United States Transportation Command (USTRANSCOM) is seeking non-federal partners ("Collaborators") in industry and/or academia to consider for entry into Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs) with the Government as described in 15 USC 3710a. The products of the collaborative research will be reports regarding the impacts, benefits and risks associated with Additive Manufacturing (AM) on transportation enterprise in the 2027-2032 timeframe. The reports will also address the pre-conditions for efficient use of AM in global supply chains and transportation enterprises. This is not a solicitation for a procurement contract, nor should this announcement be construed as implying any future solicitation by USTRANSCOM or any other Government agency in this area. Responses to this Request for Information (RFI) will be used to assist the Government to understand the qualifications of entities that have deep expertise in this field and who may be suitable partners in sharing information/developing studies on employment of AM practices and tools, as they apply to the USTRANSCOM/DoD supply chain enterprise. USTRANSCOM is interested in collaboration with companies which provide logistics solutions on a large scale (4th and 3rd party logistics providers, transportation and supply companies), not solely producers of AM production equipment, to better understand best practices for use of AM in strategic supply chains and the impact of AM on transportation. Small Businesses are encouraged to respond to this announcement. USTRANSCOM will give special consideration to small business firms and to business units located in and that agree to manufacture substantially in the United States in accordance with (IAW) 15 U.S.C. Section 3710a(c)(4). Potential Collaborators may team with other qualified non-federal parties. Specific development and demonstration goals will be determined during discussions with Collaborators prior to CRADA signature, and refined as necessary during the life of the CRADA. Collaboration may include the following or other topics: - Investigating the required pre-conditions, expected economic and operational benefits and limitations for insertion of AM techniques in the DoD global supply chain. (USTRANSCOM's interest is primarily in methods of designing supply chains using AM as one alternative for order satisfaction; the material science aspects of AM production are secondary interest, except where they should be understood as measures or forecasts of maturity of the techniques.) - Forecasting maturity, usability, affordability and reliability of AM for DoD customers in global supply chains in the 2027-2032 timeframe. - Determining opportunities to use AM from close to geographic origin or the original equipment manufacturer and in higher (wholesale logistics) in the supply chain, and intermediate locations up to and including near the end user. - Determining how industry is approaching AM integration in their future supply chains. Predict opportunities for AM in the commercial global supply chains of 2027-2032 that indicate opportunities for USTRANSCOM. - Identifying the associated needs for skilled DoD operators, training, transportation of material feedstock, AM equipment maintenance, and post-production finishing and inspection which will be required to make AM a trusted, practical and economically advantageous capability in the DoD supply chain. - Analyzing the cost-benefit for AM applications other than new item production. Determine how cost-effective AM is and will be for the repair and refurbishment of parts, creating tooling and other applications. Considering AM and alternatives from a systems perspective, including the direct savings from the AM and conventional process and the costs and operations/maintenance requirements for the AM process. - Analyzing the effect of AM on transportation and inventory levels. Determine whether AM will increase or decrease overall shipping requirements and/or inventory levels and associated costs. - Simulating and analyzing the effect of supply chain disruptions on AM. Determine how threats to the supply chain impact AM viability and employment strategies. Determine if AM's flexibility to produce items on demand/as needed increases its value where disruptions are likely. Determine what threat scenarios or level would make AM costs and requirements most cost-beneficial. Gauge when it will be cost and operationally effective to use AM in a degraded environment (where friendly forces would have to physically secure the supply chain/lines of communication from the continental U.S. to the area of operations). Determine if an increased threat makes AM more or less viable. - Given the ongoing advancements in AM and likely state of the practice in 2027-2032, determine what changes the DoD would need to make to field AM considering the Doctrine, Organization, Training, Material, Leadership and Education, Personnel, Facilities, and Policy (DOTMLPF-P) whole-system point of view. - Analyzing the U.S. Army's "Additive Manufacturing Cost Benefit Analysis' (attached to this RFI). Determine if it fully addresses potential future impacts of AM in the global supply chain, specific to DoD operations. - Description of the current state of practices of AM within the transportation enterprise. Description of the future state of practice, and impacts, or non-impact, of AM within the transportation enterprise in the 2027-2032 timeframe. Description of what risk/opportunities what risk/opportunities AM brings to USTRANSCOM. - Description of how USTRANSCOM is postured, or not postured, to support AM in the future. Description of the needs of USTRANSCOM to support AM in the 2027-2032 timeframe. - Determining how to select specific items for additive manufacturing. Determine which items, under which conditions, are cost beneficial to be additively manufactured considering technical feasibility, cost, and operational effectiveness. - Determining opportunities for AM to supplant traditional manufacturing in the DoD supply chain. Determine if there are spaces where AM might be introduced as a new virtual transportation method, even where no manufacturing capability was established previously. - Determine if there are risk or readiness drivers, or other factors which warrant AM regardless of cost. Determine if there are items that are unique, low-demand, and or with usually long wait times for which AM would remain cost-effective. Multiple federal agencies may participate on behalf of or in partnership with USTRANSCOM, including but not limited to agencies of Surface Deployment and Distribution Command (SDDC, U.S. Army), Air Mobility Command (AMC, U.S. Air Force), Military Sealift Command (MSC, U.S. Navy), Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), other Federal Laboratories, and other agencies of the U.S. Government, as the U.S. Government deems appropriate. Supporting information, discussions, demonstrations, and other collaborative activities should remain at the UNCLASSIFIED level. If classified information exchange is proposed by the Collaborator, Collaborator personnel must be appropriately cleared at the outset of the CRADA, at no cost to the Government. CRADAs are defined in 15 U.S.C. 3710a(d), in part, as "any agreement between one or more federal laboratories and one or more non-federal parties under which the Government, through its laboratories, provides personnel, services, facilities, equipment, intellectual property or other resources with or without reimbursement (but not funds to non-Federal parties) and the non-Federal parties provide funds, personnel, services, facilities, equipment, intellectual property, or other resources toward the conduct of specified research or development efforts which are consistent with the missions of the laboratory; except that such term does not include a procurement contract..." More info on USTRANSCOM's use of CRADA's is found at http://www.transcom.mil/dbw/orta.cfm CRADAs resulting from this announcement are forecast to be in effect for approximately a 1 - year period, although duration can be tailored to suit the parties' needs before or even after work begins by mutual agreement. USTRANSCOM and other designated government agencies selected by USTRANSCOM will evaluate potential Collaborators' white papers (submittal instructions follow). Based on response to the RFI's requested response elements and Government interest and capacity to enter into such agreements, USTRANSCOM will choose one, multiple, or zero white papers as basis for additional discussion, and so notify the respondents. Initial selection of white papers and subsequent discussions do not guarantee selection of any Collaborator by USTRANSCOM to actually enter into in a CRADA. After initial white paper selection, the Government will conduct discussions separately with each selected Collaborator, seeking to reach mutual agreement between USTRANSCOM and the Collaborator(s) on objectives, duration, intellectual property, and resources to be applied by the parties in the proposed CRADA(s). The Government may choose to visit pertinent facilities for a tour of Collaborator capabilities prior to final selections. No funding is available from the Government to cover white paper preparation or submittal costs, or to cover discussions, facility visits or any other Collaborator costs of preparation for or participation in a CRADA. The USTRANSCOM template CRADA is available at http://www.ustranscom.mil/dbw/docs/USTRANSCOM_/CRADA.pdf so potential Collaborators may understand its terms. Interested parties may respond with white papers not later than (NLT) 3 Mar 2017 2359L (12:00 midnight Central time) by unclassified e-mail to
[email protected] by submitting an UNCLASSIFIED written white paper in following format. Hardcopy submittal is not allowed. Please use the following format: - Microsoft Word or .pdf format of not more than ten (10) pages in length, on standard 8 1/2 by 11- inch page, with one (1)-inch margins at top, bottom, left and right in Times New Roman font of not less than 12-point size, with not more than six (6) lines per inch. - Pages numbered sequentially in the bottom footer including company name and identification of proprietary information as appropriate on each page. Proprietary information or trade secrets do not have to be disclosed in this response, if the general technique can be otherwise described. - Clearly marked/identified proprietary information, photos or diagrams. - Include the following elements (within the ten (10) page limit: -- Title (no separate title page needed). -- Company name and state/nation of incorporation, and incorporation of any parent entity. Companies with foreign ownership or parentage must identify the nation of incorporation of the non-U.S entity. -- Your organization's experience with AM insertion into supply chains, including AM operation and maintenance; list DoD or industry points of contact with whom you have performed prior work, and address/phone numbers as references, if available. -- Experience and ability to forecast the maturity, role, and return on investment of AM in supply and transportation functions of the 2027-2032 timeframe; desired example areas of investigation may include: ---Extrapolation of the current state of the practice of AM in logistics and transportation enterprises to 2027-2032. Impacts of AM within the transportation enterprise at this time. Theoretical reliability and expected reliability/accuracy in use; limitations of AM that will affect performance in use. --- Description of current and future technologies proposed to be employed; their current maturity (Technology Readiness Level) and risks; and examples of successful use (or prediction of future capabilities). --- Integration needs: how to determine what infrastructure, procedures, environment, training, communications, coordination, equipment certifications or other features are required to make AM feasible? --- Predicted cost/affordability/lifecycle cost/ROI (cost for equipment, installation, training, and maintenance costs during AM life cycles) --Resources available from the Collaborator during the CRADA (examples: access to facilities, personnel expertise, information systems, proprietary techniques, hardware, software, materials, prototypes, etc). -- Resources requested from USTRANSCOM (examples: personnel skillsets, data, access to selected environments, access to facilities including test/demo facilities, etc.; no DoD-provided funding is permitted). -- Describe any open source software and any third-party software to be provided by the Collaborator. -- Describe any third-party proprietary information proposed for use in the CRADA and status of agreements to use such information. -- Describe your capability to analyze, simulate, model, author reports and otherwise apply resources and expertise pertinent to collaborative AM investigation/development. -- Identify all proprietary information with appropriate markings or citations. -- Include points of contacts (name, address, e-mail address, and phone number) for notification of selection/non-selection and follow-on discussions/visits (if chosen). USTRANSCOM and other Government entities participating in white paper review and actual collaborative work under CRADAs may include in-house support contractors and members of Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs). Non-disclosure agreements will be signed as required by the Parties to include these participants. The USTRANSCOM Office of Research and Technology Applications (ORTA) technical advisor (coordinator of USTRANSCOM Technology Transfer activities) is a member of the MITRE Corporation, an FFRDC. Proposals not selected for further discussion will be archived by the Government and appropriately protected.