Sources Sought_20250523_Final.pdf

Sources Sought:

Radio Frequency Measurement, Analytic, and Direction Finding Solutions for Federal Communications Commission

Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau

Introduction:

The Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, hereinafter referred to as PSHSB, is conducting market research to identify qualified vendors for the provision of a solution that assesses the radio frequency environment. Qualified vendors are invited to submit marketing materials and technical specification sheets for the aforementioned services in accordance with the terms and provisions of this sources sought request.

This notice is intended strictly for market research. The purpose of this Sources Sought notice is to obtain information from qualified sources with special interest relative to the North American Industry Classification Codes (NAICS) 334220 – Radio and Television broadcasting and wireless communication equipment manufacturing, and 334515 Radiofrequency measuring equipment manufacturing. The Government will not pay for information received in response to this Sources Sought, nor will the Government compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in the development of the information provided. This Sources Sought does not constitute a commitment by the Government. Information provided in response to this market survey will be used for informational purposes only and will not be released. Contractor participation is not a promise of future business with the Government.

Statement of Requirements:

Through this Sources Sought, PSHSB is seeking information on commercial off-the-shelf products for real-time radio frequency measurement, analysis, and geo-location/direction finding (three dimensions).

Responses to this Sources Sought are due by (7 days from release) and should be emailed to the points of contact listed below.

Background:

The PSHSB is responsible for providing near real-time analyses of the radio frequency environment following emergencies and incidents of national security or public safety significance. Data depicting the status and functionality of communications networks is used to prioritize response and to aid in follow-on investigatory actions.

Objectives:

PSHSB is looking to meet several objectives to inform ongoing support to incidents of significance that impact public safety, law enforcement, and national security. PSHSB requires a deployable solution to collect radio frequency measurements and perform direction finding in three dimensions in select areas of interest.

• The primary objective is to obtain near-real-time information pertaining to characterize, analyze, and provide direction finding (three dimensions) based on radio frequency observations.

• PSHSB is looking for a COTS solution.

Scope:

Firms responding to the sources sought shall submit marketing materials and/or technical specifications sheets that encompass the elements described in this section. PSHSB is looking to evaluate documentation necessary to evaluate a vendor’s ability to satisfy the requirements of the Sources Sought, e.g., applications, tools, devices, accesses, materiel, maintenance, and lifecycle management. The vendor/responder to this solicitation shall incorporate a methodology that would enable a potential customer to have access and ownership of all raw data, which shall be maintained and controlled on potential customer storage solutions for unlimited analysis. Additionally, the customer would retain the right to secure, handle, and share all raw data and reports and products developed using the data with other partners, as deemed appropriate by the customer.

Services Sought

• The FCC is looking for a qualified vendor from which it may acquire the following:

o System and equipment with capabilities as specified in this Sources Sought;

o In-person training at the FCC’s Headquarters or local area;

o Maintainability, the ability to order repair parts/equipment;

o On call maintenance support / help desk support for deployed teams, and;

o Remote operational support, as well as in-person operational support to FCC missions both CONUS and OCONUS if requested.

Capabilities Sought The following is a list of requirements the solution must be able to satisfy. The FCC asks potential vendors to include confirmation of the ability to meet the following minimum requirements:

1. Frequency Range:

a. 300 KHz to 40 GHz

b. The spectrum sweep for each sensor shall be programmable, but must cover the system frequency range with Sweep Speeds up to 390GHz/s

c. Ability to identify/characterize frequency hopping

2. Operation Range:

a. Detection and location of signal emission source within specified area and elevation ranges of a sensor (near 80 degree angle of elevation -- seeking a capability to detect between 1 and 30,000 feet above ground level) and 180 to 360 degree (omni) directionality

b. Remotely monitor multiple sites simultaneously through a common visualization and analysis platform

c. Offer a mobile monitoring system that will communicate with the Command and Control (C2) via an IP based network and have the same capabilities as the fixed monitoring system

d. Sites should serve as references to each other enabling geolocation or direction finding of emission source

e. Add additional area-of-interest for Monitoring electromagnetic operational environment

(EMOE)

f. The system must be scalable and support the integration of additional sensors.

3. Integration:

a. Ability to include known frequencies from delimited text/.csv files.

b. Compare loadable Universal Licensing System (ULS) and Government Master File

(GMF)/Spectrum XXI data/text data with a complete EMOE picture.

c. System should enhance user understanding of the signals of interest to correlate RF energy with known FCC and Spectrum XXI defined databases, as well as other user-defined databases

d. Must allow for user-defined criteria/masks, frequency exclusions, actions, and notifications/alarms (tipping and queuing).

4. System Classification: Unclassified/ For Official Use Only

5. Vendor Support:

a. Support the ATO/ATC process for system network accreditation.

b. Provide virtual or on-site training after installation.

c. Provide 12-months on-call technical support, via phone, during work hours EST.

d. In person support as needed, to include OCONUS U.S. territories – if required.

6. A minimum 24-month warranty to include all hardware, software, and services included

7. The system must have the capability to send notifications for system alerts via email or messaging format.

8. Data Recording and Collection:

a. The system must support the ability to record In-Phase and Quadrature (I/Q) data for detected transmissions.

b. The system must support the ability to record the frequency, duration, and approximate location for detected transmissions.

c. The system must support the ability to record the overall spectrum showing frequency, amplitude, and time (Spectrum Waterfall) of defined portions of the EMS in a Graphical User Interface that shows frequency, signal duration, and approximate origin location.

d. Each sensor will be able to store transmission and spectrum data locally, or transfer to a central database via a network connection.

e. Data is accessible at the central Command and Control (C2) system within two seconds of signal activation.

f. Must be able to have tailorable automated frequency channel occupancy reporting and alerting. Archiving: Ability to record spectrum usage with time and locations. System database shall have the ability to monitor the EME and record and store 24/7 recordings for at least 30 days.

9. Ability to remotely monitor sites from multiple locations

10. The system must be able to demodulate AM and FM signals for audio processing

11. Must have at least 100 MHz real-time frequency monitoring capability.

12. Must be Compatible with GPS and GALILEO.

13. Geolocation and Direction Finding:

a. Early warning indication notifications to the Command-and-Control system within two seconds of detections and location

b. Must be able to geolocate/direction-find frequency hopping spread spectrum transmitters.

c. Must be able to find and detect low power signals/low-probability-of-intercept.

d. Drone/Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) detection - The system must be able detect and locate Commercial off the shelf (COTS) UASs.

e. Must be able to geolocate both terrestrial and airborne RF signals.

f. Must be able to Geolocate in GPS degraded environments.

14. Installation:

a. System sensors must be easily mountable to established base infrastructure or expeditionary masts/towers, or vehicle mounted.

b. The nodes will be capable of outdoor installation and rated for temperate and arid locations.

c. Stationary nodes must be capable of continuous operation.

d. Vendor must have a rapid deployable option, e.g., flyaway kit

15. To the extent possible, processing must be performed at the edge device to minimize backhaul bandwidth requirements

16. Must have the ability to manually configure and tailor functionality based on mission requirements

Procedure for Submittal:

Vendors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM). Vendors should submit a complete response to this Sources Sought using the following format:

• Company Name

• UEI Number

• Point of Contact Email

• Cover letter of understanding of PSHSB’s requirements and description of services proposed

• Marketing brochures / slick sheets

• Technical specifications of solution(s)

• Any notes or deviations, e.g., capabilities the vendor’s product is unable to satisfy

• Product costs

• Estimated delivery timelines

Points of Contact:

Interested vendors should direct all communications regarding this Sources Sought to the following:

• Shawn Cochran, Deputy Chief of FCC Operations and Emergency Management Division at shawn.cochran@fcc.gov

• Jaime Rivas, Intelligence Operations Specialist at jaime.rivas@fcc.gov

• Michael Peters, Electrical Engineer at michael.peters@fcc.gov mailto:Justin.Cain@fcc.gov mailto:jaime.rivas@fcc.gov mailto:michael.peters@fcc.gov