SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Request For Information (RFI) for the WMD Aerial Collection System (WACS) Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD)
- Notice Date
- 8/29/2008
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Defense Threat Reduction Agency (Headquarters), DTRA Annex, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, MSC 6201, Fort Belvoir, Virginia, 22060-6201
- ZIP Code
- 22060-6201
- Solicitation Number
- WACS08292008
- Response Due
- 10/2/2008 5:00:00 PM
- Archive Date
- 10/3/2008
- Point of Contact
- Russell V Kelley,,
- E-Mail Address
-
russell.kelley@dtra.mil
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) is soliciting industry for information regarding WMD aerial collection, retention, and analysis technologies capable of providing an affordable approach to successfully demonstrating WACS to the warfighter community. Offensive operations against an adversary's WMD research and development, production, and storage facilities, and mobile WMD targets have the potential for creating collateral damage through the release of airborne WMD materials. In addition to traditional battle damage assessment (BDA), the warfighter needs to be able to conduct effective WMD counterforce strikes, and then perform collateral effects and impact assessments of those strikes. Currently, the assessment capabilities do not exist. WACS ATD is intended to address this shortfall. The WACS program will build upon the successful Chemical Combat Assessment System (CCAS) and Biological Combat Assessment System (BCAS) programs. These programs demonstrated the capability to locate and track a post-strike plume and collect airborne chemical and biological materials from those plumes. Ideally WACS will leverage these programs by integrating the ability to collect, retain and analyze radiological and nuclear material with the existing capabilities for chemical and biological collection. These capabilities will be combined in a single collection device to be integrated with an existing unmanned aerial platform (specific UAV platform for ATD to be identified by the warfighter community). Additionally, the WACS ATD may improve the WMD locating and collection solution by adding the capability for in-flight detection and identification of collected WMD materials. The objectives of the WACS ATD program are: 1.Locate and track airborne materials released as the result of a WMD counterforce strike. 2.Collect and retain airborne material (particulate and gas) resulting from a counterforce strike on a suspected WMD target for further laboratory analysis and exploitation. 3.Presumptive detection and identification of airborne WMD material in WMD counterforce post-strike plumes (chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear (CBRN) dispersed material). 4.Full compliance of WACS Concept of Operations (CONOPS) with existing Department of Defense (DoD) CBRN sample handling, transportation and analysis procedures. 5.Integration of WACS collector/sensor design with fielded UAS technologies and user CONOPS and Operational Plans (OPLANS). To be achieved with minimum system engineering and integration issues as well as no impact to fielded UAS Key Performance Parameters. Ideally, objectives 1 -3 will be performed by a single unmanned aerial platform. Key Definitions: Locate – ability to find a rising plume or cloud resulting from an offensive strike on a WMD facility or a mobile target. Track – ability to follow the dynamic path of the plume over time. Collect – ability to extract and retain an airborne CBRN sample sufficient for laboratory “confirmatory” analysis and exploitation. Detect – Determine the presence or absence of airborne CBRN material by class (i.e. chemical agent vs. radionuclide vs. a biological agent, etc.). Identify – Determine the type of CBRN material (i.e. chlorine gas) DTRA expects that the WACS ATD contractor will have responsibility for the design, development, and assembly and/or fabrication of WMD aerial collection and sensor payload. There is a preference for integrating commercial and/or NDI solutions with fielded UAS technologies. The WACS ATD contractor shall have access to government identified technologies and data for plume tracking, WMD aerial particle collection, detection, identification and UAV decontamination. However, contractors are encouraged to recommend and demonstrate their own innovative solutions where applicable. The objectives of this RFI are to: •solicit from interested industry partners appropriate technologies of interest •further refine WACS system and operational concepts •identify threshold and objective WMD aerial collection and sensor payload performance parameters (assume an ATD schedule of 24-months from a hypothetical program start date of 01 June 2009 and culminating in a demonstration at the end of the ATD) •identify key milestone events and high risk challenges during the course of the 24-month WACS ATD schedule. Respondents to this RFI may choose to address the chemical, biological, radiological, or nuclear aspects of collection, detection, and identification activities, or any combination thereof. WMD aerial collection, sensor and analysis technology maturity should be addressed at Technology Readiness Levels (TRL) equal to or greater than 6. Additionally, the risk that related supporting technologies are immature or incapable of allowing successful demonstration and deployment should also be addressed. WACS ATD concepts that require significant basic research (TRL equal to 1-2) are not desired. RFI responses shall be limited to no more than 14 pages, not including cover letter, cover page, and table of contents. Responses should include, but are not limited to, the following: (a) WACS system concept(s) and associated performance, cost, and risk parameters; (b) respondent's stated assumptions; (c) technology maturity and TRLs; (d) WACS ATD cost drivers (not a ROM, but activities identified to consume majority of cost and labor resources) and any other programmatic and technical information respondents deem necessary to aid the government in its program planning, decision making and execution of the WACS ATD. Upon review of all submissions in response to this RFI, DTRA may schedule individual meetings with any or all respondents to gain further understanding into their specific WACS ATD responses. Responses shall be submitted no later than 5 PM EDT on Thursday, 02 OCT 2008 to the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, WACS ATD RFI, Attn: Mr. Russell Kelley. All responses shall be transmitted electronically and should be submitted to Mr. Kelley at: Russell.Kelley@dtra.mil. Submissions shall be compatible with and accessible using Microsoft Office software applications. Additional Information: A successful WACS ATD shall comply with the System Requirements Document (SRD). A draft Systems Requirements Document (SRD) is available to U.S. contractors with a DSS-approved SECRET facility clearance. Interested U.S. contractors shall submit proof of approved facility clearance via e-mail request to Mr. Kelley. There is no commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation, to make an award or awards, or to be responsible for any monies expended by any interested parties in support of any effort in response to this RFI. Any information submitted in response to this RFI is strictly voluntary. This RFI is for information planning purposes and the Government will not pay or otherwise reimburse respondents for information submitted. It is the responsibility of potential offerors’ to monitor this site for the release of any follow-on information. All documentation shall become the property of the Government. Unless otherwise stated herein, no additional information is available. Requests for the same will be disregarded.
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