SBS RFI 04.09.20.pdf

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION (FAA)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)

PROGRAM TITLE: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Surveillance and Broadcast Services

Name: Chontice Boykin/FAA Contracting Officer Organization: Terminal and EnRoute Contracts Division, Surveillance Contracts Branch, AAQ-210 Region: FAA Headquarters Phone Number: 202-267-0797 Email: Chontice.Boykin@faa.gov Date: April 9, 2020 Industry Responses Due by: May 15, 2020 Procurement Method: Request for Information

INTRODUCTION

The FAA is procuring Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS) through a performance based service contract that is currently set to expire in 2025. The services provided through SBS consist of Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Broadcast (ADS-B);

Automatic Dependent Surveillance - Rebroadcast (ADS-R); Traffic Information Service - Broadcast (TIS-B); Flight Information Service- Broadcast (FIS-B), Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and some limited weather products provided by Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS).

This announcement is being issued in accordance with the FAA Acquisition Management System (AMS) Section 3.2.1.2.1. Interested parties are advised that:

This is a Request for Information (RFI). This RFI shall not be construed as a SIR or Request for Proposal (RFP), or any solicitation or obligation on the part of the Government. The Government does not intend to select or qualify proposals or offers on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for information obtained via this RFI or in response to this notice. The FAA is not seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. The FAA will not pay for any information received or costs incurred in preparing the response to the RFI. Any costs associated with the RFI response submittals are solely at the interested party's expense. The FAA reserves the rights to have communication with any or none of the respondents and upon submittal, any documentation and information becomes the property of the FAA.

To the extent that information received in response to this RFI is proprietary or otherwise confidential commercial information, the vendor should mark its response with a restrictive legend. This information will be for the sole use of the FAA and will be treated confidentially.

PURPOSE

The purpose of this Request for Information (RFI) is to:

• Notify industry of the FAA’s intent to continue procurement of SBS Services beyond 2025;

• Solicit industry interest and capabilities in providing Surveillance and Broadcast Services to the government;

• Seek industry input on the acquisition structure and approach;

• Notify industry of potential future enhancements the government is considering.

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. It does not constitute a RFP or a promise to issue an RFP in the future.

BACKGROUND

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Air Traffic Organization (ATO) created the Surveillance and Broadcast Services (SBS) Office to define and manage agency-wide resources in the development and implementation of ADS-B, ADS-R, TIS-B, and FIS-B, through a service contract. The flexibility of this solution also allowed the FAA to procure Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) and Automated Weather Observing System (AWOS) services through this vehicle. In the current contract structure, the vendor owns, operates, and maintains the equipment, network infrastructure, and software, while the government owns the system design and the SBS service data. The vendor provides the government with the required SBS service(s) to surveillance service volumes based on mutually agreed upon requirements. The vendor has non-exclusive use of the service data, subject to FAA approval.

Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Broadcast (ADS-B), one of the foundations of NextGen, is a surveillance technology that helps pilots and air traffic controllers create a safer, more efficient National Airspace System (NAS). ADS-B utilizes aircraft avionics, a constellation of GPS satellites, and a nationwide network of Ground Based Transceivers (GBT), servers, and other equipment to provide an aircraft's position, ground speed, and other data to air traffic controllers. ADS-B also provides data for flight tracking, planning, and dispatching. This method of surveillance offers greater coverage area and position accuracy than traditional radar. It can also be used as a surveillance solution in remote areas like the Gulf of Mexico or in certain mountainous regions, which improves safety in the National Airspace. ADS-B is composed of:

• ADS-B Out: The FAA has mandated that aircraft operating in most controlled U.S. airspace be equipped with ADS-B Out by January 1, 2020. Aircraft operating in the National Airspace must be equipped and transmitting with avionics capable of providing the required ADS-B message set in the correct form, intervals, and on the appropriate frequencies.

• ADS-B In: While not mandatory, ADS-B In offers additional situational awareness benefits (such as location of nearby aircraft) to aircraft operators who equip with suitable avionics via in-cockpit display. ADS-B In allows pilots to use enhanced applications such as In-Trail Procedures (ITP) and Interval Management.

ADS-B has been integrated into automation platforms at all 24 en route air traffic control facilities and into 155 terminal radar approach control (TRACON) facilities, including the 30 busiest terminal areas. ADS-B is also used for surface surveillance applications at 43 airports. At present, more than 119,000 vehicles have been equipped with ADS- B. That number includes 6,586 U.S.-registered airliners (about 92 percent of the fleet), more than 105,000 general aviation aircraft, and various other vehicles

Automatic Dependent Surveillance–Rebroadcast (ADS-R): is intended to rebroadcast ADS-B data received on one link technology (e.g. 1090ES) across on the other link technology (i.e. 978MHz). This advisory only application enables aircraft equipped with only one data link technology, to obtain a complete picture of all the ADS-B equipped aircraft and vehicles around them.

In Surface Service Volumes (where buildings, etc. inhibit line of site for clients to receive ADS-B broadcasts directly from transmitting aircraft), an extension of the ADS-R service, ADS-Same Link Rebroadcast (ADS-SLR), to ensure aircraft have a complete view of the proximate traffic.

Traffic Information Service –Broadcast (TIS-B): provides rule-compliant ADS−B In equipped aircraft with a more complete traffic picture in situations where not all nearby aircraft are equipped with ADS−B Out. This advisory only application is intended to enhance a pilot’s visual acquisition of other traffic as provided by other surveillance sources together with ADS-B. The existing contract envisioned retiring the TIS-B service when appropriate. The agency is still evaluating whether to do so. At this time, TIS-B remains in the program.

Flight Information Service- Broadcast (FIS-B): is a ground broadcast service provided through the ADS−B Services network over the 978 MHz UAT data link. The FAA FIS−B system is an advisory only application. It provides pilots and flight crews of properly equipped aircraft with a cockpit display of certain aviation weather and aeronautical information. FIS−B reception is line−of−sight within the service volume of the ground infrastructure.

Wide Area Multilateration (WAM): The WAM service is a surveillance service provided by multilateration technology. Multilateration technology utilizes signals from Air Traffic Control Radar Beacon System (ATCRBS) (Modes A and C) and Mode S transponders, and requires no changes in current aircraft equipage. WAM provides multilateration of

1090ES, UAT, Mode S and ATCRBS equipped aircraft. Three or more ground stations measure the time-of-arrival of the same transponder message. Aircraft position is determined by joint processing of the time-difference-of-arrival (TDOA) measurements computed between a reference and the ground stations measured time-of-arrival at a central location. Only one message need be received at 3 or more stations within an update interval for accurate position determination. Aircraft identity and barometric altitudes are determined by decoding the Mode A and Mode C information within transponder replies and squitters. WAM is currently operational in parts of Alaska, California, Colorado and North Carolina.

Automated Weather Observing Systems (AWOS): An “air navigation facility” distributing weather information, which consists of a computerized system that automatically measures one or more weather parameters, analyzes the data, prepares a weather observation that consists of the parameter(s) measured, provides dissemination of the observations, and broadcasts the observation to the pilot in the vicinity of the AWOS, typically using an integral very high frequency (VHF) radio or an existing navigational aid (NAVAID), or Automatic Terminal Information Service (ATIS).

Weather services being provided by the incumbent vendor’s fielded AWOSs are currently focused in the Gulf of Mexico region with approximately 30 AWOS stations deployed on oil platforms. A subset of these AWOS stations are collocated with ADS-B radios.

FUTURE ENHANCEMENTS:

Innovations happen daily that directly and indirectly affect current and future operations in the National Airspace System. Those changes come in a variety of forms, but future enhancements in this section are of particular relevance to SBS. These enhancements generally can be grouped into: 1) expanding the services and 2) adding or modifying the service requirements. The FAA anticipates these future capabilities will be a part of or influence future SBS service requirements. The FAA welcomes industry’s input on the topics listed within this section:

Expanding Services:

• ADS-B Enhancements and Augmentation: The FAA is considering expanding SBS services in remote, offshore, and oceanic airspace. These services may be provided by a space-based solution or other alternate technology in which deploying a ground-based infrastructure is challenging (mountains, water, etc.).

• Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) Expansion: WAM is currently operational in parts of Alaska, California, Colorado, and North Carolina. The FAA intends to deploy WAM to other areas to increase service coverage. In addition, WAM offers some very powerful benefits and could be a key enabler to solving some elusive surveillance challenges, (e.g. reducing1090MHz spectrum congestion).

Adding or Modifying Services:

• Security Requirements: The FAA SBS Program must comply with FAA, DOT, OMB, FISMA, and NIST security policies and guidelines. Meeting current physical, cyber, and RF security protocols while considering how to implement future requirements will be a key consideration of this service.

• Alternate Precision Timing Sources: Global Positioning System (GPS) remains a highly accurate precision timing source; however, it remains the only timing source in the system. This presents challenges, especially with the increase in cyber-attacks. There is a need to have an alternate precision timing source available for SBS--for the near term as a backup to GPS, but in the future, it could potentially replace GPS within SBS. The FAA might seek timing services to support other surveillance applications and agency needs.

• Legacy Technology: As the FAA transitions away from legacy radar interface protocols such as Common Digitizer message formats over time-division multiplex (TDM) communication pathways, systems are transitioning to All Purpose Structured Eurocontrol Surveillance Information Exchange (ASTERIX) formats over Internet Protocol (IP). SBS will need to utilize the more robust interface protocol in support of services that employ radar data.

• NAS Wide Surveillance Data Network: A NAS Wide Surveillance Data Network interconnects and synthesizes real-time aircraft surveillance data for all NAS surveillance assets including ADS-B, Wide Area Multilateration (WAM) systems, terminal and en route cooperative and non-cooperative radar sensors, and surface surveillance data from airport surveillance systems. The SDN also integrates flight plan data from FAA FDP systems to associate with surveillance data and tracks. Applications attached to the surveillance data network, such as multi-sensor tracking systems, perform tracking of all aircraft in the NAS using sensor surveillance reports to generate and publish fused tracks to the SDN. The SDN is a critical service network with high availability and resiliency to outages supporting delivery of surveillance and track data to any facility in the NAS.

• Next Revision of Minimum Operational Performance Standards (MOPS):

Update system to incorporate next revision of ADS-B MOPS standards, compatible with DO-260C and DO-282C. The next versions will include several small changes, including the Phase Overlay, which adds new data channel. These documents are currently being worked by Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics (RTCA).

• Gulf of Mexico: Today the SBS contract provides for ADS-B and AWOS services in the Gulf. This airspace has a large amount of helicopter traffic to and from oil platforms, as well as commercial air traffic over the Gulf. ADS-B surveillance has significantly improved safety and efficiency for all operations in airspace where radar was never possible. The solution in the Gulf has been successfully proven, and is operational today. However, because the equipment is located on oil platforms, there is a potential risk a platform could be shut down unexpectedly, resulting in a coverage gap. Additionally, the locations of the platforms do not always align with Air Traffic needs. The FAA is considering alternate solutions to provide some or all of current services in the Gulf.

In addition, voice communication via Remote Center Air/Ground (RCAG) communication radios are collocated with ADS-B installations on a number of platforms. The FAA is considering adding a voice communication option in the Gulf.

REQUEST for INFORMATION

• For the system baseline as described in the Background section (not including Future Enhancements), the incumbent contractor owns the equipment, network infrastructure, and software, while the government owns the system design and SBS service data.

o Given these circumstances, what are your suggestions on an acquisition strategy to encourage competition for the next contract?

• What are your thoughts on strategies to transition from the current SBS Services provided by the incumbent to the new services to ensure there is no interruption of these services in the NAS?

o What implementation/transition challenges do you foresee? What strategies do you suggest to address the challenges?

o How does the suggested implementation/transition strategy or strategies address tradeoffs associated with cost, schedule, and technical risks, and how would you mitigate these risks?

o What do you envision as a timeline to transition the current SBS Services provided by the incumbent to the new services under the future contract?

What do you perceive are the salient drivers in this timeline?

• If the FAA decides to proceed with one or more of the items described in the Future Enhancements section, how would this change your acquisition strategy and implementation/transition responses?

ATTACHMENTS:

Please refer to:

• Attachment 1 - Surveillance and Broadcast Services Description Document

• Attachment 2 - SBS Program CONOPS

• Attachment 3 - Service Volume Description Document

• Attachment 4 - Critical Services Specification

• Attachment 5 - Essential Services Specification

• Attachment 6 - WAM Critical Service Specification

• Attachment 7 – SBS Service Delivery Point (SDP) Interface Requirements

Document.

RFI SUBMISSION INFORMATION

All responses to this RFI must be in writing. No oral responses will be accepted.

Format

All submittals must be provided in PDF format and are limited to 50 pages of text and charts, pictures, graphs; each page shall be laid out with 1” with text at least 12 pts in size. Titles must not exceed 14 point. Tables, charts, graphics, and figures must not use fonts smaller than 10 point. Page numbering must be consecutive within each individual section. Respondents are not required to provide responses to all the questions in this RFI. The Government is interested in feedback from industry on any of the topics within this RFI. To the extent that information received in response to this RFI is proprietary or otherwise confidential commercial information, the vendor should mark its response with a restrictive legend.

DEADLINE FOR RESPONSES: 4:00 PM EST on Friday, May 15, 2020

EMAIL ADDRESS FOR SUBMISSION:

Respondents must submit responses and/or suggestions to the following e-mail address:

Chontice.Boykin@faa.gov

QUESTIONS:

Any questions regarding this RFI must be submitted in writing by close of business on April 28, 2020. All responses to questions will be publicly released prior to closing date of this RFI. Please send your question(s) to Chontice.Boykin@faa.gov; FAA Contracting Officer.

END OF ANNOUNCEMENT

mailto:Chontice.Boykin@faa.gov