1. Background: The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is responsible for developing an integrated Ballistic Missile Defense System, integrating land, sea, air, and space based assets to defend the United States, friends and allies, and deployed forces from ballistic missile attack. The Command, Control, Battle Management and Communication (C2BMC) element is the critical tool that links the various individual sensor-interceptor-communications elements into one coordinated system using the best offensive/defensive attributes of each element, ensuring the highest capability for protection against all types of ballistic missile threats in all regions of the world and in all phases of flight. The Enhanced C2BMC (EC2BMC) Project Office of the Agency’s Advanced Technology Directorate is identifying and exploring options to further enhance the existing capability with new disruptive technologies and/or concepts, selecting the best value options and approaches, and successfully transitioning the capability into the C2BMC element. 2. Description: a. Request for Information (RFI). In an effort to conduct current market research, this is a Request for Information to gain insight into the availability of new technology, architecture, framework or concepts that significantly improve our C2BMC capability. This RFI is seeking ideas from industry, the national laboratories, universities and university affiliated research and development centers able to collaboratively design, develop, and test, either in whole or in part, the enhanced system. The Agency requests targeted capability statements that demonstrate core capabilities and expertise and present top level descriptions of technologies and/or concepts. b. RFI Focus. Propose specific open and modular architectures for next generation C2BMC capability. The architecture should support worldwide, on-demand, secure network services to enable early intercept fire control and to permit global management of any weapon or sensor platform. The goal is to avoid the cost and complexity of integrating common functions into every platform while ensuring engagements can be conducted based on the best mix of all available RF and EO sensors. Additionally, the MDA desires to maximize the utility of current and future interceptor variants and the distributed network of ground, airborne and space based sensors. Responses to this RFI must describe modular architecture, interfaces, and specific methods of interfacing with existing BMDS sensors and weapon systems – to include enabling retrofits – as well as allied sensors, weapons, and command and control systems. Innovations should emphasize the capability to monitor and enforce the following features: A. Quality: Compatibility of weapon capabilities & network data quality can be verified. B. Availability: Network must be accessible on demand from any point in the globe. C. Timeliness: Data frequency and latency are compatible with weapon capabilities. D. Survivability: Network connectivity and functions unimpaired by adversary attempts to suppress defenses (cyber attack; physical disruption of links or nodes). E. Trust: Targets validated and declared threatening. F. Extensibility: Network scalable as BMDS grows & new platforms are introduced. The top level descriptions of technologies and/or concepts should focus on the following: 1) Identification of technologies/capabilities to enable revolutionary jumps in raid handling capacity, engagement battle-space, resource efficiency, geographic reach and operational simplicity of the BMDS. Responses should consider techniques to expand engagement opportunities with increased battle-space, enable shoot-look-shoot opportunities, improve sensor to weapon pairings (any sensor – any shooter) or devise other battle management techniques to improve the efficiency of the BMDS during raid scenarios of 50 to 100 incoming missiles in a debris rich environment. Responses should address operational concepts, assumptions, models and simulations used, real data collections, and the basis used to validate recommendations. Example technologies/capabilities could include the ability to exploit visible, IR, and RF sensor data from space, airborne and/or ground sensors to improve ballistic tracking; non-ballistic tracking; prediction of future states; hit and kill assessment; or sensor/platform registration. 2) Identification of technologies/capabilities/metrics to assess the raid performance and efficiency of the existing and future variants of the BMDS or critical components integral to raid capacity performance, such as communication links and associated latencies; processing times; and/or time for sensors to perform selected functions. Responses should address concepts, assumptions, models and simulations used, real data collections, and the basis used to validate assessments. c. Place of performance. Not applicable. d. Government-Furnished Information (GFI) / Government-Furnished Equipment (GFE). GFI/GFE is not applicable. e. Responses: The intended outcome of this synopsis is to determine interest and capability in supporting the Current and Next Generation C2BMC development. MDA is requesting interested parties submit capability statements and white papers that capture core capabilities and expertise and demonstrate applicable technologies or concepts/approaches. Responses should be provided via the MDA Advanced Technology Innovation (ATI) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), HQ0147-09-ATI-BAA, utilizing the submission instructions included in the announcement. The ATI BAA is issued under the provisions of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2), which provides for the competitive selection of research proposals. Contract(s) based on responses to this BAA are considered to be the result of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provisions of PL 98-369, “The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.” The BAA is available in the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) under HQ0147-09-ATI-BAA: https://www.fbo.gov/index?&s=opportunity&mode=form&id=19b340086aee52421d2f447d77c2877a&tab=core&tabmode=list f. Marking. Submissions must comply with the instructions set forth in the BAA, HQ0147-09-ATI-BAA. Potential sources are responsible for adequately marking propriety information contained in their response. Any proprietary information MUST be marked as such on a page-by-page basis. The Government intends to use third party, non-Government (contractor) support personnel as subject matter experts in the review of responses received, including the review of any marked or unmarked proprietary information provided. Appropriate non-disclosure agreements have been executed between the third party, non-Government (contractor) support personnel and the Government and are on file with the Government. A submission of a response to this RFI constitutes the respondent’s acknowledgement and agreement that the information provided in the response, including any marked or unmarked proprietary or source selection information, may be disclosed to these third party, non-Government (contractor) support personnel. g. Compensation. This is a market research announcement for informational planning purposes and does not constitute a Request for Proposal, nor is it to be construed as a commitment by the Government. Offerors are reminded that the ATI BAA is for the acquisition of basic and applied research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. BAAs may be used by agencies to fulfill their requirements for scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding rather than focusing on a specific system or hardware solution. The Technical POC for this RFI is Dr. LeMonté Green, EC2BMC, MDA/DV, 256-955-1946,
[email protected]. If you have additional questions, please contact Ms. Elizabeth Moulder, Contracting Officer, Advanced Technology, DACV/DV, 256-450-1014,
[email protected], or Mr. H. Paul Rhodes, Director (Acting), DACV, 256-313-9427,
[email protected]. Request submissions no later than thirty (30) calendar days after the original posting of this request. The ATI BAA Contracting Officer is Ms. Janice Olson,
[email protected], (256) 313-9497.