Reference: RFI-CCPMO-NGCC dated 21 June 2007, provided a description of a next generation combatant craft for US Special Operations Command. The requirements have been refined and an acquisition program is anticipated that will surpass existing 11M Naval Special Warfare Rigid Inflatable Boat (NSW RIB) capabilities and performance. This new program is hereinafter referred as the Combatant Craft, Medium (CCM). The following information provides the refined requirements for this craft. Description: The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Combatant Craft Program Management Office is conducting this industry survey to determine available contractor base for the design/build of the Special Operations Combatant Craft, Medium (CCM). Special Operations Forces (SOF) requires a tactically sized, highly reliable, reconfigurable, combatant craft capable of operating from land or maritime platforms. The primary mission of CCM will be to provide for insertion/extraction of SOF into hostile/denied littoral/coastal areas as well as to provide tactical surface mobility for visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) operations. General Note: The terms threshold and objective are used throughout this document. Threshold is defined as the minimum acceptable operational value. Objective is defined as the desired operational value beyond which any gain in utility does not warrant additional expenditure. Program Timeline/Strategy: Draft RFP to follow in 4th Qtr calendar year 2008. Expect Formal RFP release in 1st Qtr calendar year 2009. Multiple contract awards for prototype fabrication and testing planned in 4th Qtr calendar year 2009. The number of awards is contingent upon receipt of acceptable contractor proposals and available funding. Results of testing will be used to select a single contractor for CCM production and logistic support. Projected production is for 24 craft over a three to four year period. Selected contractor(s) will be required to deliver a prototype CCM for government testing 12 months after contract award. Craft Requirements: The craft on trailer shall be capable of air transport in C-130, and capable of airdrop from C-17. Principal Characteristics are estimated to be: LOA 43 ft, Beam 8.75 ft, Height (on trailer) 8.5 ft. Total weight of craft shall not exceed 20,500 pounds (Threshold equals Objective). Total weight of the craft is the sum of: lightship craft, fuel, and variable payload. Craft variable payload shall be at least 4,500 pounds (Threshold) and 7,750 pounds (Objective). Craft variable load includes four (4) crew with personal combat gear (allocate 1000 lbs), nine (9) combat-equipped SOF personnel (allocate 2500 lbs), and mission equipment (allocate 1000 lbs). Cruise speed shall be at least 40 knots (Threshold) in 4 foot combined seas. The cruise speed objective value is 55 knots in 6 foot combined seas. Range, at specified cruise speed, shall not be less than 270 nm (Threshold) in 4 foot combined seas. The range objective value at specified cruise speed, is 330 nm in 6 foot combined seas. Sprint speed: Responders may provide predicted sprint speed, in 3 foot combined seas and sustained for 30-minutes, at designated total craft weight. CCM will be a highly maneuverable craft and should include steering, +/- bow trim, and throttle response. CCM seakeeping vertical acceleration requirement at the specified cruise condition should not exceed 1.05g (RMS). CCM design will incorporate shape, form, and function specifically intended to counter the physical stress, strain, shock and vibration energies imparted to the crew and passenger personnel. Human exposure for accumulated spine stress dose (Sed) normalized to an 8 hour exposure should not exceed 4.7Mpa (Threshold) and 3.9Mpa (Objective). Eight hour operating profile may include as many as 5 hours at the specified cruise condition (40kts in 4ft combined seas). Human exposure limits Sed8 values should be based on ISO 2631 Part 5 Health Hazard Assessment for Repeated Impacts. Additional human exposure information may be provided with the RFP. Responders should propose a modular remote stabilized weapon system. The system should be capable of effectively engaging a surface target at 1 kilometer and should have a coverage of 300 degrees arc of fire. The weight of this module will be a component of the variable payload. CCM shall encompass both low detectability and low vulnerability. CCM requires a total-craft approach to balance high performance attributes with other survivability attributes. The optimum balance of the CCM craft attributes will satisfy power and performance requirements as well as specific requirements that will be called out later in a classified attachment to the RFP. These requirements will cover the areas of radar, infra-red (thermal) detectability of the craft with passengers and equipment in place. Responders are alerted now that they must meet facility and personnel security clearance requirements for handling and storage of classified material up to SECRET level in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) in order to be granted access at the time of RFP release to this classified attachment. Contractor designs should provide an open-architecture electronics system that integrates craft controls, navigation, propulsion systems monitoring equipment, government-furnished tactical communications equipment, FLIR, remote stabilized weapon, and potentially a commercial satcom communications system. A government-furnished tactical communications equipment package may require additional space and weight provisions independent of typical console mounted equipments. Estimate 10 cubic feet and 150 lbs for this package. This weight will be a part of lightship. Contractor designs should provide for clear, unobstructed topsides to minimize damage. Elimination of traditional electronics/antenna masts will reduce maintenance. Designs should incorporate use of conformal and low profile antennas where possible. Estimate thirty (30) square feet of available topsides area populated with conformal or low profile antennas. Government furnished electronics suite and antennae information will be detailed in the RFP. In response to this RFI, please indicate your experience and capability to integrate low profile antennae to optimize communications system performance. Mean time between operational mission failures (MTBOMF) Threshold for the total CCM system shall not be less than 49 hours. MTBOMF Objective is 104 hours. Reliability metric exists such that the failure free operation of the following equipments/systems combined must not cause a mission failure: Hull and Structure, Main Engines, Transmissions, Propulsor, Driveshafts and Steering/Trim system, Alternator/ voltage regulators, Engine starters, Integrated control/monitoring system, Navigation system, Human Shock mitigating system. CCM service life is projected at 7 years. The government will require government purpose license rights along with production drawings of the top-side arrangements and components. Responses to this RFI should include when available: a) A detailed description of product and information on how the product meets the specified capabilities. When addressing the ability to meet specific craft performance requirements please substantiate claims with data or demonstrated satisfactory performance of parent craft. b) If any specific requirements indicate a greater degree of risk, please address the constraints and what mitigating design/engineering action would be pursued. c) Expected annual production rates. d) Rough order of magnitude (ROM) unit price for prototype design/fabrication and potential production purchases from 1 to 75 units. e) ROM pricing for production drawings as specified above. f) Companies should demonstrate ability to design/build prototype within given 12-month timeline. Provide notional schedule if available. Demonstration of ability to meet the prototype manufacturing targets should include: 1) Current ability of parent craft to approach the craft requirements 2) Description of engineering and manufacturing effort required to achieve prototype delivery within 12 months of award. g) Company strategy for providing logistics support for craft repair and periodic preventive maintenance at east and west coast craft operating locations (Norfolk, VA and San Diego, CA). h) Size standard of your company and if any special preference; i.e., small disadvantaged, woman-owned, HUBZONE small business, veteran-owned, etc. Refer to FAR Part 19. i) Please indicate current ability to meet clearance requirements for classified material up to SECRET level. When preparing responses to this RFI: a) Please limit submission package to 30 pages. Do not include company marketing material, corporate profiles, personnel resumes, or duplicate material from a corporate website. If this information is indeed pertinent to the RFI, then provide a document reference sheet as an index for later use. b) Please submit responses electronically in .pdf format. c) For those companies that provided a response to the referenced 21 June 2007 RFI (RFI-CCPMO-NGCC), and that desire to submit a response to this RFI, please provide a new submission package in accordance with the preparation instructions contained herein, for ease of government evaluation. Optional Craft Demonstration: As part of USSOCOM industry evaluations, the command offers interested companies an opportunity to showcase their existing craft in a limited series of performance trials. These trials will be conducted at the contractors desired location, within the US, with the craft under the control of the contractors personnel. A small Government team of evaluators will witness the trials. The Government team will consist of approximately four technical personnel. USSOCOM is primarily interested in evaluating craft displacement and observing sprint speed, cruise speed, and fuel burn rate in 3-4 foot combined seas. Anticipated onboard test equipment will be a small handheld GPS and several accelerometers. A standardized sea trial report form will be used for data collection. Data collected will be protected by the government as company proprietary and will not be shared with other companies, design firms, or propulsion equipment suppliers/manufacturers. The Government offers to provide the data recorded for the respective company craft upon request. If responders have a diesel-powered parent craft between 37 and 47 feet and are willing to demonstrate that crafts performance, please indicate a desire to do so in your RFI response. Also, provide the name and contact information (phone/email address) for the person at your location who will assist with coordinating/scheduling the performance trials with the Government coordinator. USSOCOM expects the trials to be scheduled sometime in March 2008 and will last no more than one day for each contractor. Companies are advised that the demonstrations will be conducted at no cost to the Government and that no discussions, suggestions, or recommendations in regards to the CCM program will be permitted. The Point of Contact for this RFI is Mr. Bill Boudreaux at 813-826-6101. Electronic responses in PDF or standard commercial format should be sent to:
[email protected]. This is a request for information only and may or may not result in the issuance of a Request for Proposal (RFP). Responses to this notice may not be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. If you choose to submit proprietary information, mark it accordingly. Classified information will be accepted, but please mark it accordingly and send it via proper channels. All responses are due no later than 45 days after this announcement date. Point of Contact Sandra Smith, Contracting Officer, Phone 813-826-7335, Fax 813-826-7504, Email
[email protected]