SBMC RFS Announcement_30Apr2025.pdf

Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC)

Other Transaction (OT) Opportunity

Request for Solutions (RFS)

W91CRB-25-S-SBMC

30 April 2025: RFS has been updated, all changes are made in red font.

SECTION 1 - Overview

1.1 Background and Introduction

Soldier Borne Mission Command (SBMC) is a new effort to develop a fused digital awareness system optimized to emerging modular sensor technologies while backwards compatible to the Android Tactical Assault Kit (ATAK) architecture. SBMC will be the Army’s future day/night situational awareness and mission command platform for Company level and below dismounted operations.

The Army Contracting Command – Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG), on behalf of Product Manger Integrated Visual Augmentation System (PdM IVAS), intends to competitively award agreements for a SBMC rapid prototyping project as detailed below. PdM IVAS seeks innovative technical solutions, with a preference for commercial or commercially based solutions, that can be rapidly prototyped and offer significant improvements over current capabilities.

The Government anticipates using Other Transaction (OT) Authority, leading to one (1) or more SBMC Rapid Prototyping OT Agreements (OTAs) under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4022. The Government’s intent is to award agreement(s) to prime contractor(s) who provide full prototype solutions. The Government encourages competent providers (and any subcontractors) to be on multiple teams to achieve the vision and best solutions. Agreement awards will be dependent on available funding and criteria established in this RFS. The Government’s expectation is that prototypes for Government testing will be delivered within seven (7) months of award of any resulting OT agreement(s). The Government reserves the right to cancel this opportunity or make no awards in conjunction with this opportunity.

To be considered for an OTA award, interested vendors must comply with at least one of the following conditions of 10 US Code §4022(d):

(A) At least one (1) Non-Traditional Defense Contractor (NTDC), as defined in section 3014 of Title 10 US Code §3014, is participating to a significant extent in this prototype project.

(B) All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government are small business or NTDCs.

(C) At least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by parties to the transaction other than the Federal Government.

1.2 Prototype Project

The scope of the SBMC prototype project encompasses:

• All efforts to design, build, test, and deliver SBMC solution prototypes and prepare for follow-on production.

• Support to and verification of compatibility with emerging Army architectures, such as Next Generation Command and Control (NGC2) architecture and SBMC-Architecture (SBMC-A).

• Support to and integration with the Army’s Transformation in Contact (TiC) and Continuous Operational Learning and Testing (COLT) efforts.

• Support to SBMC extensibility efforts, including but not limited to demonstration and verification of 3rd party developer applications.

• Iterative prototype development and the introduction of new and innovative technology throughout the project.

1.3 Request for Solutions (RFS) Procedure

This RFS is a competitive procedure seeking prototype solutions that can address the stated prototype requirements contained in the draft Statement of Work (SOW), draft Product Description (PD), and the associated supporting documents included within this opportunity. Subject to the availability of funds, this RFS will result in the award of OTs for prototype projects in accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4022. This RFS, and any OT awarded from this RFS, is not subject to the Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) or its supplements.

This RFS is soliciting in accordance with the below instructions and the associated documents provided as attachments. All responses to this announcement will be governed by this RFS.

2-phase Competitive Process. The Government will employ a 2-phased competitive solicitation process to award the OTAs, as outlined below:

Phase 1

Step 1: Request for White Papers (RWP). The Government requests interested vendors to provide white papers on their proposed SBMC solution. White papers will present the vendor’s planned approach to design, build, test, and deliver SBMC solution prototypes, with a primary focus on the vendor’s proposed technical solution. White papers will be limited to thirty (30) pages. NOTE: Vendor white papers must propose a system level SBMC solution. White papers addressing SBMC components only will not be considered.

Step 2: Solutions Demonstration. Vendors whose white papers are evaluated to be of high technical merit may be invited to conduct in-person solutions demonstrations at Ft. Belvoir, VA. The Government reserves the right to limit the number of vendors invited to this step. The vendor’s solution demonstration will focus on a sample hardware demonstration and areas not covered in the RWP to include providing Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate and other details as provided below.

Phase 2

Step 3: Request for Prototype Proposals (RPP) and OTA Awards. Following Government evaluation of Phase 1 white papers and solution demonstrations, favorable vendors who are selected for potential award will be requested to submit formal technical and cost proposals and to enter alpha negotiations for OTA terms and conditions. The Government reserves the right to limit the number of vendors invited to submit a proposal.

SECTION 2 – DEFINITIONS

“Request for Solutions” is the terminology used for this action to competitively award prototyping agreements under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 4022.

“Nontraditional Defense Contractor” is defined in 10 U.S.C. § 2302(9) as an entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least the one-year period preceding the solicitation of sources by the DoD for the procurement or transaction, any contract or subcontract for the DoD that is subject to full coverage under the cost accounting standards prescribed pursuant to 41 U.S.C. § 1502 and the regulations implementing such section. This includes all small business concerns under the criteria and size standards in 13 C.F.R. § 121.

“Prototype Project” can generally be described as a proof of concept, model, reverse engineering to address obsolescence, pilot, novel application of commercial technologies for defense purposes, agile development activity, creation, design, development, demonstration of technical or operational utility, or combinations of the foregoing. A process, including a business process, may be the subject of a prototype project. Although assistance terms are generally not appropriate in OTA, ancillary work efforts that are necessary for completion of the prototype project, such as test site training or limited logistics support, may be included in prototype projects. A prototype may be physical, virtual, or conceptual in nature. The quantity should generally be limited to that needed to prove technical or manufacturing feasibility or evaluate military utility.

“Nonprofit Institution” means a nonprofit institution, as defined in 15 U.S.C. § 3703 as an organization owned and operated exclusively for scientific or educational purposes, no part of the net earnings of which inures to the benefit of any private shareholder or individual.

“Small Business” is defined under Section 3 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 632)

“Innovative” means any new technology, process, method, or business practice; or any new application of an existing technology, process, method, or business practice that contributes to enhancing the mission effectiveness of personnel of the Department of Defense or improving platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the Department of Defense, or to improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.

SECTION 3 – INSTRUCTIONS FOR WHITE PAPERS, SOLUTIONS DEMONSTRATIONS

AND REQUEST FOR PROTOTYPE PROPOSALS (RPP)

3.1 General Guidelines

a. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or proposals are not desired.

b. Use of a diagram(s) or figure(s) to depict the essence of the proposed solution is strongly encouraged.

c. Technical data with military application may require appropriate approval, authorization, or license for lawful exportation.

d. All White Papers, Solutions Demonstrations and Prototype Proposals are strongly encouraged to be UNCLASSIFIED. White Papers, Solutions Demonstrations and Prototype Proposals containing data that is not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes shall include the following on the cover page (or slide, handout, etc. for Solutions Demonstrations and Oral Presentations):

"This [select one: White Paper, Solutions Demonstration or Prototype Proposal] includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government, except to non-Government personnel for evaluation purposes, and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate this submission. If, however, an agreement is awarded to this Company as a result of --or in connection with - the submission of this data, the Government will attain certain data rights, subject to the negotiated terms contained in the resulting agreement. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use the information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]"

Each restricted data sheet should be marked as follows:

"Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal. "

e. Submissions must be submitted electronically via the instructions included herein.

f. Submissions sent through other channels or after the RFS period has ended will not be reviewed nor evaluated.

3.2 STEP 1 - White Paper Instructions

The Government may be unable to evaluate the white paper if a vendor fails to provide the information requested below.

White Papers are limited to thirty (30) pages, not including the cover sheet and required Annexes. White Paper submissions may be submitted as one (1) or multiple attachments. Cross-referencing between the narrative and annexes is acceptable, however it shall not be used to circumvent the page limitations stated below. White paper submissions that exceed the page limits below will not be evaluated beyond the stated limitations. Vendor shall organize their white papers as shown below:

Section Page Limit File Format Cover Sheet 1 page Adobe Portable Format (*.pdf) Executive Summary 1 page Adobe Portable Format (*.pdf) Narrative Up to 29 pages Adobe Portable Format (*.pdf) Annex A – System Diagram n/a Exported as Adobe Portable

Format (*.pdf) Annex B – Milestone Schedule n/a Adobe Portable Format (*pdf) Annex C – Data Rights Assertion Table n/a Adobe Portable Format (*.pdf) Annex D – Relevant Experience 2 pages Adobe Portable Format (*pdf) Annex E – Completed Product Description n/a Microsoft Excel (*.xlsx) Annex F – Low Light Modeling Data n/a NV-IPM (*.xml) Annex G – Thermal Modeling Data n/a NV-IPM (*.xml)

NOTE: Excel file must be unlocked and not contain any external links.

Vendors shall not include any other items (e.g., brochures, data sheets, etc.) with their white paper submission.

Vendors shall format their white papers in accordance with the following:

Item Format

Minimum Font Size (Narrative) 12pt

Minimum Font Size (Spreadsheet) 10pt

Minimum Font Size (Figures & Tables) no less than 8pt

Font Color Automatic (black) (Body Text & Headings)

Line Spacing (minimum) Single (1.0)

Page Size 8.5” x 11”

Page Margin 1” Left, right, top, bottom

Page Number Location Bottom Center

Page Background None - Backgrounds/Themes not allowed

Table Heading Shading None / No Fill

Table Cell/Row Shading None / No Fill

Table Line color Automatic

NOTE: White papers SHALL NOT CONTAIN CLASSIFIED INFORMATION and proprietary information shall be clearly marked as such. Vendors shall not include any COST information in their white papers.

Vendors shall include the following information on the cover sheet of their white paper:

Vendor's company name.

Vendor’s address.

Point of contact name, phone number, and e-mail address.

Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code.

Unique Entity ID (created in SAM.gov).

Business size/type (large business, small business, small-disadvantaged business, 8(a) certified small-disadvantaged business, HUBZone small business, woman-owned small business, very small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business).

Primary NAICS code.

Non-Traditional Defense Contractor (NTDC) designation, as defined in section 3014 of Title 10 US Code §3014? (Yes? or No?).

Is the vendor capable of demonstrating functional sample hardware submitted (Yes? or No?).

3.2.1. White Paper Contents

Detailed instructions for white paper content requirements are available as a separate attachment to the SAM.Gov post.

3.2.2. White Paper Submission

White papers shall be submitted via e-mail to the following points of contact (POC):

• Mr. Eric Roberts eric.j.roberts48.civ@army.mil,

• Mr. Alexander S. Obriwin alexander.s.obriwin.civ@army.mil, and

• Mr. Michael Kelly at michael.j.kelly99.civ@army.mil.

White papers shall be submitted to the above stated points of contact no later than the due date and time posted on the SAM.gov combined synopsis/solicitation associated with this RFS. Responses received after the response time and date will not be considered. Requests for extension will not be considered.

Subject line for responses shall read: “SBMC White Paper, (First word in Vendor’s Business Name).”

Example: “SBCM White Paper, ACME”

Questions regarding this opportunity may be submitted to the Government white paper submission POCs identified above no later than five (5) business days prior to the close of white paper submissions.

Questions regarding CUI documents shall be submitted to the Government through Department of Defense Secure Access File Exchange (DoD SAFE). Requests for a SAFE drop-off link for questions regarding CUI documents shall be submitted via email no later than 12:00PM on the question deadline date to the POCs listed above.

If a vendor intends to use DoD SAFE to submit their white paper, or a portion thereof, the vendor must submit a drop off request via email to the administrative points of contacts listed below no later than two

(2) business days prior to the white paper submission deadline:

• Mr. Steven Lopez at steven.e.lopez3.ctr@army.mil, and

• Mr. Kevin McGloin at kevin.j.mcgloin.ctr@army.mil

3.3 STEP 2 - Solution Demonstrations

Vendors will be provided a time block of up to three (3) hours for their solution demonstration. For planning purposes one (1) hour should be allocated to hardware demonstration and two (2) hours to presentation topics and discussion. Set-up time is not included in the time block. Vendors may arrive up to 30 minutes before their scheduled start time to set-up for their demonstration. The solution demonstrations will be held in-person at Ft. Belvoir, VA. The Government will provide invited vendors a scheduled date and time and the exact location as soon as reasonably available upon favorable white paper reviews. The schedule will be determined by the Contracting Office. The vendor shall be limited to no more than five (5) personnel. Personnel who attend demonstrations shall be employed by the prime vendor or a significant teaming vendor. The Government may request verification prior to or after solution demonstrations. Solution demonstrations are intended to be interactive, with the Government able to ask questions at any point. The vendor’s personnel must be able to demonstrate the vendor’s solution and answer technical and programmatic questions on the vendor’s solution. The vendor is responsible for bringing their sample hardware to the designated location. The demonstration may be video recorded by the United States Government (USG); the vendor is not authorized to record any part of the demonstration. After the vendor’s demonstration, the Government may request clarification of any points addressed which are still unclear.

Vendors shall provide an accompanying PowerPoint presentation not to exceed twenty-five (25) slides.

PowerPoint presentations shall be submitted by a common cutoff time established by the Government.

The common due date for PowerPoint presentations will be provided as part of the Step 2 invitation. Any slides or material not presented in the allotted time will be removed from the presentation and disregarded by the Government for evaluation. The Government reserves the right to remove any material that is illegible. Unsolicited changes to the presentation after submission will not be accepted.

3.3.1 Hardware Demonstrations. Vendors shall provide a demonstration of their sample hardware to assist the Government’s evaluation. During their demonstration, the vendor will describe and demonstrate the operating procedures for their sample hardware.

Vendor shall provide sample hardware as described below.

• Sample Hardware (non-functional). Vendor shall provide one (1) set of a non-functional 3-D printed model representative of the vendor’s proposed solution, to include representative weight and center of gravity.

• Sample hardware (functional) shall consist of one of the following:

o Functional brass-board/tabletop sample hardware at system level or subsystem/component level, or o Integrated functional sample hardware at system level.

Supplemental capability videos are acceptable; however, they shall not be used as a replacement to hardware demonstrations.

Quick reference guides or other instructional handouts on the operation of sample hardware may be provided to the Government attendees.

Government Retention of Sample Hardware (optional). The Government may request to retain the vendor’s sample hardware for up to thirty (30) days after the demonstration for additional Government evaluation. If a vendor agrees to the Government request the vendor shall provide a packing list, operating instructions, any items required to operate the sample hardware (e.g., initial set of batteries), a point of contact to answer questions on the operation of the sample hardware (name, phone # and email address), return shipping boxes, and a return shipping address with pre-paid shipping label(s). Alternately the vendor may coordinate to pick up the sample hardware rather than having it shipped.

3.3.2. Demonstration Topics. Vendors shall also address the topics listed below in their demonstrations.

3.3.2.1. Technical Solution Overview. At a minimum, vendor shall address the following:

• Modular system design overview,

• Digital night vision sensor suite,

• Extended Reality (XR) display approach,

• ATAK/Nett Warrior (NW) architecture compatibility,

• Emerging architecture compatibility,

• Software development compatibility with Android and OpenXR.

3.3.2.2. Schedule. Vendor shall present their program schedule, with a focus on how the schedule supports achieving the desired prototype technical maturity.

3.3.2.3. Supply Chain Risk Management (SCRM). Vendor shall describe their approach to SCRM.

3.3.2.4. Manufacturing Capability. Vendor shall describe their capabilities and approach for sourcing parts and manufacturing the SBMC solution in prototype, production representative, and follow-on production configurations, and provide an estimate on production capacity for manufacturing the SBMC system.

3.3.2.5. Quality Assurance, Reliability, and Test. Vendors shall describe their proposed approach to Quality Assurance, reliability, and test for their SBMC solution.

3.3.2.6. Product Support. Vendors shall describe their proposed product support approach for the

SBMC.

3.3.2.7. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM). Vendor shall provide a ROM for the SOW Phase 1 and Phase 2 efforts by completing Table 2 below and embedding into their PowerPoint presentation. The ROM shall include all costs to design, build, test, and deliver the SBMC prototype solution.

Table 2 – Rough Order of Magnitude Cost Category Phase 1 Phase 2 Total

Labor Costs

Non-Labor Costs

Materials/Equipment

Other Costs

Total Costs

• Labor costs consist of the number of Full Time Equivalents (FTEs) at the appropriate annual FTE rate(s).

• Non-Labor costs consist of 1) material/equipment costs, and 2) all other costs (e.g., Other Direct Costs, Travel, G&A, and any other relevant costs).

3.3.2.8. Proposed Cost Share (Optional). Vendor shall identify costs of the prototype project to be paid out of funds provided by the vendor (to include team member contributions if applicable).

PHASE 2

3.4 STEP 3 - Request for Prototype Proposals, Alpha Negotiations and OT Award(s)

Following Government evaluation of white papers and solution demonstrations, vendors selected for potential awards will be provided with a Request for Prototype Proposals (RPP) and invited to submit formal technical and cost proposals and to enter into alpha negotiations for OTA terms and conditions.

The Government reserves the right to limit the number of vendors invited to submit a proposal. The RPP will provide further details regarding the proposal submission requirements.

The Government anticipates making multiple OT awards for the SBMC prototype project. The number of awards will be dependent on available funding, to include proposed vendor cost share. The Government anticipates funding a base award for Phase 1 of the prototype project, with options for Phase 2. The Government’s expectation is for prototypes to be delivered within seven (7) months of Phase 1 award, to allow for Government testing. The Government’s intent is to carry multiple vendors across both phases detailed in the SOW; however, the Government reserves the right to down select at any point.

SECTION 4 – EVALUATION APPROACH

4.1 Phase 1 White Papers and Solution Demonstrations– Basis of Evaluation

For the evaluation of white papers and solution demonstrations, the Government will evaluate the solutions against the below stated criteria:

• Technical. Technical merit of the vendor’s approach, the extent to which the proposal represents an innovative technical solution that provides significant improvements over current capabilities, and the associated benefits to the Government.

• Risk. Technical maturity of the vendor’s sample hardware, vendor’s relevant experience, and the associated risk of achieving projected performance.

• Cost. Reasonableness and affordability of the vendor’s ROM.

NOTE: Technical is the primary and most important factor.

Solutions submitted in response to this RFS will be evaluated based on merit of the solution against the prototype project requirements, not against other solutions submitted in response to this RFS.

When a vendor is not invited to demonstrations at the end of Step 1 or not invited to submit a prototype proposal after step 2, the Government will notify the vendor with a non-selection letter. The non-selection letter will give a summary of why the Government did not choose the solution. The Government will provide general feedback summarizing the rationale that led to the non-selection decision, however, generally will not provide significant feedback beyond the non-selection letter.

The Army expects receiving more solutions than has the resources to award. All submissions will be fairly evaluated; however, only a select few may be invited to submit a proposal. The Government reserves the right to limit the number of companies invited to submit a proposal. As such, a company’s solution may be evaluated to be of merit but not invited to submit a proposal. Solutions that are chosen for the RPP will be notified in writing as soon as practicable.

Upon completion of Phase 1 evaluations, the Government will notify the Company that:

a. The proposed solution has been selected for possible agreement and is invited to submit a full prototype proposal; or

b. The proposed solution is not of interest to the Government; or

c. The proposed solution is of interest, but not eligible for a proposal due to the availability of Government resources.

If the proposed solution is of interest, but not eligible for a proposal due to availability of Government resources, the Company may be contacted with a request to respond to a Request for Prototype Proposal within ninety (90) calendar days from the notification of non-selection. If the Government does not send an RPP to the Company within ninety (90) calendar days, the Company will no longer be eligible for an award.

4.2 Phase 2 Prototype Proposals – General Basis of Evaluation

The RPP will further refine the basis of evaluation, which will generally adhere to the below guidelines.

Proposals will be evaluated by Government subject matter experts using, but not limited to, the following criteria:

a. Technical merit of the proposal with an emphasis on technical maturity, feasibility, achievability, and the extent to which the proposal represents an innovative technical solution that provides significant improvements over current capabilities, will be considered.

b. Realism and/or adequacy of the proposal performance schedule.

c. Reasonableness and affordability of the final cost proposal.

Technical merit is anticipated to be the primary and most important factor.

SECTION 5 – AWARDS

5.1 General Guidelines

Upon favorable review and receipt of available funds, the Government may choose to make award(s), Awards made as a result of this RFS will be made using prototype project agreements. The Agreements Officer will negotiate directly with the vendor on the terms and conditions of the OT agreement, including payments, and will execute the OT agreement on behalf of the Government. Only an Agreements Officer has the authority to enter into or modify a binding agreement on behalf of the Government.

Companies must register in the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) and have a Unique Entity Identification (UEI) to receive an award. Companies must commence SAM registration upon receipt of an RPP and must maintain registration in SAM throughout Phase 2 of the RFS process, throughout the period of performance of the prototype project and during any subsequent follow-on production transaction or contract.

Companies must also register in the prescribed Government invoicing system (e.g. Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE), Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF), etc.). The Agreements Officer can assist those Companies from whom a full proposal is requested.

The Company must be determined to be responsible by the Agreements Officer and must not be suspended or debarred from award by the Federal Government nor be prohibited by Presidential Executive Order and/or law from receiving an award.

Receipt of a RPP does not guarantee that a Company will receive an award. The Government reserves the right, at any point prior to award of an OT agreement, to cancel the RPP.

5.2 Comptroller General Access to Information

In projects that provide for payments in a total amount exceeding $5,000,000, the Agreement will include a mandatory clause that provides the Comptroller General with the ability to examine the records of any party to the agreement or any entity that participates in the performance of the agreement as required by 10 U.S.C. § 4022.

5.3 Procurement Integrity Act (PIA)

As required by 10 U.S.C. § 4022(h), all OT agreements awarded under this RFS shall be treated as Federal Agency procurements for purpose of 41 U.S.C. Chapter 21. Accordingly, the RFS competitive solicitation process and awards made thereof must adhere to the ethical standards required by the PIA.

SECTION 6 – ITERATIVE PROTOTYPING

6.1 Iterative Prototyping Process

Prototype OTs awarded against this RFS will allow for an iterative prototyping process.

An iterative prototyping process will allow the Government to modify, by mutual agreement, the work in a prototype project to allow the adaptation and modification of the technology being prototyped to meet additional unique and discrete purposes/mission sets or new technologies or processes discovered during the prototype process. These additional unique and discrete purposes/mission sets can be generated by the original Government customer or originate with other organizations within the Federal Government.

6.2 Future Requests for White Papers and Vendor On-ramps

In recognition of the rapid rate of technology innovation among Industry, the Government may periodically issue follow-on requests for white papers to assess the need for additional SBMC OT awards at both the prime and component level to keep pace with industry’s advancements. The Government may update the procedures and evaluation criteria as required. New requests for white papers will be posted to SAM.gov.

SECTION 7 – FOLLOW-ON PRODUCTION

Upon successful completion of a prototype project under the OT, the Government and Company may negotiate follow-on production contract(s) or agreement(s) without further competition. Any concept, technology, or solution successfully proven through a Prototype OT can be transitioned to production.

Prototype OTs awarded as a result of this RFS will include language providing for the potential award of follow-on production contract(s) or agreement(s) as authorized under 10 U.S.C. § 4022(f).

Individual Prototype OTs will explicitly identify follow-on production contract(s) or agreement(s) as a potential outcome of a successful prototyping effort.

SECTION 8 - SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION

A transaction for a prototype project is deemed successfully completed upon the written determination of the appropriate approving official (program manager and Agreement Officer) for the matter in question that efforts conducted under a Prototype OT: (1) met the key technical goals of a project; (2) satisfied success metrics incorporated into the Prototype OT; or (3) accomplished a particularly favorable or unexpected result that justifies the transition to production. Furthermore, successful completion can occur prior to the conclusion of a prototype project to allow the Government to transition any aspect of the prototype project determined to provide utility into production while other aspects of the prototype project have yet to be completed. Any Prototype OT shall contain a provision that sets forth the conditions under which that prototype agreement must be successfully completed.

SECTION 9 – NON-GOVERNMENT ADVISORS

Non-Government advisors are anticipated to be used in Phase 1 and 2 evaluations and during proposal development and alpha negotiations. Non-Government advisors will have signed non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) with the Government. Submission of an offer under this RFS will constitute a grant of authority by the submitting Company to the Government to allow the use of non-Government advisors to participate in evaluations of all phases of the RFS process. Non-Government advisors from the following companies are anticipated to be utilized:

a. Augustine Consulting, Inc. (ACI)

a. CACI, Inc. - Federal

b. Millenium Corporation

c. MITRE Corporation

If additional non-Governmental advisors are used during evaluations, advance notice will be provided by the Government as applicable.

The Government understands that information provided in response to this RFS is presented in confidence and may contain trade secret or commercial or financial information, and it agrees to protect such information from unauthorized disclosure to the maximum extent permitted or required by Law, to include:

a. 18 U.S.C. 1905 (Trade Secrets Act);

b. 18 U.S.C. 1831 et seq. (Economic Espionage Act);

c. 5 U.S.C. 552(b)(4) (Freedom of Information Act);

d. Executive Order 12600 (Pre-disclosure Notification Procedures for Confidential Commercial Information); and,

e. Any other statute, regulation, or requirement applicable to Government employees.

ACC/Army policy is to treat all submissions as confidential information, and to disclose their contents only for the purpose of evaluation. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, during the evaluation process, submissions may be handled by support contractors for administrative purposes and/or to assist with technical evaluation.

Submissions will not be returned. The original copy of each submission received will be retained by ACC with all other non-required copies destroyed.

SECTION 10 - ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

10.1 Security Clearances

If awarded an OT under the procedures of this RFS, the vendor will be responsible for providing personnel with appropriate security clearances to ensure compliance with Government security regulations. The vendor shall fully cooperate on all security checks and investigations by furnishing requested information to verify the vendor employee's eligibility for any required clearance.

The vendor's proposed solution (e.g., data, integration with supporting DoD Infrastructure, architecture) will determine the personnel security clearance and/or facility clearance requirements for the prototype effort. The Government will provide additional details regarding the personnel security clearance and/or facility clearance requirements in the provided requirements documents and/or RPP.

10.2 Data Storage

To protect against seizure and improper use by non-United States (U.S.) persons and government entities, all data stored and processed by/for the DoD must reside in a facility under the exclusive legal jurisdiction of the U.S. If awarded an OT under the procedures of this RFS, the vendor will be required to maintain all government data that is not physically located on DoD premises within the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and outlying areas of the U.S., unless otherwise authorized by the responsible Government, as described in DoD Instruction (DoDI) 8510.01, Risk Management Framework for DoD Systems, and the DoD Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide.

During the performance of an OT, if Government data is co-located with the non-Government data, the vendor will be required to isolate the Government data into an environment where it may be reviewed, scanned, or forensically evaluated in a secure space with access limited to authorized Government personnel identified by the Agreements Officer, and without the Company's involvement. The vendor will be required to record all physical access to the cloud storage facilities and all logical access to the Government data. This may include the entrant's name, role, purpose, account identification, entry and exit time. The vendor will be required to provide such records to the Agreements Officer or designee in accordance with the agreement or upon request to comply with federal authorities.

10.3. Company Incurred Evaluation Costs

The Government will not reimburse interested vendors for any costs incurred while participating in Phases 1 and 2 of the RFS process. Additionally, the Government will not consider the costs associated with participating in Phases 1 and 2 of this RFS as allowable charges and such costs should not be included within the ROM or any pricing information.

10.4. Export Controls

Research findings and technology developments arising from a resulting prototype OT may constitute a significant enhancement to the national defense and to the economic vitality of the United States. As such, in the conduct of all work related to this effort, the recipient will be required to comply strictly with the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. § 2751-2794, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), 22 C.F.R. § 120 et seq.; the Export Administration Act, 50 U.S.C. app. § 2401-2420; the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual, 32 CFR § 117; and the Department of Commerce Export Regulation, 15 CFR § 730-774.

10.5 Associate Agreements

Associate Contractor Agreements (ACA) or other similar agreements may be a necessary augmentation to individual agreements to accomplish joint participation in the success of the Government’s requirements.

The intent of the ACAs should be to share information between contractors, data and/or technical expertise to ensure cooperation and success to the greatest degree to meet the terms of an agreement.

Contractors will not be relieved of any agreement terms and conditions as a result of a disagreement under an ACA, nor is the Government liable for improper disclosure of any proprietary data as a result of an ACA or similar agreements. The Government reserves the right to specify subcontracts, service providers and/or license agreements in requirements.

10.6 Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)

An organizational conflict of interest means that because of other activities or relationships with other persons, a person/company/vendor is unable or potentially unable to render impartial assistance or advice to the Government, or the person's/company’s/vendor’s objectivity in performing the contract work is or might be otherwise impaired or has an unfair competitive advantage. The Government seeks to acquire unbiased advice and/or goods and services from offerors/contractors/vendors that are free from, or have mitigated, Organizational Conflicts of Interest, relating to Agreements under this RFS.

To prevent an OCI issue relating to mission requirements, contractor’s performing on this prototype project agree that the Contractor’s future procurement with the Government may be restricted if the Offeror/contractor/vendor and the Government are unable to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate actual or potential OCI before an OT agreement award.

The Government will not automatically exclude an offeror due to an actual or potential OCI. Agreements Officers are committed to working with potential contractors to eliminate or mitigate actual and potential OCI situations, without detriment to the integrity of the competitive process, mission, or the legitimate business interests of the community.

If the Offeror or contractor is aware, or should have been aware, of an OCI before award of an agreement and does not fully disclose that conflict to the Agreements Officer, the Government may terminate the Contractor for default.

The Offeror or contractor, by submitting an offer and/or signing the agreement, warrants that it is not now aware of any actual or potential OCI relating to any agreement awarded under this prototype project.

The Contractor shall have an ongoing obligation to make “a prompt and full disclosure” to the cognizant Agreements Officer any OCI that arises during the performance of the Agreement. OCIs that arise before award shall be disclosed to the Army Contracting Command (ACC) POCs listed in Section 12 below.

SECTION 11 – SBMC DOCUMENT PACKAGE.

11.1 Document Package Contents

The SBMC document package contains Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) technical information and will be sent to vendors upon request via DoD SAFE. The package consists of the following documents:

• Appendix A - SBMC Subsystem Reference Diagram.

• Appendix B - NV-IPM LLL Modeling Criteria

• Appendix C - NV-IPM Thermal Modeling Criteria

• Attachment #1 - Draft SBMC Statement of Work (SOW)

• Attachment #2 - Draft SBMC Product Description (PD)

• Attachment #3 - Draft SBMC Data Requirements List (DRL) Table

• Attachment #4 - Program Executive Office Soldier MOSA Implementation Guide

11.2 Requesting the SBMC Document Package.

To receive the SBMC document package, a vendor must have either:

• A current Facility Clearance (FCL) at a minimum of Secret Level, or

• A current approved DD Form 2345 Military Critical Technical Data Agreement. NOTE: A copy of the vendor’s DD Form 2345 must be submitted with the request.

Vendors shall send an email request with the subject line “Request for SBMC CUI Documents” to the administrative points of contacts listed below:

• Mr. Steven Lopez at steven.e.lopez3.ctr@army.mil, and

• Mr. Kevin McGloin at kevin.j.mcgloin.ctr@army.mil

The email must include a completed SBMC CUI Document Request Form and a copy of the vendor’s approved DD Form 2345 (if applicable).

PART 12 – GOVERNMENT POINTS OF CONTACT

Questions regarding this opportunity should be sent via email to the following POCs by the dates specified in the SAM.gov announcement associated with this RFS:

• Mr. Eric Roberts, ACC, eric.j.roberts48.civ@army.mil, and

• Mr. Alexander S. Obriwin, ACC, alexander.s.obriwin.civ@army.mil, and

• Mr. Michael Kelly, PdM IVAS, michael.j.kelly99.civ@army.mil.