DISA takes early step toward finding secure mobile contractor
MICHAEL HARDY
Nov. 3, 2014
The Defense Information Systems Agency is looking to support up to 2,000 smartphones involved in classified information, according to a sources-sought notice. The document is a preliminary step toward finding a contractor that can engineer, acquire and integrate Secure Mobile Device Gateways equipment.
According to the notice, part of the eventual contractor’s work will be to manage the transition from legacy devices to DoD Mobile Classified Capability devices.
Also according to the notice, only one vendor, Apriva, currently has a virtual private network design that the National Security Agency has approved for classified system use.
The notice is not a request for proposals, but if DISA pursues a contract, the anticipated start date is Feb 1, 2015.
ARMY TO MANPACK TACTICAL RADIO VENDORS:GO ON A DIET
A Soldier from 2nd Brigade, 1st Armored Division, uses a Joint Tactical Radio System's Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit, known as JTRS HMS, at the Army's Network Integration Evaluation, or NIE 13.1, on Nov. 9, 2012. // US Army
The Army abruptly decided last month to shrink the weight requirements and boost the transmission range of up to 60,000 tactical manpack radios it plans to buy, following sharp criticism this summer by the service’s Maneuver Center of Excellence.
The Army has already awarded low-rate production contracts to General Dynamics and Rockwell Collins for just over 5,000 manpack radios.
In a June memo, Maj. Gen. H.R. McMaster, commander of the Army Maneuver Center of Excellence, which oversees equipment requirements, blasted the radios for weighing twice as much as current Single Channel Ground and Airborne Radio System backpacks -- or, SINCGARS -- and for having a shortened range of 3 kilometers, compared to 7 for SINCGARS.
Battery life is a problem, too.
The current manpack, according to the memo, requires two batteries for six hours of operation. SINCGARS batteries, on the other hand, lasts 33 hours.
Users also raised questions about radios overheating and putting soldiers at risk of injury, National Defense magazine reported this June.
"The Maneuver Center of Excellence considers the dismounted … manpack radio unsuitable for fielding to brigade combat teams," McMaster wrote. "A radio that is heavier and provides less range while creating a higher logistics demand does not make our units more operationally capable. Additionally, any radio that places our soldiers at risk of being burned is unacceptable”
Last Thursday, the Army Contracting Command – which manages tactical radio buys – submitted a request to industry to shrink the weight and boost the transmission power of the manpack as part of an upcoming procurement.
The Army said it wants potential bidders to develop manpacks that have a threshold weight of 12 pounds and an objective weight of 8 pounds. This new weight threshold includes the radio, batteries and accessories such as handsets and antennas.
The new radio should have an objective 10-kilometer range in both SINCGARS mode and the software-defined radio channel mode. Battery life should peak at 24 hours and should be capable of recharging from AC and DC power sources.
Responses to the RFI are due this Friday, Nov. 7.
Bernie Skoch, a technology consultant and a retired Air Force brigadier general, called the Army’s new manpack requirements “state-of-the-shelf" technology.
“Design battery life since the last tranche of SINCGARS radios has improved enormously, owing mainly to improvements in battery chemistries,” he told Nextgov. “Lithium ion batteries are lighter and fit more energy into their forms, so weight and battery life should be doable too.”
He added: “The unobstructed radio line-of-sight range is not a challenge. At VHF/UHF frequencies, if line-of-sight connection between the connecting stations is truly ‘unobstructed,’ the difference between 3 kilometers and 10 kilometers is irrelevant.”
The Army plans to spend a total of $2.7 billion to acquire the manpack radios, along with vehicle and handheld radios.
“Commercial products (with far more limited capabilities) are available in the $2,000 range,” Skoch said. “With the needed waveforms, I would think a $7,000 unit price for radios alone (not including mounting kits or power amplifiers) is doable if the quantities are there."
INTRODUCTION:
This is a SOURCES SOUGHT TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION to determine the availability and technical capability of large and small businesses (including the following subsets, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, HUBZone Firms; Certified 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Woman Owned Small Business) to provide the required products and/or services.
DISA is seeking information for potential sources to ensure continuous services are provided to operate and maintain current mobile gateways supporting classified requirements at two Contiguous United States (CONUS) locations and potentially up to two locations outside Contiguous United States (OCONUS) and two CONUS locations. The contractor will be required to provide services to engineer, acquire, and integrate the SMDG equipment at these OCONUS and CONUS locations when directed. The delivery of future OCONUS and additional CONUS nodes must have a transition plan to maintain current capability while expanding or upgrading globally.
DISCLAIMER:
THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.
CONTRACT/PROGRAM BACKGROUND:
Contract Number: HC1013-09-C-2002
Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price
Incumbent and their size: APRIVA Information Security Systems (ISS) which is classified as a small business
Method of previous acquisition: Sole Source
Period of Performance: One base year and two six month options with anticipated start date of February 1, 2015.
Place of Performance: The existing two entry points are separately located in St. Louis, Missouri, and San Antonio, Texas. Potential OCONUS locations will be in Wiesbaden, Germany and Hickam, Hawaii and potential CONUS locations in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and Columbus, Ohio.
REQUIRED CAPABILITIES:
The Government requires the following classified mobility gateway support:
1. Develop a Suite B, Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol 231 Secure Voice over Internet Protocol (S-VoIP) solution containing a Windows Mobile 6.5 based S-VoIP solution with high quality of service and low latency.
2. Vendor solution must provide a VPN on the CSfC approved list that supports both Rivest, Shamir, and Adelman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) certification.
3. Solution must be compliant with National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) and Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC).
4. Provide network and architecture designs, operational engineering support, test and evaluation support, configuration management support, engineering implementation support, technical/analytical performance analysis, technical/engineering documentation, and Department of Defense (DoD) wide engineering coordination for the SMDG.
5. Deliver the ability to reconfigure settings of SMDG devices and support infrastructures.
6. Provide solution to execute a smooth transition from legacy devices to DoD Mobile Classified Capability (DMCC) devices.
7. Support up to 2,000 DMCC devices.
8. Provide 365 day, 24x7, Tier II and Tier III Help Desk Support to end user administrative personnel. This support includes onsite DECC personnel for the care and maintenance of legacy equipment which meets the critical operational needs DISA provides the DoD.
9. Provide services to engineer, acquire, integrate, and install the SMDG equipment at OCONUS locations.
10. Ensure DMCC system architectures and services are sustained without interruption.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
APRIVA's proprietary Virtual Private Network (VPN) design, supporting the
SMDG, is currently the only VPN approved by NSA for classified system use.
Must have up to Top Secret/SCI clearance.
Must be ISO 9001 certified.
SOURCES SOUGHT:
The anticipated North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) for this requirement is 517911, with the corresponding size standard of 1,500 employees. This Sources Sought Synopsis is requesting responses to the following criteria from any businesses (large and small) that can provide the required services under the NAICS Code.
To assist DISA in making a determination regarding the level of participation by small business in any subsequent procurement that may result from this Sources Sought, you are also encouraged to provide information regarding your plans to use joint venturing (JV) or partnering to meet each of the requirements areas contained herein. This includes responses from qualified and capable Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Service Disabled-Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Women-owned Small Businesses, HUBZone Small Businesses, and 8(a) companies. You should provide information on how you would envision your company's areas of expertise and those of any proposed JV/partner would be combined to meet the specific requirements contained in this announcement.
In order to make a determination for a small business set-aside, two or more qualified and capable small businesses must submit responses that demonstrate their qualifications. Responses must demonstrate the company's ability to perform in accordance with the Limitations on Subcontracting clause (FAR 52.219-14).
SUBMISSION DETAILS:
Responses should include:
1) Business name and address;
2) Name of company representative and their business title;
3) Type of Small Business;
4) Cage Code;
5) Contract vehicles that would be available to the Government for the procurement of the product and service, to include ENCORE II, General Service Administration (GSA), GSA MOBIS, NIH, NASA SEWP, Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), or any other Government Agency contract vehicle. (This information is for market research only and does not preclude your company from responding to this notice.)
Interested businesses should submit a brief capabilities statement package (no more than five pages) demonstrating ability to perform the services listed in this Sources Sought announcement. Address the capability questions posed above. Sources Sought shall be compatible with Microsoft (MS) Word 2007 or subsequent versions or PDF document version 9.2.0 or earlier. Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches, pages shall be single spaced. A page is defined as each face of a sheet of paper containing information. The page format shall have a 1 inch margin using no smaller than an 12 point Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier New font for all text to include any text contained in a table. All questions regarding this Sources Sought shall be submitted in writing by email to lori.l.walker.civ@mail.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Vendors who intend to respond should submit responses via email no later than Wednesday, October 29, 2014, 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) to lori.l.walker.civ@mail.mil.
Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. All government and contractor personal reviewing Sources Sought responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described 41 USC 423. The Government shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified.
Contracting Office Address:
2300 East Dr.
Building 3600
Scott AFB, Illinois 62225-5406
United States
Place of Performance:
St. Louis, Missouri and San Antonio, Texas
United States
Primary Point of Contact.:
Lori L. Walker,
Contract Officer
lori.l.walker.civ@mail.mil
Phone: 618-229-9356
Secondary Point of Contact:
Jennifer Kinser,
Contract Specialist
jennifer.l.kinser3.civ@mail.mil
Phone: 618-229-9581
Solicitation Number: HC1013-15-R-0001
Agency: Defense Information Systems Agency
Office: Procurement Directorate
Location: DITCO-Scott
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Sources Sought
Oct 23, 2014
10:55 am
Changed
Oct 24, 2014
12:19 pm
Solicitation Number:
HC1013-15-R-0001
Notice Type:
Modification/Amendment
Synopsis:
Added: Oct 23, 2014 10:55 am Modified: Oct 24, 2014 12:17 pmTrack Changes
SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) is seeking sources for the upcoming Secure Mobile Device Gateways (SMDG) requirement.
CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS: DISA, Procurement Directorate (PLD), Defense Information Technology Contracting Organization, (DITCO)- Scott, 2300 East Drive BLDG 3600, Scott AFB, IL, 62225-5406.
INTRODUCTION:
This is a SOURCES SOUGHT TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION to determine the availability and technical capability of large and small businesses (including the following subsets, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, HUBZone Firms; Certified 8(a), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Businesses and Woman Owned Small Business) to provide the required products and/or services.
DISA is seeking information for potential sources to ensure continuous services are provided to operate and maintain current mobile gateways supporting classified requirements at two Contiguous United States (CONUS) locations and potentially up to two locations outside Contiguous United States (OCONUS) and two CONUS locations. The contractor will be required to provide services to engineer, acquire, and integrate the SMDG equipment at these OCONUS and CONUS locations when directed. The delivery of future OCONUS and additional CONUS nodes must have a transition plan to maintain current capability while expanding or upgrading globally.
DISCLAIMER:
THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.
CONTRACT/PROGRAM BACKGROUND:
Contract Number: HC1013-09-C-2002
Contract Type: Firm Fixed Price
Incumbent and their size: APRIVA Information Security Systems (ISS) which is classified as a small business
Method of previous acquisition: Sole Source
Period of Performance: One base year and two six month options with anticipated start date of February 1, 2015.
Place of Performance: The existing two entry points are separately located in St. Louis, Missouri, and San Antonio, Texas. Potential OCONUS locations will be in Wiesbaden, Germany and Hickam, Hawaii and potential CONUS locations in Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania and Columbus, Ohio.
REQUIRED CAPABILITIES:
The Government requires the following classified mobility gateway support:
1. Develop a Suite B, Secure Communications Interoperability Protocol 231 Secure Voice over Internet Protocol (S-VoIP) solution containing a Windows Mobile 6.5 based S-VoIP solution with high quality of service and low latency.
2. Vendor solution must provide a VPN on the CSfC approved list that supports both Rivest, Shamir, and Adelman (RSA) and Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) certification.
3. Solution must be compliant with National Information Assurance Partnership (NIAP) and Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC).
4. Provide network and architecture designs, operational engineering support, test and evaluation support, configuration management support, engineering implementation support, technical/analytical performance analysis, technical/engineering documentation, and Department of Defense (DoD) wide engineering coordination for the SMDG.
5. Deliver the ability to reconfigure settings of SMDG devices and support infrastructures.
6. Provide solution to execute a smooth transition from legacy devices to DoD Mobile Classified Capability (DMCC) devices.
7. Support up to 2,000 DMCC devices.
8. Provide 365 day, 24x7, Tier II and Tier III Help Desk Support to end user administrative personnel. This support includes onsite DECC personnel for the care and maintenance of legacy equipment which meets the critical operational needs DISA provides the DoD.
9. Provide services to engineer, acquire, integrate, and install the SMDG equipment at OCONUS locations.
10. Ensure DMCC system architectures and services are sustained without interruption.
SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS
APRIVA's proprietary Virtual Private Network (VPN) design, supporting the
SMDG, is currently the only VPN approved by NSA for classified system use.
Must have up to Top Secret/SCI clearance.
Must be ISO 9001 certified.
SOURCES SOUGHT:
The anticipated North American Industry Classification System Code (NAICS) for this requirement is 517911, with the corresponding size standard of 1,500 employees. This Sources Sought Synopsis is requesting responses to the following criteria from any businesses (large and small) that can provide the required services under the NAICS Code.
To assist DISA in making a determination regarding the level of participation by small business in any subsequent procurement that may result from this Sources Sought, you are also encouraged to provide information regarding your plans to use joint venturing (JV) or partnering to meet each of the requirements areas contained herein. This includes responses from qualified and capable Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, Service Disabled-Veteran Owned Small Businesses, Women-owned Small Businesses, HUBZone Small Businesses, and 8(a) companies. You should provide information on how you would envision your company's areas of expertise and those of any proposed JV/partner would be combined to meet the specific requirements contained in this announcement.
In order to make a determination for a small business set-aside, two or more qualified and capable small businesses must submit responses that demonstrate their qualifications. Responses must demonstrate the company's ability to perform in accordance with the Limitations on Subcontracting clause (FAR 52.219-14).
SUBMISSION DETAILS:
Responses should include:
1) Business name and address;
2) Name of company representative and their business title;
3) Type of Small Business;
4) Cage Code;
5) Contract vehicles that would be available to the Government for the procurement of the product and service, to include ENCORE II, General Service Administration (GSA), GSA MOBIS, NIH, NASA SEWP, Federal Supply Schedules (FSS), or any other Government Agency contract vehicle. (This information is for market research only and does not preclude your company from responding to this notice.)
Interested businesses should submit a brief capabilities statement package (no more than five pages) demonstrating ability to perform the services listed in this Sources Sought announcement. Address the capability questions posed above. Sources Sought shall be compatible with Microsoft (MS) Word 2007 or subsequent versions or PDF document version 9.2.0 or earlier. Page size shall be 8.5 x 11 inches, pages shall be single spaced. A page is defined as each face of a sheet of paper containing information. The page format shall have a 1 inch margin using no smaller than an 12 point Arial, Times New Roman, or Courier New font for all text to include any text contained in a table. All questions regarding this Sources Sought shall be submitted in writing by email to lori.l.walker.civ@mail.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Vendors who intend to respond should submit responses via email no later than Wednesday, October 29, 2014, 5:00 PM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) to lori.l.walker.civ@mail.mil.
Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. All government and contractor personal reviewing Sources Sought responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described 41 USC 423. The Government shall not be held liable for any damages incurred if proprietary information is not properly identified.
Contracting Office Address:
2300 East Dr.
Building 3600
Scott AFB, Illinois 62225-5406
United States
Place of Performance:
St. Louis, Missouri and San Antonio, Texas
United States
Primary Point of Contact.:
Lori L. Walker,
Contract Officer
lori.l.walker.civ@mail.mil
Phone: 618-229-9356
Secondary Point of Contact:
Jennifer Kinser,
Contract Specialist
jennifer.l.kinser3.civ@mail.mil
Phone: 618-229-9581
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