Army releases Spectrum Forward Consortium solicitation

On March 26, the U.S. Army posted a solicitation for Spectrum Forward Consortium Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). Responses are due by 1:00 p.m. Eastern on April 9.

The Army Contracting Command – New Jersey (CCNJ) on behalf of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research, and Engineering (USD R&E) is releasing this Solicitation to enter into a Prototype Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) with a single Consortium, referred to hereafter as the “Agreement.” The purpose of the Agreement is to establish terms and conditions by and between the Government and the Consortium. The Agreement shall be executed under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2371(b), which authorizes the Secretary of the Army to carry out prototype projects that are directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the Department of Defense, or to improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces. To comply with 10 U.S.C 2371(b), the Government will only award prototype projects that meet the following criteria:

•  At least one nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent; or
  •    All significant participants in the transaction, other than the Federal Government, are small business, nonprofit research institution or nontraditional defense contractors; or
  •    At least one third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of funds provided by the parties to the transaction other that the Federal Government; or
  •    The senior procurement executive for the agency determines in writing that exceptional circumstances justify the use of a transaction that provides for innovative business arrangements or structures that would not be feasible or appropriate under a contract, or would provide an opportunity to expand the defense supply base in a manner that would not be practical or feasible under a contract.

  This Solicitation is a request for proposals for a Consortium whose membership possesses a collective expertise in the following areas to enable enhanced operational capability for systems that transmit and receive in the electromagnetic spectrum environment:

•  Ubiquitous Connectivity
  •    Cognitive Spectrum Access & Sharing
  •    Cybersecurity
  •    Radio Frequency-Free Space Optics Cooperative Systems
  •    Autonomous Systems (Ground/Air/Maritime)
  •    Internet of Things (Narrow Band/Critical/Massive)
  •    Electronic Warfare
  •    Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR)
  •    Software Defined Radios/Networking/Architectures
  •    Radar Systems
  •    Digital Signal Processing
  •    Microelectronics
  •    Software Reconfigurability
  •    Nanotechnology
  •    Machine Learning/Artificial Intelligence
  •    Autonomy/Robotics
  •    Biotechnology
  •    Big Data Analytics
  •    Edge and Cloud Computing
  •    Augmented/Virtual/Mixed Reality
  •    Location Detection
  •    3D Printing/Additive Manufacturing
  •    5th generation (5G) information communications technologies, products, and services

Full information is available here.

Source: SAM