SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- Feasibility and Utility Studies for Use of Multiple-Mode Cargo Tracking Tags
- Notice Date
- 3/29/2017
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 517919
— All Other Telecommunications
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, United States Transportation Command, USTRANSCOM Command Acquisition, 508 Scott Drive, Bldg 1900, Scott AFB, Illinois, 62225, United States
- ZIP Code
- 62225
- Solicitation Number
- USTCT2201703
- Archive Date
- 6/5/2017
- Point of Contact
- Mark Surina,
- E-Mail Address
-
transcom.scott.tcj5j4.mbx.orta@mail.mil
(transcom.scott.tcj5j4.mbx.orta@mail.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is seeking United States-incorporated/based non-federal partners ("Collaborators") in industry and/or academia to consider for entry into Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), as described in 15 USC 3710a, with the government to produce collaborative studies illustrating potential future capabilities for USTRANSCOM. These studies will examine the availability, technical maturity, techniques for use, and life-cycle affordability of "hybrid tags" for global cargo tracking utilizing multiple modes of communication (with priority interest on cellular, plus passive and/or active RFID capabilities) in a single unit. This is not a solicitation for a procurement contract, nor should this announcement be construed as implying any future solicitation by USTRANSCOM or any other government agency in this area. Interested parties may respond with white papers by 2 June 2017 (12:00 midnight, U.S. Central time) by unclassified e-mail to transcom.scott.tcj5j4.mbx.orta@mail.mil by submitting an UNCLASSIFIED written white paper in format described below. Hardcopy submittal is not allowed. Potential topics for collaboration follow. Terms of the actual exploration, resource commitments, schedules, deliverables, and work to be done by both parties will be determined by discussions after initial whitepaper selection. You may consider fielded/mature capabilities, and/or tagging systems still needing development/maturation. A. Usability. Feasibility of a single user operation resulting in multiple-mode commissioning (assignment of identifiers and associated cargo item) for cellular, RFID or other modes; training requirements for system use; methods of system health monitoring. B. Flexibility. "Hybrid" tags should be used across multiple transportation modes without equipment swapping: a technical solution to permit hybrid tags to be used on cargo items loaded on aircraft and vessels during an origin-to-destination movement. C. Affordability. The costs in use over the life-cycle to determine economic feasibility. D. Data Integration. Methods/formats/procedures of uploading tracking information to USTRANSCOM, other government, and commercial carrier tracking systems. E. Infrastructure Requirements. Dependence on pre-installed specialized portals, antennas, or other hardware; potential to operate globally, from supply chain end-to-end, without infrastructure. F. Architecture Compatibility. Compatibility with current baseline system architecture standards in the DoD and other domains, and extensibility/adaptability to future architectures. G. Risks, Limitations, and Challenges. Maturity and reliability, repairability and maintenance requirements, constraints of use (battery life, communications range, operational security, extensive metal surroundings, weather, etc.). H. Ownership and Use Cases. Understand costs and benefits of hybrid tags as unit-owned equipment (similar to the current active RFID tag approach), or employed by commercial carriers as an accessorial service, or a combined approach. I. Other topics as determined by discussion. Work may be paper studies, or field trials/tests or demonstrations, as necessary to develop the concept for use by USTRANSCOM and as agreed to by the Parties. USTRANSCOM may provide (as determined by discussions): 1. Access to baseline architecture integration requirements 2. Access to government subject matter experts 3. Performance, cost and security goals 4. Access to facilities if live demonstration and development is to take place Small Businesses are encouraged to respond to this announcement. Potential Collaborators may team with other qualified non-federal parties. Specific study outputs, use of field trials and tests, and any development and demonstration goals will be determined during discussions with Collaborators prior to CRADA signatures, and refined as necessary during the life of the CRADAs. Multiple federal agencies may participate on behalf of or in partnership with USTRANSCOM, including but not limited to agencies of Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC, U.S. Army), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), other Federal Laboratories, and other agencies of the U.S. Government, as USTRANSCOM deems appropriate. Supporting information, discussions, demonstrations, and other collaborative activities should remain at the UNCLASSIFIED level. If classified information exchange is proposed by the Collaborator, Collaborator personnel must be appropriately cleared at the outset of the CRADA, at no cost to the government. CRADAs are defined in 15 USC 3710a(d), in part, as "any agreement between one or more federal laboratories and one or more non-federal parties under which the Government, through its laboratories, provides personnel, services, facilities, equipment, intellectual property or other resources with or without reimbursement (but not funds to non-Federal parties) and the non-Federal parties provide funds, personnel, services, facilities, equipment, intellectual property, or other resources with the missions of the laboratory; except that such term does not include a procurement contract..." More info on USTRANSCOM's uses of CRADAs is found at http://www.ustranscom.mil/dbw/orta.cfm CRADAs resulting from this announcement are forecast to be in effect for approximately a 1 year period, although duration can be tailored to suit the parties' needs before or even after work begins, by mutual agreement. USTRANSCOM and other designated government agencies selected by USTRANSCOM will evaluate potential Collaborators white papers (submittal instructions follow). Based on response to the Request for Information (RFI) requested response elements and Government interest and capacity to enter into such agreements, USTRANSCOM will choose one, multiple, or zero white papers as basis for additional discussion and so notify the respondents. Initial selection of white papers and subsequent discussions do no guarantee selection of any Collaborator by USTRANSCOM to actually enter into a CRADA. After initial white paper selection, the government will conduct discussions separately with each selected Collaborator, seeking to reach mutual agreement on objectives, duration, intellectual property, and resources to be applied by the parties in the proposed CRADA-based experiments. The government may choose to visit pertinent facilities for a tour of Collaborator capabilities prior to final selections. No funding is available from the government to cover white paper preparation or submittal costs, or to cover discussions, facility visits or any other Collaborator costs of preparation for or participation in a CRADA. The USTRANSCOM template CRADA is available at the USTRANSCOM Technology Transfer webpage HTTP://www.ustranscom.mil/dbw/orta.cfm so potential Collaborators may understand its terms. The Collaborator(s) and USTRANSCOM will draft and seek to finalize specific CRADA objectives and language collaboratively via discussions/mutual agreements after white paper selection. Please use the following format: - Microsoft Word or.pdf format of not more than 10 pages in length, on standard 81/2 by 11 inch page, with 1 inch margins at top, bottom, left and right, in Times New Roman font of not less than 12 point size, with not more than six lines per inch. - Pages numbered sequentially in the bottom footer including company name and identification of proprietary information as appropriate on each page. - Clearly marked/identified proprietary information, photos, or diagrams. Proprietary information or trade secrets do not have to be disclosed in this response, if the general techniques can be otherwise described - Include the following elements (within the 10 page limit): --Title (no separate title page needed). -- Company name and U.S. state of incorporation, and incorporation of any parent entity. Companies with foreign ownership or parentage must identify the nation of incorporation of the non-U.S. entity. -- Description of approach to collaboration on your selection of topics A. through I. above; additional topics recommended for collaborative study; brief description of what information or resources your company is willing to provide to USTRANSCOM for each topic -- Experiences in developing, delivering and supporting multiple-mode tracking capabilities; prior success stories and customer identification. -- Resources to be supplied by the Collaborator during the CRADA (examples: equipment and prototypes; access to facilities, personnel expertise, information systems, proprietary techniques, hardware, software, materials, etc.) -- Resources requested from USTRANSCOM (examples: personnel skillsets, data access to selected environments, access to facilities including test/demo facilities, etc.; no DoD-provided funding is permitted. -- Identify all proprietary information with appropriate markings or citations -- Include points of contact (name, point of contact, address, e-mail, and phone) for notification of selection/non-selection and follow-on discussions/visits (if chosen) USTRANSCOM and other government entities participating in white paper review and actual collaborative work under CRADAs may include in-house support contractors and members of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Non-disclosure agreements will be signed as required by the Parties to incorporate these participants. The USTRANSCOM Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) technical adviser (coordinator of USTRANSCOM Technology Transfer activities) is a member of the MITRE National Security Engineering Center, an FFRDC. Proposals not selected for further discussion will be archived by the government and appropriately protected. Primary Point of Contact: Mr. Mark Surina, MITRE Corporation, USTRANSCOM Office of Research and Technology Applications, USTRANSCOM TCJ5/J4-GC (ORTA), 508 Scott Drive, Scott AFB IL 62225-5357, e-mail: transcom.scott.tcj5j4.mbx.orta@mail.mil
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