Request for Information BACN Urgent Operational Need (UON)

Request for Information (RFI)

Subject: Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) Urgent Operational Need (UON)

Please note that this RFI is for informational purposes only and does not constitute a commitment, implied or otherwise, that a contract will be awarded. The Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) reserves the right to use the information received for market research and acquisition planning purposes.

AFLCMC is seeking information from industry partners specializing in the integration and test of advanced systems on commercial derivative aircrafts. This RFI is to inform the Government’s market research for a potential contract to integrate and test an Urgent Operational Need (UON) capability onto the E-11A platform. 

This new system would interface with the Battlefield Airborne Communication Node (BACN) Payload, which is operated and sustained by Northrop Grumman Missions Systems (NGMS) under the BACN Operations, Sustainment and Support contract, FA8726-21-D-0001. The E-11A platform maintenance contract was awarded to Northrop Grumman Defense Systems (NGDS) in January 2023 under contract FA8726-23-F-0028. This contract provides the personnel and resources to support actions required for operating and maintaining the aircraft, aircraft subsystems, ancillary equipment, spares, consumables and expendables, airworthiness certifications and execution of, or support for, required platform modifications.

Interested companies will submit a thorough capabilities statement, clearly presenting evidence that your organization can meet the stated requirements with sufficiently qualified personnel. Include any relevant experience, expertise, and successful past performance in similar projects. The submission should be a maximum of six (6) pages, including a cover page, using single spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font. Interested contractors should consider providing the following in their submission:

1. Description of direct experience with similar systems that meet or has the potential to meet all the current system capabilities.
2. Comparison of your integration experience with installing and integrating a similar system against the capabilities identified in the SOO document. Identification of which capabilities your processes meet and does not meet as well as your development of future documentation for installation, integration and the test of the UON kits.
3. A description of the timeline and a Rough Order of Magnitude to implement this program and system capabilities and achieves the mission requirements (operations, sustainment, support).
4. A description, contract number(s), period of performance, and associated Government point of contract of demonstrated experience in operating and sustaining a similarly complex airborne subsystem.
5. A description of previous experience in flight-line operations of US military aircraft and pre-flight check-out of on-board mission equipment as well as remote in-flight operations of that equipment.
6. A description of your company’s ability to satisfy the requirements in the Draft Statement of Objectives.
7. Ability to provide, at a minimum, Government Purpose Rights for the envisioned technical solution.
8. Established facility clearance up to SECRET and current COMSEC accounts.
9. Adequate program personnel with U.S citizenship and DoD SECRET security clearances.

Businesses interested in receiving the detailed statement of objectives should complete all of the attached documentation and submit via email to martin.bamberg@us.af.mil and rhett.reed@us.af.mil as soon as possible in order to meet the submission deadline. Submissions will be required no later than (NLT) 1700 EST, 19 April 2024.   To receive detailed SOO, the interested business must be a U.S. company with an active US CAGE Code and possess, at a minimum, a Secret facility clearance. Companies will need to designate two (2) individuals to receive the formal RFI documentation. The designated individuals will need to sign both attachments to this RFI.  Companies will also need to simultaneously send a visit request (VR), for a period of 90 days after Sources Sought notice, to AFLCMC/HNAB via Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS), SMO Code: LK1MFNG6. The Point of Contact is AFLCMC/HNAB Security Manager: Mr. Antonio Smith, email: antonio.smith.26@us.af.mil, (781) 225-5632. Document requests that are missing required information, or signature will be returned without action. Once the submitted Document Registration and Disclaimer form, individual Non-Disclosure Agreements and visit requests are received and approved the detailed RFI will be provided via encrypted email through Department of Defense (DoD) Safe Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE) Website (https://safe.apps.mil/).

Submission Deadline: 19 April 2024 NLT 5PM EST

Attachments:

1.  Document Registration and Disclaimer form

2. Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)