SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) AND NOT A SOLICITATION.
- Notice Date
- 4/15/2014
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541711
— Research and Development in Biotechnology
- 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
- W15P7T14RA255
- Response Due
- 5/15/2014
- Archive Date
- 6/14/2014
- Point of Contact
- Melissa Bettinger, 443 861 4616
- E-Mail Address
-
ACC-APG - Aberdeen Division B
(melissa.a.bettinger.civ@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The US Army Communications Electronics Research & Development Engineering Center (CERDEC) Space & Terrestrial Communications Directorate (S&TCD) is interested in receiving information from companies that have experience in the design, development, and implementation of Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN). CERDEC S&TCD will initiate a technology development program quote mark Intra-Soldier Wireless quote mark ISW. The ISW program will focus on adapting the Ultra-WideBand (UWB) commercial wireless technology to meeting current Army requirements to wirelessly link ancillary devices worn or used within a dismounted soldier. In its final form ISW will provide an embeddable miniaturized Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) secure tactical WPAN for the dismounted soldier. This will allow for the wireless communication and data transfer of the various devices and peripheral equipment on the soldier. An example is to wirelessly link the weapons sight to the head mounted display. Metrics for success include; unburdening the solider, increasing freedom of maneuver, improving solider situational awareness, and increasing soldier mobility. For the purposes of this RFI, ISW program development will be a teaming effort involving CERDEC S&TCD and industry. The development effort will include, but not be limited to, the follow activities: 1. Utilize Ultra-WideBand (UWB) technology as the wireless medium for the ISW solution. 2. Defining the technology interfaces and embedment approaches for currently fielded Soldier's equipment and to plan future systems (both commercial and military unique). 3. Defining the system architecture for point to point, point to multi-point and developing the mechanisms and approaches for pairing/unpairing, etc. 4. Define a security approach to achieve NSA certification for Secret and Below. 5. Adapting and hardening the selected WPAN technology to make it suitable for the stringent demands of the Army operating environment (LPI/LPD/AJ, etc) 6. Minimizing power consumption and developing power charging architecture. 7. Miniaturizing the ISW solution into an ASIC form factor. 8. Assuring this technology is within physical safety exposure limits for exposure durations exceeding 24 hours continuous operation. BACKGROUND The US Army is focused on unburdening the dismounted Soldier performing Small Unit Operations the ability to better access and share situational awareness and Information Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) information to reduce operational surprise. To realize this vision it is key that the Soldier is able to wirelessly network individual feeds supplying voice and data communications, sensor data, and unmanned vehicle imagery and controls. These solutions will be required to operate while mounted or dismounted and function across a broad spectrum of Army operations. To enable the Army's vision, CERDEC S&TCD is looking to develop a Government owned WPAN solution capable of wirelessly connecting various Soldier-borne components. This WPAN will enable secure seamless connectivity between sub-system components such as; the End User Device, Helmet Mounted Display (HMD), Radio, Headset, Mouse, Radio Push-To-Talk (PTT) switch, various body worn bio-sensors, etc. across the soldier's body. The overall vision is to develop this technology to the point that other US Army and DoD programs and systems could leverage it to wirelessly connect components using a variety of industry standard interfaces. SCOPE The objective of this RFI is to solicit information regarding implementation of Ultra-WideBand commercial technologies that would serve US ARMY goals for Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN). CERDEC S&TCD will be evaluating the received responses to help shape requirements and acquisition strategy of the ISW developmental effort. DATA SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS CERDEC STCD request industry provides the following, but not limited to: General * Statement of interest. * Description of qualification: demonstrated products, projects, and applicable experience. State whether your current experience is in design, development or both. * Description of existing or planned work in this area. Include strategies for embedding end-products into both commercial and GOTs Soldier devices. Provide information on partnerships agreements planned or existing. Technology Interfaces * Recommendations and/or feedback on interfaces, suggested protocols, and standards to suit the Army's current and future fielded systems. * Recommendations on point-to-point vs point to multi-point architectures. * Control interface. * Preference to utilize open architecture Power Consumption * Information/recommendations on power interfaces and battery sources. Include considerations related to on-body charging and potential for energy harvesting. * Strategy to reduce and optimize power consumption to achieve long battery life while reducing weight. Security/Certification * NSA Certification/Accreditation * Information on security implementation approach, reference any related experience. For any clarifications or questions regarding RFI, please contact Mr. Patrick Charles (Contact Information can be found below). The information received will not obligate the Government in any manner nor will the Government reimburse contractors for any costs associated with submittal of the requested information. This request does not constitute an Invitation For Bid or a Request For Proposal Responses to this RFI/SS. Responses are due no later than 15 May 2014 by noon Eastern Standard Time (EST). Respondents should identify their company's name, address, telephone number, point of contact, and whether they are a large or small business. Proprietary information should be clearly marked. All submissions shall be sent via e-mail. The electronic format may be in Adobe Acrobat Portable Document Format (PDF) or compatible with Microsoft Office suite of software. The response shall not exceed 15 pages. Responses shall be delivered in electronic format to the following addresses: Patrick Charles 443-395-7811 Patrick.n.charles.civ@mail.mil Melissa Bettinger Contract Specialist 443-861-4616 Melissa.a.bettinger.civ@mail.mi.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/notices/e7c1a7998322e14a768301d23f45daa4)
- 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
- SN03339129-W 20140417/140415234931-e7c1a7998322e14a768301d23f45daa4 (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 |