Request For Information (RFI)_EMBD_Identification Subsystem (IDS).pdf

Request for Information (RFI) Enhanced Maritime Biological Detection (EMBD)

Identification Subsystem (IDS)

W911SR-27-RFI-EIDS

1.0 DISCLAIMER

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. Solicitations are not available at this time. Requests for a solicitation will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever.

All information submitted in response to this RFI is voluntary; the United States Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the United States Government. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on SAM.gov. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement.

The information provided in this RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government.

All submissions become the property of the Government and will not be returned. Proprietary, confidential, privileged commercial or financial information submitted in the RFI response should be marked accordingly to ensure appropriate handling and disposition by the Government.

No classified information shall be submitted in the RFI response.

2.0 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE

The Joint Product Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear (CBRN) Sensing (JPdM CS), under the Joint Project Manager for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Integrated Early Warning (JPM CBRN IEW), under the Portfolio Management Executive Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (PME CBRND) within the Department of War (DoW), is conducting market research to identify potential industry sources capable of providing a Biological Warfare Agent (BWA) identification capability for integration into the U.S. Navy's Enhanced Maritime Biological Detection (EMBD) system.

As a backward-compatible replacement for the Joint Biological Point Detection System (JBPDS) Identifier, the EMBD Identification Subsystem (IDS) automatically provides confirmatory identification of Biological Warfare Agents (BWAs) in liquid samples. In operation, the EMBD Collector gathers the sample externally and routes it to the IDS via the EMBD Fluid Transfer System (FTS).

Potential NAICS Code: 334516 – Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing Secondary NAICS Code: 541714 – Research and Development in Biotechnology (except Nanobiotechnology) Product and Service Code (PSC) 6665: Hazard-Detecting Instruments and Apparatus

3.0 GENERAL TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES & SURVIVABILITY (PUBLIC

RELEASE)

3.1 High-Level Baseline System Characteristics (Public)

To accommodate public posting and encourage participation from commercial biotechnology and diagnostic developers, the parameters below represent the broad, unclassified operational characteristics desired for the EMBD IDS:

• Biological Warfare Agent Identification: Automated capability to simultaneously identify multiple classes of biological agents (including bacteria, viruses, and toxins), as well as designated simulant materials for testing and characterization.

• Sensitivity & Specificity: Detection sensitivity, identification probability, and low false-positive rates comparable to laboratory Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) standards, maintaining robustness against common operational interferents, background materials, and cycle-to-cycle carryover.

• Rapid Response Time: Rapid automated sample processing and identification cycle time.

• Fluidic Transfer System Compatibility: Automated fluidic interface capable of accepting liquid samples suspended in standard buffer solution, accepting flushing fluid to eliminate carryover between runs, accepting cleaning/detergent solutions for maintenance cycles, and allowing external evacuation of all residual and waste fluids.

• Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP) Constraints: Compact, modular enclosure optimized for shipboard installation with strict weight limits and low direct-current (DC) power draw.

• Host Platform Interface: Physical interface utilizing military-standard circular connectors consolidating power and data, with standard digital communication protocols compliant with Government interface descriptions.

• Shipboard Environmental Hardening: Physical and operational resilience to naval surface ship operating environments, including operating temperature and humidity extremes, fungus/microbial growth resistance, shipboard shock and vibration, ship motion/attitude dynamics, pressure changes, electromagnetic compatibility (EMC/EMI), long-term uncontrolled storage extremes, and survival/operation following chemical/biological decontamination cycles.

3.2 Access to Detailed Technical Specification Summary (CUI Attachment)

The specific, restrictive engineering metrics envisioned for the EMBD IDS—including exact dimensional tolerances, precise weight/power ceilings, connector pinouts, chemical/biological simulant concentrations, detailed biological-agent panel requirements, fluidic pressures, and tailored MIL-STD-810H and MIL-STD-461 profiles—are housed within the restricted EMBD IDS CUI Technical Specification Summary.

The Technical Specification Summary contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) and Controlled Technical Information (CTI). Please refer to Section 6.0 below for security prerequisites and formal instructions to request this document.

Vendors that do not meet the access prerequisites identified in Section 6.0 may still submit an RFI response based on the high-level public characteristics outlined in Section 3.1.

4.0 REQUESTED INFORMATION OF INTEREST

Note for Vendors without CUI Access: If your organization does not possess the requisite cybersecurity certifications to access the CUI Technical Specification Summary attachment, you are still highly encouraged to submit a response and pricing data. For questions c, d, m, n, and o below, please base your answers and gap analysis on your system's ability to meet the qualitative, general operational characteristics outlined in the public Section 3.1.

If your organization has the potential capability to provide the required products/services, please provide the following information:

a. Organization name, address, primary points of contact (POCs) with their email addresses, website address, telephone number, type of ownership for the organization, North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code, CAGE Code, and Unique Entity ID (as registered in SAM.gov).

b. Description of your organization’s experience in supplying military hardware, including examples of modifying commercial technology for integration into military applications.

c. A brief capability statement demonstrating your system's ability to meet the requirements in the CUI Technical Specification Summary (or the general characteristics in Section 3.1, if you do not have CUI access). Provide a detailed description of the candidate product, including supporting information that demonstrates its capability to meet the requirements. Information to include, but not limited to: classes of biological agents identifiable, general detection thresholds, any multiplexing constraints, and the ability to process simulants alongside target agents.

d. Gap Analysis & Path Forward (CRITICAL): Does your system currently meet the detailed requirements in the CUI Technical Specification Summary (or the public Section 3.1 requirements)? If you answered "no" to any requirement, what is the path forward to meeting the specification? This can include engineering redesign, an alternate solution, development timeline, and estimated ROM costs. Provide a description of the areas where the candidate product does NOT comply, an assessment of the potential to meet those requirements, and the level of engineering effort required to achieve compliance.

e. Relevant Experience and Test Data:

• Summarize any previous Government-sponsored testing (e.g., developmental, operational, or environmental testing) completed on your commercial product(s) and explain how those historical test results support the capabilities detailed in this RFI.

Include test dates, test plans, and results where applicable.

• Describe your organization's capability, infrastructure, and experience in conducting both hardware and software acceptance testing at both the standalone component level (IDS) and integrated system-of-systems level (EMBD). Include test facility qualifications, certifications, or accreditations.

f. The Government prefers solutions that are Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) or mature technologies. State the current estimated Department of Defense Hardware/Software Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of your candidate technology (refer to DoD Technology Readiness Assessment Guidebook, ed. June 2023). For other solutions, provide a clear plan and timeline to achieve TRL 8 or 9.

g. Consumables:

• Describe what consumables and ancillary equipment are required to support this instrument, and what quantity of consumables are required per analysis. Consumables and ancillary equipment must be fully identified, even if manufactured by vendors other than yourselves.

• Specify the shelf life and storage requirements of all required consumables, as well as storage considerations for the entire system.

h. Existing capability to manufacture IDS systems. If the candidate technology or manufacturing capability has been funded in the past by the federal government, including Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) programs, please indicate the year awarded, Federal Agencies participating, phase, and project title.

i. Sales Information. Specifically, state whether this solution (or one very similar to this specification) is routinely sold to commercial customers and/or other government entities.

Provide the name of contract vehicle participation as a prime contractor or subcontractor, if any.

j. Pricing & Volume Discount Structure (CRITICAL): Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) for the hardware, cost, and schedule. Provide a base single-unit Commercial Off-The- Shelf (COTS) price (inclusive of warranty). If applicable, based on planned procurement over a multi-year period, please define the estimated unit price and proposed percentage (%) discount off your base single-unit price across quantity tiers:

• Tier 1 (1 – 10 units): Proposed Unit Price: | Proposed Discount: %

• Tier 2 (11 – 25 units): Proposed Unit Price: | Proposed Discount: %

• Tier 2 (26 – 75 units): Proposed Unit Price: | Proposed Discount: %

• Tier 3 (76 – 150 units): Proposed Unit Price: | Proposed Discount: %

• Tier 4 (151+ units): Proposed Unit Price: | Proposed Discount: %

In addition, provide an estimated cost per test/analysis cycle for all required consumables.

k. Production Capacity: State the average number of units per month currently produced (if any);

the projected minimum and maximum number of units per month production capacity; and, if there is no current production capability, please provide the timeline to ramp up to production capacity. State the time required to obtain critical long-lead components.

l. Licensing, Data Rights, and Intellectual Property:

• Describe all Intellectual Property (IP), licensing, and Data Rights associated with the system and software, keeping in mind the Government’s intent to secure Unlimited Rights for Government-funded developments and sufficient license rights to maintain and support the system throughout its lifecycle.

m. EMBD Interface Requirements: If your product does not currently meet all host EMBD interface requirements specified in the CUI Technical Specification Summary (or Section 3.1), describe your capability and path forward to:

• Modify your product's fluidic interfaces to accept external fluids (liquid samples suspended in buffer, flushing fluid to prevent carryover, and cleaning/detergent solution) and evacuate all residual and waste fluids via standardized fluid line quick-disconnect (QDC) connectors.

• Adapt your product's physical enclosure to incorporate military-standard circular connectors that consolidate both input DC power and communication lines into a single interface.

• Adapt or reprogram your product's native communication interfaces (e.g., Ethernet, RS- 485, Serial) to comply with Government-specified Data Interface Descriptions (DIDs).

• Customize, modify, and maintain proprietary software and firmware to meet unique host system integration requirements.

• Provide examples of past performance where your commercial product was successfully modified, integrated, and verified within a larger government or military system framework.

n. Operating & Biological Performance Requirements: Detail your product's ability to satisfy the program office's operating specifications (as detailed in the CUI Technical Specification Summary or qualitative baseline in Section 3.1):

• Capability to identify designated biological simulants for characterization and testing purposes, and capability to generate a "positive identification" signal for training purposes.

• Capability to simultaneously identify multiple bacterial, viral, and toxin agents on a single panel/assay.

• Demonstrated sensitivity, identification probability, and false-positive rates comparable to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR).

• Demonstrated time to identification within the required operational threshold.

• Ability to perform identification functions without producing false identifications when exposed to common battlespace interferents, background materials, and cycle-to-cycle carryover.

o. Physical, Environmental & Decontamination Requirements: If your system does not currently meet the physical constraints or environmental profile in the CUI Technical Specification Summary (or Section 3.1), describe:

• Your ability to meet physical envelope constraints (maximum weight limits, DC power consumption limits, and outer dimensional volume). Can substitute materials or design modifications be used without compromising structural integrity or thermal/operational performance?

• Whether your existing product, or your product with realistic engineering modifications, can survive and operate within the naval surface ship environmental profile (operational temperature and humidity extremes, fungus/mildew resistance, shipboard shock and vibration, transit shock and vibration, ship motion and attitude, pressure/decompression, electromagnetic compatibility, uncontrolled storage extremes, and survival/operation following chemical/biological decontamination).

• Specify for each environmental area if compliance is supported by existing test data, analysis, or if it would require engineering modification, stating whether it is Fully Compliant (No Modification required), Compliant with Engineering Modification, or Non-Compliant.

5.0 SUBMISSION, PAGE LIMITATION AND DEADLINES

The Government requests that responses to this RFI do not exceed ten (10) pages in total.

Responses, including any capability statements, must be submitted electronically in Portable Document Format (PDF) via email to the Contract Specialist, Kevin Rohe at kevin.t.rohe.civ@army.mil, and Contracting Officer, Gentian Mulla at gentian.mulla.civ@army.mil, no later than 12:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on December 7, 2026.

Please reference “W911SR-27-RFI-EIDS” in the subject line of the email and on all enclosed documents. Information and materials submitted in response to this RFI will become the property of the Government and will not be returned. Do not submit classified material. Phone inquiries will not be accepted.

All questions regarding this RFI must be submitted via email no later than 12:00 p.m. EST on November 23, 2026. Questions must not contain proprietary, Controlled Unclassified Information, Controlled Technical Information, or classified information. An unattributed list of questions and answers will be posted at the same location as this RFI.

mailto:kevin.t.rohe.civ@army.mil mailto:gentian.mulla.civ@army.mil

6.0 REQUESTING ACCESS TO THE CUI TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION SUMMARY

To receive the current Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Technical Specification Summary document referenced in this RFI, interested parties must submit a formal request via email to the primary Points of Contact (POCs) listed in Section 5.0. Interested parties MUST provide the following verified evidence of security compliance with their access request:

• Organization & Custodian Verification: Provide the organization’s legal name, CAGE Code, Unique Entity ID (SAM.gov), physical facility address, and the name, title, telephone number, and corporate email address of the designated Data Custodian (or authorized representative) responsible for receiving, handling, and safeguarding the requested CUI technical data.

• Joint Certification Program (JCP) Certification: Provide a copy of an approved, active DD Form 2345 (Joint Certification Program).

• NIST SP 800-171 Assessment (SPRS): Provide evidence of a current assessment

(completed within the last 3 years) uploaded to the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) in accordance with DFARS 252.204-7019 / DFARS 252.204-7020.

• CMMC Level 2 (Self-Assessment): Provide evidence of a completed Cybersecurity

Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) Level 2 (Self) assessment aligned with NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2 and reflected in SPRS for each contractor information system that will process CUI.

• Safeguarding Confirmation: Provide a signed statement on company letterhead confirming full compliance with the safeguarding and cyber incident reporting requirements of DFARS 252.204-7012.

• Failure to provide all the above information will prevent the Government from providing access to the CUI Technical Specification Summary.