REQUEST FOR INFORMATION

Program Executive Office Command Control Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T)

Project Manager Mission Command (PM MC)

Product Manager Mounted Mission Command (PdM MMC)

Purpose:

Request for Information (RFI) from US Army industry partners for development of a form-fit replacement of the current BFT-2 Aviation transceiver system. The replacement system would host the next-generation Blue Force Tracking-3 (BFT-3) waveforms for the enduring and future aviation fleet.

The Government is requesting sources sought in the form of a White Paper, not to exceed 10 pages including annexes, size 12 font with single line spacing, and no less than 1” margins.  The white paper must contain relevant corporate experience performing efforts of similar size and scope within the last three years, including contract number, organization supported, indication of whether as a prime or subcontractor, contract value, Government point of contact, and a brief description of the specific task areas in the referenced contract as it relates to the services described herein.

Intent:

This is an RFI only and shall not be considered an Invitation for Bid, Request for Task Execution Plan, Request for Quotation, or Request for Proposal.  There is no obligation on the part of the Government to acquire any products or services described in this RFI or its responses.  Responses to this RFI will be treated only as information for the Government to consider in pursuit of relevant market research.  There is no payment for direct or indirect costs in responding to this RFI.  This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations for contract award.  Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted or competition sensitive information in their response.  The Government will not pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. The Government will not consider RFIs with generic capability statements.

Requirement Overview:

PM MC is specifically interested in capability options that are designed with reduced size, weight, and power (SWaP).  Modularity, serviceability, and cost.

• Describe how the material solution for the SATCOM transports can reside within the current SWaP of the existing BFT-2 Modem and Antenna. Additionally, describe any deviations from current design specifications described below.  
  • The antenna shall not exceed 4.1lbs in weight and the dimensions must not exceed 11”L x 4”W x 3.9”H, pictured below in Figure 1. 
  • The associated modem should not exceed 2.2lbs in weight with dimensions of 5.95”L x 4.5”W x 4.5”H.  There is some leeway in the length dimension with the modem criteria. 
  • The BFT-3 power draw shall not exceed the current BFT-2 aviation transceiver power draw specification. The BFT-2 aviation transceiver uses +28.0 Volt Direct Current (VDC) aircraft electrical power per ADS-68-IS and MIL-STD-704. The nominal current draw is 1.0 Ampere (A) at +28.0 VDC. The nominal power consumption is +28.0 Watts (W). During transmission bursts or transceiver boot up, the current draw can be up to 2.5A with a 4.0A surge for 2 milliseconds. The power consumption during transmission bursts or boot up can be 70.0W.
  • The Government’s current objective is to have all SATCOM transports fit within the SWaP constraints of the current antenna only, no longer requiring a separate modem and freeing up platform space. The interface for such a solution is expected to be power and ethernet. INFORMATIONAL NOTE: The ground transceiver uses a single MIL connector that provides both power and ethernet.

• The terrestrial waveform is expected to require a new antenna mounted on the bottom of the airframes. Describe a solution that provides the radio for the waveform and the antenna.
  • There is no requirement for the antenna and radio to be co-located nor is there a requirement for them be separated. Describe your approach to having them either together or separate, and why.
• Describe any considerations for Vehicular Integration for C5ISR/EW Interoperability (VICTORY) data bus, and use of Modular Open Radio Architecture (MORA) as a reference for Radio Frequency (RF) components.
  • Additionally, describe any considerations to implement a CMOSS Mounted Form Factor (CMFF)-compliant 3U VPX card that operates all three transports, a single card chassis to host it for the enduring fleet, and how this solution could realize tangible cost savings and performance benefit to the Government when compared to a simple drop-in replacement.
    • Note: The Government acknowledges the aforementioned requirement may contradict the previously noted desire to eliminate hardware within the existing modem’s space.
  • Note that the current BFT-2 solution makes no use of VICTORY or MORA and that these standards are of interest to the Government to identify whether a solution for the enduring fleet could be common with future aviation platforms.
• Describe how FACE 3.1 software conformance and DO-178 (DAL C) considerations will occur early in development to ensure that proper Airworthiness certification can be achieved.
• Responses to this RFI should include an estimated pricing per system as follows:
  • The cost of 50 systems for testing assets.
  • The cost for an initial procurement of 350 - 400 systems, followed by potential for an additional procurement of no more than 3500.

Submission of Responses:  Responses shall be submitted by no later than (NLT) 1200 hours EST on 01 March 2024.  All questions and responses shall be submitted via Microsoft Word and emailed NLT 09 February 2024 to the primary POC for this RFI.

Additional Discussions:

The Government may choose to reach out to select respondents for additional questions as a result of this RFI.  Such discussions would only be used to obtain additional information as part of the Government’s market research process.

Questions:

Questions regarding this RFI shall be submitted in writing by email to the contacts listed below.  Questions are due by 1700 hours EST on 09 February 2024.  The Government does not guarantee that questions received after 09 February 2024 will be answered.

Disclaimer:

This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes.  This RFI is not a solicitation and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract.  Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be made as a result of this request.  Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.215-3, “Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes”, is incorporated by reference.  The Government does not intend to reimburse respondents for any costs associated with the submissions of their responses to this RFI; respondents to this RFI are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding.  Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials.  All information received in response to this RFI that is marked “Proprietary” will be handled accordingly.  Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned nor will receipt be confirmed.  In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Since White Papers will be shared outside the Government with support contractor organizations, submissions should confirm there is no issue with the release of any proprietary documentation provided to individuals or organizations covered under a PM MC Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA). 

Responses from this RFI will be used to formatively shape broad Army guidance for acquiring software solutions.  Response content may be aggregated and anonymously published into summary documentation to facilitate such guidance.  Any publications resulting from this RFI will be non-attributional, and RFI respondents’ consent for their responses to be used for such purposes.

Attachments/Links:

Current Aviation BFT-2 Antenna

Contracting Office Address:

• 6560 SURVEILLANCE LOOP
• ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD 21005-1846
• USA

Primary Point of Contact:

Cynthia Grove

[email protected]

Secondary Point of Contact:

Major Nathaniel Titus

[email protected]