AFRL posts presolicitation information for Open System Acquisition Initiative (OSAI)

On May 18, the Air Force Research Laboratory issued the following notice (Solicitation Number: FA8750-15-R-0164). Interested organizations should note that the AFRL anticipates releasing the solicitation at the end of May.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Information Directorate (RI) – AFRL/RI, on behalf of the Undersecretary of the Air Force for Acquisition’s Office of Transformational Innovation (SAF/AQTI), is releasing this presolicitation notice to inform interested parties of a forthcoming solicitation, post draft solicitation documents, and describe the Government’s interest in establishing a Section 845 Other Transaction Agreement (OTA), with an eligible entity or group of entities (Other Transaction Lead organization), to include industry, academic, non-profit, and not-for-profit partners, for research and development efforts to support AFRL/RI and customer requirements as related to information systems. The Open System Acquisition Initiative (OSAI) – formerly called PlugFest Plus – is part of the Secretary of the Air Force’s Bending the Cost Curve Initiative.

The Government anticipates establishing an OTA with a new or existing consortium that has significant non-traditional contractor participants. The goal of this consortium community is to research, develop, test, measure, demonstrate, integrate, and deliver tools for the Air Force using “open-systems” based Command, Control, Communications, and Cyber, Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (C4ISR) information sharing Information Systems (IS).  These systems include: Distributed Common Ground Station (DCGS); Theater Battle Management Core Systems (TBMCS); Air Operations Center-Weapon System (AOC); Open Mission System (OMS); SecureView; Information Support Server Environment (ISSE) Guard; Cybersecurity environments; Web Temporal Analysis System (WebTAS); Combined Information Data Network Exchange (CIDNE); Collaboration Gateway (CG) and other systems to be determined by the Government.

In addition to existing consortiums, industry members may propose forming a new consortium, that would seek to work with the Government through an OTA in the below areas. Any company, university, or research organization is eligible to join the consortium. The Government is seeking interested parties that are willing to join and/or establish a consortium with collective expertise in the following technology areas specifically related to AFRL/RI’s Open System Acquisition Initiative:

• Agile Engineering Research, Development & Support:Develop, demonstrate, implement and transition C4ISR technologies, systems, concepts and designs that address the broad and diverse capabilities in agile research, prototyping, testing, advanced engineering development and training for modernized information systems to achieve greater levels of resiliency, autonomy and security. Related areas of interest include: development of modern application services, service-based data architectures and designs, high- performance computing technologies, mobile sensors, Multi-Level Security domain information sharing and collaboration technologies, rapid prototyping and research and development of emerging cyber technologies.
• C4ISR Capability Performance Analysis:Develop, demonstrate, implement and transition technologies to improve hardware and software performance concepts and designs that address system engineering and integration services for information systems, research and development programs, modeling and simulation, and using data to develop/improve/refine products and analysis tools. Related areas of interest include: development of systems that identify vulnerabilities and key technology gaps.

• C4ISR Capability Ecosystems:Develop, demonstrate, implement and transition technologies to improve concepts and designs that address C4ISR information technology needs, including: information systems support and development, data architecture and design, enterprise solutions, product lifecycle management and training. Related areas of interest include: development of information systems that support client/server architecture, open system portability and scalability, Multi-Level Security mechanisms among and between security domains, improved mobile systems and automated application platforms.

• C4ISR Information Systems Security:Develop, demonstrate, implement and transition technologies that balance information security with information sharing.  This includes: cyber-warfare (both offensive and defensive); and cyber security tools, concepts and designs to address threats, vulnerabilities, and cyber security requirements of systems, and applications. Related areas of interest include: development of software systems using applied system security engineering processes that enforce risk mitigation as well as implementing cost-effective countermeasures not limited to information assurance controls, software protection products, effective rigorous software development processes as well as enforcing software design rigor and information protection measures.

• C4ISR Information Systems Sustainment and Supportability:Develop, demonstrate, implement and transition C4ISR information technologies to improve engineering design, technical support data and software support services while lowering lifecycle management costs.  Related areas of interest include: supportability design and analysis, engineering process improvement, field support, obsolescence, rapid prototyping, systems engineering, and technology insertion.

Full information and draft documents are available here.

Source: FedBizOpps