General Information

Notice Type: Request for Information

Posted Date: Oct 19, 2015

Response Date: 1700 EST, Nov 13, 2015

Archiving Policy: Manual Archive

Archive Date: N/A

Original Set Aside: N/A

Set Aside: N/A

Classification Code: B -- Special studies and analysis - not R&D

NAICS Code: 541 -- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services/541990 -- All Other Professional, Scientific, and Technical Service

  1. Background.The Cyber Center of Excellence (COE) will conduct a Cyberspace Operations experimentcalled Cyber Questtoassess emerging technologiesagainst documented Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare capability requirements, inform current capability development and doctrine writing efforts, and understandDOTMLPF impacts. Cyber Quest may also serve as a risk mitigation event that Army acquisition and capability development proponents can leverage to validate selected candidate solutionsfor participation in larger Army/Jointexercises and experiments (i.e. Army Warfighting Assessments (AWA), the Army Expeditionary Warrior Experiment (AEWE), the Joint Users Interoperability Communications Exercise (JUICE) and Network Integration Experiment (NIE)).
  1. Problem Statement. Current Army research and development efforts have shown that user defined operational pictures (UDOPs) can be developed separately for both cyberspace and the Electromagnetic Spectrum (CEM). Further exploration is now required to identify mature technology options that enable the convergence of those UDOPs to provide commanders with a holistic view of the CEM environment that is tailorable to echelon and user, integrated within the broader common operational picture (COP), and designed to be platform agnostic.
  1. Introduction. The Army Cyber CoE is looking for commercial vendors that have cyberspace and electromagnetic spectrum (CEM) situational awareness (SA) capabilities to participate in Cyber Quest 2016. One of the primary objectives of Cyber Quest 2016 will be to assess the feasibility of leveraging the program of record (POR) Electronic Warfare Planning and Management Tool (EWPMT) as afoundational platform for a converged CEM SA capability at the BCT level. This will be achieved by integrating current Cyber SA visualization performance metrics, published in the Draft Information System Capabilities Development Document (IS CDD), into the EWPMT. Cyber Quest 2016 will provide vendors an opportunity to demonstrate their (stand-alone) innovative CEM SA solutionsand integrate selected capabilities withthe EW PMT tool (virtual machine, widget, standardized file/message formatting, etc.).

Cyber Quest 2016 will be executed as a proof of concept experiment conducted in an Infantry Brigade Combat Team (IBCT) Tactical Operations Center (TOC) environment. IBCT staff role players (S-3/S-2/S-6) will be incorporated to establish a CEM visualization environment that can be overlaid with the COP to inform the commander on what is occurring in both and determine the impacts on unified land operations. While not deemed criteria, it is envisioned that vendor solutions will displayinputs from tactical (cyber and EW) sensors; national, theater,and tactical data feeds; and offer ways to converge those displays to create holistic visualizations of the CEM environment. Cyber Quest 2016 will also explore the concept of using “radios as sensors” to provide input to the CEM SA tool. The CyberCoE will hold anIndustry Day event (Date: TBD) for vendors that would like to receive moreinformation regarding the Cyber SA requirement and ideas onnotional displays in accordance with the Cyber SA Concept of Operations. *Note: Interested vendors should contact the POCs listed in paragraph 16 for attendance instructions.

  1. CEM SA Key areas of interest.The most essential elements required to provide a CEM SA solution are listed in paragraphs 2a – 2d below: Visualization, Data Dissemination, Data Outputs and Interoperability. Vendor proposalsmay addressone or multiple areas listed below and should have a mechanism to import those capabilities onto theEWPMT. Note: Cyber Quest 2016 will only focus on understanding what is occurring in blue space (friendly networks and EMS).
  1. Visualization.

(1)Standard geo-spatial reference maps within future computing environments

(2)Customizable at each echelon

(3)Export/Sharing of displayed data directly integrated within the overall COP

(4)Data output must be interoperable, with respect to the application(s) used for presentation, based upon need and audience

  1. Data Dissemination.

(1)Push/Pull filtering

(2)Standardized data models

(3)Web application accessibility through the future computing environment

(4)Data aggregation and correlation enabled by future Unified Cloud Data (UCD)

(5)Single community-wide architecture and information from tactical sensors

  1. Data Outputs.

(1)Threats

(2)Graphics Control Measures

(3)Current Ops

(4)Blue System Monitoring

(5)Network Damage Assessment

(6)Operational and Tactical Variables

  1. Interoperability.

(1)Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)

(2)Use interoperability solution schemas for Web Services (e.g. SOAP, JAVA, HTML, and XML)

  1. CEM SA secondary areas of interest.The following areas are considered important to the establishment of a CEM SA solution and should be viewed as additional capabilities to the key areas of interest (as applicable) listed in paragraph 4.
  1. Data Storage/Ingest

(1)Connected to cyber analytics platform

(2)Data normalization and indexing

(3)Global and uniform access

  1. Cost
  2. Scalability
  3. Exportability (e.g. handheld, tablet, etc.)
  4. Classification (NIPR and SIPR, solution must have the ability to support JWICS at a later time)
  5. Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6)
  1. The Cyber COE is also interested in evaluating vendor tactical radio solutions that provide voice and data communications as well asEW protectioncapabilities. Emphasis will be on tactical radio solutions that can prevent enemy EW capabilities from detecting or disrupting friendly force communications and perform as RF sensors. The technology should demonstrate the capability ofdisplaying RF sensor informationon the CEM SA tool. Vendors should convert RF sensor information into message formats that are compatible with those used within the Department of Defense. Examples include the JVMF 6017 standard, KML/KMZfile formats, ISA (Integrated Sensor Architecture), etc. Specific capabilities of interest include:
  1. Tactical hand held radios that can operate from 200 – 2500 MHz;
  2. Tactical radios that have anti-jamming capabilities;
  3. Tactical radios that automatically discover and operate in unused portions of the electromagnetic spectrum;
  4. Tactical radios with direction finding capabilities;
  5. Tactical radios capable of directing antenna energy to avoid jamming;
  6. Tactical radios capable of (near) silent operation;
  1. Key Events:Vendors interested in participating in Cyber Quest 2016 should submit white papers in accordance with paragraph 8. Selected vendors will be invited to brief their capabilities in front of a technology selection committee 8 – 11 Dec 2015. Vendors whose technologies have been selected for participation in Cyber Quest 2016 will be officially notified by email NLT14 Dec 2015.
  1. Technology Call published – 22 Oct 2015;
  2. Cyber Quest Industry Day – week of 2 Nov (TBD);
  3. Deadline for White Paper submissions –13Nov 2015;
  4. Invitation to Technology Selection Board – week of 20 Nov 2015;
  5. Technology Selection Board Convenes – 8 thru 11Dec 2015;
  6. Vendor notifications – 14 Dec 2015;
  7. Coordinated Working Group 1 – Jan 2016;
  8. Coordinated Working Group 2 – Mar 2016;
  9. Coordinated Working Group 3 – May 2016;
  10. Technology Integration – Jun 2016;
  11. Pilot/Practice mission week – July 2016;
  12. Cyber Quest Execution – July 2016.
  1. White Paper Submissions: The following organizations may submit white papers: colleges and universities, non-profit research institutions, commercial firms, small business, small disadvantaged business concerns, historically black colleges and universities, and minority business enterprises and institutions. Collaboration among vendors and academia is encouraged.
  1. White Paper Requirements: White papers will be evaluated against the criteria listed in section 8c below. Preference will be given to submissions that address multiple areas of interest, have technologies that are at a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of 6 or higher,andhavebeen integrated with tactical mission command or radio systems (as appropriate). White papers will be the sole criteria used to select vendors that will be invited to the CDID-ED to brief their capabilities in front of the technology selection committee.
a.Vendors may respond to one or more of the areaslisted in sectionsfour (4) throughsix (6) in a single whitepaper with a discrete description of each area of interest addressed.
  1. Format: The white paper should be a maximum of 5 pages in length, including figures, charts, and tables. It should be single-sided, single line spaced, utilize one (1) inch margins and utilize Times New Roman 12 pitch font. The cover page shall be excluded from the page count and shall be marked with the BAA number, any required security markings, and the submitter’s Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Number. Submitters should mark their white paper with a protective legend IAW FAR 52.215-1(e). All White papers must be unclassified. The white paper shall be prepared in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF electronic file format. The document must be print-capable and not password protected. White papers submitted via email must not exceed 5MB. White papers longer than 5 pages will be rejected.
  2. Based on the areas of interest, a high-level description of the capability being addressed in the white paper should include the following topics (as appropriate):

(1)Hardware description.

1)Quantity / per unit cost / per bundle cost.

2)Physical interfaces.

3)Expected performance parameters.

4)Documentation/manuals/specifications/etc.

5)Information Assurance status and/or Certifications.

6)Size, weight, and power (SWaP).

7)Antenna information.

8)Frequency Bands.

(2)Software description.

1)Operating system.

2)Platform.

3)Software interfaces.

4)Base Station Controller.

5)Information Assurance and/or Certifications.

6)Compatibility with existing commercial protocols.

7)Interoperability with commercial protocols.

8)Application Programming Interface (API).

9)Portability of software solutions.

10)Documentation/manuals/specifications/etc.

11)How will the discrete technology delivered under this topic be sufficiently innovative and flexible to be able to be integrated with other technologies or into other Command and Control (C2) systems?

(3)Software Supportability and Sustainability

1)Licensing model: Is licensing per device, per user, etc. Is the license one-time or recurring (e.g. annual)?

2)Patching model: How are security updates published?Is a recurring (e.g. annual) support and/or maintenance fee required to access updates? What technical data is included with security updates (e.g. what vulnerability was mitigated or corrected, and the method of mitigation or correction)?

3)Product roadmap: Is a product roadmap available with target dates for future releases / milestones,planned features, and end-of-life for specific versions?

4)Data rights: Are government data rights (e.g. source code and technical data) available, either included with the license or at additional cost?

5)Third Party Software: Is any third party software either required or optional for full functionality (e.g. Operating Systems, hardware drivers, database, other applications, or plugins)? Provide data for 1-4 for each third party software requirement (if available).

(4)Functionality provided by the capability.

(5)Operational Architecture View (OV-1) depiction.

(6)Technology Readiness Level (TRL). All responders must state the

TRL of their technology (see attachment 1 for a definition of levels).

10. Vendor Notification: Selected vendors will be notified telephonically by 1700 EST 14Dec 2015 and given follow-on instructions via email. Not all submitters will be invited to brief or demonstrate their capabilities to the CDID-ED or participate in all key events.

11. Vendor Participation: Vendors are not required to provide a turnkey solution for all areas of interest. Niche systems that provide a critical capability in the key areas of interest will be considered. Vendors will be required to sign a Vendor Demonstration Agreement (VDA) and support Cyber Quest 2016planning and execution events at their own cost.

12. DOD Participation: The Cyber Battle Lab, Army Cyber Command, TRADOC Capabilities Manager (TCM) Cyber, TCM Electronic Warfare (EW), Program Manager (PM) EW and other appropriate organizations will be participating in this effort. Other federal and non-federal organizations may be invited to observe Cyber Quest 2016 as well.

13. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the preparation or information provided in the white papers.The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any legal purpose deemed necessary. Any organization responding to this notice should ensure that its response is complete and sufficiently detailed; the information provided will be used to assess the respondent’s ability to address the capabilities called for in this BAA. Respondents are advised that the Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted. This is not an announcement of an acquisition solicitation.

14. Evaluation Panel: All properly submitted white papers and proposals that conform to the BAA requirements will be evaluated by a review panel comprised of technical experts drawn from organizations that represent the Army operational, institutional, capabilities development, and acquisition communities. All government personnel are bound by public law to protect proprietary information.

15. The Government may use selected support contractor personnel to provide administrative assistance to federal employees regarding all aspects of any actions ensuing from this announcement, including the evaluation of white papers and subsequent proposals. However, federal employees will be responsible for actual reviews and evaluations. These support contractors will be bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements (NDA) to protect proprietary and source-selection information and are not permitted to release any source-selection information to third parties, including others in their organization. By submission of a White Paper and/or subsequent Proposal, offerors are hereby consenting access to financial, confidential, proprietary, and/or trade secret markings in the White Paper and/or subsequent Proposal to support contractor personnel.

16. Points of contact: ALL SUBMISSIONS AND ANY QUESTIONS ON THE OBJECTIVES OR PREPARATION OF THE WHITE PAPER SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TOMajor Stephen Roberts (), Major Andrew Stannard () or Mr. Horace Carney (), Cyber Battle Lab, Bldg 19901, 850 East 13th Street, Fort Gordon, GA 30905. Only questions pertaining to the BAA electronic posting are to be directed to Ms. Suzanne Mattingly, Mission and Installation Contracting Command, Fort Gordon GA, (706)791-1833.

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