SPAWAR announces upcoming RFP for cyberspace science, research, engineering, and technology integration

On June 1, the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command issued the following notice regarding solicitation number N66001-15-R-0096.  This is a follow-on requirement to a Multiple Award Contract (MAC) of the same title: Cyberspace Science, Research, Engineering and Technology Integration.

The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, Pacific (SSC Pacific), intends to issue Request for Proposal (RFP) No. N66001-15-R-0096 for Cyberspace Science, Research, Engineering, and Technology Integration. Multiple awards are anticipated.

SSC Pacific, as the principle Navy Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) and Acquisition Center for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) and Information Operations (IO) is responsible for functions that include: mission analysis; assessment and development of technology base; basic and applied research; demonstration of technology; engineering in support of production; support to operating forces; supporting doctrine, policy, and strategy development; and integration of numerous National and Tactical systems in the area of Cyberspace Operations. To meet these responsibilities, SSC Pacific requires advice, assistance, coordination and products necessary to support operational planning, assessment, integration, execution and technology development to assure superiority for the warfighter in the cyberspace domain. The full scope of this requirement is anticipated to include: technology assessment, development and transition; requirements analysis; systems engineering; operational and technical support; exercise and experimentation support; software development and prototyping; hardware development and prototyping; modeling and simulation; training support; security engineering/cybersecurity.

For this requirement, a market survey to determine small business capability was posted on SPAWAR E-Commerce Central on 12 February 2015, reference number MKTSVY-OFD93E. Based upon evaluation of the responses to the market survey, SSC Pacific intends to compete the full scope of the requirement on an unrestricted basis (i.e., a full and open competition) and also compete a duplicative portion of the requirement among small businesses. The full scope of the requirement is described in Statement of Work (SOW) for the Unrestricted MAC. The small business portion of the requirement is described in the SOW for the Small Business MAC. Only small businesses can compete for the Small Business MAC. Both large and small businesses can compete for the Unrestricted MAC.

It is important to note a key distinction between the intended approach and a typical partial small business set-aside. Under a typical partial small business set-aside, certain requirements are “broken out,” or removed from the overall requirement and competed separately. Under the intended approach, the portion of the work that small businesses can perform cannot be separated from the SOW for the unrestricted MAC. Task order requirements are expected to commonly cross multiple functional areas in the SOW. Some of these requirements will include a mixture of functional areas where small businesses are capable, as well as functional areas where small businesses are not capable. Under such requirements, the portion that small businesses can perform cannot be separated from the portion that small businesses cannot perform; these task order requirements depend on seamless integration between work in the different functional areas. To satisfy such cross- functional requirements, SSC Pacific must have access to Unrestricted MAC awardees that can perform the full scope of the SOW.

Under the intended approach, the Small Business SOW duplicates a portion of the Unrestricted SOW, such that the portion small businesses can perform is included in both SOWs.

This effort will be formally solicited under one RFP, which is anticipated to result in the award of both the Unrestricted MAC and the Small Business MAC. Upon identification of a new task order requirement, SSC Pacific will determine whether or not the requirement falls within the scope of the Small Business MAC. There will be a preference to use the Small Business MAC. However, if any portion of the requirement lies outside of the scope of the Small Business MAC, and if the requirement cannot be divided into smaller requirements, the requirement will be competed under the Unrestricted MAC. The SPAWAR Office of Small Business Programs concurs with this acquisition strategy.

This proposed acquisition has security requirements at the Top Secret level with incidental Secure Compartmented Information (SCI) access. The anticipated contract type will be Cost- Plus-Fixed-Fee, Indefinite-Delivery, Indefinite-Quantity with one three-year base period and one two-year option period. Subsequent Task Orders will be issued for individual efforts. The estimated level of effort, based upon Full Time Equivalents (FTE’s), will be approximately 126 per year for the Unrestricted MAC and 30 per year for the Small Business MAC. Each FTE is estimated to be 1,920 hours per year. The North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code is 541330 and the Small Business Size Standard is $38.5M. The estimated value of the acquisition is $180M for the Unrestricted MAC and $40M for the Small Business MAC.

SSC Pacific intends to hold an Industry Day during the summer of 2015; details regarding the Industry Day are forthcoming. SSC Pacific anticipates that the final RFP for N66001-15-R-0096 will be released in October 2015.

Full information is available here.

Source: FedBizOpps