SOURCES SOUGHT
10 -- RFI for Tactical Assured Global Positioning System (GPS) Regional (TAGR)
- Notice Date
- 9/4/2012
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 334220
— Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing
- Contracting Office
- ACC-APG - Aberdeen Division B, HQ CECOM CONTRACTING CENTER, 6001 COMBAT DRIVE, ABERDEEN PROVING GROU, MD 21005-1846
- ZIP Code
- 21005-1846
- Solicitation Number
- PDGPSPNT2012
- Response Due
- 9/18/2012
- Archive Date
- 11/17/2012
- Point of Contact
- Laura Crescenzo, 443-861-4723
- E-Mail Address
-
ACC-APG - Aberdeen Division B
(laura.m.crescenzo.civ@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This is a request for information (RFI), not a request for proposal (RFP). The US Army Product Director (PD), Positioning, Navigation and Timing (PNT) is seeking information on the ability of industry to provide technologies that will help to ensure US Army access to Assured PNT. The Tactical Assured Global Positioning System (GPS) Regional (TAGR) program is currently in the Material Solutions Analysis (MSA) Phase of the acquisition process. The Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC) is conducting an Analysis of Alternatives (AoA). Five technology areas are being examined to evaluate their ability to cost-effectively fill existing PNT gaps. This RFI is being released to survey the market for companies possessing the capability, interest, and security requirements to design and produce navigation augmentation devices and systems that support the five technology areas that are being considered. This RFI identifies multiple technological capabilities and interested parties are invited to respond to any or all of the PNT technologies described below. The Analysis of Alternatives is scheduled to be completed in November 2012, and will help inform Army deliberations on whether to proceed with a program. No decision on whether to release an RFP will be made until after the completion of the AoA. The technologies being considered under the Analysis of Alternatives are: 1) Pseudolites. This alternative examines the utility of deploying GPS-like transmitters terrestrially. Each pseudolite would output a signal that could be received and utilized by military GPS receivers, both Selective Availability and Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) and Military (M) Code based. GPS satellite signals are vulnerable to jamming because the satellites are very far from the users, so the signal power that reaches the user is very low. Since pseudolite transmitters are much closer to users, their signals are much harder to jam. The signals can also penetrate most buildings. Software changes are required to the GPS receivers. With line of sight (LOS) to one pseudolite, accurate time can be provided to a receiver to aid acquisition and an additional accurate range can be provided to users in physically occluded environments. With LOS to four or more pseudolites, a complete navigation solution can be supported in a jammed environment. The operational concept envisions that Pseudolites would be deployed on a mix of platforms including ground-fixed sites, ground vehicles, Unmanned Aerial Systems, and dirigibles. 2) Radio Frequency Based Systems. This alternative seeks to leverage the considerable benefits that can be gained from integrating a GPS receiver with a Radio Frequency based device, such as a Cellular Phone, Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS), Joint Battle Command-Platform (JBC-P) or the Iridium satellite network. Radio Frequency based systems can provide time, ranging data and GPS data to the user, which can help as follows: Time Aiding can provide accurate time to a user that requires it. In addition, it can help a GPS receiver in multiple ways: enabling it to directly acquire the encrypted (Y or M) GPS signal; providing one of the critical inputs needed to perform extended integration of the GPS signal, which can provide a substantial processing gain to enable tracking in jammed and indoors environments; and serving as a direct input to the navigation filter when there are less than 4 satellites available. Ranging data is a distance measurement to another radio that knows where it is. This serves very much like the ranging data that the receiver normally gets from GPS. In cases where the receiver does not have a complete (or any) GPS solution, ranging data can augment the available data to help provide a complete solution to the user. Modern digital radio communications require synchronization, meaning "same time" to operate. Therefore the systems operate on a common time scale from GPS, entering an established network quickly, especially for an encrypted radio link. Ranging is when the originating radio sends out a message, whether it's a special ranging message or a normal data header, the "target radio" returns the message and the originating radio can determine the round trip time of flight and therefore the line-of-sight distance. The operational concept envisions that most platforms and individuals will have communication devices in the future, whether they are military radios such as the JTRS, or modified commercial off-the-shelf hardware like the JBC-P. Integrating these radios with the GPS radio requires only software changes to the radio and the GPS receiver. 3) Military GPS User Equipment (MGUE). This alternative is a Military code (M-code) capable GPS receiver under consideration for development. The current MGUE program envisions development of three MGUE form factors: Ground Embedded GPS Receiver Application Modules - M - Code (GB-GRAM-M) for ground applications. GRAM - Standard Electronics Module (GRAM -S/M) for airborne and maritime applications. Common GPS Module (CGM) for hand Held and other applications. MGUE is designed to provide a higher degree of integrity than SAASM chips. As a corollary, MGUE will be less susceptible to multi-path. MGUE will also be able to utilize the higher power signal available from Block III-A GPS satellites, and will have stronger encryption. The operational concept for MGUE envisions it as a direct replacement for the SAASM and commercial GPS receivers currently being used in the Army. 4) Multi-Sensor PNT Device (MSPD). This alternative will examine the integration of several navigation sensors into a single package. Research and development efforts have shown that sensors such as inertial navigation systems (INS), atomic clocks, dead reckoning devices, magnetic compasses and baro-altimeter can assist a user in maintaining some degree of PNT accuracy in between GPS fixes. These sensors can also assist in initial acquisition of GPS and in maintaining track on GPS satellites. Up until now, the cost, size, weight and power of these sensors have made it impossible to provide a sensor suite that could reasonably be deployed across the Army. Efforts spearheaded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency on Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and Chip Scale Atomic Clocks (CSAC) have advanced technology to the point that it is plausible that a small, lightweight and affordable MSPD. An MSPD would assist users to maintain fairly accurate PNT in physically and electronically challenged environments. The operational concept envisions that an MSPD would be provided to personnel and platforms that require the greatest degree of PNT accuracy and availability. This will include squad leaders of combat arms units, forward observers, Special Forces A Team Leaders, EOD teams, unmanned ground, and aerial mobile sensors, and combat vehicles. Operationally, these would be employed like current handheld and embedded equipment used today, and the enhanced functionality would be transparent to the user. It is possible that two versions of MSPD would be deployed: a full system for vehicles and a smaller system for dis-mounted soldiers. 5) Anti-Jam Antenna. This alternative is designed to examine the benefit of integrating Controlled Reception Pattern Antennas (CRPA) on various Army platforms. In previous years, these antennas were very large and expensive, precluding their wide-scale deployment in the Army. More recently, efforts to reduce the size of these antennas, including the Air Force led Small Antenna System program, have reduced the size and cost to the point where it is reasonable to assess the benefit of deploying these antennas on critical Army platforms. Anti-jam antennas utilize Space Time Adaptive Processing and/or Space Frequency Adaptive Processing to excise jamming power while also improving gain to the GPS satellites. The Anti-Jam antenna will be capable of canceling signals from spatially distributed sources of interference within the GPS receiver's bandwidth centered on both L1 and L2 broadcast frequencies. The operational concept would be to deploy anti-jam antennas on all manned and unmanned airborne platforms and critical Ground Combat Vehicles (e.g. precision fires platforms and company commander's vehicles). This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be considered as an Invitation to Bid, Request for Quotation, or Request for Proposal. Additionally there is no obligation on the part of the government to acquire any products described in this RFI. Your response to this RFI will be treated only as information for the Government to consider. You will not be entitled to payment for direct or indirect costs that you incur in responding to this RFI. This request does not constitute a solicitation for proposals or the authority to enter into negotiations to award a contract. No funds have been authorized, appropriated, or received for this effort. The information provided may be used by the Army in developing its acquisition strategy. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary, restricted, competition sensitive or classified information contained in their response. The Government does not intend to pay for the information submitted in response to this RFI. Requested Information is as follows: Unclassified Responses: Vendors are invited to respond to any or all the above described technologies. Vendors are requested to limit responses to 10 pages per technology and should include: 1) Description of past performance regarding manufacture of the specific technology 2) Approach for providing each technology 3) Name, telephone number, fax number, street address and email address for Program, Technical and Cost POC information Please send unclassified responses to Laura Crescenzo at laura.m.crescenzo.civ@mail.mil Classified Responses: Vendors are invited to respond to any or all the above described technologies. Vendors are requested to limit responses to 10 pages per technology and should include: 1) Description of past performance regarding manufacture of the specific technology 2) Approach for providing each technology 3) Name, telephone number, fax number, street address and email address for Program, Technical and Cost POC information Interested firms who believe they are capable of providing the above mentioned items and that meet SECRET clearance requirements are invited to indicate their interest by providing any classified responses in the following form; double wrapped envelope, the inner envelope should read ATTN: to the Mr. Lonzia Hawkins with the classified markings. The outer envelope should not have any classified markings and should be addressed to the directorate address at: PM NCSP, Security/Security Manager, Building 6006, Combat Drive, APG, MD 21005. All assumptions, including any assumed government support, shall be clearly identified. All proprietary and restricted information shall be clearly marked. The Government will not reimburse contractors or responders to this notice for any costs incurred in responding, or any subsequent exchange of information. Contracting Office Address: Army Contracting Command, Aberdeen Proving Grounds (ACC-APG), 6001 Combat Drive RM C2-101A, APG, MD 21005-1846 Point of Contact: Laura Crescenzo laura.m.crescenzo.civ@mail.mil
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/7d6738d0c1cf55b18d32b11a3a96adbe)
- Place of Performance
- Address: ACC-APG - Aberdeen Division B HQ CECOM CONTRACTING CENTER, 6001 COMBAT DRIVE ABERDEEN PROVING GROU MD
- Zip Code: 21005-1846
- Zip Code: 21005-1846
- Record
- SN02867504-W 20120906/120905001523-7d6738d0c1cf55b18d32b11a3a96adbe (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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