Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Sustainment

DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY SMALL BUSINESS INNOVATION RESEARCH (SBIR) PROGRAM SBIR 21.4 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Small Business Opportunity (SBO) Announcement May 5, 2021: SBO issued for pre-release June 3, 2021: Army begins accepting proposals June 23, 2021: Deadline for receipt of proposals no later than 12:00 p.m. ET IMPORTANT Deadline for Receipt : Proposals must be completely submitted no later than 12:00 p.m. ET, June 23, 2021. Proposals submitted after 12:00 p.m. will not be evaluated. The final proposal submission includes successful completion of all firm level forms, all required volumes, and electronic corporate official certification. Classified proposals will not be accepted under the DoD SBIR Program. This BAA and the Defense SBIR/STTR Innovation Portal (DSIP) sites are designed to reduce the time and cost required to prepare a formal proposal. The DSIP is the official portal for DoD SBIR/STTR proposal submission. Proposers are required to submit proposals via DSIP; proposals submitted by any other means will be disregarded. Proposers submitting through this site for the first time will be asked to register. The Small Business Administration, through its SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, purposely departs from normal Government solicitation formats and requirements and authorizes agencies to simplify the SBIR/STTR award process and minimize the regulatory burden on small business. Therefore, consistent with the SBA SBIR/STTR Policy Directive, the Department of Defense is soliciting proposals as a Broad Agency Announcement. SBIR/STTR Updates and Notices: To be notified of SBIR/STTR opportunities and to receive e-mail updates on the DoD SBIR and STTR Programs, you are invited to subscribe to our Listserv by visiting https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login and clicking “DSIP Listserv” located under Quick Links. Help Desk: If you have questions about proposal submission using DSIP, please contact the DoD SBIR/STTR Help Desk at [email protected]. The Help Desk is available Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET. Topic Q&A : From May 5, 2021 to June 2, 2021, this SBO is issued for Pre-Release with the names of the topic authors and their e-mail addresses. During the pre-release period, proposing firms have an opportunity to contact topic authors through https://calendly.com/jessica-larson-civ/rcv-tpoc-call to schedule a time to ask technical questions about specific BAA topics. Questions should be limited to specific information related to improving the understanding of a particular topic’s requirement. Proposing firms may not ask for advice or guidance on solution approach and you may not submit additional material to the topic author. If information provided during an exchange with the topic author is deemed necessary for proposal preparation, that information will be made available to all parties through DSIP Topic Q&A module. Once the Army begins accepting proposals on June 3, 2021 , no further direct contact between proposers and topic authors is allowed unless the Topic Author is responding to a question submitted during the pre-release period. However, proposers may submit written questions through the DSIP Topic Q&A module at https://www.dodsbirsttr.mil/submissions/login. The DSIP Topic Q&A for this BAA opens on May 25, 2021 and closes to new questions on June 9, 2021 at 12:00PM ET . Once the BAA closes to proposal submission, no communication of any kind with the topic author or through Topic Q&A regarding your submitted proposal is allowed. This Applied SBIR Opportunity (SBO) is issued under the Army Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for SBIR/STTR 21.4. All proposals in response to the technical area(s) described herein will be submitted in accordance with the instructions provided under 21.4, found here: a. Eligibility The eligibility requirements for the SBIR/STTR programs are unique and do not correspond to those of other small business programs. Please refer to Section 3.1, Eligible Applicants, of BAA 21.4 for full eligibility requirements. Multiple venture capital operating companies (VCOCs), hedge funds, or private equity funds who own a majority part of a company, are not eligible to apply under this BAA. Companies that are more than 50% directly owned and controlled by one or more individuals (who are citizens or permanent resident aliens of the United States), and have VCOCs, hedge fund, or private equity funds who whole a minority stake in the business are eligible to apply under this BAA. b. Anticipated Structure/Award Information Please refer to Section 1, Funding Opportunity Description, provided in BAA 21.4 for detailed information regarding SBIR/STTR phase structure and flexibility. For this SBO Department of the Army will accept Phase I proposals for the cost of up to $250,000. This includes a 3-month base period not to exceed $200,000 and a 2-month option period not to exceed $50,000. At the completion of their Phase I period of performance, companies can submit a phase II proposal for the cost of up to $1,500,000 for a 24-month period of performance. Proposers should refer to Section 4, Application and Submission information, of BAA 21.4 for detailed proposal preparation instructions. Proposals that do not comply with the requirements detailed in BAA 21.4 and the research objectives of this SBO are considered non-conforming and therefore are not evaluated nor considered for award. Under this solicitation companies are able to take advantage of the Army SBIR enhancement program and obtain an additional $1,000,000 consisting of $500,000 in SBIR funding and at least $500,000 in non-SBIR matching funding (Government or private sector). The $1,000,000 addition may be included in the Phase II proposal (with a corresponding technical approach) and, if selected for funding, may be funded as part of the base award or can be brought at any time during the period of performance. Evidence of matching funding must be included in order to take advantage of this option. While firms are encouraged to include in their proposal the work to be performed with the additional $1,000,000 and evidence of outside matching funding, this will not be a criterion for Phase II selection. Phase I proposals shall not exceed 10 pages and Phase II proposals shall not exceed 15 pages for the technical volume. Proposers can submit an optional slide deck of 10 slides in Volume 5: Supporting Documents. The slide deck can contain information on the technical approach, the team, commercialization plans, or relevant technology/research the proposers have developed, and it can contain additional/complementary information to the technical volume. If a proposer elects to submit a slide deck, its information will be used in the evaluation process. Please refer to Appendix A and Appendix B of BAA 21.4 for instructions on proposal preparation. More detailed instructions for what information to include in your Phase I proposal and a sample Slide Deck template are attached to this SBO. Discretionary Technical and Business Assistance (TABA) will not be offered under this SBO c. Evaluation of Proposals Section 5, Evaluation of Proposals, in BAA 21.4 provides detailed information on proposal evaluation and the selection process for this SBO. d. Due Date/Time Full proposal packages (Proposal Cover Sheet, Technical Volume, Price/Cost Volume inclusive of supporting documentation, Company Commercialization Report (CCR), optional slide deck in Supporting Information, and Fraud, Waste and Abuse documentation) must be submitted via the DoD SBIR/STTR Proposal Submission website per the instructions outlined in BAA 21.4 Section 4.3 Electronic Submission no later than June 23, 2021 at 12:00pm ET . A214-035 Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) Sustainment OBJECTIVE: Develop hardware/software components around sensors and sensor data to gather, fuse, and interpret Robotic Combat Vehicle (RCV) sustainment requirements and operational capabilities in order to deliver actionable information to decision makers, at echelon. DESCRIPTION: RCVs are currently being developed to augment combat power, increase situational awareness, and create opportunities for deception, while minimizing friendly force exposure to adversaries. The application of emerging RCV technology is only feasible if RCVs can stay operational with proper maintenance, sustainment, and logistics. Soldiers and leaders must have the ability to monitor and troubleshoot RCV sustainment problems and battlefield damage remotely. Soldiers inherently monitor manned vehicles by way of sensory and haptic feedback. They then take appropriate action based on training and experience to address systems health and status, conduct preventive maintenance, and perform battlefield repair. RCVs will be required to actively monitor themselves to support remote troubleshooting and inform decision makers of known, potential, and projected problems within systems and components. Example systems and components that will need to be monitored and remotely assessed include, but are not limited to: System maintenance (e.g., brakes, transmission, fluids, driveline) Automotive functions (e.g., engine, electrical, tracks, software, vibration, temperature) Mobility status Fuel and range status Weapon and ammunition status Sensor and other modular component status RCVs currently track sensor data and provide basic vehicle status information and warning signals via a user interface. The Army is looking to develop best-in-breed technology that can translate sensor data to actionable facts, in real time, for logisticians, maneuver leaders, maintainers, and mechanics. Decision makers will use correlated data to inform operational use and service platforms or components based on conditions, projected conditions, and refined data trends. Any degraded health or projected degradation of an assembly/component, impending failure, and prescribed corrective action should be based on analytics of data. The Army is interested in systems or components of technologies with included features but are not limited to the following: Novel sensors that can be easily integrated into the RCV system that are relevant to the sustainment problem (e.g. visual, audio, vibration, fault, sonar, fused sensor arrays, ect.) Remotely and autonomously monitor and integrate with Modular Mission Payloads (MMPs) (e.g., Weapons, Sensors, Electronic Warfare, Surveillance, Targeting, Obscuration, Unmanned Aerial Systems, Obstacle Reduction/Construction) Optimize analysis to prioritize what information needs to be sent in real time vs post mission. Integrate with current or planned user interfaces to effectively display timely and accurate information Optimized for degraded communications or limited bandwidth Leverage existing and/or planned network transport options Ruggedize to work in various environments under austere conditions Process data onboard system and in cloud (if available) PHASE I: The objective of Phase I is to establish the technical merit, feasibility, and commercial potential of the proposed effort and to determine the quality of performance of the awarded companies prior to providing further support in Phase II. Awarded companies will develop a technical concept for and end-to-end system, or components of a system, that can support or execute remote troubleshooting of RCV problems by applying new/novel sensors, correlating sensors data, fusing data, and providing decision makers an accurate picture of the health of RCVs that supports rapid action, at echelon (from the user level to commanders, mechanics, sustainers and logisticians). Phase I deliverables include a design review including expected performance with supporting documentation and analysis, a final report including Phase II plans, and a concept demonstration of proposed technology. Examples of a suitable concept demonstration are: digital animations, a 3D printed or scalable model; simulations; physical demonstration of current technology adapted to the problem. Proposals will be evaluated on a holistic basis based on their relevance, total cost, developmental timeline, ability to integrate into a system of systems, modularity, compatibility with open architecture, and any additional features the proposer includes. Companies can voluntarily participate in the Army Applications Laboratory (AAL) 12-week cohort program. The AAL cohort program is designed to solve specific Army modernization challenges on a compressed timeline. The cohort program matches qualified companies with Army problems owners to speed capability development, accelerate transition, and de-risk or inform requirements. This program is designed for businesses that own unique, applicable technology and are interested in growing a new line of business into the DoD. The cohort program will enhance technology development through the rapid exposure to Army stakeholders and the sustainment, maneuver, and robotics acquisition communities. Planned activities include a problem topic deep dive, a field week with Army sustainment and maneuver leaders and soldiers, hands-on experience with currently fielded military equipment and weapon systems, and stakeholder engagement from the requirements writer to acquisition manager to the end-user. An example cohort program for this topic is: Week 1 – Orientation and problem deep dive (virtual) Week 2 – Soldier Touchpoint (in-person at an Army installation) Week 3-6 – Concept research and planning Week 7 – Mid-point concept design brief to Army Senior Leaders and SME roundtable discussion (in-person at an Army installation) Week 8-11 – Concept design refinement Week 12 – Final concept design brief to Army Senior Leaders (in-person at an Army installation) Cohort programming will be provided free of charge. Proposers that plan to participate in the cohort (if awarded a Phase I) are encouraged to include travel costs for three cohort trips, within the continental US, of 4-5 days each for in-person programming. In-person events may be substituted for virtual events depending on COVID-19 travel restrictions. Details will be provided to awardees under this topic at Phase I award. PHASE II: The objective of Phase II is to continue the development efforts initiated in Phase I. Awarded companies will execute prototype detailed design and develop a subsystem prototype based on the Phase I final report. They will conduct a formal risk assessment of the subsystem technology in an operational environment. Phase II deliverables include a demonstration and delivery of a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 6 prototype for further Army evaluation, as well as quarterly and final reports detailing design and performance analysis of the prototype. Awardees may also be eligible for Phase IIb award after completion of Phase II period of performance . Phase IIb can extend the period of performance with additional funding and additional matching opportunities to finish building out solutions through the stakeholder’s discretion. PHASE III: The objective of Phase III, where appropriate, is for the small business to pursue commercialization objectives through the effort. Companies may develop a manufacturing-ready product design, capable of integration with the existing or future platform, and demonstrate technology integration as part of a vehicle system. Low-rate production will occur as required. Companies will engage in laboratory or operational testing as required. Potential commercial uses include autonomous automotive platforms, transportation fleet management, warehouse distribution centers, agricultural, mining and construction equipment, and transportation logistics. Phase III deliverables include system-level integration technical data package, installation documentation, and system-level prototype for demonstration and government-sponsored testing. The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b(7) of the solicitation. WEBINAR DATES: Wednesday, May 19 2021 11:00 am CT Tuesday, 25 May 2021 11:00 am CT Please register for webinars at: https://rcv_sustainment_webinar.eventbrite.com Links to video recordings of the webinars will be posted in the DSIP portal in the days following each. KEYWORDS: sustainment, robotics, logistics, artificial intelligence, intelligent health monitoring, predictive maintenance, smart fleet management, sensor data fusion, data management, data compression, data visualization. REFERENCES https://www.dsp.dla.mil/Programs/MOSA/ https://www.defensenews.com/land/2019/05/23/players-surfacing-for-robotic-combat-vehicle-competition/ https://breakingdefense.com/2020/11/meet-the-armys-future-family-of-robot-tanks-rcv/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnOf4feD_2s https://www.army.mil/article/237343/sustainment_revolution_implications_of_artificial_intelligence_for_army_sustainment https://www.army.mil/article/238414/rapid_robotic_requirement_relay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hH_gMatCB0U Author Information Technical POC Name: Jared McCullum Second Technical POC : LTC Christopher Orlowski Third Technical POC : Jessica Larson https://calendly.com/jessica-larson-civ/rcv-tpoc-cal