Autonomous Unmanned Vehicle Delivery System (AUVDS) Sources Sought

THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLYThe US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command - Soldier Center (DEVCOM-SC) is seeking information to airdrop and autonomously derig unmanned ground or sea vehicles from US & non-US companies. THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This is not a Request for Quotation (RFQ), Request for Proposal (RFP) or an Invitation for Bid (IFB). It is a market research tool being used to determine the availability and adequacy of potential sources for planning purposes only. Responses to this notice are voluntary and will not be considered as offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of responses nor otherwise pay for the preparation of any information presented or the use of any such information. Not responding to this notice does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if any is issued.  If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized

on the beta.SAM.gov website.  It is the responsibility of the potential offerors to monitor this site for additional information pertaining to this requirement. Any information and/or samples submitted may not be returned and the Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any cost incurred in developing information provided to the United States Government.DESCRIPTION OF REQUIREMENTS/BACKGROUND:US Army Combat Capabilities Development Command Soldier Center (DEVCOM SC) intends to execute a FY22-24 research & development project funded by US Transportation Command to airdrop and autonomously derig unmanned ground or sea vehicles.   This request is to provide solutions to derig the vehicle autonomously upon landing.INSTRUCTIONS TO RESPONDENTS:RESPONSES: Respondents to this market survey, who meet the requirements detailed in this RFI, are requested to describe their interest and experience with the requirements summarized within this notice.Responses are to contain, at a minimum, (1) White paper - maximum of twelve (12) pages including cover detailing experience in developing and/or manufacturing equipment that meets or can meet the above requirements.   (2) Product specification sheets showing sample equipment that your company has applied this technology/similar technology, as applicable and not included in page count.Additional documentation accepted as part of this RFI (and not included in the page count for the White Paper) includes, but is not limited to, the following: PowerPoint presentations, Training documentation, product specification sheets, user handbook/guides, pictures, link to demonstrations, test data, etc.  See DELIVERABLES section for additional details for submitting responses to this RFI.Information received will be Controlled Unclassified Information.Proprietary/Competition Sensitive information (appropriately marked) will be protected from disclosure to the greatest extent practical, however it is preferred that respondents do not provide proprietary or otherwise restricted responses.ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:DEVCOM-SC will contact individual vendors to discuss mutual interest after receipt of whitepapers.RESPONSE DATE:All responses to this announcement must be received no later than 11:00 PM EST, Friday,Apr 9, 2021. No faxes, courier delivered, or telephone inquiries/submissions will be accepted as a response to this RFI.Responses should be submitted to the Project Lead, Andrew Meloni, at:  andrew.w.meloni.civ@mail.mil with a CC to Sanjay Patel, at sanjay.n.patel.ctr@mail.milDELIVERABLES:All documentation submitted shall be submitted as MS Word, Adobe PDF, MS PowerPoint, Visio, or MS Excel files.Respondents: The White Paper should be written in respondent format, double spaced, and minimum font size of 10 pt.  Paper should not exceed 12 pages, including cover.  This paper should cover company information (company name, CAGE code, mailing address, and primary point of contact information (to include telephone number and email address).The paper should cover the 5 Ws, as applicable. (e.g., What, Where, When, Why and Who.   Example focus areas:Please discuss any/all relevant current products and services that currently meet or will be able to meet the enclosed requirementsVendors are encouraged to propose alternative products that may be able to meet or exceed the requirements.As applicable, please discuss how your product(s) was implemented within industry/Government.Please discuss, as applicable, proposed hardware used as part of the solution.For Foreign companies:  Discuss how the proposer will be able to work with the US Government in the future (i.e, US subsidiary or partner) if required Test, Certification and Accreditation (C&A) Documentation:Vendors are requested to provide any supporting documentation illustrating safety certification, government approval, test data, etc.  CostVendor will provide the cost of 2 systems (to include development cost), which meet or exceed the system characteristics, along with technical and logistics support to test the systems at least two times at a US location such as Yuma Proving Grounds. SYSTEM CHARACTERISTICS:The overall capability metrics are shown in the table below.Derigging:    Fully Autonomous in < 5 minutes (Threshold)   Fully Autonomous in < 1 minute (Objective)Max Weight of Delivered UGV:   Up to 20,000 pounds (LVADS) (T)  Up to 30,000 pounds (LVADS) and Up to 9,000 pounds (10K JPADS) (O)Delivery Method:   LVADS (T)   LVADS and JPADS 10K (O)Landing Site:   Land (UGVs) (T)  Land (UGVs) and Water (USVs) (O)DEVCOM SC is seeking available technologies to support this capability development.  Specific areas of interest are identified below. Areas of interest:Auto-releasing tie-down lashingsAble to interface with existing airdrop clevises and/or hardwareNo equipment left attached to the vehicle after releaseRelease triggered autonomously within 5 minutes (Threshold) / 1 minute (objective) of touch down on land (threshold) or land & water (objective)Strength equivalent to existing tie down lashings (10klbs breaking strength for textiles, able to sustain 10klbs tension with 1.5 safety factor for hardware)Ability to minimize number of release mechanisms is preferredPyrotechnics are not permittedRelease of suspension slingsAble to interface with existing airdrop clevises, slings, and/or hardwareRelease method minimizes risk of entanglement to the UGV or USVAble to meet strength requirement for at least 20klbs (Threshold) / 30klbs (Objective) suspended weight IAW MIL-STD-814 (40,500lbs proof load (T) / 50,625lbs proof load (O) per provision)To provide context, this RFI includes an attachment showing the tie-downs and suspension slings of a manned vehicle of similar size and weight to the project’s focus.CONTACT INFORMATION:Primary Point of Contact:Andrew Meloni, andrew.w.meloni.civ@mail.mil or 508-206-3261Secondary Point of Contact:Sanjay Patel, Sanjay.n.patel.ctr@mail.mil or 617-320-0328