Statement of Work.pdf

Statement of Work (Services)

TITLE: Emerging Network Technologies Support

Requesting Laboratory / Division / Group:

Communications Technology Laboratory Smart Connected Systems Division Transformational Networks and Services Group (674.05)

Background

The Transformational Networks and Services Group in the Communications Technology Laboratory, Smart Connected Systems Division, at the National Institute of Standards and Technologies (NIST) develops foundational network science, network measurement science, engineering, standards, and best practices to support smart industrial transformations critical to national priorities such as industrial automation, smart grids, and smart transportation. The Group’s research efforts include 5G/6G core networks, optical and quantum networking, cloud computing, information-centric networks, edge intelligence, and teleoperation of automated vehicles.

Objective

To obtain contractor services to evaluate communication technologies for connected and automated vehicles, the development of a 5G/6G core network testbed, and the assessment of the potential benefits that Named Data Networking (NDN) can bring to the automated vehicles (AV) and 6G use cases.

Scope of Work/ General Requirements

The contractor shall support the evaluation of communication technologies for connected and automated vehicles while developing and recommending appropriate requirements, models/algorithms, as well as test scenarios. The Contractor shall contribute to the development of a 5G/6G core network testbed, assess the potential benefits that future internet architectures like NDN may bring to vehicular networking and 5G/6G core networking, and identify potential standards gaps and corresponding enhancements. While working closely with other NIST team members, the Contractor shall also contribute to the design and development of new capabilities for high performance NDN forwarding and traffic analysis. The Contractor shall provide all support for project oversight, administration, and technical execution of this contract. The Contractor is responsible for maintaining accurate records of project activities.

Task Number

Description

1 Base Period

Requirement 1-1 The contractor shall implement secure V2V and V2I communication in the ns-3 network simulator, including the development of tools (analytical/simulation-based) to evaluate the performance, trustworthiness, and privacy of vehicular communications technologies. The contractor shall develop an add-on package that extends ns-3 with secure V2V and V2I communication capabilities compliant with IEEE 1609.2. In particular write an ns-3 module that captures the IEEE 1609.2 message authentication procedure for signed SPDUs. Moreover, write a Basic Safety Message (BSM) sending and receiving ns-3 module.

Requirement 1-2 The contractor shall assess the performance impact of security on vehicular communications. The contractor shall design and implement detailed simulation scenarios to assess the performance implications of communication security. In particular carry out an assessment of a BSM exchange scenario for collision avoidance, and a scenario with SPaT data reception from a RSU. Moreover, the contractor shall also evaluate a platooning scenario, where vehicles cooperate to maintain a safe distance.

The contractor shall also start hardware-based evaluations including OBUs, RSUs, and the NIST-acquired evaluation vehicle.

Requirement 1-3 The contractor shall contribute to the capture and analysis of NDN traffic traces. This effort is focused on generating high-quality NDN network traffic measurements from the NDN testbed. The contractor shall carry out traffic captures that are extensive as well as diverse in terms of the mix of applications running on the testbed. Moreover, the contractor shall work on improving the traffic anonymization properties of the archived measurements.

Requirement 1-4 As part of a NIST team, the contractor shall contribute to the development of our 5G/6G core network testbed (OpenCoreNet). In particular, develop OpenCoreNet while making use of the source-available Open5GCore implementation available at NIST, and contributing to actual testbed setup.

The contractor shall contribute to extending OpenCoreNet to support E2E network slicing, with QoS provided by different alternatives including SDN. The contractor shall support NIST’s effort to generate data to support research on E2E service interference measurement. The contractor shall also explore enhancements to 3gpp standards in support of vehicular and industrial use cases.

The Contractor shall provide monthly reports which detail activities accomplished, findings established, and completed deliverables.

2 Option Period -

Requirement 2-1 The contractor shall carry out performance measurement of C-V2X hardware acquired by NIST, both OBUs and RSUs. The contractor shall evaluate the V2V/V2I communications performance of commercial C-V2X hardware in simple but realistic road conditions. This evaluation should be preceded with an identification of key metrics for evaluating the performance of C-V2X hardware in AV applications. The contractor shall carry out extensive performance evaluations of V2V and V2I communications and the impact of security features on efficiency and reliability. These evaluations should be carried out with OBU/RSU hardware on the bench in the lab as well as within the evaluation vehicle.

Requirement 2-2 The contractor shall assess the scalability and privacy properties of SCMS.

Specifically, the contractor shall evaluate the scalability and privacy properties of SCMS in a simulated V2V/V2I environment. As part of this evaluation, the scalability and communication overhead of SCMS should also be evaluated. The contractor shall also assess the privacy-preserving techniques provided by SCMS.

Requirement 2-3 The contractor shall contribute, as part of a NIST team, to the design and deployment of NDN in 5G/6G Core Networking. In addition to a design study, this task includes showcasing the use of NDN in 5G/6G core networking. The contractor shall investigate different alternative solutions to using NDN in 5G/6G Core Networking. As part of showcasing use cases of NDN in 5G/6G, the contractor shall include remote driving for vehicular teleoperation.

Requirement 2-4 The contractor shall investigate how 5G/6G can support mission-critical applications, including industrial and vehicular applications. In particular the contractor shall emulate the vehicle teleoperation application over NIST’s OpenCoreNet testbed. The contractor shall acquire a deep understanding of 3GPP standards (including Release 18) related to 6G core network and service enablement. This is followed by potential contributions to the appropriate 3GPP standards development groups.

The Contractor shall provide monthly reports which detail activities accomplished, findings established, and completed deliverables.

Government Furnished Property

NIST will provide the Contractor with on-site office space at the NIST Gaithersburg, MD location, workstation, PC, email and Internet access, telephone, routine office supplies, and access to all facilities needed for the project. The Contractor shall only access low risk general-purpose IT equipment and common network services available to NIST associates.

All property, data and information provided by the Government in the performance of this requirement remains the property of the Government and shall be surrendered to the government upon completion or termination of this requirement. Likewise all deliverables remain property of the Government.

Contract Type

The contract type will be firm fixed price.

Risk Assessment

The work under this purchase order is designated as IT-Low Risk.

Deliverables

Deliverables are subject to FAR Clause 52.227-17 – Rights in Data Special Works, to be incorporated into any task order contract resulting from this requirement.

Number Description Format Quantity Date Required

BASE PERIOD

1-1 Implementation of Secure V2V and V2I Communication in ns-3

MSWord or PowerPoint

1 12 months from date of award

1-2 Assessment of the Performance Impact of Security on Vehicular Communications

MSWord or PowerPoint

1 12 months from date of award

1-3 Capture and Analysis of NDN Traffic Traces MSWord or PowerPoint

1 12 months from date of award

1-4 5G/6G Core Network Testbed (OpenCoreNet) MSWord or PowerPoint

1 12 months from date of award

Monthly Progress Report MSWord via email to the SME

1/month Monthly

OPTION PERIOD

2-1 Performance Measurement of C-V2X Hardware

MSWord or PowerPoint

1 12 months from date of option exercise

2-2 Assessment of the Scalability and Privacy Properties of SCMS

MSWord or PowerPoint

1 12 months from date of option exercise

2-3 NDN deployment in 5G Core Networking MSWord or

PowerPoint 1 12 months from date of option exercise

2-4 5G/6G Applications and Standards MSWord or

PowerPoint 1 12 months from date of option exercise

Monthly Progress Report MSWord via email to the COR

1/month Monthly

Standards for Acceptance of Deliverables

The NIST COR shall review each submitted deliverable and respond with an acceptance or request for revision email to the Contractor Point of Contact (POC) within 7 days of receipt. The Contractor shall make any needed changes to the deliverables within 7 calendar days from receipt of electronic or written comments from the COR.

This applies to deliverables which must be reviewed and approved for acceptance (reports, draft plans, drawings, etc.).

Performance Requirement Summary (for Performance Work Statement)

Number

Desired Output

Required Service Performance Standard

Monitoring Method

1-1

Implementation of Secure V2V and V2I Communication in ns-3

An add-on package that extends ns-3 with secure V2V and V2I communication capabilities

The ns-3 simulation module shall be compatible with the IEEE 1609.2 message authentication procedure

NIST COR shall review the progress of the AV evaluation effort and determine its acceptability

1-2

Assessment of the Performance Impact of Security on Vehicular Communications

A study based on simulation scenarios to assess the performance implications of communication security protocols

The study shall be comprehensive enough and encompass at least the scenarios described in Requirement 1-2

NIST COR shall periodically review the progress of the study and determine acceptability

1-3

Capture and Analysis of NDN Traffic Traces

A collection of high-quality NDN network traffic measurements

Traffic captures shall be extensive as well as diverse in terms of the mix of applications

NIST COR shall review the quality of the measurements and determine acceptability

1-4

5G/6G Core Network Testbed (OpenCoreNet)

Using the source-available Open5GCore implementation, setup a 5G/6G core network testbed as part of a team, and explore potential standards gaps

The testbed shall be able to support different use cases including automated vehicles and industrial applications

NIST COR shall review the progress of the testbed contributions and determine acceptability

2-1

Performance Measurement of C-V2X Hardware

An evaluation of the V2V/V2I communications performance of commercial C-V2X hardware

The evaluation shall be comprehensive enough and captures the key metrics related to efficient secure communication

NIST COR shall review the progress of the evaluation and determine acceptability

2-2

Assessment of the Scalability and Privacy Properties of SCMS

An evaluation of the scalability and privacy properties of SCMS in a simulated V2V/V2I environment

The evaluation shall capture the scalability and communication overhead of SCMS as well as its privacy-preserving properties

NIST COR shall regularly review the progress of the evaluation and determine acceptability

2-3

NDN deployment in 5G Core Networking

A design study and a corresponding deployment of NDN in a 5G core network

The NDN-based solution shows better performance for use cases that include vehicular teleoperation

NIST COR shall review the quality of the study and deployment and determine acceptability

2-4

5G/6G Applications and Standards

A performance evaluation of applications over the testbed, as well as correspond enhancements to the applicable standards

Performance study shall be comprehensive and proposed standards enhancements shall be relevant to assessed application performance

NIST COR shall periodically examine the progress of the evaluations and determine acceptability

Key Personnel Requirements

It is anticipated that this work shall require one (1) Key Personnel. The proposed key personnel shall possess the following minimum education qualifications and experience requirements:

Key Personnel Labor Category: Computer Scientist:

The Contractor Key Personnel shall possess theoretical knowledge and practical experience in distributed systems, network measurements, network management, standard network protocols (e.g., IPv4 and IPv6), and basic security and cryptography concepts (e.g., digital signatures, digital certificates, authenticated symmetric encryption, key agreement schemes). The Contractor should also be familiar with at least one emerging networking paradigm such as Named Data Networking (NDN) and 5G/6G core networking technology. The Contractor should be able to independently design and efficiently implement all aspects of an application-layer network protocol. Knowledge of Java or a similar programming language is required for the implementation tasks. Experience with software version control systems such as Git and GitHub are also needed.

The Key Personnel shall have at least a MS degree in a related field to the Statement of Work requirements and at least 5 years of demonstrated experience in each of the subject areas described above.

Place of Performance

The work shall be performed primarily at NIST, Gaithersburg, Maryland campus located at the following address:

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) 100 Bureau Drive Building 222, Room A228 Gaithersburg, MD 20899-1640

Work may also be performed offsite in order to continue work during times when NIST is closed or access is restricted, for example during a government shutdown or due to pandemic-related restrictions. Offsite work may also be permitted whenever the Government determines it is advantageous to the Government for progress or performance of the work. All offsite work or telework requests must be approved prior by the

COR.

Period of Performance

Base Period: One (1) 12-months period from the Date of Award, with one (1) 12-month option period.

Travel

The Contractor may be required to travel for workshops, conferences, or standards meetings during the contract’s Period of Performance. Cost for travel expense shall not-to-exceed a limit of $3,000.00 for a 12-months period of performance. All travel and other direct costs shall be approved in advance by the COR and will be reimbursed following the guidelines of GSA’s Federal Travel Regulations (FTR) and the Department of Commerce Travel Handbook.

Each trip is expected to be less than a week in duration.

NIST will provide at least three weeks’ notice before each trip.

Prior approval from the Contracting Officer is required in these scenarios: lodging exceeding the government rate, airline/rental car upgrades, medical accommodations, driving instead of flying to destinations outside local travel, multiple destinations in a single trip, or trips longer than a week in duration.

Prior approval is requested by the contractor to the Contracting Officer via the COR. At a minimum, include the justification and documented cost comparison.

Travel Dates and Locations will be determined by the COR during contract execution.

Security

(1) Safety: The Contractor employee must be responsible for knowing and complying with all installation safety prevention regulations. Such regulations include, but are not limited to, general safety, fire prevention, and waste disposal.

(2) Security: NIST is a restricted campus. An identification badge is required for access into buildings and must be presented to the armed Security Police when entering the campus.

(3) Regular Business Hours: Regular business hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm Local Time.

(4) Identification Badges: Contractor employees shall comply with NIST identification and access requirements. Each Contractor employee shall wear a visible identification badge provided by the NIST Security Office.

(5) Vehicle Registration: All Contractor employees must register their vehicles with the NIST Security Office to gain access to the campus. A valid driver’s license, Government-furnished civilian ID, proof of insurance and current registration must be presented to the NIST Security Office, at which time a NIST vehicle pass will be issued. The pass shall be displayed on the vehicle in accordance with NIST Security Office instructions.