Please note that this Special Notice is for information purposes only and does not constitute a request for proposal. A Prototype Project will not be awarded from this announcement. The U.S. Army Contracting Command, Picatinny Arsenal, New Jersey 07806- 5000, on behalf of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Emerging Capabilities and Prototyping Office, has entered into a 10 U.S.C. 4021 Prototype Other Transaction (OT) Agreement with the National Spectrum Consortium (NSC) for a period of five (5) years. Under this acquisition vehicle, the Government, in coordination with industry, will develop and mature spectrum access technologies to enable improved cognizance of spectrum activity, protection of US activity in the electromagnetic spectrum domain, and the ability to coexist and/or share spectrum anytime, anywhere access is needed. The NSC, encompasses the expertise, knowledge, technologies, and innovation to meet the program objectives and goals of the coordinated research and development program designed to advance better access to the electromagnetic spectrum. The consortium is comprised of a well-balanced and uniquely qualified mixture of traditional defense contractors, non-traditional defense contractors, utility producers, investment firms, non-governmental organizations, and academia, representing the vast majority of the key players in the industry. The purpose of this announcement is to provide industry general notification of Government's intent. The Government issued an announcement to the NSC, on behalf of the Partnering to Advance Trusted and Holistic Spectrum Solutions Task Group (PATHSS TG) for a Request for Prototype Proposals (RPP). The purpose of this RPP is to solicit proposals for novel and innovative prototype technologies related to the following Project Title " Advanced Dynamic Spectrum Sharing Demonstration (ADSSD)." In 2023, the Department of Defense (DoD) completed the Emerging Mid-Band Radar Spectrum Sharing (EMBRSS) Feasibility Assessment Report which reflects required conditions to ensure success in national defense as well as provide the opportunity for economic growth. This assessment found that access to specific areas of spectrum have become competitive, causing additional constraints and congestion in sought out areas of spectrum. Specifically, the report assessed the feasibility of sharing the 3100-3450 MHz band while protecting incumbent Federal missions and concluded that “sharing of the 3100-3450 MHz band between Federal and commercial systems is not feasible unless certain regulatory, technological, and resourcing conditions are proven and implemented.” The overarching objective of the ADSSD is to demonstrate the effectiveness of spectrum-sharing enablers and the viability of DSS to enable coexistence within the 3100-3450 MHz band while adhering to the EMBRSS study’s nine conditions. The findings of this effort will be used to inform the Lower 3 GHz (3100-3450 MHz) study called for in the National Spectrum Strategy. The goal of this effort is to show how advancements in one or more of the key spectrum-sharing enablers can achieve the overall objective of proving the viability of spectrum sharing in the 3100-3450 MHz band.. Only members of the NSC in good standing are permitted to submit proposals in response to this RPP. The NSC is an open consortium with a low barrier for membership. Any interested company, academic institution, or contractor can become a member and join the consortium to widen knowledge and technical expertise to continue to advance in technologies and meet Government needs. Please note: The Government shall determine which research and development endeavors to pursue and projects to fund. The Government shall provide the NSC calls for proposals and the NSC shall make those calls available to NSC Members who will then decide whether to submit proposals in response to such calls and, if so, will prepare their proposal or will individually establish a team comprised of NSC Members to prepare a team proposal for transmission to the Government. The Government shall be solely responsible for evaluation and selection of proposal(s) for project funding from the proposals submitted. Once it receives notification of selection of a project for funding, the NSC will enter into a Project Agreement with the NSC member or team whose proposal was selected by the Government through this competitive process. The NSC shall execute and administer the award and Agreements Officer Representative will supervise the technical work performed by the NSC Member(s) whose proposals are selected for funding by the Government. In accordance with 10.U.S.C. 4022(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project from a transaction has been successfully completed, a competitively awarded prototype OTA may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures. Any questions related to this positing or the RPP shall be submitted in writing to
[email protected] Government will review all questions and provide written responses that will be posted in Q&A style on the NSC website for public viewing. NSC membership will not be required to ask questions or to view the responses to the questions. The deadline to submit questions for Q&A is 31 January 2025 and the deadline to submit proposals in response to the RPP is 28 February 2025. For more information, interested parties can visit the consortium website at http://www.nationalspectrumconsortium.org/ The Point of Contact for this action is Ms. Samantha Fenske, Agreements Officer, ACC-NJ-JA;
[email protected]