Sources Sought: TB-37X Fat Line Towed Array
THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS. THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE IS PUBLISHED FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY. A DRAFT PERFORMANCE SPECIFICATION IS AVAILABLE UPON REQUEST FOLLOWING THE PROCEDURES IDENTIFIED HEREIN.
The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) seeks to obtain a list of interested candidates to provide concepts and proposed plans of action to address the United States Navy's requirement for a highly reliable TB-37X Fat Line Towed Array. The effort, if solicited via a Request for Proposal (RFP), would be acquired through a competitively-awarded, performance-based, contract for production of TB-37X Towed Array Assemblies, Drogues, Electro-optical Slip Rings, Tow Cables, Array Interface Units and Test Sets. The system shall be compatible with the existing handling systems, signal path and the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15 (DDG-51 & CG-47), AN/SQQ-90 (DDG-1000), and Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) Host Sonar Systems (HSSs).
The following system requirements are applicable:
CONFIGURATION:
Length: less than or equal 610 feet (without drogue)
Diameter: 3.35 ± 0.065 inches
Number of Acoustic Channels: 480 Channels (VHF 192 natural channels, UHF 192 natural channels, 96 EFH natural channels in an aperture center nested array)
Modules:
A) Vibration Isolation Module (VIM)
B) Environmental Sensor Module (ESM) [Fwd. Non-Acoustic Sensor (NAS) Suite]
C) Very High Frequency Module (VHF) (2 modules FWD and AFT)
D) Extremely/Ultra High Frequency Module (E/UHF)
E) Acoustic Intercept Module (ACI) [16 channel Volumetric Array Sensor, Aft NAS Suite]
Drogue:
A) Drogue is a rope drogue used as a deployment aid and array stabilizer, and attaches to ACI module.
B) Built to Lockheed Martin Corporation drawing number 77C960603, Revision A, 15 January 2015
Tow Cable:
A) Procured from PMI Industries Incorporated drawing number 9008765, Revision A, 11 May 2010.
Electro-Optical Slip Ring:
A) Procured from Focal Technologies Corporation, part number 103045-04, Model 254/242 Electrical Optical Slip Ring.
Array Interface Unit:
A) The Array Interface Unit (AIU) development and procurement shall be in accordance with the Array Interface Unit Specification. The AIU input interface will be the TB-37X array and will output to AN/SQQ-89A(V)15, AN/SQQ-90, and LCS Host Sonar Systems (HSSs).
Test Set:
A) The TB-37X Test Set development and procurement is to be in accordance with the Test Set Specification. The Test Set will be designed for check-out and troubleshooting of the TB-37X during shipboard installation, as well as during Intermediate-Level and Depot-Level maintenance activities.
SCHEDULE: If solicited, NAVSEA would be interested in completing First Article build and testing within twenty months of contract award. To support production requirements, the Navy requires a twelve month delivery for the first production array with succeeding deliveries every month thereafter until complete. To evaluate this attribute, the Navy will consider proposed approaches to production planning including material lead time, personnel, facilities, and the use of matured subsystems, work processes and components.
PERFORMANCE: If solicited, the TB-37X array shall be required to perform in the operational conditions associated with Surface combatants. Specific key requirements are as follows:
A) Operating Conditions - Pressure: The TB-37X shall be required to operate from 0 psig to 1,125 psig.
B) Operating Conditions - Vibration: In addition to the MIL-STD-167-1A shipboard and transportation vibration requirements, the TB-37X shall be required to operate and survive vibrations associated with towing conditions during surface combatant operations.
C) Operating Conditions - Temperature: The TB-37X shall be required to survive in extreme weather conditions and rapid changes in temperature. Stowage, or non-operational, temperatures range from -40ºC to as high as +65ºC. All performance requirements shall be met at temperatures over rapidly changing operating environment ranging from -2ºC to 45ºC. The array shall support pier-side checkout by performing channel to channel phase and sensitivity measurements using internally generated calibration signals over an operating temperature range of 20ºC to 50ºC.
D) Interface - Handling System: The TB-37X shall interface physically, mechanically, electrically, and optically with the OK-410 (CG-47 and DDG-51), OK-683 (DDG-1000), and a yet-to-be-determined LCS handling system.
E) Interface - Host Sonar System: The TB-37X shall have an output signal in a data format compatible with the existing AN/SQQ-89A(V)15, AN/SQQ-90, and LCS sonar/combat systems. The Multi-Function Towed Array (MFTA) Interface Specification, Document # 2281C0111, Issue J, dated 1 November 2006 is the reference document to be used as guidance for the TB-37X interface to the AN/SQQ-89A(V)15, AN/SQQ-90, and LCS sonar/combat systems. Note that the Navy currently anticipates no changes to the host sonar system software and hardware.
F) Performance - Reliability: The TB-37X is to be designed with a 0.80 probability of successful operations for one year of continuous on-hull time (8,760 hr.) assuming no spares.
G) Reliability - Telemetry: The telemetry shall meet all performance requirements after being subjected to additional pressure, and temperature cycles at the component level to satisfy First Article Testing.
H) Performance - Acoustic Self-Noise: The acoustic performance of the TB-37X shall be equivalent to the TB-37X performance requirement. Lower level requirements such as channel-to-channel gain and phase, crosstalk, electronic noise floor, etc. are expected to support the array's compliant acoustic self-noise performance. Acoustic performance shall be evaluated prior to initial ship installation of array.
I) Performance - Non-acoustic sensors: The non-acoustic sensors employed by the TB-37X are required to enable the bearing accuracy equivalent to the TB-37X performance requirements and support. At a minimum, the non-acoustic sensor suite should include: heading, pitch, roll, voltage, current, temperature, and depth forward and aft of the acoustic aperture.
The TB-37 array has two non-acoustic suites, one the ESM and one in the ACI. The Government is considering adding four heading sensors to the VHF modules shape estimation and Adaptive Beamforming (ABF). The Government is not ready at this time to update the TB-37X performance specification with new requirements to add these heading sensors but Industry should consider the additional heading sensors in its response.
Responses shall address the following:
- Description/matrix of how the respondent's system meets the requirements listed above. Each requirement above will be listed in order, with a written response detailing how the proposed unit performs against the stated requirements using the format provided.
- Description of candidate system that will convey operating principles, as well as general and specific system capabilities.
- Description of available production capacity. Provide an estimate of maximum available monthly production capacity. This capacity should be above-and-beyond any current production orders or current sales and should be able to be met without the introduction of new facilities. If new facilities are planned or required, provide the approach to acquiring them.
- Estimated cost estimates for the units, including information pertaining to available/anticipated quantity price reductions.
- Description of any past or current contracts whose deliverables satisfy items covered in this announcement, either whole or in part. Please include the name and number of the on-going contract, contract scope, contract type, period of performance, contract deliverables, dollar thresholds and limitations, the issuing Government agency, and the name and telephone number of the Contracting Officer.
- Participation of small businesses is encouraged. Responses should clearly indicate whether the responding party is a large business, small business, or a small disadvantaged business.
Procedures for Obtaining the TB-37X Performance Specification:
The controlled performance specification will be mailed only to those companies with a validated security clearance. To attain validation of security clearance, prospective offerors must submit a written request to the designated Contract Specialist, Cory Iselin, at cory.iselin@navy.mil. ; The written request must include the company name, cage code, and complete destination address and security point of contact. The controlled performance specification may be provided to prospective offerors only following approval by the NAVSEA Office of Security Programs and the Contracting Officer. Demonstration of appropriate security clearance(s) is the sole responsibility of the prospective offeror. While interested parties have until April 5, 2017 to submit responses to this Sources Sought Notice, requests for the TB-37X Performance Specification must be received on or before March 8, 2017. The Government will not provide a response to requests for the TB-37X Performance Specification received after March 8, 2017.
The Government undertakes no obligation to prospective offerors to assist in the attainment of requisite security clearance(s) so that the prospective offeror may provide a response to this notice. Foreign company access to the performance specification and other controlled information will be addressed if and when an RFP is issued.
Prospective offerors are advised DFARS 252.204-7004 Alternate A, System for Award Management would apply to any solicitation issued for this requirement, and lack of current registration in the System for Award Management database will make an offeror ineligible for award. Information on the System for Award Management database may be obtained via the World Wide Web at https://www.sam.gov.
To receive consideration, responses to this notice shall not exceed twelve standard letter size pages (i.e. 8.5 x 11 inches). Twelve point font and one-inch borders shall be used. Responses must include the following information: Company Name, Address, Point of Contact, Phone Number, and E-mail address.
Interested respondents should submit the information annotated above by electronic mail, on or before April 5, 2017 at 12:00pm Eastern Standard Time. Information submitted should be sent to cory.iselin@navy.mil. ; All responses shall be unclassified.
The government will consider all comments received, but does not commit to providing a response to any comments or questions received as a result of this source sought notice. The subsequent revision to any specification based on comments received remains solely at the Government's discretion. Submission of any information by respondents as a result of this sources sought notice is strictly voluntary. All responses shall become the property of the Government. This sources sought notice is for information and planning purposes, and the Government will not pay or otherwise reimburse respondents for information submitted. The Government is not soliciting, nor will it accept proposals as a result of this sources sought notice. This sources sought notice is a market research tool being used to determine the existence of qualified and experienced sources. All firms responding to this sources sought notice are advised that their response to this notice is not a request to be considered for a contract award. If a solicitation is issued in the future, it will be announced via the Governmentwide point of entry (https://www.fbo.gov/) and all interested parties must respond to that solicitation announcement separately from any response to this sources sought notice. A response to this notice will not be considered a request to be added to a bidders list or to receive a copy of a solicitation.
THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO AWARD A CONTRACT SOLELY ON THE BASIS OF THIS SOURCE SOUGHT NOTICE.
Cory S. Iselin, Phone 2027813779, Email cory.iselin@navy.mil - Nicholas DeSelle, Contracting Officer, Phone (202) 781-0717, Email nicholas.deselle@navy.mil
