Eglin Radar Transmitter Array Project
Eglin Radar Transmitter Array Project
Solicitation Number: Notice Type:
FA8250-18-R-0001 Sources Sought
Synopsis:
1. NOTICE: This is not a solicitation but rather a Sources Sought Synopsis to determine potential sources for information and planning purposes only.
1.1 The purpose of this Sources Sought is to conduct market research to determine if responsible sources exist, to assist in determining if this effort can be competitive and/or a total Small Business Set-Aside. The proposed North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code is 334220/541330 which has a corresponding Size standard of 1,250/$15M. The Government will use this information to determine the best acquisition strategy for this procurement. The Government is interested in all small businesses to include 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Hubzone, and Women-Owned small business concerns. The government requests that interested parties respond to this notice if applicable and identify your small business status to the identified NAICS code. Additionally, please provide any anticipated teaming arrangements, along with a description of similar services offered to the Government and to commercial customers for the past three years. Any responses involving teaming agreements should delineate between the work that will be accomplished by the prime and the work accomplished by the teaming partners.
USAF Space Control Sensor (SCS) Design for Eglin Radar Transmitter Array System;
Item NSN Part Number
Transmitter Radar 5840-00-974-1819 2017085-0501
Trigger Pulse Amplifier 5996-01-454-4605 9477861-01
Phase Shifter Assembly 6125-00-838-7075 2016817-0501
Electron Tube 5960-00-106-2121 JAN8590
Beam Steering 5998-01-464-3866 9477830-10
NAICS code 334220 or 541330
The Government is performing market research to identify budget requirements and sources of design for the Eglin Radar Transmitter Array System mentioned above. This Transmitter Array System is part of the Space Control Sensor (SCS)
Reference drawings:
Item Drawing
Frame Assy, Module XMTR 2015812
Antenna Assembly Transmitter 2016220
Connector, Receptacle, Electrical 2016311
Directional Coupler Assembly Transmitter 2016800
Directional Receptacle Electrical 2016961
Connector, Receptacle, Electrical 2016963
Cable Assembly, R.F. 2016995
Connector, Receptacle, Electrical 2017175
Gasket, Air Tube XMTR Cavity 2018843
Pin, Guide Transmitter 2050155
Socket, Grounding Transmitter Module 2050167
Eglin Transmitter Requirements
Additional documents will be supplied upon request and dependent on availability to the government.
Government objectives and requirements:
2. Synopsis
2.1. This announcement serves as a Sources Sought Synopsis (SSS) issued for the purpose of market research in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Part 10. This SSS is issued for planning purposes only and is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or an obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services. In accordance with (IAW) FAR 15.201(e), responses to this SSS are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with the preparation or submission of the information requested. All costs associated with responding to the SSS will be solely at the responding party's expense. The Government reserves the right to reject, in whole or in part, any contractor's input resulting from this SSS. This SSS does not constitute a solicitation for proposal or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this contemplated effort. The information provided may be used by the Services in developing an acquisition strategy, a statement of work (SOW), statement of objectives (SOO), or performance specifications. Some information resulting from this SSS may eventually be included in one or more RFPs, which will be released to industry. Proprietary information should be marked. Any subsequent actions resulting from the evaluation of the information provided in response to the SSS may be synopsized at a future date. If synopsized, information detailing the specific requirements of this procurement will be included.
3. Description
3.1. The Space and C3I Supply Chain Management Squadron in support of the AN/FPS (Army, Navy / Fixed Position Ground Radar Search)-85 Radar, Space Control Sensors, Eglin Radar Transmitter Array System is seeking technical information to support the procurement of replacing obsolete transmitters for the radar array. The design(s) shall meet or exceed the AN/FPS-85 Space Control Sensor (SCS) requirements and shall be Form, Fit, Function and Interface (FFFI) replacements for the legacy Eglin Radar Transmitter Array System.
3.2. THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT SYNOPSIS (SSS) ONLY. This SSS 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. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Air Force is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Respondees are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this SSS; all costs associated with responding to this SSS will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this SSS does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor these sites for future solicitations associated with this effort.
4. Background
4.1. The Eglin AN/FPS-85 Radar is a computer-controlled, phased-array radar set operating as a functional entity in the Air Force Space Command (AFSPC) Space Surveillance Network (SSN). The radar is located at Site C-6, Eglin Air Force Base (AFB), Florida. The radar is available 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Availability is achieved through multi-path connectivity, and interoperable and redundant equipment.
4.2. The AN/FPS-85 radar is operated by the 20th Space control Squadron is a space tracking radar in support of AF Space Command's space surveillance mission. The AN/FPS-85 radar is the most powerful radar in the world and is the only phased array radar capable of tracking satellites in deep space orbits. The radar is used to detect, track, identify, and report near earth and deep space objects in earth's orbit, and provide space object identification data in support of United States Strategic Command's space control mission.
4.3. The AN/FPS-85 transmitters have become cost-prohibitive to support through repair and procurement of replacement spares. The Eglin Radar Program Office and the 415 SCMS are planning to develop a replacement transmitter that can exceed the RF characteristics of the existing transmitters in order to improve supportability.
5. Sources Sought Synopsis Requirements:
5.1. Potential vendors will need to submit an information package for government review. This package should be limited to 30 pages.
5.2. Design Information: In response to an anticipated future solicitation, interested parties will submit a written description of a design for a replacement transmitter. Respondents may also wish to include 2 to 3 drawings to assist in the item description. The transmitter design should be comprised of modular components that are easily accessible, and should include front panel with indicators for health & status.
5.3. The vendor shall indicate how much time they will need after they RFP before they would be able to deliver an evaluation prototype.
5.4. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM): The vendor shall provide a ROM for the total project cost and for the per-unit cost of their transmitter design. The ROM for the total project should include costs to create, deliver and test the test articles and final production units, along with the costs to modify any of the site's power distribution and cabling that will be required to power the new transmitter units, along with any of the other transmitter's external interfaces.
5.5. Reliability: The vendor will provide preliminary MTBF data for the part and how that MTBF figure was determined.
5.6. The vendor will provide evidence such as prior contract history to demonstrate their ability to produce the required ten (10) test articles, initial buy of 350 initial units, and the final buy of approximately 5,000 units, within the specified period that will be outlined in the RFP. This production period could be as short as 12 months.
5.7. The vendor shall allow the government to visit the vendor's production facility(s).
5.8. As market research to assist in determining if this effort can be competitive and/or a total Small Business Set-Aside. It is anticipated that this will fall under North American Industry Classification Systems (NAICS) Code 334220 or 541330. The Government will use this information to determine the best acquisition strategy for this procurement. The Government is interested in all small businesses to include 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, Hubzone, and Women-Owned small business concerns. The government requests that interested parties respond to this notice if applicable, identify the best NAICS code, and provide your small business status.
5.9. Provide any anticipated teaming arrangements, along with a description of similar services offered to the Government and to commercial customers for the past three years. Any responses involving teaming agreements should delineate between the work that will be accomplished by the prime and the work accomplished by the teaming partners.
5.10. Past Experience. The vendor shall provide a list of previous similar government and commercial projects.
5.11. Quality Assurance. The contractor shall produce ISO 9001 or similar quality process certifications.
5.12. All information received in response to this announcement that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses will not be returned. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), a response to this notice is not an offer and cannot be accepted by the government to form a binding contract. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this announcement.
5.13. Security Requirements: There are no requirements for classified information in this RFI. Contractors may request copies of the drawings if they have a current signed form DD2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement Maintenance Concepts.
5.14. Respondents to this request will be retained in a file and subsequently provided a copy of the Request for Proposal (RFP) when issued. Responding to this request in no manner guarantees a contract will be awarded to the respondent for the manufacture/supply of this item.
5.15. Response Period: Contractors have 30 calendar days from the issuance of this SSS to respond. Late submissions will be accepted but respondents are cautioned that submissions received after the cutoff date might arrive after decisions are made regarding requirements documents and acquisition strategy, and consequently may not contribute to the requirements and acquisition strategy for this effort.
6. Planned Request For Proposal (RFP).
6.1. The following are anticipated to be requirements of the RFP:
6.2. To be considered as a potential manufacturer/supplier source for this requirement, a Contractor will be required to submit a no cost evaluation article (prototype) in response to a solicitation, verifying their capabilities to produce/supply these items. The Contractor will be required to verify to the Government that the items are within current transmitter specifications.
6.3. Qualifying vendors will be notified to participate in the delivery of a no-cost prototype for functional testing as part of the technical evaluation prior to contract award.
6.4. The prototype shall be used to demonstrate compliance with a subset of the transmitter's specifications as defined in the attached Summary of Eglin Transmitter Requirements and the associated drawings.
6.5. The prototype must be able to interface with the site's transmitter test set, which will provide all required stimulus (RF pulses and alpha/beta beam steering signals). The 1 KV gating pulse and the 5.5 KVDC power supply will also be available for use, if desired, but are not required if the prototype design does not require them.
6.6. The new transmitter design should support maintenance concept that includes modular repair of transmitters at the radar site.
6.7. The vendor shall be present, on site, to demonstrate the prototype's capabilities.
6.8. The vendor shall provide test data for the fly-off prototype that captures the transmitter's key functional characteristics.
6.9. The government expects a turnkey approach for this project, meaning; the vendor shall delivery a fully functional array of transmitters along with necessary changes to the power equipment and interface cabling necessary for the new transmitters to work seamlessly in the radar system.
6.10. The government may conduct an industry day for this requirement. If an industry day is held, access to the Eglin AFB Site C-6 Radar will be available, for one day on a non-interference basis, to all prospective vendors providing an opportunity to survey the transmitter face and power distribution. Additional questions will be entertained at that time. If an industry day is held, the government will post a notice to FBO.
7. Contract Award.
7.1. Following the source selection, the chosen vendor, hereafter referred to as the "Contractor", shall be awarded a contract for an initial purchase of ten (10) fully functional transmitter test units.
7.2. The contractor will be expected to produce these ten (10) test units within a 6 month period upon contract award.
7.3. These transmitter assemblies shall be a form, fit, function, and interface (F3I) compatible replacement, capable of passing electrical, RF, physical, and environmental tests, as defined in the attached Summary of Eglin Transmitter Requirements and the associated drawings.
7.4. These test units will undergo a series of joint contractor/government environmental, functional and accelerated lifetime tests. Contractor shall present results in a formal report.
7.5. The government will be a witness during the testing.
7.6. It is not expected that these ten (10) test units will be reused in the final delivery unless properly refurbished.
7.7. If the ten (10) transmitter test units meet or exceed all requirements, the government may exercise a contract option to purchase 350 production transmitter units.
7.8. The contractor shall provide their plan for producing, installing and testing this large quantity of production units.
7.9. Other than the I/O ports defined in the specifications, all other ports with remote-in capabilities shall be removed or disabled due to cyber security concerns.
7.10. The contractor shall install these 350 production units in a subarray of the radar's face. The government will determine the subarray location on the radar.
7.11. Reuse of the existing transmitter cabling is desired, unless deemed to be technically inadequate by the contractor. If replacement required, contractor shall propose a solution.
7.12. Reuse of the site's power distribution is also desired, however, if deemed inadequate by the contractor, the contractor shall propose a detailed solution. Modification of the power distribution beyond the new switch gear, to power the new transmitter units may be allowed. Any issues or concerns with the existing power distribution shall be mentioned in the proposal as well.
7.13. The contractor will not be required to decommission the existing cabling.
7.14. The initial and final articles must be able to survive on a minimal airflow of 10 CFM.
7.15. The government will be witness all onsite installations and testing.
7.16. These 350 transmitters will be tested in the radar array for inter-compatibility and inter-operability.
7.17. The contractor shall provide, at the time of contract award for the 350 transmitter unit option, a detail installation and test plan, to include modification details to the site's power distribution and interconnect cabling.
7.18. The contractor shall provide a detailed formal report of the installation and test results.
7.19. If the 350 transmitter production units meet all government requirements and pass all testing in the radar subarray, the government will exercise a contract option to purchase approximately 5,000 transmitter units and to finish wiring the whole array to be compatible with the new transmitters.
7.20. Delivery of these final transmitter units will be in lots of up to 350, spread out over a period of time that will coincide with budgetary plans.
7.21. These transmitters will be installed and tested by the contractor in subarrays as the operations scheduled can allow, over a 12 to 24 month period.
7.22. Training. Onsite vendor training of the new transmitters and modified power distribution, and other external interfaces, will be required.
7.23. The government will observe all installation and testing activities.
7.24. The contractor shall provide a detailed formal test report.
7.25. The contractor shall provide a project closeout report.
Heike M. Bell, Phone 8017779173, Email heike.bell.1@us.af.mil
