SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Foliage Penetrating Sensors - RFI For Foliage Penetrating Sensors for Detecting and Classifying Targets in Forested and Riverine Environment
- Notice Date
- 8/5/2010
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Office of the Chief Procurement Officer, Washington, District of Columbia, 20528, United States
- ZIP Code
- 20528
- Solicitation Number
- FoliageRFI
- Point of Contact
- Alula Abera, Phone: 202-254-6896, Emily Graham, Phone: (202) 254-5611
- E-Mail Address
-
alula.abera@associates.hq.dhs.gov, emily.graham@dhs.gov
(alula.abera@associates.hq.dhs.gov, emily.graham@dhs.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- REQUEST FOR INFORMATION For Foliage Penetrating Sensors for Detecting and Classifying Targets in Forested and Riverine Environments REQUEST FOR INFORMATION For Foliage Penetrating Sensors for Detecting and Classifying Targets in Forested and Riverine Environments Posted to www.fbo.gov on 5 August 2010 1. BACKGROUND / DESCRIPTION The Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate, is seeking information on ground-based systems or components capable of detecting, classifying and reporting personnel and vessel or vehicle movement through foliage and/or in riverine environments. DHS S&T is issuing this RFI to determine availability and maturity of this technology. 2. PROBLEM STATEMENT/REQUIREMENTS There are large border areas throughout the United States that are difficult to monitor for illegal entry due to topography, dense foliage, and/or riverine environments. DHS S&T is gathering information on state of the art technology capable of providing enhanced situational awareness in these areas. The focus of this request is identification of ground based systems and/or sensors (not airborne). Targets of interest include personnel on foot, small vessels, and vehicles. Vehicles include ATVs and snowmobiles. Outlined below is a non-inclusive list of desirable general capabilities. In your response, detail how your product(s) address the list. Please include any known or expected issues, the technology readiness level (TRL), range of operations, and limitations. The technology sought is expected to be part of a system that will consist of any necessary sensor devices, communications and processing hardware/software, and the capability to display the detection information on a stand-alone computer or integrate it with an existing GUI. It is necessary that the maturity of the system, or the system components, be specifically addressed if the system is not Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS). The sensor or sensor system should be designed to operate either in a heavily foliated terrestrial or riverine environment, or both. 3. CAPABILITIES 3.1 System or Sensor Level Capabilities o Robust technology concept for foliage penetration. o System Maintenance Interval  Battery life, 2 years desired for each node; 1 year minimum.  High level description of power consumption/budget. o Remote system maintenance and control software o Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 or above desired. If applicable, please include photos of areas if the technology has been tested outdoors. o Documented Data Output Format  Will be integrated into a larger network of systems.  Scheme for machine to machine communication of alarms. (Network topology)  Government will not accept proprietary communications/data formats. For Riverine Applications Detection of foot traffic and small motorized and unmotorized boats on or along a body of water is desired  Operation in or near fresh or salt water. o Low false alarm rate while maintaining high probability of detection  System level desired probability of detection of 95%; Minimum of 90%.  False alarms include environmental effects and small animals reported as human activity.  Methods proposed to minimize false alarms.  Desired false alarm rate of 1 per day, threshold of 3 per day. 3.2 Network and Communications Capabilities o If providing information on a system solution, please define communications schema and describe your data compatibility o Low Probability of Intercept (LPI) and Low Probability of Detection (LPD) o If system/sensors are not utilizing LPI/LPD techniques, please describe strategy to prevent detection o Note the forms of communications infrastructure (e.g. cellular, SATCOM) that can support your system/sensor data format o Expected Data Bandwidth o Communication of alarms to exfiltration point robust to single unit failure. o Commercial standards for communications from exfiltration point to users. o FCC approvable frequencies and power levels for use in the United States. o Preplanned growth - e.g. How many nodes can be supported simultaneously. 3.3 Unit Performance 3.3.1 Operation in foliage, rough terrain. o Detection range / Unit spacing greater than 25m for continuous, linear coverage. Detection Definition = Human activity within range of the unit o Target localization and range resolution is not necessary. o Desired probability of detection greater than 95% for a human walker (2-3mph) in the presence of foliage. o Minimum target speed for detection: 0.5 mph (slow walk) o Durability  -40°C to 50°C  Operate in wind, rain, snow or sleet.  Operate with 2-3 feet of snow groundcover.  Operate day and night. o Vulnerability  Camouflage (concealable)  Secure data capabilities  Anti-tamper 3.3.2 Operation in Riverine Areas o Desired detection range 3 km for small vessels. o Probability of detection of vessels greater than 95% for an unmotorized vessel moving at slow speeds. Detection Definition for vessel = vessel activity within range of the unit. o Probability of detection for walkers as above in 3.3.1 o Vessel vector and speed estimate required o Ability to estimate vessel size from radar return o Durability  -25°C to 55°C  Operate in wind, rain, snow or sleet.  Operate day and night.  Operate in or around saltwater. o Vulnerability  Camouflage (concealable)  Secure data capabilities 3.4 Packaging o Small form factor o Installation  Short unit setup time, less than 15 minutes objective. 3.5 Maintenance Please describe all maintenance that will be required for sustained operation over a period of three years. 4. RESPONDING TO THIS RFI Sources able to satisfy the above capabilities are invited to submit information describing their system. Please limit White Paper submissions to a maximum of 8 pages (including a cover sheet) and provide the following information: Cover Page (Page 1) • Contact and company information o Name o Title o Company name o Date of incorporation o Number of years in business o FY08 and FY09 sales o Number of employees o Location o Mailing address o Phone number o Website address o Email address o Note that RFI respondents shall designate a single point of contact for receipt of all information pursuant to this RFI. • Name/type of technology or model • Technology maturity: Existing technology or technology concept • Technology summary: Technical approach, operating principles, summary of overall system past performance, testing conducted to date, and commercial sales (if any) • Brief overview of company history White Papers should be submitted in the following font: Times New Roman, font size 12. Supporting documentation (such as marketing brochures, fliers, published presentations or papers and other materials that summarize the technology and more about your company) is acceptable (maximum 2 pages), and may be referenced by reviewers only in support of claims identified in the White Paper, and only where specifically referenced in the White Paper. The Government makes no guarantee that the supporting documentation will be reviewed and/or considered. Responses to this request for information are to be submitted electronically to Alula Abera, Contract Specialist, Office of Procurement Operations, Science & Technology Division, DHS at alula.abera@associates.hq.dhs.gov. Please include the following title in the subject line of your e-mail: RFI for Foliage Penetrating Sensors for Detecting and Classifying Targets in Forested and Riverine Environments Method of Submission: One electronic submission in machine-readable format (typically PDF, ASCII, MS Word, or WordPerfect format). Submissions must be received no later than 3:00 PM, U.S. Eastern Daylight Time, Friday, August 27, 2010. DHS reserves the right to review late submissions but makes no guarantee to the order of, or possibility for, review of late submissions. Any company proprietary information, performance capabilities and/or future modification plans should be clearly identified and marked. Respondents are solely responsible for any and all expenses incurred pursuant to responding to this RFI. Responses to the RFI will not be returned. Responses to the RFI may be used to develop Government documentation. Unsolicited proposals in response to this RFI will not be considered. 5. GOVERNMENT PLANS This RFI is issued solely for market research, planning and information purposes and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a subsequent solicitation (Broad Agency Announcement, Request for Proposal, etc.). While the Government, after a detailed review and thorough analysis of the RFI submissions, may issue a solicitation for additional characterization of several of these devices, it has not committed itself to doing so. 6. CLASSIFIED SUBMISSION Classified submissions are not being accepted for the RFI. The eventual solicitation, if any/issued, will have provisions to support classified submissions. Please limit your White Paper responses to this RFI to Sensitive Security Information (SSI), company proprietary or unrestricted information, and please mark submissions appropriately. SSI submissions can be submitted as normal by password protecting the document, and then sending the password separately to the contract specialist. The following is an abbreviated description of SSI: "SSI is a control designation used by the Department of Homeland Security, and particularly the Transportation Security Administration. It is applied to information about security programs, vulnerability and threat assessments, screening processes, technical specifications of certain screening equipment and objects used to test screening equipment, and equipment used for communicating security information relating to air, land, or maritime transportation. The applicable information is spelled out in greater detail in 49 CFR 1520.7. When transmitted by e-mail, SSI must be in a password-protected attachment. The password should be transmitted separately of the protected document." 7. REQUESTS FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION Questions and requests for additional information should be sent to Alula Abera, Contract Specialist, Office of Procurement Operations, Science & Technology Division, DHS at alula.abera@associates.hq.dhs.gov.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DHS/OCPO/DHS-OCPO/FoliageRFI/listing.html)
- Record
- SN02229906-W 20100807/100805235117-eeaef8455c4124421ff2beffb2a8cca5 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |