Sources_Sought_Synopsis__APX-119_Transponder_Software.pdf

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SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS (SSS)

APX-119 Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF) Transponder

Software

C-5M Super Galaxy Fleet Integration

CAUTION: This market survey is being conducted to identify potential sources that may possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet the requirements for qualification, compilation, licensing, and delivery of the APX-119 Identification of Friend or Foe (IFF)

Transponder Software for use by United States Air Force (USAF) personnel on the C-5M Super

Galaxy platform. The level of security clearance and amount of foreign participation in this requirement has not been determined. Contractors and Institutions responding to this market research are placed on notice that participation in this survey may not ensure participation in future solicitations or contract awards. The government will not reimburse participants for any expenses associated with their participation in this survey.

INSTRUCTIONS

1. The sections below contain a description of the APX-119 Transponder Software requirements and a Contractor Capability Survey. The Survey allows Contractors to provide their company’s capability. The primary reference documents for this effort include the Product Description (PD) for APX-119 Software and the associated

Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) Package.

2. If after reviewing the requirements below, you desire to participate in this market research, you should provide documentation that supports your company’s capability in meeting these requirements. Failure to provide documentation may result in the government being unable to adequately assess your capabilities.

3. ATTENTION: SMALL BUSINESS RESPONDENTS who are interested in participation for this effort:

No set-aside decision has been made; however, the Government will determine the final strategy after thorough analysis of the small business responses and other market research available, considering the demonstrated interest and capability.

Please ensure that you provide a thorough response to each question.

If your company does not currently possess the full capability required to fulfill the entire requirement, what teaming, partnership, joint venture, or subcontracting arrangement do you have in place to fulfill the government's needs? Providing evidence of this arrangement (e.g., letters of intent, emails) that demonstrates a united response to this SSS is highly encouraged, but not required. The evidence should state the type of arrangement and the role each member will fulfill. If you are only interested in being a subcontractor to the future awardee, state the portion of the work that your organization has the capability of fulfilling.

Identify any areas of work that your organization believes should be broken out exclusively for Small Business.

4. Both large and small businesses are encouraged to participate in this Market Research.

Joint ventures or teaming arrangements are encouraged as well.

Questions relative to this market survey should be addressed to the following program representatives:

Program Manager (PM): Jennifer Ickes, AFLCMC/WLS, Robins AFB, GA (Email:

jennifer.ickes@us.af.mil)

Technical Engineering Point of Contact: Jon Wright, C-5 Engineering, Robins AFB, GA

(Email: jon.wright.2@us.af.mil) (Comm: 478-297-5974)

PURPOSE AND REQUIREMENTS DESCRIPTION

1. Scope and Objective

The Government is conducting market research to identify potential sources that possess the expertise, capabilities, and experience to meet requirements for compiling, delivering, licensing, and maintaining the APX-119 IFF Transponder Software.

The APX-119 Transponder is a Line Replaceable Unit (LRU) that provides critical combat identification, civil airspace access, and Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance System (TCAS) responses to the aircraft crew. The Government requires a fully functional L.4 executable software application developed to support Department of War (DoW) mission requirements.

The scope includes purchasing 60 software licenses to operate on the C-5M Super Galaxy fleet and support laboratories. The delivered software must reflect the Technical Standard Order mailto:jennifer.ickes@us.af.mil mailto:jon.wright.2@us.af.mil

(TSO) approved baseline, be free from known critical defects, be compatible with prior versions, and be delivered in a loadable format for the C-5M platform.

2. Key Deliverables (Under Data Accession List - CDRL A001, A002, A003)

The contractor will be required to deliver the L.4 executable software and all supporting documentation necessary for installation, verification, operation, and configuration management:

Deliverable

CDRL

Reference

Format / Method of

Delivery

Data Accession List (DAL): Includes

Installation Packages, Software Release Notes, Software Version Descriptions (SVD), Configuration Records, Test Reports, Cybersecurity Artifacts (SBOM/Vulnerability

Scans), and User Manuals

CDRL A001

Electronic delivery via

Multi-user ECP

Automated Review

System (MEARS) in MS

Office or searchable PDF format.

Computer Software Product End Items

(Licenses): 60 licenses allocated across the active C-5M fleet and support laboratories

CDRL A002

Delivered via MEARS;

must clearly delineate government usage rights.

Executable Software Package: Production-ready, compiler-released executable software

CDRL A003

Electronic submission via

MEARS and physical delivery of two (2) optical discs (DVD/CD) to Robins

AFB, GA.

3. Delivery Schedule & Support

Initial delivery of executable software and all required documentation must be completed within 60 days of contract award (or via a C-5M Program Manager approved plan).

Physical optical discs are to be shipped to:

Jon Wright / C-5 Engineering Comm – 478-297-5974, 235 Byron Street, Suite 15A, Robins AFB, GA 31098

The Contractor must provide comprehensive technical support during the Government acceptance period to resolve software defects, installation issues, and configuration discrepancies identified during integration or operational laboratory testing.

CONTRACTOR CAPABILITY SURVEY

Part I. Business Information

Please provide the following business information for your company/institution and for any teaming or joint venture partners:

Company/Institute Name: __________________________________

Address: ________________________________________________

Point of Contact (Name & Title): ___________________________

CAGE Code: _____________________________________________

Phone Number: ___________________________________________

E-mail Address: __________________________________________

Web Page URL: ___________________________________________

Government Proposed NAICS Code: 541511 (Custom Computer Programming

Services) or 541512 (Computer Systems Design Services) (Note: Consult with the

PM/PCO for final verification)

Based on the proposed NAICS Code, state whether your company is:

Small Business: (Yes / No)

Woman-Owned Small Business: (Yes / No)

Small Disadvantaged Business: (Yes / No)

8(a) Certified: (Yes / No)

HUBZone Certified: (Yes / No)

Veteran-Owned Small Business: (Yes / No)

Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business: (Yes / No)

System for Award Management (SAM) Registered: (Yes / No)

Domestically or Foreign Owned: (If foreign, please indicate the country of ownership)

Responses to this Capability Survey must be received no later than close of business 15 days following publication. Please ensure data is in a readable, uncorrupted electronic format that can be received through the government firewall (under 10 MB per email). Multiple emails are acceptable. Submit responses to Program Manager Jennifer Ickes (jennifer.ickes@us.af.mil).

Part II. Tailored Capability Survey Questions

1. General Software & Avionics Capability Questions

1. Describe briefly the capabilities of your facility and the nature of the software development, systems integration, and engineering services you provide. Include a description of your staff composition, avionics integration expertise, and management structure.

2. Describe your company's past experience on projects similar in complexity to the APX-119

IFF Transponder or Traffic Alert and Collision Avoidance Systems (TCAS). Include contract numbers, a brief description of the software baseline managed, period of performance, agency/organization supported, and points of contact.

3. Describe your facility's capabilities for generating, handling, processing, and storing classified and Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) technical data, specifically in accordance with DoDI 5200.48 and NIST SP 800-171 Rev 3.

4. Describe your capabilities and experience in generating software-related technical data, such as Software Version Descriptions (SVD), Software Release Notes, and Software

Installation/Verification Procedures. What software development environments and configuration management suites does your firm utilize?

5. What is your company’s resource capacity to provide concurrent technical integration support for up to 60 operational licenses across active aircraft and support laboratories?

Provide details on staff availability for rapid defect resolution.

2. Software Maintenance, Integration, and Test Questions

1. Describe your capabilities and experience in modifying, maintaining, and testing existing avionics software (such as the L.4 executable level) to solve operational anomalies or update civilian/military transponder protocols.

2. Detail your experience with hardware-in-the-loop (HITL) laboratory testing. How does your company ensure that compiled executable software correctly interfaces with physical

Line Replaceable Units (like the APX-119 transponder) and aircraft avionics buses (e.g., MIL-STD-1553 or ARINC 429)?

3. State the types of diagnostic, emulation, and code-analysis tools utilized for tracking software defects, executing regression tests, and validating system specifications.

mailto:jennifer.ickes@us.af.mil

4. Demonstrate your ability and experience in supporting software acceptance testing inside a Government-controlled system environment. Provide details on previous efforts, including:

Contract Number

Procuring Agency

Contract Value

Number of avionics assets/platforms integrated and verified

5. Describe your software configuration management process. How do you track and document changes across software baselines, compile releases, and ensure the delivered code corresponds exactly to the configuration-managed baseline?

6. Discuss your process for addressing fit, form, function, and software interface anomalies that may arise when installing updated transponder code onto existing C-5M aircraft configurations.

3. Software Licensing, Configuration, and Compilation Questions

1. Detail your capabilities and experience with compiling software binaries from approved baselines in accordance with Technical Standard Order (TSO) requirements and airworthiness guidelines.

2. How does your organization manage software licensing, specifically regarding the transfer of proprietary or third-party Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) licenses to the

Government (such as the requested 60-license C-5M fleet allocation)?

3. What quality assurance and test qualification practices does your company employ for software releases? Provide a description of your software quality program (e.g., AS9115, ISO/IEC 12207, CMMI Level 3 or higher).

4. Describe your process for identifying and resolving software dependencies, third-party library obsolescence, and Diminishing Manufacturing Sources and Material Shortages

(DMSMS) within software baselines.

5. How does your organization address the absence of vendor source code or internal software development files if you are asked to support, integrate, or verify a third-party transponder software package?

6. Detail your processes for producing physical delivery media (such as encrypted optical discs) that are compliant with Government physical security and transfer regulations.

4. Engineering, Cybersecurity, and Certification Services Questions

1. Describe your services and capabilities regarding cybersecurity software assurance. What processes do you use to perform vulnerability assessments, run security scans, and generate Software Bills of Materials (SBOM) for military avionics applications?

2. Detail your company's compliance and familiarity with:

DoDI 8582.01 (Security of Non-DoD Information Systems)

R-DFARS 252.204-7012 (Safeguarding Covered Defense Information)

National Security Agency (NSA) cryptographic/communications security standards

(if applicable to transponder Mode 5 or combat IFF capabilities)

3. Detail your experience in supporting military airworthiness certification processes (e.g., MIL-HDBK-516C) for flight-essential avionics software, specifically addressing software safety and hazard analysis.

4. Discuss any software technology insertion, optimization, or modernization strategies

(such as transitioning to Open Mission Systems / Open Systems Architecture) that would be suitable for future APX-119 Transponder Software updates on the C-5M platform.

5. Commerciality Questions

1. Are there established catalog, subscription, or market prices for the transponder software application or the software maintenance support services you offer?

2. If you offer this transponder software or associated maintenance services to both U.S.

Government and commercial sources, is the same engineering and development workforce utilized for both?

3. Is this software offered to both military and commercial customers under similar licensing terms and conditions? Briefly describe any differences.

4. Describe your standard warranty, software patch delivery, and post-delivery support processes for software items furnished to the government.

Reference Links

Acquisition FAR Part 12 - Commercial Products and Services

DLA ASSIST Quick Search https://www.acquisition.gov/far/part-12 http://quicksearch.dla.mil/

NARA Controlled Unclassified Information Registry

DoD CUI Registry http://www.archives.gov/cui/registry/category-list.html https://www.dodcui.mil/Home/DoD-CUI-Registry/