI respondents may be contacted to provide detailed information on their proposals.

4.3 Handling of Proprietary information. Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and clearly marked as such. Please be advised that all submissions become HQ SACT property and will not be returned.

4.4 Questions. Questions of a technical nature about this RFI announcement shall be submitted by e-mail solely to the above-mentioned POCs. Accordingly, questions in an e-mail shall not contain proprietary and/or classified information. HQ SACT does not guarantee that questions received after 10 November 2016 will be answered. Answers will be posted on the HQ SACT P&C website at: www.act.nato.int/contracting-procurements.

4.5 Response Date. 10 November 2016

4.6 Summary. This is a RFI only. The purpose of this RFI is to involve industry/academia, through collaboration, in the 2016 COTC Cognitive Computing and Advanced Analytics session. HQ SACT has not made a commitment to procure any of the items described herein, and release of this RFI shall not be construed as such a commitment, nor as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement will be required or sought. It is emphasised that this is a RFI, and not a RFP of any kind.

Tonya Bonilla ACT Contracting Officer - Allied Command Transformation (ACT) NATO/HQ SACT Tel: (757) 747-3575, E-mail: tonya.bonilla@act.nato.int http://www.act.nato.int/contracting-procurements mailto:tonya.bonilla@act.nato.int