US CORE II RFI_draft_17 Dec2024 PDF.pdf

National Urban Security Technology Laboratory U. S. Department of Homeland Security 201 Varick Street, Suite 900 New York, NY 10014-7447

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) 70RSAT25RFI000005

Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science & Technology (S&T) National Urban Security Technology Laboratory (NUSTL)

Counter Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) U.S. Capability Optimization Research Environment (CORE) II

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information, market research, and planning purposes. This RFI shall not be construed as an obligation on the part of the Government. This is NOT a Request for Quotations or Proposals (RFQ or RFP). No solicitation document exists, and the Government may or may not issue a formal solicitation as a result of the responses received to this RFI.

The Government will not pay for expenses for any response activities or participation in the demonstration. All costs incurred responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Failure to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future solicitation. In accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), responses to this notice are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed to allow the Government to determine the organizations’ capabilities.

The Government’s explicit intent through this RFI is to obtain general product information. That being said, the Government is not requesting and does not want to receive from respondents any proprietary data, trade secrets, business sensitive information, or information considered CONFIDENTIAL under 18 U.S.C. §1905. The Government’s constraint does not in any way relieve contractors from their responsibility to properly mark proprietary data when it is provided, nor does it alleviate any requirement for the Government to protect marked data. The Government is not obligated to protect unmarked data.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned.

I. BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

The C-UAS Capability Optimization Research Environment (CORE) is an international cooperative effort between the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada to conduct C-UAS technology tests and demonstrations in multiple operational environments. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) leads the U.S. tests and demonstrations.

In FY25Q3/Q4, DHS S&T will host and lead the second iteration of CORE in the U.S. (U.S. CORE

II).

In support of U.S. CORE II, DHS S&T is releasing a RFI regarding participation from vendors with an integrated C-UAS solution. The C-UAS solution can be a commercially available product or an operational prototype1. The C-UAS solution must be capable of detecting, tracking, and identifying Group 1 and 2 UAS.

The use cases for this prospective C-UAS solution would be but not limited to:

• prison security,

• critical infrastructure protection,

• government owed/operated building security,

• campus protection,

• mass gathering events (i.e., sporting events, outdoor festivals, parades, etc.),

• National Special Security Events (NSSE)/ Special Event Assessment Rating Events (SEAR) security.

The unit cost must not exceed $250,000, inclusive of all hardware, software, and accessories necessary for the system to perform its specified detection, identification, monitor and tracking (DIMT2) capabilities. The cost must also cover any required components for full operation, such as power supplies, mounting equipment, and standard support software. Optional or additional features beyond the required functionality must be itemized separately and not affect the base cost.

After vendor submissions are reviewed by DHS S&T, selected vendors will be invited to participate in the U.S. CORE II event that will occur from May 12, 2025 to May 16, 2025 at the Fort Wolters National Guard Base in Mineral Wells, TX. U.S. CORE II will be comprised of stakeholders from multiple federal agencies; state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) governments; and international partners. Additional details will be provided to the selected vendors.

During U.S. CORE II, the C-UAS solution’s DIMT performance and usability will be assessed.

Additional technology aspects for assessment:

• Technology must be deployable for US CORE II demonstration event

• Prospective sensor modalities may include, but are not limited to, variables such as: radar, passive radio frequency, electro-optical cameras, infrared cameras, acoustic sensors, bi-static radar, etc.

• Range 1km and greater, 180 to 360 degrees field of view

1 An Operational Prototype is a functional version of a system, product, or technology that demonstrates its core features and capabilities in a real-world or simulated operational environment. It is not yet finalized for production or widespread deployment but is sufficiently developed to validate performance, usability, and reliability under realistic conditions.

2 DTI definitions can be found in C-UAS Technology Guide: ST-C-UAS Technology Guide | Homeland Security https://www.dhs.gov/publication/st-c-uas-technology-guide

II. SUBMISSION OF INFORMATION

Respondents are required to provide the following information:

1. Company name

2. Company address

3. Product name

4. Detail system description and capability

5. System specification

6. Commercially available (Yes or No)

7. Estimated unit cost

8. Able to participate in 2025 U.S. CORE test/demonstration (Yes or No)

9. Point(s) of contact (name, title, e-mail, and phone number)

10. Business type (manufacturer or distributor)

11. Cage code and /or Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

Reponses to this RFI should attempt to answer some or all the following questions, where applicable:

1. What are the sensor modalities (i.e., radar, electro-optical/infrared, passive radio frequency (RF), acoustic) does the C-UAS technology solution have?

2. What specific frequency bands does the system utilize, and at what operational frequencies does it perform optimally?

3. What is the system’s horizontal field of regard (azimuth), and how is this parameter defined and measured?

4. Which time standard (e.g., UTC, GPS) is the system aligned with for all timing operations?

5. Does the system utilize a GPS-disciplined clock for synchronization, and if so, how is this implemented?

6. Is the system capable of synchronizing with external time sources via the Network Time Protocol

(NTP) or an equivalent method?

7. Are time-stamping actions conducted centrally at the main computer/control unit (C2), or are they processed individually at each sensor?

8. Where does identification of the UAS occur, at the sensor or based on a library?

9. Are any specific synchronization procedures required to ensure time alignment between sensors and processing units?

10. What are the calibration procedures and intervals required to maintain optimal performance of the

C-UAS technology?

11. Does the system require geographically distributed deployments (e.g., multiple nodes), or are all system components and subsystems designed for co-location?

12. Is the system self-contained, or does it rely on Wi-Fi or internet in order for the system components to work?

13. Are there defined safety protocols or recommended stand-off distances associated with the system’s operation?

14. Does the system read and interpret any part of the messages between the unmanned aircraft and the ground controller, this can include, but is not limited to the header data and/or message data.

15. Does the system only use RF power spectral density information to detect, identify, or locate a transmitting ground control station or unmanned aircraft?

16. Does the system also detect the ground control station and provide its location?

17. Does the system have a “white-listing” capability allowing it to recognize known UAS approved for operating in the area?

18. Does the system collect Remote ID information as regulated by the FAA as part of the sensor model or separately?

19. Under optimal test conditions (i.e., clear line of sight, minimal background interference), please specify the maximum effective range at which your system can:

a. Detect a DJI Mavic 3 with a confidence level of 90% or higher.

b. Track a DJI Mavic 3 with a positional accuracy of ±20 meters.

c. Identify a DJI Mavic 3 with a confidence level of 90% or higher.

All information received will be treated as public knowledge and will be reviewed by a technology selection committee; therefore, vendors should not submit proprietary information in response to this

RFI.

Responses to this RFI must be submitted to NUSTL no later than 4:00 PM EST on February 7, 2025. All technical comments, inquiries, and responses should be directed to the Office of Procurement Operations via email to Mohammed Rizki, at MOHAMMED.RIZKI@hq.dhs.gov and Jason Rios, at Jason.Rios@hq.dhs.gov and to DHS S&T NUSTL, Teddy Damour at Teddy.Damour@hq.dhs.gov.

III. OTHER INFORMATION

The submitted information will be assessed for inclusion in the US CORE demonstration event in 2025 and reports.

Determination as to an individual product’s suitability will be made by DHS S&T based on the objectives of this request. Therefore, requests for feedback should not be made through the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://sam.gov) posting agency. Vendors may be contacted following submission for more detailed product information. Vendor provided information may be reformatted for DHS S&T publication documents. If a vendor does not respond to additional requests for information, information may be marked as “Not Available”.

mailto:MOHAMMED.RIZKI@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Jason.Rios@hq.dhs.gov mailto:Teddy.Damour@hq.dhs.gov https://sam.gov/