VPS VBK RFI 07MAR2025.pdf

Request for Information for Active Protection System (APS) Controller

07 March 2025

Distribution Statement A: Approved for public release; distribution is unlimited.

DESCRIPTION OF INTENT:

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. No award will be made as a result of this request.

DESCRIPTION:

The Vehicle Protection System (VPS) Base Kit (VBK) is an Acquisition Category (ACAT) II program currently under production as an Active Protection System (APS) controller for ground combat vehicles. This includes a Modular Active Controller (MAC), User Interface Control Panel (UICP), and a Power Distribution Management System (PMDS).

The Army is assessing market research to inform a potential production contract for award in FY26. The Government has a Technical Data Packages (TDP) for all configurations and would provide the technical data to prospective vendors. A potential requirement could exceed procurement up to 4,000 kits.

DISCLAIMER:

Reference herein to any specific commercial company, product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the USG or the Department of the Army (DA). The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the USG or the DA and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.

VBK TECHNICAL DATA PACKAGE PROPRIETARY INFORMATION:

The Government is directing use of the Lockheed Martin Motherboard contained in the Modular Active Controller (MAC). The MAC contains intellectual property for the required Lockheed Martin Motherboard which the Government has limited rights in. The Government will provide the technical data, except for the limited rights technical data in the motherboard, to prospective vendors. The Government will not accept any changes from prospective vendors that include said vendors’ proprietary technology to be added and/or swapped in place of the technology specified in the Government provided TDP.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

There is no risk to respondents for participating in this RFI. Participation in this effort is strictly voluntary, resulting in no cost or obligation incurred by the USG. The USG is not bound to this information if any solicitation is issued. However, this is an important opportunity for industry to provide input on this program. This RFI, and all information herein, is for informational planning purposes only and does not constitute a proposal request of any kind. All respondents therefore understand that there is no commitment by the USG.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR RESPONDING TO THIS REQUEST:

The USG will not publish any notifications regarding the results of this RFI, or any information identifying the respondents of this RFI.

Responses are expected to remain solely UNCLASSIFIED for this RFI. Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) is not authorized. All respondents shall submit via e-mail to the UNCLASSIFIED e-mail addresses listed at the bottom of this posting. Microsoft Office applications or Adobe Acrobat is preferred.

Respondents wishing to submit proprietary information may request a link to submit the proprietary data through the DoD SAFE (Secure Access File Exchange). Contact Terrell Cheathem, terrell.m.cheathem.civ@army.mil for a link to transmit files through DoD SAFE.

The USG appreciates the time and effort taken to respond to this RFI. The USG acknowledges its obligations under 18 U.S.C. 1905 to protect information qualifying as PROPRIETARY. Pursuant to this statute, the USG is willing to accept any trade secret, or confidential restrictions placed on qualifying data forwarded in response to the RFI and to protect it from unauthorized disclosure subject to the following:

Clearly and conspicuously mark qualifying data as trade secret or confidential with the restrictive legend (all caps) PROPRIETARY with any explanatory text, so that the USG is clearly notified of what data needs to be appropriately protected.

In marking such data, please take care to mark only those portions of the data or materials that are truly trade secret or confidential (over breadth in marking inappropriate data as PROPRIETARY may diminish or eliminate the usefulness of your response - see item 9 under Instructions for Completing this RFI, below). Use circling, underscoring, highlighting or any other appropriate means to indicate those portions of a single page which are to be protected.

The USG is not obligated to protect unmarked data. Additionally, marked data that is already in the public domain or in the possession of the U.S. Government or third parties, or is afterward placed into the public domain by the owner or another party through no fault of the U.S.

Government will not be protected once in the public domain. Data already in the possession of the USG will be protected in accordance with the USG’s rights in the data.

Business Confidential data transmitted electronically, whether by physical media or not, whether by the respondent or by the USG, shall contain any restrictive legend, with any explanatory text, on both the cover of the transmittal e-mail and at the beginning of the file itself. Where appropriate for portions only of an electronic file, use the restrictive legends PROPRIETARY DATA BEGINS: and PROPRIETARY DATA ENDS.

In any reproductions of technical data or any portions thereof indicated to be proprietary, the USG shall also reproduce the proprietary legend and any explanatory text.

Data submitted in response to this RFI will not be returned.

Responses are due no later than 1700 EST on 21 MARCH 2025.

Responses received after the stated due date are not considered by the USG as part of this RFI.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR COMPLETING THIS RFI:

1. Please respond to every question.

2. Number each response with the appropriate question number.

3. Questions do not have to be repeated in the response.

4. A “No Response” indication can be provided for those questions with a “no” answer.

5. If a response will satisfy another question, state: “See response to question XX.”

6. Include relevant sales media and product manuals. If providing an ACROBAT formatted manual, annotate the manual to indicate which material is applicable to the questions. If preferred, include Internet Web links to locations where animations/videos may be viewed.

7. If providing sales media and/or manuals containing a restricted distribution statement, issue a release statement indicating that the restricted material may be distributed to Army personnel involved with this

RFI.

8. Spell out any acronyms in their first instance.

9. Clearly mark any proprietary information. If applicable, the front page of the response package should state, “Proprietary Information Contained.” Provide a release statement indicating that the proprietary information may be distributed to Army personnel involved with reviewing this RFI.

ADMINISTIVE INFORMATION:

1. Manufacturer

a. Company Name:

b. Mailing Address:

c. CAGE:

d. DUNs Number:

e. Company Web Site:

Business Type (Check or identify in your response all that apply):

8(a) Minority Owned

Disabled Veteran Small Business

Hub Zone Small-Disadvantaged

Large Business Women Owned

2. Personnel Responding to this Questionnaire:

a. Name:

b. Title:

c. Responsibility/Position:

d. Telephone/Fax Numbers:

e. E-mail address:

QUESTIONAIRE: Please provide answers to all the following questions with a “not applicable” being acceptable.

1. Previous Contracts:

a. Has your company received a prime contract from the US Government for production, assembly and packaging of add on kits or similar item?

i. Provide contract numbers.

ii. Provide a description of the work performed.

b. Has your company received a prime contract from a foreign government or foreign entity for a similar item?

i. Provide a description of the work performed.

c. Has your company performed as a sub-contractor on a contract from the US Government for production, assembly and packaging of add on kits or similar item?

i. Provide contract numbers.

ii. Provide a description of the work performed.

d. Has your company performed as a sub-contractor on a contract from a foreign government or foreign entity for add on kits or similar item?

i. Provide prime contractor name and a description of the work performed.

2. Security:

a. Does your company have experience with U.S. Army security regulations?

b. Does your company have a facility clearance level? If so, at what level?

c. Does your manufacturing facility have a current facility clearance? If so, at what level?

d. Does your company have the ability to open and maintain a secure Army data collection site (manpower, estimated labor hours, and total payments)?

e. Is your company currently able to transmit unclassified data in accordance with U.S.

Government data encryption requirements?

f. Does your company deal with International Trade Agreement Regulation issues? If so, does your company have current experience with technical assistance agreements?

g. Has your company implemented an Operations Security plan?

h. Does your company have experience working with a Program Protection Plan?

i. Is your company foreign owned? If so, fully or partially owned? If so, what country?

j. Would your company’s manufacturing facilities be located in the U.S. and would the workforce utilized for a potential contract for the kits be United States citizens? If not, provide facility location(s) and workforce citizenship.

k. Regarding a scenario where your company was to produce the kits, are there any potential issues your company might have regarding arms controls and security requirements?

3. Manufacturing and Production Capability:

a. Provide a brief description of your company’s manufacturing capabilities including type of product, monthly quantity, quality level achieved, etc.

b. Is your company currently producing or have recently produced any type of active protection controllers, user interfaces panels, or power management distribution systems?

c. Describe your company’s experience with active protection controllers, interface control panels, and power distribution systems.

d. Describe the manufacturing/assembly processes and standards currently used by your company.

e. Provide a description of experience with ordering, cutting, bonding, sealing, drilling, assembling, and finishing aluminum plate. Please include any examples of previous efforts of work performed or the Government contract number under which this work was performed.

i. Provide a description of your company’s experience with manufacturing of printed wire boards.

ii. Provide a description of your company’s manufacturing process of rigid-flex cables and electronic card assemblies.

iii. Provide a description of your company’s experience with assembling electronic components to printed wired boards, including soldering and automated pick and place assembly.

iv. Provide a description of your company’s experience with manufacturing of wire harnesses and cable assemblies.

v. Provide a description of your company’s experience with monitoring of torque of fasteners.

vi. Provide a description of your company’s experience with circuit cards that conform to Vita 46 3U VPX.

vii. Provide a description of your company’s experience with forming heat pipes.

viii. Provide a description of your company’s experience with monitoring power management/distribution systems.

f. Is the estimated floor space required to produce and package the kits currently available within your company’s current facilities?

g. If your company’s existing production facilities would not be used for this effort, please specify where and in what facility (new construction, sub-contractor facility, etc.) the modules and controllers would be made. Include descriptions of the facilities, tools and equipment that will be used. Please include a timeline to bring the facilities on-line.

h. What is the estimated percentage of fabricated parts or materials your company would manufacture in-house to produce complete kits?

i. What partnerships currently in place would your company use in the manufacturing process?

j. Assuming a production ramp-up, how many months after contract award would it take your company to construct the first kit?

k. Assuming one full-time shift (40-hour work week), what is the monthly rate of production that your company could support?

l. Assuming three full-time eight-hour shifts, what is the maximum monthly quantity your company could produce?

m. What would be your company’s minimum sustainment rate for the production?

n. Describe your company’s experience working with Wide Area Workflow.

o. Does your production facility have the capability of painting with CARC paint?

p. Does your company have experience with CNC machining?

q. Please list all assumptions that you used to support generation of this data.

4. Integrated Product Support / Sustainment

a. What is your company’s experience developing and producing provisioning data (Logistics Support Analysis Reports)? What mechanism do you use to develop and record Logistics Support Analysis ( i.e., SlicWave, COMPASS, other)?

b. What is your company’s experience in developing and validating packaging for DoD (Special Packaging instructions, Long Life Reusable Containers)?

c. What is your company’s experience developing and managing technical data (to include Army technical manual development and validation) and drawings/schematics to support maintenance and operations?

d. What is your company’s experience developing Army Training Material to teach personnel to operate and maintain Army systems effectively (Operator/Maintainer New Equipment Training)?

e. What is your company’s experience performing Level of Repair Analysis (LORA) using Computerized Optimization Model for Predicting and Analyzing Support Structures

(COMPASS)?

f. How does your company utilize Failure, Modes, Effects, and Criticality Analysis (FMECA) to identify potential failure modes, their causes, and effects on system performance?

What is your company’s experience developing and providing FMECA Reports for Army programs?

g. What is your company’s experience performing maintenance task analyses (MTA) for Army programs? What methodology do you employ for MTA to develop detailed maintenance procedures and determine resource requirements?

h. What is your company’s experience implementing IUID to insure traceability and accountability of DoD assets throughout their lifecycle?

5. Quality:

a. Is your company/facility ISO certified as it relates to quality management systems? If yes, what ISO certifications does your production facility hold? If not, what quality plan do you operate under? Please explain how it would be utilized in production.

b. Describe your company’s experience with procuring source-controlled materials, obtaining and providing quality data and/or vendor certifications of conformance for those materials.

c. Describe your company’s quality process for ensuring parts purchased, parts produced in house or produced at a supplier’s facilities conforms to your customer’s technical data package, include test facilities, equipment and fixtures.

d. Describe your company’s experience with conducting first article testing and or first article inspections on active protection systems or similar items.

6. Costs:

a. Does your company have experience with submitting cost reports to the Government in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 234.71? If so, please list the programs.

b. Does your company have experience with providing range pricing (pricing multiple lot quantities over a number of years) in response to a request for proposal?

7. Technical Challenges:

a. For this effort, as described herein, what does your company consider to be the greatest technical challenges?

b. List the risks involved for your company’s possible production.

8. Miscellaneous

a. Is your company able to deliver the initial set of kits within 10 months of contract award? If not, provide a more accurate delivery timeline.

b. Is your company able to perform First Article Testing (FAT)/ First Article Inspection (FAI) on the kit produced for this contract?

c. What is your onsite storage capacity?

d. What is your experience with shipping large quantities of products to multiple locations?

e. What is your supply chain risk management (SCRM) approach? How are you mitigating supply chain risk within the Department of Defense SCRM Risk Taxonomy?

f. What is your DMSMS/Obsolescence approach? How are you mitigating obsolescence risk?

Please send any Questions, Comments, or Concerns to the e-mail addresses listed at the bottom of this posting.

POINT OF CONTACT INFORMATION:

terrell.m.cheathem.civ@army.mil mailto:terrell.m.cheathem.civ@army.mil