Flight Test Services

CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESSDepartment of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL – Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514.DESCRIPTIONAFRL/RIKD is conducting market research for a potential recurring flight test requirement in support of Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR) technology development, to enable the processing and exploitation of sensor data in real time to deliver autonomous alerts, perform dynamic decision making and provide persistent situational awareness.  Please note this Request for Information (RFI) is for planning purposes only.  The information obtained from responses to this notice may be used to form a future acquisition strategy and solicitation, should one be issued.The Government is considering establishing a Small Business or other socio-economic category set-aside under NAICS 488190 or 541715 with associated small business size standards of $35M average annual receipts or 1,000

employees, respectively.  A Firm Fixed Price (FFP) contract or ordering agreement with a performance or ordering period of 5 years is being contemplated.  Anticipated funding types are Research Development Test & Evaluation (RDT&E) and Operations & Maintenance (O&M).  Please note that the set-aside decision, contract type, and duration are subject to change as the acquisition strategy is developed.The Government has a requirement for recurring, short notice (4-6 weeks ahead) flight test services, with a capability to both wane and surge to meet the demands of technology test and evaluation needs.  Due to budget constraints and partner relationships, the exact number of tests required is unknown, but the number of tests in a given year is anticipated to be up to 8, with a reasonable expectation (but not guarantee) of 4.An unmanned air system (UAS) is required, but a particular airborne platform is not specified.  A Group 3 UAS is expected based on payload requirements (see below).  The Contractor must have 24/7/365 dedicated access to the asset utilized, as the short notice nature of this activity does not allow for flight deconfliction with other customers and projects.  Test plans will be coordinated through the AFRL Technical and Safety Review Board (TRB/SRB) process.  Deviations from this initial approval will likely require assessment: the actual flight portion of tests will typically follow the same format (e.g., ascend to altitude, follow a prescribed flight path, descend/land), but unique situations leading to deviations will arise based on technology needs.Testing will require assistance and expertise from the Contractor to integrate sensor and device communications/processing payloads with the airframe: mechanical connections, power management, cooling, etc.  The Contractor should have both the ability and willingness to perform small-scale modifications to the airframe to support various tests (ex. drilling small holes for cable placement and/or mounting holes).  However, all modifications proposed are subject to the aforementioned AFRL TRB/SRB process in conjunction with Contractor input and expertise.It is anticipated that the Contractor would need to own or have dedicated access to, house, service, and maintain flight worthiness of any/all aircraft independently, with no Government equipment or facilities provided.  An operations center (location the airframe is stored, configured, and originated/destined) ideally would be within a 50-mile radius of Rome NY (zip code 13441), allowing multiple Information Directorate-based engineers the ability to regularly integrate technologies with the airframe and participate in testing on a daily basis, without the need for recurring TDY costs.To fulfill this requirement, Contractor employees will need to access information protected at the SECRET level.FLIGHT TEST REQUIREMENTSPlatform must be capable of carrying embedded High Performance Computer (HPC) with following requirements/specifications35 lb without pod or 60 lb with pod- can be flown in either configurationChassis size minimum: 17” x 10” x 7”28V DC power supplied from platformPower consumption 700W threshold, 1000W objectiveIf integrating chassis without pod- there must be proper airflow for cooling or consideration for active cooled chassis outputting warm airIdeally, multiple platforms are desired for integration and flight operationIn addition to HPC load, platforms must either provide or be capable of supporting sensor systemsDesired sensor payloads include: Full Motion Video (FMV), Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR), Radio Frequency (RF)Specific flight profile is not requiredFlight endurance of at least 4 hours for data collectionTypical individual test duration: 3 days/week (ex. Monday, Wednesday, Friday), 2 weeks/testCAPABILITY STATEMENTSAFRL/RIKD is seeking capability statements from all interested Small Businesses.1.  Reply by email in a document not exceeding 10 pages.  Word or PDF files, with minimal graphics, are preferred.2.  Provide the following business information on the first page:            (a)  Company name and address            (b)  CAGE code            (c)  Point of contact (name, email, phone)            (d)  Facility clearance level and Safeguarding clearance level            (e)  Cost accounting system status (ex. adequacy determination by DCAA, approval by DCMA, or none)            (f)  Any existing Government-wide Acquisition Contract (GWAC), open solicitation, or other vehicle that this work could be performed under, or if a new source selection would be more appropriate3.  Provide a copy of your current DD2345.  (Note that this form does not count toward the 10 pages.)  Additional information is at: https://public.logisticsinformationservice.dla.mil/PublicHome/jcp/default.aspx4.  Describe your organization’s ability to meet the technical requirements described herein.  Please do not simply restate the technical requirements in your response.  Be sure to:            (a)  Describe the type, quantity, experience, and qualifications of personnel/labor categories and other organizational resources that would be used to meet the technical requirements.  To scope the magnitude of effort required, for this RFI assume 4 tests per year.            (b)  Address the availability of personnel with SECRET-level security clearances.  It is anticipated that at least one individual will need to have an active clearance at time of award, with graduated increases in proportion over time.            (c)  Identify any areas which likely would require subcontracting or a teaming arrangement, any particular subcontractors or teaming partners you have experience working with for this type of requirement, and whether the majority of requirements could be performed by your organization or would need to be performed by subcontractors or teaming partners.            (d)  Address how your organization would meet the requirement of FAR 52.219-14 “Limitations on Subcontracting”, whereby the prime contractor cannot pay more than 50% of the amount paid by the Government for contract performance to subcontractors that are not similarly situated entities (i.e. first tier subcontractors, including independent contractors, that have the same SB program status as that which qualified the prime contractor for award and that are SBs for the NAICS assigned by the prime to the subcontract).             (e)  Include a brief (i.e. no more than but approximately 1 page total) description of your organization’s quality control, risk management, and safety practices as they would be applied to this effort.            (f)  Describe how your organization could meet a fluctuating workload driven by factors such as budget variations; diverse customer base and technology interest areas; transition opportunities; and operational feedback.  For illustration, workload demands may require the Contractor to provide 10 or more additional, cleared, qualified full time equivalents (FTEs) for 30-120 day periods to address emergent problems.            (g)  Rough Order of Magnitude cost estimate to meet this requirement and any existing pricing information for this type of work.  Include a brief discussion of the basis of estimate and any uncertainties.            (h)  Based on your past experience and the Government’s requirements, provide recommendations on contract type and line item structure to maximize effectiveness of a resultant contract/ordering agreement, and identify information required from the Government to support proposal development.4.  Identify up to 3 previous or on-going contracts/programs/efforts with Government, commercial, academic, or other customers performed within the last 3 years which are relevant to the technical requirements.  Include a brief description of the work, an explanation of its relevance to the technical requirements, and the performance period, value, and current customer points of contact.5.  Please submit your response to matthew.zawisza@us.af.mil and jared.feldman@us.af.mil by 3 PM (ET) MON 28 FEB 2022.It is important to note that this Request for Information is not a Request for Proposal.  No solicitation is being issued at this time.  This notice shall not be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract, nor does it restrict the Government to a particular acquisition approach.  Any information provided to the Government as a result of this Request for Information is voluntary.  No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the Government will arise as a result of contractor submission of responses or the Government’s use of such information.