Mining Expendable Delivery Unmanned Submarine Asset (MEDUSA) Request for Information

Date: 28 September 2022RFI respondents may submit written questions and comments related to this RFI using the RFI Question Submittal Form. For ease of Government review and to minimize response time, RFI respondents shall submit this form in the original file format. Do not convert the form to Portable Document Format (PDF). To ensure the Government understands the context of the question, RFI respondents shall detail the applicable document name, page, paragraph, Top Level Requirement or other specific citation to which the question applies. QUESTIONS SHALL NOT CONTAIN ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. If a Classified value must be referenced in the question, the value shall be referred to as a percentage of the Classified value, e.g. 50% of C_range.  RFI respondents shall not submit comments, questions, or inquiries to any Government representative other than the Procuring Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist identified below.The Government intends to distribute questions and

Government responses directly to interested RFI respondents electronically. The Government may answer none, some, or all questions submitted.In the event that a RFI respondent wishes to submit a comment or question that the RFI respondent believes addresses a subject that is specific or proprietary to the RFI respondent, then the RFI respondent shall mark the question accordingly on the submission form and provide justification to support its claim. If the Government concurs with this identification, the Government will respond only to that RFI respondent. If the Government does not concur with this identification, it will inform the submitting RFI respondent and will not provide any further response. The RFI respondent may resubmit the question without the proprietary marking.The deadline for receipt of questions is 14 Calendar days after the date the RFI was issued. Any questions received after this date may not be answered prior to the due date for RFI responses.Date: 23 September 2022This Request For Information (RFI) is issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants, Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office (PMS 406).  PMS 406 is developing a Mining Expendable Delivery Unmanned Submarine Asset (MEDUSA) to meet future submarine delivery of payloads requirements.  MEDUSA will be a tactical clandestine mining system with an expendable Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) capable of being torpedo tube launched from US Navy submarines. The MEDUSA system will comprise the MEDUSA medium-class UUV, supporting equipment, and payload(s).The Navy is requesting additional feedback from industry on the development of the MEDUSA system.  The details of this request are included in the “Industry Feedback on MEDUSA” letter  and associated references and enclosures, which will be made available to cleared U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) contractors only. See the below instructions to request this documentation.  All responses should be UNCLASSIFIED.  Respondents should assume compliance with 10 U.S.C. Section 7309, which prohibits construction of a major component of the hull or superstructure of the MEDUSA in a foreign facility.The complete RFI posting contains controlled technical data that cannot be posted to the Government Point of Entry.  Respondents should contact the listed NAVSEA Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist via e-mail for questions and additional information marked as Distribution D (i.e., distribution authorized to Department of Defense and U.S. DoD contractors only). This email should include, at a minimum, the following:A request for access to the “Industry Feedback on MEDUSA” letter and associated references and enclosures;Company name, address, and ZIP code;Company cage code;Cognizant Defense Security Service (DSS) Security Office name, address, and ZIP code;Company website;Two points of contact with name, title, phone number, and e-mail address; andA completed Terms of Use Agreement, which is included as an attachment to this RFI.DISCLAIMERThis notice is for market research purposes only and does NOT constitute a request for proposal.  This notice shall not be construed as a contract, a promise to contract, or as a commitment of any kind by the Government.  Prior to release of the formal solicitation, the Government is not soliciting, nor will it accept, proposals as a result of this Request for Information (RFI). Failure to respond to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future Request for Proposal (RFP), if any is issued. If a solicitation is issued in the future, it will be announced under Contract Opportunities via the System for Award Management (SAM) website (https://sam.gov/) and interested parties must comply with that announcement.The Government will not reimburse the cost of any submission or other expense in response to this RFI -- the entire cost of any submission or other expense will be at the sole expense of the source submitting the information.Date: 6 September 2022The Government is interested in additional feedback from Industry on the development of a submarine-launched mining system. If you are interested in obtaining the Distro D RFI questions, kindly follow the instructions below and reach out to the Government POCs. Date: 28 April 2022MEDUSA Industry Day Overview:The Naval Sea Systems Command, Headquarters (NAVSEA HQ) intends to hold a virtual Industry Day on 18 to 19 May 2022 from 1000 to 1700 EDT, hosted by the Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants (PEO USC), Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office (PMS 406), to brief the Mining Expendable Delivery Unmanned Submarine Asset (MEDUSA) opportunity.  PMS 406 is the Navy’s lead Program Office for efforts pertaining to unmanned maritime system development.The objective of this event is to provide Government information and solicit industry feedback to the proposed MEDUSA program strategy. The MEDUSA Industry Day will provide an overview of the MEDUSA program description and high-level Concept of Operations; the program schedule; the contracting, competition, and business strategies; and the program requirements and objectives.The Government will make available draft MEDUSA information, as it is ready for distribution, to approved contractors that pre-register via the attached “MEDUSA Industry Day Registration Form”.  Additionally, companies that have not already filed a “MEDUSA Terms of Use” form with the Government, must do so to pre-register for the Industry Day.  The Government will seek feedback on this information during the MEDUSA Industry Day.  Industry Day Information:The Industry Day event will be held virtually.   The Industry Day brief will be held at the UNCLASSIFIED – (CUI) level and the information presented by the Government is considered Distribution Statement D.  See Attachment “MEDUSA Industry Day Registration Form” to register for Industry Day. The specific details for joining the virtual Industry Day and MEDUSA Program overview presentation will be provided via separate correspondence to pre-registered and approved companies only. Pre-registration is required to participate in the MEDUSA Industry Day. Registration on the day of the event is not allowed.  Indicate on the registration form all representatives of your company that will participate in Industry Day.The Government’s presentation via Microsoft Teams virtual meeting and teleconference will begin promptly at 1000 on 18 May 2022. The Government will distribute the meeting information and teleconference number to all approved companies that pre-register via e-mail. The Government will send a calendar invite to each company’s designated representative identified on the attached registration form. For connectivity issues, each company is restricted to two (2) Teams meeting connections or call in-lines. The Meeting/teleconference number will open at 0930 on 18 May 2022 to provide participants 30 minutes to verify connectivity.Engagement Sessions:Engagement sessions will be conducted during the afternoon of 18 May 2022 and, if needed, from 0900 to 1700 on 19 May 2022. Engagement sessions will be held virtually or in-person in the Washington Navy Yard area. In-person engagement sessions may be held at the Secret level; virtual engagement sessions will be held at the Unclassified level only.  Companies may indicate their preference for virtual or in-person on the attached registration form. Engagement sessions are meetings between the Government and individual approved companies and are intended for industry to ask questions and provide feedback to the Navy. The Government will provide the same level of information during the sessions whether the engagement session is virtual or in-person.Engagement session slots are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Indicate on the registration form if your company is interested in scheduling an engagement session. The Government will forward assigned timeslots to individual companies via separate correspondence prior to Industry Day. Companies that wish to have an in-person engagement session will be provided information on the location and security requirements separately.  Any company that receives a virtual engagement session must provide a teleconference number to use during the session, and forward to the Government’s POCs at least 24 hours prior to the session. For planning purposes, teleconference numbers must be able to accommodate up to twenty (20) Government representatives on the line, and all participating company representatives.Companies requesting an in-person engagement session at the Secret level will be sent directions via separate correspondence to submit their visit request.Access for all Industry Day events will be restricted to U.S. DoD contractors only. Audio or visual recording devices of any kind are prohibited.  The CAGE number provided on the registration form will be used to verify U.S. DoD contractors. The deadline for registration is 11 May 2022 at 1700 EDT. There will be no hard-copy materials provided to industry. Industry Day slides will be digitally distributed to registered and pre-approved participants after Industry Day. In-person engagement sessions only may be held at the Secret level. No Classified information will be discussed at virtual engagement sessions.The MEDUSA Industry Day will be conducted in two parts:Part 1) Virtual presentation to all attendees by the Government.Part 2) One-on-one engagement sessions.The notional MEDUSA Industry Day schedule is as follows:Day 1- May 18 20221000-1200 - Part 1 - Government Presentation1200-1300 - Lunch1300-1700 - Part 2 - Engagement SessionsDay 2- May 19 20220900-1700 - Part 2 - Continued Engagement SessionsDISCLAIMER:This pre-solicitation notice is for information only, and shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to solicit contractual offers or award contracts. Prior to release of the formal solicitation, the Government is not soliciting, nor will it accept, proposals as a result of this synopsis. The Government will not reimburse the cost of any submission in response to this announcement -- the entire cost of any submission will be at the sole expense of the source submitting the information. If a solicitation is issued in the future, it will be announced under Contract Opportunities via the System for Award Management (SAM) website (https://sam.gov/) and interested parties must comply with that announcement. The Government will not reimburse respondents for any questions submitted or information provided as a result of this notice.Date: 25 April 2022Only one response is necessary for this announcement.   This notice is for market research purposes only and does NOT constitute a request for proposal.  This notice shall not be construed as a contract, a promise to contract, or as a commitment of any kind by the Government.  The Government is NOT seeking or accepting unsolicited proposals. Failure to respond to this Request for Information (RFI) does not preclude participation in any future Request for Proposal (RFP), if any is issued. If an RFP is issued, it will be synopsized on https://www.beta.sam.gov. This Sources Sought/RFI notice is issued by the Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command, Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants, Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office (PMS 406).  PMS 406 is developing a Mining Expendable Delivery Unmanned Submarine Asset (MEDUSA) to meet future submarine delivery of payloads requirements.  MEDUSA will be a tactical clandestine mining system, with an expendable Unmanned Underwater Vehicle (UUV) capable of being torpedo tube launched from US Navy submarines. The MEDUSA system will consist of the MEDUSA medium-class UUV, supporting equipment, and payloads.  The Navy is requesting industry’s feedback on development of the MEDUSA system in consideration of the TLRs and MEDUSA program goals within the notional schedule. Respondents should assume the following information: Notional Schedule (notional schedule within the controlled technical data). Note that responses to this Request For Information (RFI) will influence schedule details with the exception of four (4) prototype deliveries required by Fiscal Year (FY) 2026. FY 2023 – Q4 – Risk Reduction, Prototype Design, Fabrication, and Test Award FY 2026 – Q4 – Delivery of 4 Prototype Units Require compliance to 10 U.S.C. Section 7309, which prohibits construction of major component of the hull or superstructure of the MEDUSA in a foreign facility. MEDUSA UUV shall conform to the Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA).  The Contractor is responsible for meeting the interface requirements for the payloads, provided as part of the RFP (when released), and will be provided surrogate payloads as Government Furnished Property for testing.  The complete RFI posting contains controlled technical data that cannot be posted to Government Point of Entry and will only be made available to U.S. Department of Defense contractors cleared for Distribution D (DoD and DoD Contractors only).  For those interested, contact the NAVSEA Contracting Officer listed below for a Distribution D (DoD and DoD Contractors only) set of questions and additional information.  Primary Point of Contact: David Radell, NAVSEA Contracting Officer, david.l.radell.civ@us.navy.milSecondary Point of Contact: Cristina Vega, NAVSEA Contract Specialist,  cristina.a.vega5.civ@us.navy.mil Respondents should provide the following information: Companies must request access and provide the information under Block 6 of a DD Form 254 (APR 2018) via electronic mail to POCs above.  This information shall included the following or the company will be deemed nonresponsive: A completed Terms of Use formCompany name, address, and ZIP code Company CAGE code Cognizant Defense Security Service (DSS) Security Office name, address, and ZIP code Business Website Two Points of Contact with Name, Title, Phone Number, Email Address