TCNO UNO OTA - Government Responses to RFI QA - 20231208.xlsx
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- Solicitation number
- W15P7T-24-UNORFI
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This document contains questions and answers related to a Request for Information (RFI) issued by the Department of the Army for the Unified Network Operations (UNO) program. The RFI seeks industry input on technical and pricing requirements for developing prototypes of UNO capabilities focused on the Lower Tactical Transport (LTT) and Upper Tactical Transport (UTT) levels. Respondents are asked to provide cost estimates and details for planned demonstration and prototyping phases. The Army intends to conduct two downselects and fund multiple prototypes through several steps, with the goal of informing follow-on production activities. Additional details on requirements, timelines, evaluation criteria and the scope of prototypes will be provided in the forthcoming Request for White Papers.
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| Revised C5 OTA ROM Table Example (NOT REQUIRED).docx | DOCX document | |
| UNO RFI - OTA Strategy (REV 26 OCT 2023).docx | DOCX document |
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RFI Q&A
| No | Topic (Please Select) | Question | Answer |
| 1 | Timeline Schedule | When will the White Paper step begin? | Estimating February 2024 |
| 2 | Down Select Strategy | Will oral board be used? | If Government, at its sole discretion, selects a vendor to conduct Oral Engagement, information most likely will be limited to a high-level presentation (e.g., wireframes) of the solution only. |
| 3 | Demo Lab Technical Requirements | What needs to be provided for lab? | Each offeror should provide a demonstration of UNO LTT/UTT capabilities which will be outlined in the Request for White Papers (RWP) / Statement of Need (SoN); the offeror will be asked to provide a demonstration / installation of capabilities as applied to a provided specific scenario. |
| 4 | GFE GFP | How does UNO & INB2 fit into the UNO picture? | UNO MTA prototypes (of which the Government maintains at minimum Government Purpose Rights) may be provided to offerors for demonstration purposes. The UNO OTA prototype RWP/SoN will provide additional information related to the GFE/GFP/GFI. |
| 5 | Cost and Pricing | How should we show cost data? | The Government respectfully requests that costs and labor hours are separated by the following elements for the demonstration and prototyping stage for UNO LTT/UTT only: Prime Contract Labor, Subcontractor Labor, Material/Equipment, Other Direct Costs (ODC), Licensing Costs and Travel. Please be specific in regards to licensing, so that the Government has a better understanding of the structure for planning/budgetary purposes. Licensing costs should include any licenses with teaming partners, licensing types, and defined economies of scale. Licensing costs for tactical ICAM should not be included in the estimate |
| 6 | Demo Lab Technical Requirements | What do we want to show in the lab based demo? | Selected offeror to Demontration phase should provide a demonstration of UNO LTT/UTT capabilities which will be outlined in the RWP/SoN and the Statement of Work (SOW); the selected offeror will be asked to provide a demonstration / installation of capabilities as applied to a specific provided scenario that the Government will also provide in the RWP/SoN/SOW. |
| 7 | Cost and Pricing | For pricing, how much is allocated for UNO? | For the purpose of the UNO LTT/UTT OTA, the Government does not anticipate fully funding the demo or prototype stages of development. |
| 8 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Noted that without being a part of MTAs its hard to answer questions for the RFI because they do not know what the specific requirements are. What is MOSA requirement? | Additional information on the MOSA requirement will be provided at TEM XI and posted on SAM.gov. |
| 9 | Cost and Pricing | Additional data (requirements) are needed to provide accurate pricing data. What are you looking for in the demo? | Information on the scenario provided for the demonstration will be discussed at TEM XI. |
| 10 | Teaming | Will there be industry days to talk to other industry partners? | Industry should take advantage of existing Government-led forums including TEM XI, TEM XII, etc. |
| 11 | Down Select Strategy | For prototype phases 1 & 2 will you be providing solution elements on requirements that Army is looking for? | High-level operational scenarios will be provided at TEM XI. Additional information on requirements for the White Papers, Demonstration, and Prototype will be described in the RWP/SoN. The evaluation criteria will be finalized following a review of the vendors' responses to the RFI. |
| 12 | Down Select Strategy | Will the presenters be allowed to show a demo during step 1B, Oral Technical Presentation? | If Government, at its sole discretion, selects a vendor to conduct Oral Engagement, information most likely will be limited to a high-level presentation (e.g., wireframes) of the solution only. |
| 13 | Timeline Schedule | What does the timeline do you have in mind between steps 1A and 1B? And from 1B to 2? | The Government will determine timelines for/between each step based on the quantity and quality of submitted White Papers / proposals. |
| 14 | Down Select Strategy | How many awardees will be selected from 1A to 1B, and then 1B to 2? Once you get to step 3, will there only be one awardee? | The number of awards for Step 2 will be dependent on information the Government receives from vendor estimates / ROMs for the RFI. Step 3 will continue the competitive prototype with more than 1 vendor. |
| 15 | GFE GFP | It is reasonable to propose GFE for solutions to interact with – provide demo and capability with what the vendors are bringing into the lab? | The Government is analyzing what GFE/GFI/GFP may be provided for the demonstration / prototype phase of the OTA. |
| 16 | Prototype Technical Requirements | During evaluations, are we looking for comprehensive solution or solutions that compliment one another? | The Government is seeking a comprehensive UNO LTT/UTT solution based on a MOSA Architecture. |
| 17 | Prototype Technical Requirements | What is meant by renegotiation of SOW/technical? | If needed, the Government will refine the requirements specified in the SOW based on the outcome of the OTA demonstrations. |
| 18 | Expected IP rights | Will the government maintain any of the SW? | The Government will maintain any software procured/developed under the Government contract of which is asserted as Government Purpose Rights. |
| 19 | Expected IP rights | Does the government want source code and if so, is that any code developed on top of source code? | The Government will seek Government Purpose Rights (at a minimum) for any code developed at the Government’s expense. |
| 20 | GFE GFP | What government-issued hardware and/or software will be available for the lab demo? Will there be a cloud instance provided and/or TSI for the lab demo? | The lab environment will be constructed / modified to enable vendor demonstrations. GFE/GFI/GFP will be provided as needed for the demontration phase of the OTA. |
| 21 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Will the scope of the final OTA award in Step 3: Will it cover training, cybersecurity, capability delivery management, and field support if the government wants to extend the OTA beyond Step 3? | The Government intends for the vendor(s) to build working prototype(s) with the intention of conducting “User Juries” (that the vendor must support) focused on putting the capability in the user’s hands. |
| 22 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Could the Army please expand on the scope of Step 3, specifically Army expectations/definition of success to “provide a prototype”? | The Government intends for the vendor(s) to build working prototype(s) with the intention of conducting “User Juries” (that the vendor must support) focused on putting the capability in the user’s hands. Additional information will be included in the RWP/SoN. |
| 23 | GFE GFP | What is the GFE/GFP that will be provided to industry and when? | The Government is analyzing what GFE/GFI/GFP may be provided for the demonstration / prototype phase of the OTA. |
| 24 | Down Select Strategy | Can the government confirm that pricing will not be a down-select criteria for this effort? | The ROM requested in the RFI will not be used in the down-select process. All factors will be considered as part of the down-select. |
| 25 | Cost and Pricing | For high-level cost estimating, what line items do you want to see besides licensing costs for step 2 & step 3? | Vendors should provide a ROM for developing the demonstration and building a prototype. |
| 26 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Can the government please elaborate on the requirement to integrate “the Common Operating Environment (COEs), Common Services Infrastructure, and Common Transport Layer to transform isolated networks into a unified Army DoDIN”? Integrating across all the COEs, the CSI and the Common Transport Layer is very vague. | As UNO is required to Plan, Configure, Monitor, and Manage the Unified network, UNO will be required to integrate with the network, transport and service components in order to manage those elements of the Unified Network. |
| 27 | Prototype Technical Requirements | What is considered as part of the common transport layer? All waveforms in the UTT and LTT? What about the enterprise? | The scope of this OTA will be focused on all aspects of the UTT/LTT. |
| 28 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Can the government please clarify what the common services infrastructure is? Is this the TSI services? If so, can the government provide a description list? | As UNO is required to Plan, Configure, Monitor, and Manage the Unified network, UNO will be required to integrate with the network, transport and service components in order to manage those elements of the Unified Network. |
| 29 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Can the government provide user threads or use cases ahead of the OTA white paper? | User scenarios will be outlined at TEM XI and will be further detailed in the RWP. |
| 30 | Other | Is there any flexibility in not including a cover page or table of contents in the RFI response to allow more technical detail in responses? | A cover page is required; table of contents is not required. |
| 31 | Other | When will UNO be considered a Program of Record? | UNO is a Program of Record. |
| 32 | Other | Will there be additional OTAs implemented based on the Requirements Definition Packages, i.e., data fabric, installation, strategic, etc.? | At this time, the use of additional OTAs is unknown. |
| 33 | Other | Will there be a traditional FAR based approach to procure UNO integration via a MAC IDIQ once this LTT/UTT integration OTA goes into a production phase? | The Government is exploring transitioning UNO to a traditional FAR based contract after the OTA. |
| 34 | Other | Will the Army consider one on one meetings with industry? We believe the Army and industry will benefit from discussions. | The Army will conduct one-on-one meetings with industry during TEM XI and will continue to make themselves available to industry prior to releasing the RWP. |
| 35 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Regarding the Step 2 Proposal phase: |
a) How many offerors does the Army desire to bring to Step 2 Prototype?
b) How much funding is available for Step 2?
| Knowing your budget and how many offerors you would like to have will help us target a budget for Step 2. This will help us answer RFI Question 7. | The number of awards for Step 2 will depend on information the Government receives from vendor estimates / ROMs responding to the RFI. Step 3 will continue the competitive prototype with more than 1 vendor. | |||
| 36 | Cost and Pricing | To answer RFI Question 9, does the Army have a target annual cost for UNO once we get to fielding? This will help guide our solution. | This effort is focused on the OTA only. The OTA Prototype will inform the Army on potential production/fielding costs. | |
| 37 | Demo Lab Technical Requirements | For UNO Phase 2, which is a lab-based demonstration: |
a) How will the Government work with the contractor to gather Soldier feedback?
b) Which echelon will be simulated through this lab-based demonstration? (a) The intent of the lab-based demo is to give the Government greater confidence and fidelity in the assessment of capabilities. Soldier feedback should only come in at the prototyping phase.
(b) For echelon, DIV and its subordinate units is appropriate.
38 Prototype Technical Requirements From the standpoint of the UNO Phase 3 demonstrations:
a) Does the Army have a preferred fielding strategy (e.g., a preferred starting echelon) for gathering Soldier feedback?
b) If not, would the Government be open to contractor suggestions as to the optimal starting echelon for initial fielding? (a) For echelon, DIV and its subordinate units is appropriate.
(b) The Government is open to suggestions but decisions will be driven by Unit availability.
| 39 | Prototype Technical Requirements | RFI Question 6b asks how much time would it take to provide a prototype that is ready to incorporate operational feedback. We acknowledge the Army is moving toward the “Division” as the Unit of Action. Is the level of operational feedback desired for the Division level only, or higher and lower? | Soldier feedback will be captured across the echelons from Division down to Batallion. | |
| 40 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Question 10 refers to integrations with “products from other vendors.” In a MOSA system as UNO is currently described, integrations with other MOSA compliant platforms is a given due to openly published standards and architectures including open API. When the Government refers to “other vendors,” are we to assume that these “other vendors” are currently closed or semi-closed legacy systems or new systems that will be acquired once UNO is in operation? | The assumption should be that there is a mix of open MOSA compliant systems as well as legacy semi-closed systems. | |
| 41 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Would the Government provide a list of tools that are within the scope of UNO? This details the complexities of the network and allows offerors to provide a more accurate, technically sound solution. | The Government will not be providing an all encompasing list of tools, but will detail in the requirements the assets / systems that will be required to Plan, Configure, Manage. | |
| 42 | GFE GFP | As UNO evolves into a POR, the Army made use of Mid Tier Acquisition Authorities to conduct several prototype activities, including 1) LTT, 2) UTT,and 3) UNO Planner. The Army also worked with JHU APL to develop several schematics and references architectures for the UNO initiative. In order to allow industry to maximize incorporation of those prototype activities, will the Government be treating those capabilities as GFE for companies seeking to compete for the UNO OTA? | The Government is analyzing what GFE/GFI/GFP may be provided for the demonstration / prototype phase of the OTA. | |
| 43 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is the previous Draft RFP still valid, specifically with previously referenced equipment and waveforms? Are we to assume that all the data we have been provided on UNO over the last several months is still valid? | The previous draft RFP is no longer valid as that was for a MAC IDIQ contract. Updated requirements will be provided as part of the release of the RWP/SoN | |
| 44 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is there a new set of requirements articulating specific UNO requirements? | UNO requirements focused on the UTT and LTT will be provided as part of the RWP/SoN. | |
| 45 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is the objective to replace or augment existing tools being used on INB2 or NOMS, etc.? | The Government will not be providing an all encompasing list of tools, rather will detail in the requirements the assets / systems that will be required to plan, configure, manage. | |
| 46 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Please provide a detailed list of network management functions for the desired UNO capabilities. | UNO requirements focused on the UTT and LTT will be provided as part of the RWP/SoN. | |
| 47 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Please provide a list of existing network systems or applications that must be interfaced with such as those used on NOMS or INB2? | The Government will not be providing an all encompassing list of tools, rather will detail in the requirements the assets / systems that will be required to plan, configure, manage. | |
| 48 | GFE GFP | What Government Furnished Equpment if any, will be provided? | The Government is analyzing what GFE/GFI/GFP may be provided for the demonstration / prototype phase of the OTA. | |
| 49 | Demo Lab Technical Requirements | Please provide more detail on the UNO LTT/UTT simulated Operating Environment and can that be set up in a lab and tested against? | ||
| a. | What is the COE (and also Common Services Infrastructure)? | |||
| b. | If it does not already exist, is it expected as a byproduct of UNO development? | |||
| c. | Can potential vendors get access to it now for early prototyping? | |||
| d. | Will it be provided to vendors for use during Steps 2 and 3 prototyping? | |||
| e. | Will it be available for use at vendor sites or only at Army sites? Will remote access be possible?" | |||
| f. | Will COE-based GFE Computing Environment (CE) devices be provided to vendors during Steps 2 and 3 prototyping? | The Government is standing up a lab in support of the lab based demonstration. Government will provide additional details at a later date. | ||
| 50 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Previously, UNO had required GraphQL, is UNO now considering alternative industry standards? | The UNO middleware requirements will not be restricted to the use of GraphQL. The Government wil evaluate all proposed architectures including GraphQL. | |
| 51 | Other | Is step 1a this RFI response, or will the Step 1a whitepapers be requested at a later date? | Step 1 will be initiated by the RWP/SoN. The received RFI responses will assist in guiding the overall process. | |
| 52 | Timeline Schedule | What is the anticipated timeline for the process or the time between steps? | Timelines will be driven by the number of responses. | |
| 53 | Down Select Strategy | How many down-selects will there be? | We anticipate two (2) down-selects. The first will be the invite to the demo, and the second will be the invite to the prototype phase. The prototype phase will inform follow on production activities. | |
| 54 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Will the Army only fund prototypes that form a complete LTT + UTT UNO solution, or will smaller prototypes of critical capabilities also be funded? | As part of the planned OTA, the Government is seeking a holistic UNO UTT / LTT Solution. | |
| 55 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is the Army looking exclusively for complete productized solution or also for UNO capabilities that package with others to form a solution (or both)? | The UNO technical requirements will be focused on fuctions that the Signal Community will require to execute their mission. How these capabilities are met will be evaluated against affordability, and suitability of the requirement. | |
| 56 | Prototype Technical Requirements | The RFI emphasizes MOSA to ensure - reusable architecture, capabilities that are modular and severable, parallel development. What MOSA elements are already fixed/ predetermined to allow this or is the intent to have this developed during the future UNO steps? | It is assumed that any interfaces already predetermined or developed during the UNO contract will need to adhere to MOSA principles. | |
| 57 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is the Army looking for vendors to supply additional capabilities that will enable this MOSA modularity and severability, beyond the existing tools open standards? | It is assumed that any interfaces already predetermined or developed during the UNO contract will need to adhere to MOSA principles. | |
| 58 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Will the Army provide CRADA's during this UNO prototyping? | An OTA through the C5 Consortium will be the procurement instrument used for the prototyping effort. The Army encourages partnering between vendors. | |
| 59 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is the Army looking for a system where existing (250+) and new tools can be integrated by Army SMEs, or one where all of the integration must be performed by UNO vendors? | It is anticipated that the integration of capabilities will be executed by UNO vendors to simplify Signal Soldier Operations in the field. | |
| 60 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Does the Army expect that new communication resources (e.g. new mission-specific Air or Satellite resources to support BLOS communications) and automated PACE selection function to be performed by the UNO tools at the LTT or UTT levels? (i.e., will UNO support Army Regional Hub Node (RHN) or GAIT operations?) | UNO requirements focused on the UTT and LTT will be provided as part of the release of the RWP/SoN for the OTA, but they encompass all DODIN Ops functions for Division and Below to include the RHN. | |
| 61 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Does the Army want UNO LTT to support extended periods of DDIL? For example, will mission DODINOPS need to be performed without contact back to UNO UTT? | UNO requirements focused on the UTT and LTT will be provided as part of the release of the RWP/SoN for the OTA, but the DDIL environment is a design factor that will need to be considered for the LTT. | |
| 62 | Prototype Technical Requirements | To what extent is the Army looking for UNO to accommodate and utilize mesh networking, data duplication/dedup, store/forward, etc. to create network resiliency? | UNO requirements focused on the UTT and LTT will be provided as part of the release of the RWP/SoN for the OTA, but the DDIL environment is a design factor that will need to be considered for the LTT. | |
| 63 | Prototype Technical Requirements | How will UNO handle multiple security enclaves and red/black considerations without use of cross domain solutions, or will these be allowed? | Cross Domain Solutions will not be a requirement. | |
| 64 | Prototype Technical Requirements | What external systems does the Army expect that UNO will interact with to aid with situational awareness and decision making? | UNO requirements focused on the UTT and LTT will be provided as part of the release of the RWP/SoN for the OTA. | |
| 65 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Does the Army prefer that its LTT and UTT SMEs will be able to configure policy into UNO via the SUI, or will this need to be preconfigured by vendors? For example, priorities of different transports for different QOS, requirements for assured data delivery, etc. | UNO requirements focused on the UTT and LTT will be provided as part of the release of the RWP/SoN for the OTA, but the UNO capability should empower the signal community to tailor network congurations based on Mission Intent. | |
| 66 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is the current INB2 or NOMS application considered a SUI? Has the Army performed any analysis to determine if it is possbile to further simplify without negatively impacting perormance or the accuracy of data or the user experience? | Usability Assessements will be performed on the entire UNO solution. | |
| 67 | Other | Can vendors provide Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) (or previously FOUO) reference information or graphics with our responses to this RFI? | Yes | |
| 68 | Other | Will PEO C3T provide any feedback or responses to the vendor provided feedback for this RFI? In the past, we have not received any feedback or responses to our RFI input. | Yes, however requests for feedback should be sent through the KO. | |
| 69 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Will there ever be an interest in having an UNO app all the way down to the Company level? For example, IVAS | It is not yet determined; however, the flexibility needs to be built in to adapt if required; i.e. Hardware Agnostic | |
| 70 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Is there a required/specified Network COP visualization that we would need to build to? | Not at this time. | |
| 71 | Prototype Technical Requirements | Are you anticipating on-site development? | The Government may request on-site development. | |
| 72 | Other | Is the program designated as a software pathway? | Yes. | |
| 73 | Teaming | Reference to the RFI question about providing contact info, would the Government recommend vendors for teaming? | No, we are encouraging teaming and would like to provide contact info for vendors interested in providing contact info to facilitate teaming. | |
| 74 | Down Select Strategy | Are oral boards going to be part of the process? | If Government, at its sole discretion, selects a vendor to conduct Oral Engagement, information most likely will be limited to a high-level presentation (e.g., wireframes) of the solution only. | |
| 75 | Expected IP rights | What is the Government stance on data rights? | The Government will seek Government Purpose Rights (at a minimum) for any code developed at the Government’s expense. | |
| 76 | GFE GFP | Will everything in the Demo be GFE? | The Government may use GFE/GFI/GFP or other systems to evaluate the demonstrating vendor's ability to integrate a sub-system. | |
| 77 | GFE GFP | What is the plan for the use of licenses? | The Government is looking at potential GFE/GFI/GFP and evaluating if they can be used during the demonstration and prototype. | |
| 78 | Down Select Strategy | Will oral boards allow for a mock demonstration? | If Government, at its sole discretion, selects a vendor to conduct Oral Engagement, information most likely will be limited to a high-level presentation (e.g., wireframes) of the solution only. |
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