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12 NOV 22: POSTED: ATS-Robins Contracting Industry Outreach (IOE) briefing charts. Robins Contracting Industry Outreach held on 1 NOV 22.

5JUL22: SOURCES SOUGHT ANNOUNCEMENT

ATTACHMENT POSTED: FA8533-22-ATSAI: Sources Sought Questions-Responses-5JUL22

This notice is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. Companies responding to this Request for Information (RFI) are advised that participation does not ensure involvement in future solicitations or contract awards. In accordance with FAR52.215-3:(a) The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this market research or to otherwise pay for the information solicited except as an allowable cost under other contracts as provided in subsection 31.205- 18, Bid and proposalcosts, of the Federal Acquisition Regulation. (b) Although "proposal" and "offeror" are used in this sources sought synopsis, your response will be treated as information only. It shall not be used as a proposal. (c)This RFI is issued for the purpose: of market research.

The Government is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of submissions or of the information received, or to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted in response to this request. The Government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this information and will not reimburse respondents for any costs associated with preparing or submitting a response to this notice. The Government is not accepting phone calls or meetings.

DESCRIPTION:

The Government is conducting market research to identify potential companies and sources that may possess the capabilities and/or experience to respond to requirements to provide performance-based acquisition through an enterprise contract to support and sustain Automatic Test Systems (ATS) in the support of the Agile Combat Support (AFLCMC/WNA), Warner Robins Air Logistics Complex, Warner Robins, Georgia, for the ATS Division. All information gathered will aid the ATS Division effort to establish a streamlined and standardized acquisition process for delivering and supporting the ATS mission to provide and sustain world class enterprise test solutions that maximize warfighter core capabilities. If, after reviewing these documents, you desire to participate in the market research, you should provide documentation that supports your company's capability in meeting these requirements. Failure to provide documentation may result in the government being unable to adequately assess your capabilities.

Attached to this sources sought is a FA853322ATSI-Contractor Capability Survey to provide your company’s responses to the Capability Survey Part I and Part II. Industry is requested to provide the information listed below in order to gain industries input on the structure and procurement approach. The Government requests direct and concise responses to each capability question. Marketing material is considered an insufficient response to this request. A point of contact that can speak for the responding company should be identified to support further Government inquiries as well as explanations that might be needed with regard to the information provided. Ensure all submitted data is in a readable electronic format that can be received through a firewall. Attachments shall not to exceed 10 MB per email. Respondents should indicate which portions, if any, of their response are proprietary and should mark them accordingly. Multiple emails are acceptable. Responses must be sent via email to the following:

Stephanie U. Akles, Contracting Officer, stephanie.akles.1@us.af.mil;

Sandra E. Harvey, Contracting Officer, sandra.harvey.2@us.af.mil;

Jonathan R. Riggins, Contract Specialist, jonathan.riggins.2@us.af.mil;

Daniel E. Segno, Program Manager, daniel.segno@us.af.mil;

Trishawn D. Smith, Program Manager, trishawn.smith@us.af.mil.

MISSION DESCRIPTION:

The AFLCMC/WNA mission is to lead the development, acquisition, and sustainment efforts necessary to meet AF Major Command (MAJCOM) ATS requirements. The division customers included globally across Department of Defense (DoD), United States of the Air Force (USAF) and USAF-R (Reserve), Air National Guard (ANG) and joint warfighter as well as international partners through Foreign Military Sales (FMS). Aircraft platforms supported include fighter, bomber, cargo/airlift/tanker, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and special operations that include helicopter platforms. The division manages end-to-end lifecycle of AF ATS encompassing complex aircraft and armament system-specific test systems in support of warfighter operations and maintenance (O&M) at operating locations worldwide. ATS performance parameters are defined by requirements unique to each Customer’s mission and unique system O&M testing needs.

ATS are fully integrated, computer-controlled suite of electronic test equipment and instrumentation hardware, software, documentation, and ancillary items designed to verify at any level of maintenance the functionality of Unit Under Test (UUT) assemblies. The term UUT includes, but is not limited to, Shop Replaceable Unit (SRUs), Line Replaceable Units (LRUs), Shop Replaceable Assemblies (SRAs), Weapons Replaceable Assemblies (WRAs) circuit cards, aircraft “black boxes”, and other removable components from weapons platforms or support systems.

Whether it is the acquisition or sustainment phase of an ATS, emphasis remains on timely delivery and sustained total test system performance. In order to meet the challenge of executing an increasing number of programs with the same number of resources, AFLCMC/WNA must streamline and standardize its acquisition and support procurement processes. The AF has addressed this challenge in other commodity program offices through previous and current utilization of competitively awarded Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contracts that utilize task orders to both large and small businesses.

DRAFT ACQUSITION REQUIREMENT DISCRIPTION:

As referenced earlier, the market research is for an ATS enterprise contract that is tentatively identified as the Automatic Test Systems Acquisition I (ATSA-I). The ATSA-I would be a competitively multiple award Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) contract that would include both large and small businesses for multiple award contracts to facilitate competitive procurement, and where appropriate, sole source acquisition of ATS support across the entire spectrum of programs supported by AFLCMC/WNA. The ATSA-I would utilize task and deliveries orders to both large and small businesses for accomplishing analysis, design, development, production, installation, integration, test, database generation/management, acquisition, and sustainment. Sustainment of fielded ATS entails system modification, upgrades, maintenance, and follow-on production activities. System modernization and modification is required to ensure complete and accurate testing of aircraft, armament and commodity system capabilities, along with technology insertion to address Diminishing Manufacturing Sources/Materiel Shortage (DMS/MS) and obsolescence issues that ensure continued system viability and effectiveness. The sustainment of AF ATS is accomplished through multiple approaches including Contractor Logistics Support (CLS), organic Government support and various teaming/partnership arrangements which include elements of follow-on development, production, maintenance, modernization, and security support.

The capabilities proposed to be procured under the ATSA-I range from the acquisition and support of extremely complex ATS family-of-systems, to system-of-systems, to the basic sustainment of a single piece of Automated Test Equipment (ATE). Some of the factors which contribute to program complexity include: the phase of the system lifecycle; complexity of the platform or system being tested; interoperability with other systems; the number of systems and operating locations to be supported; and specific technical solutions implemented. Elements under consideration include, but not limited to: length of contract, Pricing arrangements description and definition of task/delivery orders, large businesses will be required to have at minimum 20% small business subcontractor participation and contract execution of industry forums, user’s guide, templates, etc.

Potential capability requirements are, the Contractor provide software development, maintenance, and sustainment for enterprise ATS software products and models which have Government Purpose Rights or Unlimited Rights. For example, if a GFE model has been developed by the Government, the Contractor will be responsible for sustainment and modification of the model including integration support with disparate ATS. The Contractor should maintain and modify System Models using SysML tools to reflect technical baseline for the system on contract and be able to provide Engineering Change Proposals (ECPs) that include anticipated system modifications from the SysML reference architecture. Wherever possible, the Contractor shall implement an Open Systems Architecture (OSA) for new ATS development and when modernizing legacy systems/components. The Contractor should also have the capability to maintain the technical baseline, code base, and make modifications to components of ATS. The Contractor shall conduct initial and periodic analysis and secure configuration of any Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) and/or Non-Developmental Items (NDI) to ensure that they are appropriately configured, that software/hardware/firmware is controlled, and that any unique risks posed are mitigated. The Contractor shall complete a system baseline which contains the configuration documentation that provides a snapshot upon which the Security Controls Assessor (SCA) and Authorizing Official (AO) base their risk decisions and comply with specific instructions as directed by the Government. The Contractor shall complete the required assessments and analysis necessary for the security authorization package to obtain and maintain an Authorization to Operate (ATO).

SYSTEMS DESCRIPTION:

An ATS combines the following three elements:

• ATE - An integrated assembly of stimulus, measurement, and switching components under computer-control that is capable of processing software routines designed specifically to test a particular item or group of items. ATE software includes operating system software, test executive software, and instrument control software. ATE are designed to automatically conduct analysis of functional or static parameters and to evaluate the degree of UUT performance degradation; and may be used to perform fault isolation of UUT malfunctions. The decision making, control, or evaluative functions are conducted with minimum reliance on human intervention and usually done with a computer.

• Test Program Set (TPS) - ATE interface hardware and other ancillary equipment that connects the UUT to the ATE, plus test program software specific to the UUT with required documentation. The TPS software directs all test functions including fault isolation and diagnostics and can certify the condition of a UUT. Ancillary hardware consists of cables, probes, holding fixtures and peculiar instrumentation.

• Test Environment - The test environment includes a description of the ATS architecture, programming and test specification languages, compiler, development tools and provisions for capturing and using UUT design requirements and test strategy information in the generation and maintenance of TPS software.

ATE is typically very flexible in its ability to test different kinds of electronics. It can be configured to test both black boxes (LRUs or WRAs) and circuit cards (SRUs or SRAs). ATE is also used to test All-Up-Round (AUR) weapons and weapon sections. Since each UUT likely has different connections and Input/Output (I/O) ports, interfacing the UUT to the ATE normally requires an interconnecting device known as an Interface Device (ID) which physically connects the UUT to the ATE and routes signals from the various I/O pins in the ATE to the appropriate I/O pins in the UUT.

An objective of the ATE designer is to maximize the capability inherent in the ATE itself so that IDs remain passive and serve to only route signals to/from the UUT. However, since it is impossible to design ATE which can cover 100% of the range of test requirements, IDs sometimes contain active components which condition signals as they travel to and from the ATE. The more capable the ATE, the less complex the IDs must be. ATE with only scant general capability leads to large, complex and expensive IDs. Some IDs contain complex equipment such as pneumatic and motion sources, optical collimators, and heating and cooling equipment.

An ATS Family consists of ATSs that are interoperable and have the capability to support a variety of weapon system test requirements through common and flexible hardware and software architectures that permit addition or expansion of testing capability with minimal impact to the ATS logistics support profile, system software and TPSs. ATS Families are formally designated as such by OSD. The identified DoD ATS Families include:

• Consolidated Automated Support System (CASS)

• Integrated Family of Test Equipment (IFTE)

• Marine Corps Automatic Test System (MCATES)/Third Echelon Test Set (TETS)

• Joint Service Electronic Combat Systems Tester (JSECST)

• Versatile Depot Automatic Test Station (VDATS)

The intent of an open systems approach is to define an acquisition environment that makes DoD the smartest, most responsive buyer of the best goods or services that meet our warfighters' needs at the best dollar value over the life of the product. A major theme is to emphasize the use of commercial products. For ATSs this means:

• Leveraging non-recurring investments already made in ATS Families across multiple applications

• Evolving the capabilities of these Families of ATS by migrating their content towards industry-wide standards

• Facilitating intra- and inter-service level interoperability by encouraging common and interoperable support solutions

• Encouraging the use of commercial items that meet defined ATS capabilities within ATS Families and as ATS alternatives by promulgating an open architecture based on commercial standards

• Maintaining legacy TPSs while paving ways for modernization if required.

The ATS Selection Process is used when an ATS is required, whether it is during the development or upgrade of a weapon system, replacement due to ATS obsolescence, or modification of an ATS, an appropriate ATS solution must be selected. The process listed below provides a structured approach to ATS selection. This process consists of four (4) primary steps:

1. Definition of weapon system support/test requirements

2. Definition of ATS alternatives

3. Cost & benefit analysis of alternatives

4. Alternative selection

Additionally, services procured may include guaranteed ATS Reliability, Maintainability, or Availability (RMA) as determined necessary by the requiring office. ATSA-I contractors shall possess the capability to establish and sustain Associate Contractor Agreements (ACA) with aircraft primes/Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM) to include classified documentation.

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