THIS IS A REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI) ONLY. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes. This RFI does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP), Request for Quote (RFQ), or Other Transaction Agreement (OTA); nor does it make a promise or commitment to issue an RFP, RFQ, or OTA. Marine Corps Systems Command (MARCORSYSCOM) is not seeking proposals at this time. Respondents are advised that the United States (U.S.) Government will not pay any costs incurred responding to this RFI. Therefore, respondents will bear all costs incurred responding to this RFI. Electing not to respond to this RFI will not preclude participation in any future efforts. All submissions become the property of the Federal Government and will not be returned. The Government may use information received by the closing date of this notice to, for example, to determine sources that are available and capable of satisfying this requirement. Respondents are solely responsible for specifying any restrictions on the disclosure and use of data submitted with their response. Moreover, respondents must identify any data that must not be disclosed outside the Government and/or that must not be duplicated, used, or disclosed - in whole or in part - for any purpose other than for the purposes set forth herein. RESPONDENTS SHALL NOT INCLUDE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN THEIR RESPONSE TO THIS RFI. 1. Situation The 38th Commandant’s Planning Guidance (CPG) explains that the Marine Corps has been and remains the Nation’s premier naval expeditionary force-in-readiness. The CPG further states that the Marine Corps will be trained and equipped as a naval expeditionary force-in-readiness and prepared to operate inside actively contested maritime spaces in support of fleet operations. While all training has an inherent risk, the Marine Corps’ Underwater Egress Trainer (UET) concept is to make an uncomfortable situation familiar so that the Marine will react in a manner that will increase the likelihood of survival during an actual egress event occurring during UET training, a deployment, or during combat operations. All training must meet UET requirements, and all training must prepare Marines and other authorized personnel to perform complex and stressful survival tasks during situations they may encounter in the battle space. Marine Corps Message, 092116Z April 2021, “REQUIREMENTS FOR THE RESUMPTION OF AAV WATER OPERATIONS”, directs that all who will embark, within or in operation of an amphibious vehicle, must be UET “certified”. Further more, the attendance of non-unit affiliated civilians and contractor and government employees, will increase with new requirements for recording and tracking by individuals trained, both uniformed and civilian. 1.1 Background Marine Corps UET systems provide the training necessary to safely egress from a submerged, inverted, or sinking aircraft, amphibious or waterborne vehicle. The UET systems include the Shallow Water Egress Trainer (SWET), Modular Amphibious Egress Trainer (MAET) and the Submerged Vehicle Egress Trainer (SVET). The SVET is designed to be lowered into a pool, and capable of being turned up to 180-degree rotation on its longitudinal axis. Its lifting systems (hoist, gantries) provide at a minimum, a two-speed rate of descent and retraction. These systems enable students to rehearse underwater egress training requirements in preparation for Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF) missions across the range of military operations, including stability operations, contingency operations, and major theater war. The SVET has the same modular core and rotational capabilities as the MAET, but dedicated for amphibious and ground vehicle simulation. It is equipped with modules for the High Mobility Multi-purpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMWV), and a generic Amphibious Assault Vehicle (AAV) platform. The future solution being sought includes simulation of the Amphibious Combat Vehicle (ACV), Light Armored Vehicle (LAV), and Joint Light Tactical Vehicle (JLTV). The Model 12000 Cross Gantry Hoist (XGH) is the current UET trainer lifting system. It is specifically designed for use with the MAET and SVET. The XGH is a cross gantry hoisting system that features dual lifting mechanisms, an integrated remote air brake system, with user settable variable ditching speeds, advanced ditching monitoring, effects sequencing, and control. It consists of a pneumatically operated Redundant Retraction System (RRS) to mitigate the risk of power failures during critical (submerged) periods of the UET training cycle. Current XGHs are installed in indoor and outdoor settings, integral to the facility, or mounted on outdoor gantries. Marine Corps UET systems are central to the Marine Corps’ water survival and egress training programs. Current Marine Corps UET locations include one MAET and one SVET at each of the following locations: Marine Corps Base (MCB), Camp Lejeune MCB, Camp Pendleton MCB, Hawaii MCB, Okinawa, Japan Future Marine Corps UET locations include: MCB, Camp Pendleton, Del Mar (Construction Project P-220) Ready for Use FY25 MCB, Guam (Construction Project J-014) Ready for Use FY25 1.2 Capability Description The objective of this RFI is to understand the ability of industry to design, develop, and produce a MAET which simulates the CH-53 and MV-22 configurations and a modular SVET cab, that simulates the ACV, LAV and JLTV cabs, along with refurbishment of the existing gantry crane/hoist systems. All trainers and crane/hoist systems must be interoperable with current and future training systems. The Program Manager for Training Systems (PM TRASYS), MARCORSYSCOM, is seeking a capability statement regarding the ability, capability, and plan of the respondents to execute the design and upgrade of the UET. 2. Administrative Matters 2.1 Questions Questions concerning this RFI must be directed, in writing, to the Contract Specialist (Mrs. Sarah Lewellen at
[email protected]). Questions must be received NO LATER THAN (NLT) 10 December 2021 at 1600 local time, Orlando, FL . Phone calls concerning this request for information will not be accepted. Ensure that ALL communication regarding this RFI contains the correct RFI number. Answers to any questions that are timely posed by respondents will be at the Government’s sole and absolute discretion. 2.2 Submission Instructions Responses to this RFI must be received by the Contract Specialist (Mrs. Sarah Lewellen at
[email protected]) NO LATER THAN (NLT) 10 December 2021 at 1600 local time, Orlando, FL . Responses shall be provided electronically, as follows: One e-mail copy (e-copy) may be submitted to the email address of the Point of Contact (POC) identified in paragraph 2.1. Submissions with a single electronic file attachment or combined electronic file attachment size that exceeds 10 MB may be submitted to the POC identified in paragraph 2.1 via DoD SAFE (Secure Access File Exchange), located at https://safe.apps.mil/. Respondents utilizing DoD SAFE must contact the POC identified in paragraph 2.1, via email, to obtain a “request code” so that the respondent may upload their file(s). A single, Adobe Acrobat, Portable Document Format (PDF) that includes all attachments, appendices, or other information being submitted, is preferred. Respondents must prominently mark their submission to this RFI with the following statement: “Request for Information – M67854-22-R-8010” 2.3 How the Marine Corps Intends to Use this Information The Marine Corps is seeking RFI pursuant to FAR Part 10. The Government may use the information obtained through this RFI to inform Marine Corps requirements for egress and operational trainers or any other lawful purpose pertaining to the prospective acquisition of training capabilities. Respondents are solely responsible for specifying any restrictions on the disclosure and use of data submitted with their response. Moreover, respondents must identify any data that must not be disclosed outside the Government and/or that must not be duplicated, used, or disclosed - in whole or in part - for any purpose other than for the purposes set forth herein. 2.4 Response Requested Please limit responses to no more than 30 total pages. Third-party documentation is excluded from the 30-page limit. Examples of third-party documentation include commercial item determinations (if applicable), results of tests performed by independent third-party test laboratories, third-party certifications, software licenses, warranty terms, and similar documents created by third-parties. The Marine Corps is interested in learning about the respondents’ underwater egress training corporate experience and capabilities regarding modular cab trainer redesign or replacement that includes, but is not limited to design, testing, manufacturing, technical data rights, and warranty. Simply stated, the Marine Corps is keenly interested in obtaining from respondents their ability to meet the underwater egress training requirements expressed within this RFI. 2.5 Summary of Corporate Experience Regarding Underwater Egress System Requirements Please describe the degree to which your business entity possesses underwater egress trainer corporate experience in the following broad performance areas, including any supporting details that substantiates any claimed corporate experience. Please be advised that corporate experience is distinct from past performance. Moreover, for the purpose of this notice, corporate experience is defined as an assessment of whether the respondent has performed similar work during the past five years, whereas past performance assesses how well the respondent has performed and its capability to perform similar work on active and physically completed contracts. At this time, the Government is only requesting that respondents describe their corporate experience in the following broad areas as it specifically relates to underwater egress training requirements to support the modular SVET cab design and replacement or refurbishment of the existing gantry crane/hoist systems as described above: Design Testing Manufacturing Installation On-Site Testing Warranty Tech Data Rights The respondent shall prepare and submit up to four corporate experience references of the respondent as a prime contractor to a DoD, other federal, or commercial entity within the past five years providing underwater egress training systems design and producing systems similar to the modular SVET and existing gantry crane/hoist systems as described above. The respondent’s past performance references shall include the following information: Contract Number or Order number and the CAGE Code, and DUNS Number associated with the Contract or Order Pertinent portions of the Contract or Order’s Statement of Work, (SOW), Performance Specification, Performance Work Statement (PWS), or other pertinent requirement Contract or Order Type (specific type such as Fixed-Price [FP], Cost Reimbursement [CR], Time and Material [T&M], etc.) Awarded price/cost Final or projected final price/cost Original delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion or work Final or projected final, delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work Contractor place of performance Government contracting activity and current address, Procuring Contracting Officer’s name, e-mail address, and telephone number Government’s technical representative/Contracting Officer’s Representative and current email address, and telephone number If different than the PCO Government contract administration activity and the Administrative Contracting Officer’s name and current e-mail address, telephone, and fax number The respondent shall neither submit nor will the Government evaluate any information or references of corporate experience for the respondent other than as a prime contractor to a DoD, other federal, or commercial entity within the past five years. Moreover, the respondent shall neither submit nor will the Government evaluate any information or references that relate to any services performed by the respondent’s proposed subcontractor(s), joint venturers, partnerships, or any other business associations. Respondents are required to possess UET corporate experience in each of the seven areas referenced above in order to submit a response. Generic responses that merely state that the corporate entity has performed the aforementioned types of work do not meaningfully address the respondent’s corporate experience requirements, as defined above, and will not be considered for market research purposes. More meaningful responses will include: a reference to a specific contract or agreement (DoD, other federal, or commercial) and will cite pertinent portions of the contract or agreement’s Statement of Work, (SOW), Performance Work Statement (PWS), Statement of Objectives (SOO), or other pertinent requirement. 3. Additional Marine Corps RFI Requests The Marine Corps requests that respondents, which possess the above referenced corporate experience provide additional information and responses to the following questions and requests: Provide your entity’s POC for this RFI, including their name, email address, and phone number. Provide the legal name for your entity; please list any “Doing Business As” (DBA) or fictitious business names operated by your entity, if applicable. Provide your Dun and Bradstreet (DUNS) number(s) for your legal entity(ies) and the commercial and government entity (CAGE) code(s) for each legal entity(ies). Provide your entity’s business size (large or small) as it pertains to NAICS code 333999 - All Other Miscellaneous General Purpose Machinery Manufacturing with a small business size standard of 500 employees. For small businesses, please identify any socioeconomic status that pertains to your entity such as: Veteran-Owned Small Business (VOSB), Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Historically Underutilized Business Zone (HUBZone) small business, Small Disadvantaged Business (i.e., the 8[a] Business Development Program), Economically Disadvantaged Women Owned Small Business (EDWOSB), and/or Women-Owned Small Business (WOSB) concern. If your entity is owned by a tribe, Alaskan Native Corporation (ANC), or Native Hawaiian Organization (NHO), please state so in your response. Provide your entity’s re-tooling cost and production lead time, measured in calendar days, from contract award to the first delivery of an operational system. Please provide your entity’s yearly production capacity. Please define the length of time (measured in months) and the total number of assets that your entity has produced of this system. Please describe the top three cost drivers your entity has experienced in both the manufacturing process. Is your solution customarily used by the general public or by non-governmental entities for purposes other than governmental purposes? Has your solution been sold, leased, or licensed to the general public, or has it been offered for sale, lease, or license to the general public? If your answer to question 11 is no, then will your solution be available for sale, lease or license in the commercial marketplace within the next 12-18 months? If your answer to questions 10 through 12 are no, then would applying either modifications of a type customarily available in the commercial marketplace, or minor modifications of a type not customarily available in the commercial marketplace, result in your solution satisfying questions 10 through 12? Is your solution comprised of a combination of items, meeting the requirements of questions 10 through 12 that are of a type customarily combined and sold in combination to the general public? Has your solution been previously developed to be used exclusively for governmental purposes by a federal agency, a state or local government, or a foreign government with which the United States has a mutual defense cooperation agreement? Please discuss the terms and conditions for any warranties provided with your system. In your response, please address any product performance warranties, third party product warranties, and any intellectual property warranties you provide. Additionally, your response should consider addressing who is covered by the warranty, what is covered by the warranty, when the warranty begins, the duration of the warranty, and all other terms and conditions under which the warranty is offered. Please describe how your system incorporates an open system architecture and modular design approach to accommodate system and subsystem technology updates. Please identify all Third Party Software (TPS) used in your solution, and provide a list of TPS with the third party publishers’ names and copyrights. Please identify, among the following categories, which category(ies) applies to each software item: Operating systems Utilities Applications Databases Middleware Please furnish a copy of any applicable license(s) for commercial computer software, including all TPS used in your system. (Third-party documentation such as software licenses is excluded from the 30-page limit.) If not specified in the terms and conditions of the license, please also provide, for each commercial software item used, a description of the license model. For example, does the license or subscription price permit using the software perpetually or for a fixed duration? If offered on a perpetual basis, please define all annual costs that are payable to keep the software current (i.e., software assurance). What licensing metrics do you use to determine license or subscription costs? Named User/Device Concurrent User/Device Processor/Central Processing Unit (CPU) Site License Enterprise License 21. Please provide a list of widely-accepted and supported standards that were used to define interface definitions or key interfaces for your system.