Nat Sec Implications Elec Manufac China -- FINAL.doc

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS

December 19th, 2008

PERIOD OF PROPOSAL SUBMISSION ENDS: 5:30 PM Wednesday, January 21st, 2009 The U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission (hereafter “the Commission”) invites submission of proposals to provide a one-time unclassified report on the potential national security implications of U.S. reliance on the People’s Republic of China (PRC) for the production of computer chips and other critical electronics systems, particularly as this pertains to weapons systems and other defense electronics.

ABOUT THE COMMISSION. The Commission was established by Congress in 2000 to monitor and report to Congress on the economic and national security dimensions of the United States’ trade and economic ties with the PRC. Further details about the Commission are available on its website at: www.uscc.gov .

ABOUT PROPOSALS. The Commission solicits proposals from contractors capable of providing a one-time unclassified report that would examine the national security implications of U.S. reliance on the PRC for the production of computer chips and other electronics systems, particularly as this pertains to – but not strictly limited to – government computers, and weapons systems and other military electronics.

Key issues and questions to be addressed by the report are:

· Perform a survey of defense and defense contractor supply chains to determine the extent to which Chinese-manufactured computer chips and other electronic components are contained within the weapons systems and other defense electronics currently employed by the U.S. armed forces. Identify notable examples of such components, and, to the maximum extent possible, trace these components back to their original manufacturers.

· Identify particular types of defense electronic components that are no longer manufactured in the U.S. – or which may have a limited and/or dwindling number of domestic U.S. manufacturers – and on which the U.S. may now or soon be dependent on Chinese suppliers.

· Perform a survey of the supply chains of major U.S. government agencies that deal in economic, diplomatic, and national security affairs – both civilian and military – to determine the extent to which Chinese-manufactured chips and other components are found within U.S. government computer systems.

· Identify and assess the potential vulnerabilities (sabotage, computer hacking, exposure of sensitive information, etc.) that might emerge from defective or compromised electronics, and assess the national security implications of such supply-chain dependence. As appropriate, provide policy recommendations that the U.S government could follow to address such vulnerabilities.

Additional Requirements of the Commission:

· Prior to responding to this RFP, the responding entity must be currently registered in the federal Central Contractor Registry (CCR), and it shall confirm its current registration in its proposal.

· Once a contractor has been selected for this project by the Commission and a contract signed, public notice of this will be made on the Commission’s website.

· Once a contractor has been selected by the Commission and a contract signed, a draft of the report must be submitted to the Commission for review no later than 120 days from the date of contract confirmation. The Commission will then endeavor to provide comments and requests for adjustments within 30 days; subsequently, the final report must be submitted within 30 days of formal receipt of the Commission’s comments.

· As work on the report progresses, the Commission’s Research Coordinator shall act as a representative of the Commission in monitoring the progress, quality, and relevance of the report to the identified major issues of concern. The Research Coordinator shall, on request to the contractor, be entitled to informal briefings on the status of the research work and to readings of the draft in progress.

· The contract shall be subject to termination if the Commission deems that the work is of unsatisfactory quality.

· At the Commission’s discretion, the report procured via this Request for Proposal may be posted on the Commission’s website.

· Each organization or individual responding to this request must warrant that it/he/she will perform this work solely for the Commission, and that the resulting report will not be shared with other parties without the prior written consent of the Commission.

· The Commission expects contractors to identify all personnel working on the contract, and that there not be any delegation of responsibilities to other parties without prior approval of the Commission.

Primary Selection Criteria:

· The Commission will determine which organization or individual responding to this request will be awarded the contract based on a comprehensive “best value” analysis of the proposals received, to include costs, technical value, and ability to complete the work satisfactorily and on time.

· The primary weighting criterion in selection shall the assessed qualifications and ability of an organization or individual to address the fundamental research points enunciated above (“key issues and questions to be addressed by the report”).

· The cost and amount of time necessary to complete the report will also be considered as criteria in the selection process.

Proposal submissions should include:

· A statement of the applicant’s relevant qualifications to satisfy the terms of this request for proposals (RFP);

· An description of the research methodology the applicant proposes to employ;

· An estimate of the time the applicant will need to complete the required work;

· The price the applicant will charge to the Commission to complete the work set forth in this RFP.

Firms and individuals wishing to submit a proposal in response to this Request for Proposal must ensure that the response arrives at the following location by 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday, January 21st, 2009, or it will not be accepted or considered.

Electronic submissions are acceptable.

Proposals, as well as any other correspondence related to this matter, should be directed to:

John Dotson

Research Coordinator

U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission

Hall of the States, Suite 602

444 North Capitol Street, N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20001 phone: 202-624-1482 jdotson@uscc.gov

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