This is NOT a solicitation. This is a sources sought synopsis of the intended procurement of PDSS LRU spares in support of the SBIRS S2E2 Program being managed by the United States Space Force (USSF) Space Systems Command (SSC). This sources sought is intended to be used for Market Research to assist the Government with developing the acquisition strategy.

The SBIRS Survivable Endurable Evolution (S2E2) Mobile Ground System (SMGS) replaces the legacy Air National Guard-operated Mobile Ground System (MGS), originally developed in the 1960s to support Defense Support Program (DSP) operations, with a modern, transportable ground station capable of processing data from the SBIRS and nuclear detonation (NUDET) detection systems. S2E2 substantially advances survivable/endurable Missile Warning capability, survivability, and operational flexibility.

S2E2 is comprised of multiple sub-systems, to include the PDSS antenna. With the S2E2 system entering sustainment, the PDSS requires sparing for custom-built Line Replaceable Units (LRUs) that were not purchased under the original antenna manufacturing.  The LRUs insert into the legacy SBIRS PDSS antenna subsystem to provide two-way space-ground mission links for the program.

Specific LRUs within the PDSS are required to be manufactured for sparing.  The intended LRUs perform various functions such as up conversion, down conversion, reference timing splitting, interfacing with various status and control circuitry (RS-422, ethernet, fiber optic IFL links, etc.).  Basic functional descriptions of the LRU Modules are provided in the table below to provide general information for the LRU capabilities.  The Government is reviewing trades for build-to-print LRUs versus new designs for the following modules.  Final requirements are outside the scope of this RFI.  Several LRUs are integrated into confined spaces for a transportable antenna with harsh environmental requirements.  

The Manufacturer may be required to build LRUs from existing drawings or create requirements and designs for replacement of the LRUs. Some obsolescence may require NRE to adjudicate.  The Manufacturer must have engineering design services to perform redesign of potentially obsolete RF and digital interface circuits, including potential board re-layout. The Manufacturer will be required to generate overall program management plans and schedules, as well as manufacturing plans. The Manufacturer will be required to review existing test documentation and create an overall test plan for the LRUs, and new test/verification documentation for each LRU. The Government is currently planning on  acquiring up to (ten) LRUs.

In response to this need, the Government is requesting information from any party who is interested in manufacturing LRUs to meet the sparing need of the program.  Thus, the Offeror is invited to submit responses which describe experience in production, existing capabilities, anticipated timelines and efficiencies in key areas, as well as answering questions as follows:

1. The Government is seeking contractors familiar with DoD acquisition processes who can streamline these processes to submit compliant costed proposals within their organization for proposal development and management review cycles. Describe your corporate ability to develop and deliver proposals within the timeframe.
2. Define your company’s ability to quickly identify obsolete components and estimate the potential to impact parallel manufacturing activities within a compressed schedule, with the aim of risk reduction within the proposal schedule timeframe. Describe your process for how to adjudicate risk during the proposal stage, and to finalize obsolescence engineering solutions later within the context of a compressed program schedule post-award.
3. Does your company have a capability base to manufacture and test PDSS LRU?
4. Does your company have existing facilities and test equipment suitable for LRU manufacturing and testing?
5. Describe your existing facilities and manufacturing processes.
6. Describe your expertise in production manufacturing, efficiencies in creating manufacturing plans, reducing production preparation, tooling/setup, maintaining adequate parts tracking, workflow control, and quality assurance processes.
7. Describe your company’s experience with testing standard SATCOM hardware, ability to assess hardware LRUs and generate sufficient qualification test plans and procedures.
   1. Describe efficiencies in verification testing, such as judicious selection of environmental qualification parameters that offer savings in schedule as trades against a full MIL testing campaign.
8. Has your company accomplished work of similar scope/complexity in the last five years?
9. Does your company have corporate experience in hardware or software product enhancement?
10. Can your company develop these LRUs in a company-owned classified environment?
11. What are the highest technical risks associated with this acquisition?
12. If you need to subcontract portions of this effort, which portions do you intend to subcontract or outsource?
13. What are your preferred contract vehicles or ways to access the part of your company which performs LRU development?
14. Has your company developed anything to relevant standards such as MIL-STD or ISO?
15. Does your company have any existing partnerships or collaborations with other companies or organizations that could enhance your capability to complete this task?
16. What strategies are available to your company for ensuring cost certainty in the Redesign and Production of these critical components?
17. Is there any additional information you wish to communicate to the Government that you feel would help with the acquisition?

Interested vendors who wish to provide answers to these questions, as well as other pertinent capability statements, may submit a package to the Points of Contact listed below.

The written response must include the following information: 1) contractor name and phone number, 2) answers to the above questions, 3) Type of business and whether you are a large or small company, socioeconomic classification, and whether your company has any foreign ownership. The small business size standard for this requirement is NAICS 334220. Responses to the sources sought must conform to 8.5 X 11-inch pages, with font no smaller than 12-point, and shall not exceed ten pages.  Responses must be submitted by 16-Jun-2025.

Send contractor submissions to the following Government points of contact: Mr. Darren Fullo, Procurement Contracting Officer, [email protected] and Major Jeffrey Lee, USSF, Program Manager, [email protected]. Contractor submissions will be accepted within (30) calendar days of this publication by 5:00PM Mountain. All data received in response to this announcement marked or designated as corporate or proprietary information will be fully protected from release outside the Government.