Q&A_Updated_3-May-20173.pdf

Abrams Engine Diagnostic and Troubleshooting Trainer (ED/TT) - W900KK-17-R-0044

Question and Answers (Q&A)

Question 1:

Can the Government clarify if the turret is expected to be functional? Reference is made to WP0043 block 4; "Disconnect 2W702-7/P6 from J3 on digital electronic control unit (Vol 2, WP 0249, Figure 4)" a specific position of the turret. This does not appear to be in the same position as the driver entry. And may be different than the position defined in WP0043 block 1; "Traverse turret until main gun is over left side of tank, and then lock turret. Refer to TM 9-2350-388-10" to open the grille doors.

Answer: No Tank turret structure is expected to be included in the ED/TT. The question references a TM Work Package that has a task to rotate the turret. The government understand that without a turret in the ED/TT design some steps will not be able to be specifically performed and that is acceptable since they are ancillary to the core tasks which are the focus of this trainer. In designing the trainer, the location of tank components from the sub turret and turret which are part of this trainer (identified in the SRD), the contractor will have to find a suitable location which does not impinge on the troubleshooting tasks.

Question 2:

The Abrams ED/TT SRD 3.1.2.b states "The ED/TT shall make use of the instructor station functionality in the existing M1A2 SEP V2 Diagnostic/Troubleshooting software baseline." This software is not part of the existing Engine Trainers being updated for the solicitation but is associated with other fielded Abrams maintenance training devices. Since all bidders are required to propose a design that incorporates this software, do you intend to provide a Technical Data Package (TDP) as part of the Abrams ED/TT solicitation that provides the required portions of the M1A2 SEP V2 Diagnostics/Troubleshooting software and/or a Software Design Document (SDD)? If so, when will the TDP be available to bidders?

Answer: The Government plans to make the TDP available to only the winning bidder. However, upon request of a potential bidder, the Government will provide the software restore media for review of the current baseline operation of the software and the D/T Instructor Operator Maintenance (IOM) Manual.

Question 3:

Please clarify if this opportunity is a three year or five year program. The pre-solicitation synopsis posting of Jan 11, 2017 states in the first sentence: "Program Manager Training Devices (PM TRADE), Product Manager for Ground Combat Tactical Trainers (PM GCTT) is contemplating a new full and open acquisition for an upgrade of the existing Abrams M1A1 ED/TTs at Ft. Benning, GA., Ft. Lee, VA., and Gowen Field, ID., to the M1A2 SEPv2 configuration over a three year period." Further into the synopsis, it is stated "All items are anticipated to be delivered within 60 months after contract award on a Firm Fixed Price basis."

Answer: The total period of performance of the contract is five years. All options CLINs are expected to be exercised within the first three years.

Question 4:

Will the appropriate version of the Abrams Common Software Library ACSL software be provided as GFI?

Answer: Yes, SEP V2 ACSL Version 4.6 release 2 is scheduled to be released 10 July 2017.

Question 5:

In the 20151118 Government QAs with Comments document – comment #2 states:

Contractors will have the option to work the M1A2 Engine at the Government Facility in Ft Benning, or bring the engine to their own facilities at their own cost. Contractor must consider the logistics related to the transportation of the engine to/from Government facilities.

Contractors must also consider room space limitations, size of access doors, ventilation, and power requirements at each of the locations where the LET will be operating. Government does not intend to make any alteration to real property in order to make accommodations to support the design and the operation of the upgraded LET.

Is it still the intent of the government to provide contractors the option to work the M1A2 engine at the Ft Benning facility?

Answer: No. Contractors will only be allowed to work at the Government facility during the delivery and installation of the trainer. Tools or equipment such as lifts, cranes, forklifts to handle the Engine, or the trainer, will not be provided by the Government. In addition, the Government is not considering any Public Private Partnership for this procurement.

Question 6:

The SRD states:

The training device software shall be designed to allow for ease of update throughout the life of the training device. The contractor shall produce all software code necessary to operate the engine and trainer functionality without relying on Tactical GFE tank software.

Specific to “without relying on Tactical GFE tank software,” will the engine control software and hardware be GFE?

Answer: The SRD has been modified to account for use of tactical engine control software. The engine control software on the DECU will be made available to the winning bidder in executable form only, not source. Or the software will be loaded on the DECU provided as GFE

Question 7:

The SRD states that the government will provide LRU and Cable drawings in PDF format. Are those drawings available now if we request them?

Answer: The Government’s plan was to provide the LRU and Cable fabrication level drawings only to the winning bidder. High level drawings are available in the TMs and will show the level of complexity for each cable.

Question 8:

Will the government make available the current Abrams engine diagnostic Program of Instruction documents for the 91A, 913A and 915A students?

Answer: Yes, they can be made available, however, they may not be very useful. They are written at a high level.

Question 9:

Reference: SRD Figure 3.1 When will the GFE (engine trainers, LETs) be made available? Will components from a LET be available for use in the first ED/TT?

Will all components be in working condition?

Answer: GFE will be available after contract award. The existing trainers will be tested and the components made available for the first two ED/TTs. The Government will demonstrate that the engines will start, run and shutdown properly. This will show that the Engine, LRUs and Cables which are expected to be reused in the Ed/TT are in operational condition. The Government cannot guarantee that all components from the current trainers will be in original working conditions especially if they are not expected to be reused.

Question 10:

Reference: GFP Form Are the listed LET Fuel Tank, Battery Box, Air Intake Plenum, and Quick Disconnect Panel suitable for the ED/TT?

Answer: The Government believes they would require at least some modification or a complete redesign to meet the ED/TT requirements.

Question 11:

Reference: SRD 3.1.2(a), “The training device shall train the functional application of the appropriate Tank system through the student interface.”

What are you referring to as the student interface?

Answer: This is referring to the replicated portions of the tank and test equipment which the student interacts with in performing normal tank operations as well as diagnostic and troubleshooting tasks.

Question 12:

Reference: SRD 3.1.2.1 (q), “A cable disconnect monitor shall provide a status of all critical cables utilized in the simulation and must be viewable from the Instructor/Operator station and the hand held device.”

How will “critical” be defined?

Answer:

Those cables which must be connected for the trainer to operate properly at trainer power up or initiation of a lesson.

Question 13:

Reference: SRD 3.1.2.1 (r), “Input and Output (I/O) shall be provided to all switches, lights, knobs, etc. even if there is no functionality associated with them at the time. I/O is not required for mocked up components whose only function is to be a space constraint.”

For the case of “knobs, etc.” can this be clarified to require electrical components only or are mechanical items such as door latches required to be reported back to I/O? For example, would a mechanical door latch that a student must open/close/latch be reported back to the I/O showing the student completed it?

Answer: This requirement is intended only for electrical components. However, there may be some mechanical components where I/O is needed for safety mitigation or as part of a troubleshooting task where the only way to determine if the step was completed properly is a signal provided by I/O. Bottom line, not all mechanical components are required to have I/O.

Question 14:

Reference: 20151118 government Q&A document Which government facility at Fort Benning will be available to the contractor for development and test with the live engine after the contractor’s development plan is approved?

How much space is there?

Are there any restrictions on access?

Must facility time be scheduled?

Answer: Contractors will only be allowed to work at the Government facility during the delivery and installation of the trainer. Tools or equipment such as lifts, cranes, forklifts to handle the Engine, or the trainer, will not be provided by the Government. In addition, the Government is not considering any Public Private Partnership for this procurement.

Question 15:

Reference: SRD 3.1.2.(o) Will Tank Tactical Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) that are absolutely necessary for normal or faulted operation be provided as GFE?

When will they be made available?

Answer: LRUs will be provided as GFE and will be available after contract award.

Question 16:

Reference: SRD 2.1 When will the referenced Military Technical Manuals for the M1A2 SEP v2 be made available for request?

IETM 087459, TM 9-2350-388-13&P

Interactive Electronic Technical Manual for Operator and Field Level Maintenance Manual including Field and Sustainment Maintenance Repair Parts and Special Tools List (RPSTL) for Tank, Combat, Full-Tracked: 120 MM Gun M1A2SEP (Aug 2016)

Answer: It is available now upon request. Offeror must have an approved Technical Data Distribution agreement.

Question 17:

Reference: SRD 2.1 The TM 9-2350-388-23-1-1 and TM 9-2350-388-23-1-2 Military Technical Manuals for the M1A1 SEP v2 are also required references to ensure the contractor has a full and complete understanding of the training system and training task requirements. Will the government also make these reference manuals available by request? If so, when?

Answer: TM 9-2350-388-13&P has the same content and replaces TM 9-2350-388-23-1-1 and

TM 9-2350-388-23-1-2.

Question 18:

Reference: SRD 3.2.1.1 The SRD states that the government will provide LRU and Cable drawings in PDF format. When will these drawings be available for request?

Answer: The Government will provide the LRU and Cable fabrication level drawings only to the winning bidder. High level drawings are available in the TMs and will show the level of complexity for each cable.

Question 19:

Reference: SRD 3.1 (and subsections) When will the government make available the current Abrams engine diagnostic Program of Instruction documents for the 91A students?

Answer: They can be made available upon request, however, they may not be very useful.

They are written at a high level.

Question 20:

Reference: CLIN_Structure_Abrams_EDTT_2017-01-09’ excel file Regarding the CLIN numbering, under the Gowen Field location (CLIN 2002):

• ‘Travel, Installation and Training’ is CLIN 2005AB

• ‘Spares Parts’ is CLIN 2005AC Should these CLINs be numbered 2002AB and 2002AC so that they roll up under the Gowen Field location? That is, it appears that cells A29 and A30 should roll up to cell A27.

Answer: This is a typo error. It should read 2002AB and 2002AC

Question 21:

Ref SOW 3.2.7: Is there any existing built in Fire Arrest and Suppression System (FASS) embedded in the existing GFE configuration. Is it anticipated to make any internal FASS a requirement to operate a live engine with fuel inside an enclosed facility? Were any local or federal waivers required, granted or denied for the operation of the existing trainers in the enclosed facility? Was the existing configuration compliant with all local state and national fire protection and prevention regulations? Will there be a requirement to ensure the end item device is to be compliant with the Clean Air Act 40 CFR 70 for a fixed site.

Answer: There is no FASS embedded in the existing Live Engine design and no requirement to have an internal FASS system added to the ED/TT. The Engine trainers have been properly inspected by EPA and are in compliance. No upgrades to the facility are anticipated. The facility has air quality monitoring equipment to warn of hazardous conditions which could be caused by failure of the exhaust system. The contractor portion of the ED/TT design should not produce any unmitigated hazardous fumes/material.

Question 22:

Ref SRD 3.2.1.1 M1A2 SEP v2 (ED/TT) Supported Task : ICDU: The iCDU is listed as a LRU and assumed to be expected to meet remove and replace criteria. Given that the iCDU is within the turret and is utilized as a secondary terminal from which to run BIT when the iDID is failed, is the fidelity of the CDU required to be a remove and replace item or can it be operationally simulated without being removed and replaced?

Answer: The iCDU will not be required to have remove/replace capability. It will need to perform BIT/FIT capabilities.

Question 23:

How does the Government intend to support and maintain the operational engine portion of the trainer in terms of scheduled and un-scheduled maintenance, spares provisioning.

Answer: The Government does not require the contractor to conduct any scheduled or unscheduled maintenance action on the ED/TT operational engine while in their facility nor will the Government provide any Spares provisioning.

Question 24:

Ref SOW 3.1.7.2: Is it mandatory that GFE executable code for the DECU, iCDU and iDID be utilized?

Answer: It is not mandatory that GFE executable code for the DECU, iCDU and iDID be utilized.

However, the DECU executable code will be provided and loaded on the DECU. The Government does not understand how the engine can be properly controlled without the DECU processors with the DECU executable software. Also, the ACSL software will be provided as GFI to support simulation of the iCDU and iDID functionality. The contractor can choose to utilize it in the ED/TT design or develop a unique implementation for iCDU and iDID functionality.

Question 25:

Ref SOW 3.1.7.2. Given that DECU source code will not be provided and the proprietary nature of the Honeywell executable code, would the Government consider allocating the DECU as GFE in the final RFP?

Answer:

The Government plans to only provide the DECU and ICDs to the ED/TT winning bidder after contract award.

Question 26:

Ref SOW 3.1.7.2: Will a detailed ICD defining data structures, data content and instruction sets be provided between the iDID, iCDU and DECU to allow the trainer to feasibly interface with these LRU’s using executable code only?

Answer: The Government plans to provide the Abrams Tank software ICDs for the ACSL and DECU to the ED/TT winning bidder after contract award.

Question 27:

SRD 3.2.6 requires that trainer support normal mode functionality to deliver related Theory of Operation lessons. Is it intended that the Theory of Operation be also accomplished through CBT based training? Would development of a ED/TT CBT trainer be within the scope of the ED/TT effort? Would Theory of operation be part of the 60 lessons?

Answer: The Government requires development of 60 lessons under SRD paragraph 3.2.5 and requires the ED/TT to support the Theory of Operation tasks under SRD paragraph 3.2.6. The Theory of Operation is not part of the 60 lessons. The ED/TT is the only device required, no Computer Based Trainer with Interactive Media Instruction is required to supplement the instruction in the ED/TT.

Question 28:

Ref SOW 3.1.7.2 GFE SW Baseline: The paragraph states “The Government will provide the latest ACSL software to operate the iCDU and iDID menus”. It is understood that this SW will be delivered in executable code only. Given that some bidders may have access or rights to the source code associated with these LRU’s that may give them an unfair advantage. Would the Government consider purchasing the CDU and iDID as GFE as a means to level the playing field or possibly provide the source code to all competitors in this acquisition?

Answer: The Government plans to only provide the ACSL software in executable format with its ICD for security reasons. The ACSL is only a small part of the ED/TT design. It will be available for all bidders to include in their design approach but is not required. This approach will provide a level playing field for all bidders.