Radios-as-a-Service: An Alternate Model to Acquire Radio Capabilities

1.0 Description1.1 The Project Manager Tactical Radios (PM TR) seeks industry feedback and interest regarding an alternate approach to acquire tactical radio capabilities directly from vendors and for vendors to provide fielding, training, maintenance, and upgrades. The intent of exploring alternate models is to provide a more economical and agile approach to rapidly field and provide world class capabilities to the warfighter at the speed of relevance.Consideration factors include industry’s abilities to provide radios that seamlessly integrate into the Army’s Integrated Tactical Network, completely maintain radio hardware and software, improve, and deploy radio hardware and software through an upgrade cycle.1.2 THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION: The Government is not obligated to make an award because of this request. This Request for Information (RFI) is for informational purposes only; this is not an Invitation for Bid (IFB), a Request for Proposal (RFP), or Request for Quotation (RFQ).

No solicitation document exists, and a formal solicitation will not be issued by the Government because of the responses to this RFI. The Government will not be liable for payment of any preparation expenses in response to this RFI and is in no way obligated by the information received. Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to, or because of this announcement will NOT be reimbursed. The information provided will be used by the Government for the purpose of conducting market research. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor the website for additional information pertaining to this RFI.2.0 BackgroundThe Army has a high demand for tactical communications gear with enhanced capabilities that can evolve to stay ahead of future security threats. Historically, the Army has purchased and sustained the tactical radios that provide these desired capabilities. With this model, the Army has also assumed responsibility for repairs, maintenance, sustainment, upgrades, and replacements. These responsibilities include relatively simple updates (e.g., applying security patches) as well as more substantial efforts (e.g., crypto modernization involving module or radio replacement). Due to the large quantity of radios needed and the resulting affordability challenges, the Army has been required to keep legacy radios in the field for longer than desired.The Army is seeking innovative methods to acquire radios that increase its velocity of fielding and enhancing capabilities to address emerging requirements. Radios-as-a-Service (RaaS) is being considered as an alternative acquisition model for vendors to provide a tactical radio network to the Army on demand, scoped for dismounted operations, operate in Sensitive but Unclassified-Encrypted (SBU-E) enclave, meet the assured voice requirement, support for digital fires, enable the Common Operating Picture (COP), and interoperate with the Army Advanced Networking Waveform (ANWf). This RaaS approach will include all tasks to fully support the tactical radio network, including but not limited to: providing regular software and/or waveform updates; hardware refreshes; fixes for vulnerabilities and problem reports; periodic maintenance; scheduled preventive checks and services; technical inspections; unscheduled repairs; training; temporary issue; and total lifecycle sustainment.3.0 Responses 3.1 White Paper: Interested parties are required to respond to this RFI with a white paper. White papers shall be submitted in a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) compatible format. Respondents are requested to provide the information in paragraph 3.3, and to address the questions posed in paragraph 3.4. Respondents may provide supporting documentation along with their submissions. Responses shall be limited to no more than 15 pages for the entire submission (including company information, answers to technical questions, supporting documentation, etc.).3.2 Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. In addition to Government civilians, Government support contractors may review and evaluate the whitepaper submission(s). If this is a concern for your company, please address it in the list of questions due to the Government (via email only)3.3 Company Information. The response should provide the following information:3.3.1 Contact Information: Company name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated point of contact.3.3.2 Security Clearance: State the security clearance level of the company facility.3.4 Technical Questions. Respond to the following questions:3.4.1 Describe your radio and associated waveform and its ability to provide SBU-E data and voice services.3.4.2 Describe your solution to integrate voice & data with existing ANWf. Provide details if your solution requires a gateway to integrate.3.4.3 Describe your ability to be interoperable with Advanced Networking Waveform (ANWf).3.4.4 Describe any testing you have conducted on your proposed solution for dismount operation.3.4.5 Describe any testing you have conducted on your proposed solution in a diverse field environment i.e Environmental, Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3), Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) etc.3.4.6 Provide a description of your approach to software/waveform updates and integration of new capabilities.3.4.7 Describe your product warranty to include terms and conditions.3.4.8 Is your tactical radio network solution Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 level 2 compliant? If your tactical radio network solution has been validated by NIST FIPS 140-3 level 2 or 140-2 level 2, please provide the certification.3.4.9 Describe your plan to store, stock, train, issue, maintain, and sustain equipment.3.4.10 Describe your plan to develop training support packages and technical manuals as required.3.4.11 Describe your approach to executing a pilot? At minimum, consider the following in your response:a. What unit, or type of unit and echelon would be best suited to pilot your RaaS equipment/network?b. How would you provide the equipment, train, maintain, upgrade, retrieve equipment etc. for the duration of the pilot.c. Can you recommend operational scenarios that would best demonstrate your RaaS equipment/network? If so, please provide examples.d. Provide a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost for executing the pilot. In addition to the above stated requirements, please include the cost for documentation/deliverables to support the Army development of an Interim Authority to Test and DD-1494 for spectrum approvals, Host Nation Coordination, and frequency assignments.3.4.12 Provide a ROM cost for the following equipment and services for a platoon-size Army element over one year, within the scope provided in section 2.0: a. Equipment and deliverables:i. Tactical radio network devicesii. Tactical radio ancillary equipment required to operate network. iii. Documentation that the Army requires to obtain an Authority to Operate on the network,to include but not limited to RMF technical controls and applicable Security Technical Implementation Guides.iv. Documentation that the Army requires to obtain Stage 4 DD-1494 approvals, Host Nation Coordination, Spectrum Supportability Determination, Spectrum Supportability Risk Assessments, and frequency assignments. b. Services:i. Resources to provide regular software and/or waveform updates and hardware refreshes for the equipment for technology enhancements and fixes for vulnerabilities or problem reports.ii. Maintenance support as required to keep radio network operational.iii. Storage and issuance of the equipment to include new equipment training.iv. Full lifecycle services.3.4.13 Provide the details for the technical information being requested in RaaS Attachment 0001, for the respective waveform being hosted on the radio.4.0 Meetings and Discussions The Government representatives may or may not choose to meet with respondents to this RFI. Such meetings and discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements.5.0 Questions Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by email to ACC-APG, NLT 2 Mar 2024, by 12:00 PM EST to the following Government POCs: nikiya.s.walden.civ@army.mil, curtissa.m.bond.civ@army.mil, and sharon.a.peterson15.civ@army.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information.6.0 SummaryTHIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to investigate the RaaS. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.1.0 Description1.1 The Project Manager Tactical Radios (PM TR) seeks industry feedback and interest regarding an alternate approach to acquire tactical radio capabilities directly from vendors and for vendors to provide fielding, training, maintenance, and upgrades. The intent of exploring alternate models is to provide a more economical and agile approach to rapidly field and provide world class capabilities to the warfighter at the speed of relevance.Consideration factors include industry’s abilities to provide radios that seamlessly integrate into the Army’s Integrated Tactical Network, completely maintain radio hardware and software, improve, and deploy radio hardware and software through an upgrade cycle.1.2 THIS IS NOT A SOLICITATION: The Government is not obligated to make an award because of this request. This Request for Information (RFI) is for informational purposes only; this is not an Invitation for Bid (IFB), a Request for Proposal (RFP), or Request for Quotation (RFQ). No solicitation document exists, and a formal solicitation will not be issued by the Government because of the responses to this RFI. The Government will not be liable for payment of any preparation expenses in response to this RFI and is in no way obligated by the information received. Any costs incurred by interested companies in response to, or because of this announcement will NOT be reimbursed. The information provided will be used by the Government for the purpose of conducting market research. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained in their response. It is the responsibility of the interested parties to monitor the website for additional information pertaining to this RFI.2.0 BackgroundThe Army has a high demand for tactical communications gear with enhanced capabilities that can evolve to stay ahead of future security threats. Historically, the Army has purchased and sustained the tactical radios that provide these desired capabilities. With this model, the Army has also assumed responsibility for repairs, maintenance, sustainment, upgrades, and replacements. These responsibilities include relatively simple updates (e.g., applying security patches) as well as more substantial efforts (e.g., crypto modernization involving module or radio replacement). Due to the large quantity of radios needed and the resulting affordability challenges, the Army has been required to keep legacy radios in the field for longer than desired.The Army is seeking innovative methods to acquire radios that increase its velocity of fielding and enhancing capabilities to address emerging requirements. Radios-as-a-Service (RaaS) is being considered as an alternative acquisition model for vendors to provide a tactical radio network to the Army on demand, scoped for dismounted operations, operate in Sensitive but Unclassified-Encrypted (SBU-E) enclave, meet the assured voice requirement, support for digital fires, enable the Common Operating Picture (COP), and interoperate with the Army Advanced Networking Waveform (ANWf). This RaaS approach will include all tasks to fully support the tactical radio network, including but not limited to: providing regular software and/or waveform updates; hardware refreshes; fixes for vulnerabilities and problem reports; periodic maintenance; scheduled preventive checks and services; technical inspections; unscheduled repairs; training; temporary issue; and total lifecycle sustainment.3.0 Responses 3.1 White Paper: Interested parties are required to respond to this RFI with a white paper. White papers shall be submitted in a Microsoft Word (.doc or .docx) compatible format. Respondents are requested to provide the information in paragraph 3.3, and to address the questions posed in paragraph 3.4. Respondents may provide supporting documentation along with their submissions. Responses shall be limited to no more than 15 pages for the entire submission (including company information, answers to technical questions, supporting documentation, etc.).3.2 Proprietary information, if any, should be minimized and MUST BE CLEARLY MARKED. To aid the Government, please segregate proprietary information. Please be advised that all submissions become Government property and will not be returned. In addition to Government civilians, Government support contractors may review and evaluate the whitepaper submission(s). If this is a concern for your company, please address it in the list of questions due to the Government (via email only)3.3 Company Information. The response should provide the following information:3.3.1 Contact Information: Company name, mailing address, overnight delivery address (if different from mailing address), phone number, fax number, and e-mail of designated point of contact.3.3.2 Security Clearance: State the security clearance level of the company facility.3.4 Technical Questions. Respond to the following questions:3.4.1 Describe your radio and associated waveform and its ability to provide SBU-E data and voice services.3.4.2 Describe your solution to integrate voice & data with existing ANWf. Provide details if your solution requires a gateway to integrate.3.4.3 Describe your ability to be interoperable with Advanced Networking Waveform (ANWf).3.4.4 Describe any testing you have conducted on your proposed solution for dismount operation.3.4.5 Describe any testing you have conducted on your proposed solution in a diverse field environment i.e Environmental, Electromagnetic Environmental Effects (E3), Electromagnetic Interference (EMI)/Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) etc.3.4.6 Provide a description of your approach to software/waveform updates and integration of new capabilities.3.4.7 Describe your product warranty to include terms and conditions.3.4.8 Is your tactical radio network solution Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) 140-3 level 2 compliant? If your tactical radio network solution has been validated by NIST FIPS 140-3 level 2 or 140-2 level 2, please provide the certification.3.4.9 Describe your plan to store, stock, train, issue, maintain, and sustain equipment.3.4.10 Describe your plan to develop training support packages and technical manuals as required.3.4.11 Describe your approach to executing a pilot? At minimum, consider the following in your response:a. What unit, or type of unit and echelon would be best suited to pilot your RaaS equipment/network?b. How would you provide the equipment, train, maintain, upgrade, retrieve equipment etc. for the duration of the pilot.c. Can you recommend operational scenarios that would best demonstrate your RaaS equipment/network? If so, please provide examples.d. Provide a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost for executing the pilot. In addition to the above stated requirements, please include the cost for documentation/deliverables to support the Army development of an Interim Authority to Test and DD-1494 for spectrum approvals, Host Nation Coordination, and frequency assignments.3.4.12 Provide a ROM cost for the following equipment and services for a platoon-size Army element over one year, within the scope provided in section 2.0: a. Equipment and deliverables:i. Tactical radio network devicesii. Tactical radio ancillary equipment required to operate network. iii. Documentation that the Army requires to obtain an Authority to Operate on the network,to include but not limited to RMF technical controls and applicable Security Technical Implementation Guides.iv. Documentation that the Army requires to obtain Stage 4 DD-1494 approvals, Host Nation Coordination, Spectrum Supportability Determination, Spectrum Supportability Risk Assessments, and frequency assignments. b. Services:i. Resources to provide regular software and/or waveform updates and hardware refreshes for the equipment for technology enhancements and fixes for vulnerabilities or problem reports.ii. Maintenance support as required to keep radio network operational.iii. Storage and issuance of the equipment to include new equipment training.iv. Full lifecycle services.3.4.13 Provide the details for the technical information being requested in RaaS Attachment 0001, for the respective waveform being hosted on the radio.4.0 Meetings and Discussions The Government representatives may or may not choose to meet with respondents to this RFI. Such meetings and discussions would only be intended to get further clarification of potential capability to meet the requirements.5.0 Questions Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by email to ACC-APG, NLT 2 Mar 2024, by 12:00 PM EST to the following Government POCs: nikiya.s.walden.civ@army.mil, curtissa.m.bond.civ@army.mil, and sharon.a.peterson15.civ@army.mil. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information.6.0 SummaryTHIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY to investigate the RaaS. The information provided in the RFI is subject to change and is not binding on the Government. The Army has not made a commitment to procure any of the items discussed, and release of this RFI should not be construed as such a commitment or as authorization to incur cost for which reimbursement would be required or sought. All submissions become Government property and will not be returned.