SECTION 1 - DISCLAIMER This Request for Information (RFI) is issued for MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY to explore Operations and Sustainment (O&S) and Research and Development (R&D) market capabilities and solutions to support the Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate Space Electro-Optics Division (AFRL/RDS) Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) located in Maui, HI. It is not a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), Invitation for Bid (IFB), or any obligation on the part of the Government to acquire products or services. Responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government to form a binding contract. Any and all costs associated with responding to this RFI will be solely the respondent's expense and will not reimbursed by the Government. Information provided by respondents MAY be used by Government in acquisition planning and may eventually be considered in future solicitations. Respondents should mark any proprietary information included in their response. DO NOT submit any classified materials. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future solicitations. If a solicitation is released, it will be synopsized in the applicable Government wide Point of Entry. It is the responsibility of the potential respondents to monitor these sites for additional information pertaining to this requirement. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) codes for this action are: 541715 RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT IN THE PHYSICAL, ENGINEERING, AND LIFE SCIENCES (except nanotechnology and biotechnology) 561210 FACILITIES AND SUPPORT SERVICES 333314 OPTICAL INSTRUMENT AND LENS MANUFACTURING SECTION 2 - PROGRAM OVERVIEW The Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate Space Electro-Optics Division (AFRL/RDS) Air Force Maui Optical Site (AMOS) located in Maui, HI is seeking sources capable of supporting the site’s Operations and Sustainment (O&S) mission. AFRL/RDS is responsible for the development of adaptive optics, active and passive tracking, space surveillance, space situational awareness, and propagation technologies for laser beam control and imaging applications. AMOS is one of the Air Force's premier optical sites undertaking the transition of Directed Energy technologies into operational units of the DoD through efficient utilization of this world-class resource. SECTION 3 - SCOPE OF WORK Previously this effort combined O&S and Research and Development (R&D) requirements across two geographically separated sites (AMOS-Maui, Hawaii and Starfire Optical Range (SOR) - Kirtland Air Force Base, New Mexico). The Government is now focusing on the AMOS site only; however, there shall be the ability to leverage expertise, lessons learned, and abilities across separate contracts for efforts that are similar at AMOS and SOR sites. AMOS O&S tasks are described below. The O&S tasks cover work done on-site using AMOS facilities. Interested parties will need the capability to perform across all the O&S tasks. Respondents may provide a Statement of Capabilities (SOC) to one or more of the O&S tasks. AMOS Operations and Sustainment : AMOS Operations and Sustainment provides and maintains experimental equipment and its functions for both the AMOS facilities at Haleakala and the Ground Based Electro Optical Deep Space Surveillance (GEODSS) tenant co-located with AMOS. In addition, it provides services to external customers, including tasking, collection, processing, exploitation, and dissemination (TCPED) of data leading to operational products for Air Force Space Command, execution of Space Domain Awareness (SDA) campaigns organized by bilateral-MOA mission partners, and execution of other customer programs (a.k.a. visiting experiments) as needed to include tasking of the SOR for completion of near-earth collects. These services often require integration of new experimental equipment into AMOS facilities, a task that requires both expert technical (optical, mechanical, electrical, software) skills and a simultaneous understanding of typical SDA mission objectives. O&S includes those activities that are not directly R&D but are required to execute the R&D, testing, operations, data collection, and subsequent data dissemination: Maintain AMOS Maintaining, repairing, upgrading, or modernizing the equipment, labs, and systems required to execute the RD mission; Coating of large optics; Configuration management, spectrum management, tool control, and lab management functions; Logistics support; Safety and environmental management support; Routine & Non-routine support Collect imagery, signatures, and metrics for a number of space community customers. This includes, but is not limited to: 24/7 collection capability in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) to Geosynchronous (GEO) regimes; Day and night imagery; Responding to customer tasking; Scheduling and configuring sensors based on the tasking; Performing mission planning; Calibrating, collecting, processing, analyzing, and disseminating mission data. Relevant modeling, simulation, & analysis (e.g. link budgets, optical alignment performances/tolerances, tracking performance, etc.) and systems engineering support, to include transitioning R&D equipment and techniques into TCPED operational data products AMOS Research and Development: The Government is considering separating the sites O&S and R&D requirements into independent acquisitions. AFRL/RDS recognizes that O&S may be enhanced by collaboration between functions that fall under O&S and R&D requirements. The Government understands this strategy is different from historical practices and is soliciting feedback on potential unintended consequences or benefits as a result of this decision. Current and anticipated programs involve R&D focused on: • Space object detection, tracking (Multi-Target Tracking (MTT) and Astrodynamics) and imaging, • Advanced optical beam control, • Advanced laser communication technology, and similar applications. • Sensor development, integration, and testing • Laser integration and active sensing • Daytime optical SECTION 4 - SYSTEM SUPPORT SPECIFICATIONS The site operates small to medium-sized telescopes (0.3-3.7 m) with a variety of visible, near, mid, and far infrared sensors and imagers, laser beam directors projecting low to medium power laser beams to ground, air and space, 1,000 channel class adaptive optical systems (including laser beacons), and instruments to characterize atmospheric transmittance and strength of turbulence. SECTION 5 - RESPONSES Please provide information on any combination of O&S and/or R&D objectives listed in Section 3, Scope of Work. Identify any non-traditional approaches to satisfy the Government’s objectives. Also, identify any potential uses of Commercially Available Off-the-Shelf (COTS) Items to satisfy the Government objectives. Suggested content of responses to this RFI: Feedback on the Government’s requirements and contemplated acquisition strategies with regards to separating AMOS O&S and AMOS R&D requirements, contract type, schedule, and objectives Data Rights: Specify the most appropriate level of data rights for the objectives and or the level of data rights your potential proposal would assert in accordance with 252.227-7017 Previous Research : An outline of projects previously performed relevant to the anticipated scope of this research effort. Include any related research that addresses similar objectives within the commercial or educational environment Facilities: Description of special facilities required to satisfy R&D objectives to include any potential requests for use of government property. The SOC is limited to 5 pages for O&S and an additional 5 pages if R & D tasks are provided. Please submit responses via email to
[email protected], and
[email protected] , March 25 2020, 5:00 p.m. Mountain Time. Questions regarding this RFI should be submitted by email to Contract Specialist Vanessa D. Garcia at
[email protected] with a courtesy copy to the Procurement Contracting Officer, Kimerie Smith at
[email protected].