SPECIAL NOTICE
A -- Request for Information (RFI) For Network Management Systems and Technologies for Aerial Layer High Capacity Backbone
- Notice Date
- 7/6/2018
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541715
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL/RIK - Rome, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, New York, 13441-4514, United States
- ZIP Code
- 13441-4514
- Solicitation Number
- RFI-RIK-18-05
- Point of Contact
- Robert L. Riley, Phone: 3153304326, Gregory Hadynski, Phone: 315-330-4904
- E-Mail Address
-
robert.riley.12@us.af.mil, gregory.hadynski@us.af.mil
(robert.riley.12@us.af.mil, gregory.hadynski@us.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- Solicitation Number: RFI-RIK-18-05 Notice Type : Special Notice Synopsis : Request for Information (RFI) For Network Management Systems and Technologies for Aerial Layer High Capacity Backbone FEDERAL AGENCY NAME : Department of Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514 1.0 GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1 THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue a RFP in the future. This request for information does not commit the Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. Further, the Air Force is not at this time seeking proposals and will not accept unsolicited proposals. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. All costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely at the interested party's expense. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website. It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. 1.2 FEEDBACK. Submission of an abstract is voluntary. Respondents are advised that AFRL is under no obligation to provide feedback with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. 1.3 REGULATORY GUIDANCE. This publication constitutes a Request for Information (RFI) as defined in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.201(e), "RFIs may be used when the Government does not presently intend to award a contract, but wants to obtain price, delivery, other market information, or capabilities for planning purposes. Responses to these notices are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract." 2.0 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) The Air Force Research Laboratory, Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) is seeking information to better understand existing vendor offerings and the technical concepts, approaches, and merits of the ideas of work pertaining to network management systems and technologies designed for planning, analysis, monitoring and management of airborne high capacity backbone connectivity. Further, it seeks to obtain information about pricing, delivery, and other market information or capabilities. 2.1 TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The Air Force is investigating network management systems and related technologies that can provide the critical functions of planning, analysis, monitoring and management for future High Capacity Backbone (HCB) systems designed for operation in the aerial layer. Such future HCB systems include wideband tactical data links (TDLs) and networks, dedicated and tertiary airborne gateways, and deployable ground entry point (DGEP) systems. As such, the RFI is requesting information to better understand existing vendor offerings and the landscape of research and development (R&D) of network management systems designed to perform critical monitoring and management functions for the Air Force HCB systems. 2.2 TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS Technical capabilities that will be considered when evaluating the merit of network management systems and technologies for the aerial layer HCBs include, but are not limited to: • Multi-modal network monitoring and management (TDL/Voice/IP) • Network provisioning (e.g. define and adjust priority and precedence attributes for specific information types or nodes) and configuration management over the air • RF coverage analysis for spectrum management and situational awareness • Network-centric mission planning for dedicated airborne HCB systems • Mission-centric network planning (e.g. Network Service Level Agreements with operational units, satisfaction of Information Exchange Requirements, satisfaction of Commander's Intent, allocation and reallocation of Joint resources to support dynamic operations) • Remote monitoring (e.g. network participation, network resource status/utilization, configuration) and management to support dynamic network control • Anomaly detection and automated resolution using streamlined techniques (i.e. low overhead) • Mission-aware (e.g. Air Tasking Order or ATO) processing to manage HCB asset provisioning/positioning • Predictive analytics to assess and mitigate risks to desired network performance (e.g. conduct "what if" scenario analysis to optimize network performance in network/communications planning, analyze routing paths and assess ramifications of re-routing traffic) • End-to-end network health metrics to maintain knowledge of real-time state of network health (e.g. traffic flow monitoring) • Cyber-resilient architecture/design considerations for optimized network assurance (e.g. perimeter protection) • Implementations reflective of design using open standards and interfaces For each proposed vendor offering/technology, the respondent should indicate its current Technology Readiness Level (TRL). For the to-be-designed technologies, the respondent should provide the timeframe and rough cost estimate (non-binding) needed to reach TRL-6 with an implementation on hardware. 3.0 REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ABSTRACTS 3.1 CONTENT All abstracts shall state that they are submitted in response to this announcement. RFI responses shall include the company name, address and the title, telephone number, mail and e-mail addresses of the point of contact having the authority and knowledge to discuss the RFI submission. The Government is assessing the current state-of-the-art and next-generation network management systems and technologies for Air Force HCB systems. The RFI responses should describe the product solution proposed, addressed coverage of the requirements stated in this RFI by the proposed solution, explain the potential advantage to the Air Force, and provide a rough order of magnitude for the cost of the proposed solution. 3.2 FORMAT The abstracts will be formatted as follows: Section A : A cover page identifying the company or organization, street address, and the names, emails and telephone numbers of the point of contact (POC). In the case of partnerships, please provide the appropriate information for the lead POC. Also provide a short summary statement of the company's or party's experience/capabilities and a short summary of the organization's experience in the areas described above. This section is not included in the page count. Section B : Technical Summary. The Government is assessing the current state-of-the-art and next-generation network management systems and technologies for Air Force HCB systems. The RFI responses should describe the product solution proposed, address coverage of the requirements stated in this RFI by the proposed solution, explain the potential advantage to the Air Force, and provide a rough order of magnitude for the cost of the proposed solution. The abstracts shall be limited to 8 pages. All abstracts shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12pt font. All responses to this announcement must be addressed to the Government technical point of contact (TPOC), as discussed in Section 8.0 of this announcement. Respondents are required to submit at least one electronic copy to the TPOC in Microsoft Office Word. AFRL/RI is not responsible for undelivered emails. Please confirm receipt of all submissions with the TPOC. 3.3 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. Please be advised that the submitted documentation becomes the property of the U.S. Government and will not be returned. No solicitation documents exist at this time. This is NOT an Invitation for Bid (IFB) or a Request for Proposal (RFP). The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this request. This is a request for information announcement for planning purposes only. The Government will not reimburse costs associated with the documentation submitted under this request. Responders are solely responsible for all expenses associated with responding to this inquiry. Although proposal terminology may be used in this inquiry, your response will be treated as information only and will not be used as a proposal. This announcement is not to be construed as a formal solicitation. It does not commit the Government to reply to information received, or to later publish a solicitation, or to award a contract based on this information. 3.4 PROPRIETARY INFORMATION. This notice is part of Government market research. Information received as a result of this request will be considered as sensitive and will be protected as such. Any company or industry proprietary information contained in responses should be clearly marked as such, by paragraph, such that publicly releasable and proprietary information are clearly distinguished. Any proprietary information received in response to this request will be properly protected from unauthorized disclosure. The Government will not use proprietary information submitted from any one source to establish the capability and requirements for any future acquisition, so as to inadvertently restrict competition. 4.0 INDUSTRY DISCUSSIONS. AFRL/RI representatives may or may not choose to meet with potential offerors. Such discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements. 5.0 SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS. Multiple abstracts within the purview of this RFI announcement may be submitted by each responder. 6.0 SUBMISSION. RFI abstract due date is Aug 6, 2018. 7.0 CLASSIFIED SUBMISSIONS. AFRL/RI will accept classified responses to this RFI when the classification is mandated by classification guidance provided by an Original Classification Authority of the U.S. Government, or when the offeror believes the work, if successful, would merit classification. 7.1 DD FORM 254. Security classification guidance in the form of a DD Form 254 (DoD Contract Security Classification Specification) will not be provided at this time. Offerors that intend to include classified information or data in their white paper submission or who are unsure about the appropriate classification of their white papers should contact the TPOC listed in Section 8.0 for guidance and direction in advance of preparation. 7.2 SHIPPING OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL. All classified responses to this announcement must be sent U.S. Postal Service, registered mail and addressed to AFRL/RITF, 525 Brooks Road, Rome NY 13441-4505, and reference RFI-AFRL-RIK-18-05. Use classification and marking guidance provided by previously issued security classification guides, the Information Security Regulation (DoD 5200.1-R), and the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (DoD 5220.22-M) when marking and transmitting information previously classified by another original classification authority. Classified information at the Confidential and Secret level may be mailed via U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Registered Mail. For proposals of higher classification levels or for alternate submission mechanisms please contact the TPOC listed in Section 8.0. When mailing, ensure the response is appropriately marked, sealed, and mailed in accordance with the classified material handling procedures. The classified mailing address is: AFRL/RITF 525 Brooks Road Rome NY 13441-4505 Reference RFI-RIK-18-05 8.0 AGENCY CONTACTS. Verification of government receipt or questions of a technical nature can be directed to the cognizant TPOCs: Primary TPOC Secondary TPOC Robert Riley Gregory Hadynski Telephone: 315-330-4326 Telephone: 315-330-4904 Email: robert.riley.12@us.af.mil Email: gregory.hadynski@us.af.mil Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant Contracting Officer, as specified below: Gail Marsh Telephone: (315) 330-7518 Email: gail.marsh@us.af.mil
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- Source
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