Program Overview and Background

The effort will extend the functionality, usability, performance, and operational maturity of the System of systems Technology Integration Tool Chain for Heterogeneous Electronic Systems (STITCHES). The resulting capabilities will enable the Department of War (DoW) community to more rapidly integrate disparate systems at the message or datagram level, reduce the cost and time required to upgrade and integrate existing systems, and create new mission capabilities.

The operational environment requires the DoW to adapt and integrate capabilities on timelines that are faster and more cost-effective than traditional fixed-configuration approaches. STITCHES was created to rapidly integrate disparate constituent capabilities into a new mission capability by auto generating the network glue code needed to interoperate various capabilities. The continued maintenance, development, and releases of STITCHES are critical for support of the emerging System of Systems (SoS) community.

The scope of this effort is to apply STITCHES as an enabler for achieving interoperability within and across systems. This includes further development of the STITCHES toolchain to incorporate into future releases, to include new subsystem interfaces, data transforms, and subsystem capabilities. This effort also includes analysis and prototyping of new SoS approaches to solve critical issues in national security.

The Contractor shall possess a current TS/SCI facility and personnel clearances and be able to support work from Unclassified through TS/SCI.

The Contractor shall maintain and sustain the platform in specified Authority-to-Operate (ATO) hardware covered by the required standalone Gemini Servers for this effort. The Contractor shall also manage the ATO and all requisite documents supporting the ATO.

The Contractor shall deliver software and documentation in support of the technologies and systems developed under this effort.

Technical Requirements and Capabilities:

Advanced Technology Development: System Engineering, Test and Experimentation.

1. Research and define specifications for interactions of customer provided systems with a legacy interface, field transform graph (FTG), and the STITCHES toolchain including subsystems and SoS compositions. Ensure these specifications use open standards (e.g., XML).

2. Analyze the capabilities of existing subsystems and predict the benefits of new SoS compositions.

Confirm claimed capabilities and identify unintended or undocumented functionality that could provide usefulness in future SoS compositions.

a. Design and develop subsystem interfaces and transforms for the SoS specification. Build the SoS adapter and create a deployment package.

b. Develop and perform testing and experimentation of the SoS to confirm intended functionality and measure performance of the system in a range of scenarios.

c. Release STITCHES software artifacts (initial prototype version and final version as customer applications are completed) to the DoD community. Provide an open-source license (such as MIT license) allowing others in the community to use and modify the solution. Releases shall include an off-line installer, documentation of dependencies, and technical manuals.

3. STITCHES Toolchain Development:

Upgrade the current STITCHES FTG infrastructure to improve both capability and usability.

4. Subject Matter Expertise (SME):

a. Provide SME and support for the application of STITCHES to real systems. Apply the analysis techniques developed under item 2 to real subsystems to capture their relevant information including interfaces, messages, and compute environments.

b. Identify scoped study initiatives centered around a specific capability area (e.g., coordinated, distributed effects in contested area). Provide assessment of the feasibility for each study executed.

c. Provide SME and support for the development and debugging of operationally relevant FTG communities, which will be curated and managed in conjunction with the relevant program office.

d. Provide SME and support for laboratory, field, and other tests defined by the Government.

Operational System Development:

1. STITCHES Development and Maturation: Upgrade the current STITCHES toolchain to expand functionality, improve performance, and mature the toolchain for operational use.

2. Application of STITCHES to Create Mission Capabilities

a. Identify candidate mission capabilities and assess their feasibility for government review.

b. Identify key elements of a SoS requested by users to develop a stitch. Generate a quick start guide, up to date software components, and appropriate libraries within a STITCHES SoS.

c. Assess identified subsystems to validate their claims, expose gaps in documentation and limitations in functionality. Encapsulate subsystems with STITCHES to expose relevant interfaces for use in a SoS composition.

d. Analyze mission compositions to identify major deficiencies that must be filled either by additional subsystems, additional SoS Critical Abstraction Layers, or changes to the employment of the capabilities.

e. Execute rapid integration to produce a Minimum Viable Product (MVP) and then execute rapid iterations to improve the MVP based on feedback from the relevant stakeholders. Produce releases for exploration, experimentation, and transition, with supporting documentation appropriate for each type of release.

f. Develop and provide appropriate test plans prior to conducting the ground- and flight-testing events. Work with the government to obtain any required approvals from the test organization(s) and security.

g. Demonstrate, experiment, and test new SoS capabilities in relevant and realistic environments ranging from the laboratory to live exercises. Provide maintenance organizations appropriate guidance to ensure correct install, test, and sustainment of the provided capability. Document the results of testing. Identify, if necessary, additional Development and/or Operational testing required.

3. Transition

a. Provide SME and support for the application of STITCHES to real systems identified under item

4, “Subject Matter Expertise” above.

b. Provide SME and support for the development and debugging of operationally relevant FTG communities, which will be curated and managed in conjunction with the relevant program office.

c. Provide SME and support for laboratory, field, and other tests defined by the Government.

Software:

1. Deliver all software developed, assembled, or acquired in accordance with the contract schedule or within 24 months.

2. Transfer all purchased or licensed software used during development or as a component for this effort upon completion; include licensing and maintenance agreements and original media software and documentation.

a. Developed software under this effort is to be completely maintainable and modifiable with no reliance on any non-delivered computer programs or documentation.

b. Deliver all software developed under this effort as source and object (executable) code. Include the commented source listings and source code.

c. Deliver operational repositories containing subsystem and FTG information for relevant operational communities. Delivery will occur within 30 days after each community demonstration event.

Program & Technical Activities:

1. The Contractor shall provide program management, technical support, security management, cybersecurity, and configuration management to support the development, testing, delivery, and transition of STITCHES capabilities under this effort.

2. The Contractor shall conduct and support technical exchange meetings and working groups and shall prepare and deliver briefings, technical reports, white papers, and other technical materials as requested by the Government.

3. The Contractor shall continually assess and report the status of the effort, including progress toward contract objectives, schedule, technical performance, funding requirements, risks, issues, and recommended corrective actions.

4. The Contractor shall develop and maintain a management plan describing its organization, assignment of functions, duties and responsibilities, management procedures, reporting approach, and processes for accomplishing contract requirements.

5. The Contractor shall document technical work accomplished, information gained, observations, problems encountered, positive and negative results, design criteria, processes developed, and lessons learned. Documentation shall provide sufficient detail for the Government to understand the techniques, procedures, software, interfaces, and processes developed under this effort.

Program Administration Support:

1. Continually determine the status of the effort and report progress toward accomplishment of contract requirements.

2. Continually determine the status of funding required for contract performance.

3. Conduct oral presentations at such times and places as designated in the contract schedule. These presentations shall provide the status of the technical progress made to date in the performance of the contract.

4. Management plan describes the contractor’s organization, assignment of functions, duties, and responsibilities, management procedures and policies, and reporting requirements for the conduct of contractually imposed tasks, projects, or programs. Develop and document a management plan.

5. Document all technical work accomplished, and information gained during the performance of this acquisition. Include all pertinent observations, nature of problems, positive as well as negative results, and design criteria established, where applicable: also, procedures followed, processes developed, “Lesson Learned", etc. Document the details of all technical work to permit full understanding of the techniques and procedures used in evolving technology or processes developed. Separate design, engineering, or process specifications delivered during this acquisition shall be cross-referenced to permit a full understanding of the total acquisition.

Security Management:

1. The Contractor shall provide and maintain personnel, facilities, and documentation at the TOP SECRET collateral level for this effort. Integration work at the TOP SECRET level will be performed primarily at the contractor’s facility; AFLCMC/HNJJ at Hanscom AFB, MA; CAOC-X at Langley AFB, VA; and other exercise locations as determined by the Government.

2. The Contractor shall ensure that work performed, and infrastructure hosted in multiple security domains (SIPR and JWICS-to include SIC/SGN), follow the guidelines and requirements for those individual domains. The contractor shall work with Government sponsors, domain-specific security, and networks personnel to ensure proper data handling and security protocols are followed. The contractor’s access to systems will be determined by the requirement of each Government place of performance.

3. Contractor employees during the performance of this effort may be required to have access to Critical

Technology Elements (CTE), Enabling technologies, Critical Program Information (CPI) or other potential sensitive information. Contractor employees will be required to protect this information from disclosure to unauthorized personnel and companies.

a. Provide a security plan to comply with the requirements of protection for this sensitive information when requested by the Government.

b. Employees shall be required to accomplish an initial Standard Form 424, “Research and Related

Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded)”. Provide an initial report of personnel working on the contract at time of award. Provide an updated SF 424 on an annual basis and be required to provide an updated list anytime new personnel join.

c. In the event a security risk is identified, and the government has determined the security risk exceeds the acceptable threshold, the contractor will be notified and informed of the termination/decline of award. Government will be only required to provide a general statement of the reasoning due to government OPSEC measures.

4. If Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and associated Critical Information is involved in this effort, CUI shall be protected to prevent adversary collection and exploitation. Comply with DoDI

5200.48 CUI.

Cyber Security:

1. The Contractor shall execute continuous, comprehensive cybersecurity operations across the entire development and analytic lifecycle. Cybersecurity principles must be proactively integrated into all design, engineering, and system integration phases.

2. To minimize software vulnerabilities, the Contractor shall enforce secure coding standards and robust software assurance methodologies throughout the code development process.

3. The Contractor is responsible for obtaining and maintaining an Authorization to Operate in strict accordance with NIST SP 800-53 Rev 5, NIST SP 800-171, and all applicable Air Force (AF) security mandates. This compliance applies to all Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Classified environments supporting the STITCHES development portfolios.

4. The Contractor shall coordinate with Government sponsors, security personnel, network personnel, test organizations, and other applicable stakeholders to ensure proper data handling and security protocols are followed.

Configuration Management:

1. The Contractor shall maintain configuration and data-management processes for software, interfaces, data transforms, deployment packages, technical documentation, and other artifacts developed under this effort.

2. The Contractor shall maintain applicable documentation, including software-version descriptions, software user guides, technical manuals, source-code repositories, dependency documentation, and release records.

3. The Contractor shall obtain required internal and external reviews or approvals for relevant plans, documentation, releases, and operational-transition activities, as directed by the Government.

4. The Contractor shall ensure that the Government receives the software, documentation, and rights specified in the contract to support sustainment, modification, and future releases of Contractor-developed capabilities.