Description
THIS IS A RFI ONLY – This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes – it does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue a RFP in the future. Requests for a solicitation/solicitation status will not receive a response. This notice does not constitute a commitment by the United States Government to contract for any supply or service whatsoever. All information submitted in response to this announcement is voluntary; the United States Government will not pay for information requested nor will it compensate any respondent for any costs incurred in developing information provided to the United States Government. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP, if one is issued. Acknowledgement of receipt of submitted items will not be made nor will respondents be notified of the outcome of the information received. INTRODUCTION: The US Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG) Belvoir Division, on behalf of the Project Manager Expeditionary Energy & Sustainment Systems (PM E2S2) is issuing a Request for Information (RFI) to announce a new website that will support the new Tactical Microgrid Standard (TMS, MIL-STD-3071) website and provide a forum for public comments on upcoming MIL-STD changes. TMS Website: https://community.apan.org/wg/tactical-microgrid-standard-tms-mil-std-3071/tms-home PROGRAM OBJECTIVE: Currently, providing operational energy in a tactical environment involves a burdensome logistics tail to supply and maintain tactical generators. Technologies are emerging that can network generators, energy storage, and alternative power sources together to provide needed power while running at or near rated capacity to minimize fuel usage. However, many of these solutions are proprietary or are designed for a certain scenario or unit and therefore are not extensible or scalable to other situations. TMS defines communications that enable the future of power generation and distribution equipment for tactical operations to facilitate new capabilities such as redundancy, reliability, higher efficiency, and modularity. As part of PM E2S2’s managing of the new MIL-STD-3071, a website has been established utilizing the All Partners Access Network (APAN) (apan.org) hosting services. All Partners Access Network provides collaboration between the U.S. military and mission partners both traditional and nontraditional, including multinational organizations, law enforcement, NGO's, and agencies who do not have access to restricted networks. The new TMS website connects the Government and the public for information sharing/dissemination on MIL-STD-3071. The site will be used as a single entry point to the TMS ecosphere where the public, vendors, partners, other services, and industry will come to get the latest information they will need. It will host the current published MIL-STD, upcoming approved changes to the standard, support resources, and provides announcement space for important TMS topics. A TMS support email (.mil) address has also been established. A new version of TMS called TMS 2.0.1 has been developed based up Working Request #1 updates which are significant in nature. This new version is hosted on the website and the government is seeking public comments on the new version through the website. Comments will be accepted through the website through 8 March 2024. Disclaimer: THE GOVERNMENT DOES NOT INTEND TO AWARD A CONTRACT ON THE BASIS OF THIS RFI NOR REIMBURSE ANY COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PREPARATION OF RESPONSES. This announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Proprietary information and trade secrets, if any, must be clearly marked on all materials. All information received that is marked Proprietary will be handled accordingly. Responses will not be returned nor will the Government confirm receipt. Whatever information is provided will be used to assess tradeoffs and alternatives available for determining how to proceed in the acquisition process. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. All Government and Contractor personnel reviewing responses will have signed non-disclosure agreements and understand their responsibility for proper use and protection from unauthorized disclosure of proprietary information as described in 41 USC §2101-2107. The Government shall not be liable for or suffer any consequential damages for any proprietary information not properly identified. Proprietary information will be safeguarded in accordance with the applicable Government regulations.