Solution for Minimizing Development Time for Common Interface Unit
•I. Introduction
The United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) Advanced Systems and Development Directorate (AD) is conducting market research to identify capable provider of design analyses, operations feasibility determination, refurbishment, retest and storage of government owned equipment developed by Assurance Technology Corporation (ATC). This Sources Sought Synopsis is issued solely for information and planning purposes in support of market research being conducted by the Air Force to identify capable sources. Information received will be considered solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competition. A determination by the Government not to compete based upon the responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. This sources sought announcement is not to be construed as a commitment by the Air Force to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. SMC/AD anticipates awarding a final contract for the Phase II and III Common Interface Unit effort which will repurpose the residual CIU and associated equipment for near-term, defined as 2-3 years, hosted payload mission needs.
•II. Purpose
The CIU is seen as a near-term solution to provide the necessary information assurance boundary between a National Security payload and a commercial host spacecraft. Hosted payloads are somewhat unique in this respect, and must meet specific requirements:
Deny hosted payload data from access by commercial operator
One-way transfer of spacecraft data (attitude, ephemeris, time) to payload
On-board downlink encryption & uplink decryption
Minimizes HP mission cost and impact to commercial mission
The challenge the Hosted Payload Office is trying to meet is to provide a near-term solution that minimizes the development time for such an interface unit, in order to meet potential hosted payload missions. The near-term solution must have minimal cost and schedule impact to the overall hosted payload mission. The CIU design meets the Information Assurance requirements, and many of the mission requirements. Additionally, there is existing flight hardware and ground support equipment that can be leveraged to reduce the cost and schedule.
The proposed work includes the following tasks:
•1. Assess CIU operational design life for Low Earth orbit (LEO) and geosynchronous orbit (GEO) missions, and associated failure mechanisms. Identify redesign of the CIU needed to meet mission life and environments of the CIU Requirements Datasheet.
•2. Identify design changes required to make the CIU compliant with the HPO CIU Requirements Datasheet, to include:
•a. CIU power circuit design
•b. GPS receiver integration into the power, GPS key handling, and switching electronics on the Red payload side
•c. Transmission of hosted payload mission data
•d. Interface with KI-55 and MRA-700.
•3. Build 2 processor boards to the most recent CIU design to replace the boards that were removed.
•4. Refurbish and retest the CIU to a reduced set of functional and environmental tests to ensure it is flight ready. Mechanical testing (random vibration) shall be conducted to a level to be defined by the contractor based on the test history of the SASSA hardware. The test level will provide confidence that the unit is flight worthy, while ensuring the unit still has sufficient margin to survive launch (launch environment is TBD). The completed CIU will also be subjected to thermal cycle testing to ensure the workmanship of the new processor boards.
•5. Provide an updated Design Package and Specification documenting the as-built configuration of the CIU.
•6. Receive and inspect the SASSA CIU at a Contractor facility, validate all transfer and shipping paperwork, and enter the SF1149 into the Contractor's government property inventory. The Contractor shall perform an incoming quality conformance inspection on the CIU in accordance with the Contractor's standard procedures and report the inspection results.
•7. Store the refurbished CIU and any associated equipment at the Contractor's facility in a manner that will preserve the equipment for future use. Duration of this task is not-to-exceed 24 months.
III. Statements of Capability
All responsible sources may submit a capability statement in response to this notice. The statement of capability (SOC) shall address the responding company's capability in accomplishing the above-tasks. In addition to having the company qualifications to accomplish the tasks above, a contractor must demonstrate capabilities in the following areas of expertise:
•1. Demonstrate the ability to access, retrieve and analyze the actual on-orbit performance data from the flown CIU compared to the stated design capabilities.
•2. Demonstrate the ability to access and analyze the CIU design and environmental test data to assess the appropriate test levels for the retest of the refurbished CIU.
•3. Demonstrate you currently possess in-depth knowledge of the hardware/software design and cost of the existing CIU and related equipment necessary to perform the tasks described above.
•4. Interested parties must be intimately familiar with the NSA approval process, DoD security requirements, and details regarding the conformance history of the CIU to both.
IV. Submission Details
Any interested source that is capable of meeting the Government's requirements detailed in this notice should submit a SOC to the technical and contracting POCs listed below by 1500 PST on 4 May 2015 using Times New Roman at no smaller than font size of 12 and must be submitted in MS Word 2007 or higher or PDF Format. The SOC shall not exceed 10 pages in total length. The page limit does not apply to cover sheets, table of contents, or acronyms. Pages shall be single-spaced and numbered, 8.5x11 inch size, and have 1" minimum margins on all sides. The SOC will be evaluated solely for the purpose of determining the respondent's ability to meet the Government's needs as described above. The SOC shall also include the following: personnel/size standard, company name, mailing address, point of contact and telephone numbers, business size classification, large, small or other, and experience-specific work previously performed relevant to this effort. Consequently, respondents' submissions should contain as many specific technical details indicating how the respondent can meet the Government's needs and schedule. Oral communications are not acceptable in response to this notice.
Responses from small business and small, disadvantaged business firms are highly encouraged. Firms responding should indicate if they are a small business, a socially and economically disadvantaged business, 8(a) firms, historically black colleges or universities, and minority institutions. The small business size standard for NAICS 541712 is 1000 employees. Classification code AC20 applies. A determination not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open competition basis based upon responses to this notice is solely within the discretion of the Government. The government will use the SOC to determine if there is sufficient interest in the marketplace from qualified sources.
This announcement is for information and planning purposes only. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal and is not to be construed as a commitment by the government. The Government will not pay any cost associated with the submittal of information solicited herein. The SOC and all related communications that contain proprietary information should be marked as such. Verbal responses will not be accepted.
BE ADVISED: An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concerns from potential respondents. The purpose of the Ombudsman is to receive and communicate concerns from potential respondents when a respondent prefers not to use established channels to communicate his/her concern during the proposal development phase of this proposed acquisition. The Ombudsman will communicate certain respondent issues, disagreements, and recommendations on this proposed acquisition into the proper channels. The Ombudsman's role is not to diminish the authority of the program director or the contracting officer but to advocate a respondent's concern on a non-attribution basis. The Ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern when requested by the respondent. The Ombudsman will not participate in the evaluation of SOCs for this proposed acquisition. The Ombudsman is Ms. Olalani Kamakau, phone number (310) 653-1185. Routine questions, such as clarifications, are not considered to be "significant concerns" and should be communicated directly to the POCs listed in this notice.
The information contained herein is based on the best information available at the time of publication, is subject to revision, and is not binding on the Government.
Tiffany L. Trotter, Contract Specialist, Email tiffany.trotter@losangeles.af.mil - Joanna Metz, Project Officer, Email joanna.metz@us.af.mil
