SPECIAL NOTICE
A -- Facility Tour Questions and Answers
- Notice Date
- 9/21/2011
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Directed Energy Directorate, 2251 Maxwell Ave, Kirtland AFB, New Mexico, 87117
- ZIP Code
- 87117
- Solicitation Number
- FA9451-11-R-0267
- Point of Contact
- Fran A. Bannister, Phone: 5058464409, Kay L. Davis, Phone: (505) 846-2240
- E-Mail Address
-
fran.bannister@kirtland.af.mil, kay.davis@kirtland.af.mil
(fran.bannister@kirtland.af.mil, kay.davis@kirtland.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Advanced Laser Technology Research (ALTER) Facility Site Visit The Air Force Research Laboratory Laser Division (AFRL/RDL) conducted a facility site visit for the Advanced Laser Technology Research (ALTER) acquisition. The following visit served as a method of market research for the acquisition as well as allowing large and small businesses to gain a better understanding of the technical laboratories that will be used in performance of ALTER. The visit was held on 31 August 2011 at Kirtland Air Force Base, Air Force Research Laboratory. There were six large businesses and eleven small businesses that attended. Below is a list of the business attendees: ARES Corporation Ball Aerospace Boeing Coherent Applications Comet Solutions, Inc Entereza, Inc Fiore Industries InfoWhere Inc. Lockheed Martin Northrop Grumman SAIC Schafer Corporation Southern Aerospace Company Survice Engineering TechFlow Scientific Timelike Systems LLC Voss Scientific, LLC After the facility visit RDL held a question and answer session. Below are the following answers that were provided from the technical and contracting teams of the Laser Division (RDL), Advanced Electric Lasers Branch (RDLA), High Power Gas Lasers Branch (RDLC), Laser Effects Research Branch (RDLE) and the Directed Energy Contracting Division (RDKL). Q1: For the spinning disk LiF laser, what ions are doped into the LiF host? A: Color centers Q2: What do government personnel do? A: They partner with and oversee contracted support on most aspects of our research, including developing theory and physics-based models of promising phenomena, experiment buildup/execution, data analysis. There are many government-only functions as well including contract management. Q3: In Lab 3 what was the project towards the back of the lab? A: A low-power unstable resonator experiment Q4: In the ultrashort laser lab, are there any current plans to use an adaptive optics system for propagation? A: No Q5: In the fiber testbed, how many ways is the fiber split? A: The seed laser is distributed to 16 fibers for amplification Q6: What is the education level of RDLAS contractors? A: The current education level of RDLAS Contractors range from High School education through PhDs. This should have no bearing on responses to the solicitation. Q7: What does RDLA do with the final OPSLs that we build in-house? A: We send them to industry via a CRADA to be integrated into a final system Q8: Does RDLA do any systems integration? A: No Q9: Does RDLA do QCLs? A: Yes Q10: What are the coating materials RDLA uses? A: Silicon-Oxynitrides Q11: Will training be provided? A: We expect contractors to have the appropriate skills and have any required training available to the general public. We will provide minimal training on processes unique to AFRL. Q12: Do contractors have extra duties? A: Yes, our contractors help the Section accomplish the safety program, toolbox maintenance, equipment accounts, equipment calibration, and facility manager duties. Q: Does RDLA have any grad students that have worked or are working in their Section? A: Yes, 2 post docs. Q13: Will any shaker table test stand established in RDLC Building 767 include environmental thermal variations? A: No. Q14: Does Kirtland AFB base provide any support of facility vacuum pumps or building air handlers for RDLC? A: Kirtland AFB does not support maintenance/repair of facility vacuum pumps. This falls to RDLC, who uses RDLC personnel for this and sub-contractors as needed. As for building air handlers (AC, heat), the base does provide support for this via a contract with CHUGACH. If CHUGACH personnel cannot address issues with air handlers, then they get support from external sub-contractors or authorize RDLC to do so. Q15: What is the M-square (a beam quality value) for the sub-scale laser devices? A: For the COIL systems, this is currently a very bad value (large number), as the sub-scale COIL devices use stable resonators. If and when the scaled COIL device is built, meaningful beam quality values can be obtained with the incorporation of an unstable resonator. As for the flowing DPAL system, since this is an optically pumped system, it has very high small signal gain even at the sub-scale. Beam quality characterization for this system will be made in the near term using an unstable resonator. Q: What is the internal volume of the advanced singlet oxygen generators (SOGs) RDLC has been testing recently? A: Any information regarding the physical dimensions or internal designs of advanced SOGs is currently NOT for public release. There are no plans to seek public release for this type of information in the immediate future. This should have no bearing on responses to the solicitation. Q16: Is there Modeling & Simulation on this contract? A: Yes, but a minor effort. Q17: What is the percentage of use for the facility? A: 100% Q18: Can the contractor use the facility for other research other than for ALTER? A: No Q19: Who is the current contractor? A: LASIR awarded IDIQ Level of Effort, Feb 2088, $49M. Any other questions go to FOIA Office Elizabeth Toth. Q20: Was the dollar amount on the slides presented at the beginning of the visit the budget for ALTER? A: No, it was not. Q21: What is the RDLE field test contractor role for IPG? A: Southside of base, remotely taking test articles, laser, set up and diagnostics Q22: The Government provided insight into the nature of work and broad types of technical activities being performed in three RDL Branches. Many of the technical activities are similar throughout the three branches, yet all the branches indicated the need for highly skilled technician or engineering level expertise based on the individual branch's charter and goals. For the foreseeable future for which RDL has funding for, or expects to be funded, what are the specific technical challenges that the three branches are addressing that the Government requires specialize services under this pending procurement? A: This will become apparent in the SOW, the government will require specialized support in all three branches to address specific challenges associated with their work. Q23: The Government indicated that RDLA requires contractor expertise for the continued operation of one-of-a-kind laboratory and experimental instruments. How many one-of-a-kind instruments throughout RDL is there that require support, what is the nature of their operation, and what technical services are sought? A: The pending statement of work will list any one-of-a-kind or specialized instruments that the government will factor into their evaluation. The contractor may be asked to install, operate, trouble- shoot or maintain these instruments. Q24: During the tour, the Government indicated modeling support under this procurement will primarily be limited to beam train design and simple engineering activities. Will there be a requirement for physics-based modeling of laser systems or laser-target effects? If so, how much of these kinds of activities are expected? A: There is always modeling associated with any research, and depending on the nature of that research, the modeling may be heavily into what is termed as "physics based modeling". Q25: What technologies or programs is RDL working on that would or potential could cause a conflict of interest for the winning contractor to support this program? A: None that we know of; however, if one arises, the government will need to manage it. Q26: During the tour, the Government presented a femtosecond pulsed research laboratory investigating propagation and effects. Several of the participants working on the project were introduced, but they all appear to be either Government employees or visiting facility or post-doctoral researchers. What support is this research group anticipating from pending procurement? A: There is contractor support for the Ultra Short Laser effort. The Contractors simply were not present. Support will need to be added as necessary as the program grows.
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