Long Endurance Small Unmanned Surface Vessels - Sources Sought

Request for Information (RFI) - N61331-24-SN-Q25

Long Endurance – Small Unmanned Surface Vessels

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS

Naval Surface Warfare Center, Panama City Division

110 Vernon Avenue

Panama City, Florida 32407 

ADDITIONAL GENERAL INFORMATION

This is a Request for Information (RFI) as defined in FAR 10.002 to obtain information about pricing, delivery, and other market information or capabilities for planning purposes.  This RFI is not a request for competitive proposals; therefore, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.  Companies that respond will not be paid for the information submitted. The Government will be utilizing Government personnel only under this RFI.  The role of these Government personnel is to function as reviewers.  These personnel will have access to the information submitted in response to the RFI and will provide technical expertise and/or advice as required.  All personnel have Non-Disclosure Agreements on file with the Government. 

NOTE:  Responses to this RFI are due no later than six weeks from the RFI publish date.  If late information is received, it may be considered by the Government Evaluation Team, depending on agency time constraints.  

PSC – 1940

NAICS – 336612, 1,000 Employees

GENERAL INTENT

DESCRIPTION

The Navy provides this RFI inviting industry to provide information on technologies related to long endurance, unmanned surface vessels. Industry responses to the RFI will be assessed and may assist in identifying potential future actions. Note:  There is no guarantee that any submitted topic will be funded, and responders to this RFI will have no competitive advantage in receiving awards related to the submitted topic area.  The information submitted in all responses may be utilized to help the Government further define its requirements.  If the Government develops a project that addresses any submitted or similar topic, the resulting procurement will address technology and business specific requirements as defined by the Government to achieve project objectives.

BACKGROUND

The Government is seeking unmanned surface vessel technologies that will meet some or all of the performance requirements below.  Meeting all requirements of this RFI is not mandatory. The Government wants to understand the market space and potentially work with vendors to close identified gaps for a rapid fielding Middle Tier Acquisition (MTA)

This RFI is released to support PMS 340’s need for small, long endurance, unmanned surface vessels (USVs). The requirements below are specific to “long endurance” (LE) USVs.

Basic Goals/Requirements

The following is a list of basic goals/requirements for the USV. Again, responses encouraged even if all cannot be met.

Transportability

USV-001

LE system shall be transportable to and from the operational area by Afloat Forward Staging Base-type ships.

USV-002

Handling during operations (for example, tow, crane, or launch) shall require fewer than six personnel.

USV-003

LE vehicles shall be towable by the host craft.

Performance

USV-004

Operational Conditions- 7 days minimum

• LE vehicle should perform a seven-day mission in sea state two.

• Maintain a cruising speed of 1 knot.

USV-005

Maneuverability/Stability

• LE vehicles shall hold station plus or minus 15 meters in sea state two with 15-knot winds.

Autonomy

USV-006

Assured Navigation. The vehicle shall be able to seamlessly switch mode of navigation if one fails or is denied to another mode.

USV-007

The vehicle shall have the ability to find, fix, and track a target autonomously with no input from operator. Assigned settings or configurations shall be available that allow for reporting to user at a defined threshold (time, target classification, etc).

Payload

USV-008

LE vehicle shall be capable of carrying and operating one or more mission-configurable intelligence payloads to collect imagery, signals, acoustic, meteorological, hydrographic, or measurement and signature information.

USV-009

LE vehicle shall be able to carry 20lbs of interchangeable payload(s) for the entire 7-day operation endurance, assuming 5W of average power draw.

USV-010

LE vehicles shall be compatible with the USSOCOM Modular Payload A-Kit.

USV-011

LE vehicles shall have the ability to integrate onboard computing payloads for tactical computing on the edge

USV-012

In less than 90 minutes, a team of two trained operators shall be capable of changing payloads without altering other subsystems or power supplies, execute a payload built-in-test, and return the vehicle to mission ready status.

          

Communication

USV-013

LE vehicles shall have the ability to allow for command and control over long distances.

USV-014

LE vehicles communication shall have the ability to encrypted and hardened against cyber-attack.

USV-015

LE shall have the ability to be remotely command zeroisation.

USV-016

Resilient Command, Control (C2). The vehicle shall be able to seamlessly switch mode of communication if one fails or is denied to another mode.

         

Energy

USV-017

LE vehicles should operate on energy sources that can be produced, refueled, or recharged in an austere environment, and are suitable for use on Naval surface ships.

USV-018

Lithium Ion batteries are acceptable but additional information on the batteries used is requested.

 Ease of use/Training

USV-019

The control station shall have the ability for both command, control, and communication of the vehicle and the payload(s).

USV-020

Tactical employment shall require a maximum of 60 minutes to set-up, calibrate, and field test (pre-mission checklist).

USV-021

The system deliverables shall include operator and maintainer training materials, devices, courseware, and publications.

Environmental

USV-022

All system equipment directly exposed to the environment during maritime operations shall be designed to resist corrosion from salt spray/fog.

USV-023

All components on the LE vehicles shall be rugged enough to survive the vibrations and potential impacts during normal transportation, launch, and recovery.  All components shall be designed to withstand the salt-water environment it will be operating in. 

Exportability

USV-024

The system should include technology protection features that enable exportability of the system's releasable warfighting capabilities to U.S. partner nations. Such features may include program protection measures or other features intended to prevent or delay exploitation of critical warfighting capabilities.

REQUIRED RESPONSES

Limit RFI responses to 5 pages.  Responses containing Contractor proprietary information must be marked and transmitted in accordance with Contractor company requirements. Proprietary information can be submitted by either encrypted email or CD/DVD digital media. CLASSIFIED SUBMISSIONS ARE NOT PERMITTED.   Note:  See Format and Page Limitations and Submission of Documentation paragraphs for additional instructions.  Responses are preferred in the following format:

TITLE:  Descriptive title for technology solution

SUBMITTER INFORMATION:  Responses should include the company name, location of company, and the title, telephone number, and both mail and e-mail addresses of a point of contact having authority and knowledge to discuss the submission and the potential for procurement to support rapid fielding

TECHNOLOGY DESCRIPTION/ SOLUTION IMPACT:  This section provides essential background information on the technology.  This section should include at least the following:

1. Technology Description. The technology/approach and its current and future uses.
2. Benefits. The potential advantages of the offered technology over alternative technologies in terms of cost, performance, maturity, and other factors.
3. Operational Description.  General description of command and control. Information on operational intent (i.e. in protected waters, sea state less than X etc.)
4. Technical Readiness Level.   Provide the estimated technical readiness level (TRL) of the platform and a short justification of this level. Rapid fielding requires commercial of the shelf (COTS) or minimum Technology Readiness Level of 7.

                 

INDUSTRY CAPABILITIES:  This section describes industry’s current and expected capability to produce and/or integrate the technology. The vendor shall have the ability to deliver a test article within 6 months after receipt of order.  Please provide the lead time of a single system.

CRITERIA:  Please succinctly address how the technology offered will comply with one or more of the basic requirements/goals listed above.

COST/FUNDING ESTIMATES:  High-level cost estimates of implementing the offered technology development. Contract vehicles must be pre-established to provide the option of procurement for rapid fielding.

REQUESTS FOR CLARIFICATION / POINTS OF CONTACT:

Nitaya Prater, nitaya.prater.civ@us.navy.mil

FORMAT & PAGE LIMITATION

Submittals should be provided on standard letter size 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper, limited to a maximum of 5 single sided, 1.5-spaced pages. Cover sheet not included in page limit. The font for text should be Times New Roman 12-point or larger.  The Responder may use oversize pages (including “foldouts”) where appropriate to contain graphic presentations.  Oversize pages do not count as extra pages within the page limitations.  Submitted responses should be in Microsoft Word or Adobe Acrobat format.  Existing commercial documentation and product literature can also be submitted and is not subject to a page limitation.

SUBMISSION OF DOCUMENTATION

Unclassified documentation shall be delivered to the primary Contracting Office point of contact and copied to the Principal Investigators as follows:

Contracting Office:

Nitaya Prater, nitaya.prater.civ@us.navy.mil

NSWC PCD, Code 023

110 Vernon Avenue, Panama City, FL  32407

Principle Investigator:

Erica Davis, erica.c.davis8.civ@us.navy.mil

NSWC PCD, Code S34

110 Vernon Avenue, Panama City, FL  32407

Co-Principle Investigator:

Holli Van Camp, holli.g.vancamp.civ@us.navy.mil

NSWC PCD, Code S34

110 Vernon Avenue, Panama City, FL  32407

INFORMATION APPROACH

The Program may or may not select or recommend any of the submitted information for use to develop a project plan.  Projects developed from this information would be competed in a full and open competition.  The Navy, as the DoD Executive Agent for the Program, is not required to provide feedback to responders. 

NSWC-PCD utilizes the RFI process to help identify/develop potential programs and to determine if there is an industrial base to address Government needs.  Upon receipt of RFI responses, NSWC-PCD reviews the submissions to determine the utility of the information and the merit of the proposed technical solution.  

If an RFI response does identify a potential program that meets the criteria stated in the NSWC-PCD BAA and is appropriate, dialogue may ensue between NSWC-PCD and appropriate Government agencies to determine if a funding source can be established. If the preceding considerations are met, NSWC-PCD may pursue a program. 

In the pursuit of a program, the Government may communicate with the initiator of the RFI response.  A definitive timeframe cannot be determined because the process is contingent upon a number of different variables.  If feedback is not provided for an RFI response within 45 days, it is likely that the Government is not pursuing the information/solution further. 

DISCLAIMER

This is a Request for Information (RFI) only, as defined in FAR 15.201 (e), to obtain information about pricing, delivery, and other market information or capabilities for planning purposes.  This RFI is not a request for competitive proposals; therefore, responses to this notice are not considered offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract.  Companies that respond will not be paid for the information submitted.

No telephone calls will be accepted requesting a bid package or solicitation.  There is no bid package or solicitation at this time. 

All information received shall be safeguarded from unauthorized disclosure.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

All responsible sources may submit information in response to this RFI that shall be considered by the agency.  Responses to this RFI are due no later than six weeks from the publish date of the RFI.  If late information is received, it may be considered by the Government Evaluation Team, depending on agency time constraints.  All routine communications regarding this announcement should be directed to the designated Contracting Office point of contact listed above.  Please note:  the Government is not required to provide feedback to RFI responders.