SOCOM RELEASES OTHER TRANSACTION AUTHORITY (OTA) AGREEMENT FOR ARMED OVERWATCH PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT – INDUSTRY DAY PLANNED FOR 4-6 MARCH 2020

https://beta.sam.gov/opp/af8d8bfc1f7349308d5a43f3d1914b0d/view

I. OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION:

The United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM), Directorate of Procurement, on behalf of USSOCOM Program Executive Office-Fixed Wing (PEO-FW), is considering the award of an Other Transaction Authority (OTA) Agreement for a Prototype Project for the Armed Overwatch Program (hereinafter “the OTA Agreement”). The Armed Overwatch Program will provide Special Operations Forces (SOF) deployable and sustainable aircraft systems fulfilling Close Air Support (CAS), Armed Intelligence, Surveillance & Reconnaissance (ISR), Strike Coordination & Reconnaissance (SCAR), and Forward Air Controller (Airborne) (FAC(A)) requirements (defined in DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, January 2020) in austere and permissive environments for the Countering-Violent Extremist Organization missions.

The USSOCOM Armed Overwatch Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype effort will consist of three phases. Phase 1, white papers, and Phase 2, vendor site visits, will occur prior to award of the OTA Agreement, and the Government may down-select at the end of either or both phases. For Phase 3, the Government intends to award an OTA Agreement to multiple contractors for this competitive demonstration and evaluation. The OTA Agreement will require the delivery of a prototype and an evaluation thereof against well-defined criteria to determine whether the prototype project has been successfully completed by the contractor and, if so, whether a follow-on production contract will be awarded to that offeror.

Industry Day

The purpose of this industry day is to provide an overview of the OTA Agreement demonstration requirements, and to answer any questions industry might have regarding the request for white papers (Phase 1), site visits (Phase 2), and evaluation techniques to determine successful completion of the prototype project and a potential awardee of a follow-on production contract (Phase 3). This event will be an informative meeting for vendors that are interested in meeting the current requirements and future needs of SOF Operators for the Armed Overwatch Program. These sessions are to: 1) enable USSOCOM to incorporate industry feedback into the final OTA request for white papers, site visits, and demonstrations; 2) communicate program requirements and schedule; and 3) gain a better understanding of recent industry developments and pricing. Attendance at the industry day is required in order to participate in the competitive OTA Agreement selection process.

This industry day will occur Wednesday, 4 March 2020 through Friday, 6 March 2020 at the NTS facility located at 6701 South Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa, Florida 33611. Industry day will be dedicated to an information briefing, question and answer (Q&A) session, and one-on-one vendor/Government meetings. One-on-one meetings will be limited to one (1) hour with the goal of discussing the vendor’s current capabilities concerning fulfilling the Armed Overwatch Program requirement. The one-on-one meetings are limited to contractors whose intent is to submit as a prime contractor. If desired, please request a one-on-one meeting on your registration form. Armed Overwatch industry day participants must register to the Administrative POCs listed below by completing and submitting Attachment B Armed Overwatch Registration Form Industry Day no later than 12:00 PM Noon Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 18 Feb 2020.

Due to limited seating, attendance is limited to three (3) attendees per company for all sessions and one-on-one meetings. The following is the anticipated schedule for industry day:

4 March 2020 (EST):
0900 – 1000: Sign-In
1015 – 1100: Informational Session (Gov’t Brief)
1100 – 1200: General Q&A Session
1200 – 1300: Lunch
1300 – 1700: One-on-One Sessions

5 & 6 March 2020:
0900 – End of Day: One-on-One Sessions

Administrative POCs for industry day registration:
Mrs. Laura Fuller, Contracting and Agreements Officer
Email: laura.fuller@socom.mil
Mr. Ramon Negron-Cancel, Contracts Specialist
Email: ramon.negron-cancel.civ@socom.mil

II. BACKGROUND/REQUIREMENTS

The Armed Overwatch Program will provide a deployable, affordable, and sustainable manned aircraft system for austere and permissive environments. The aircraft procured as a result of this action will support the following missions: CAS, Armed ISR, SCAR, FAC(C). This prototype project initiative is to deliver, demonstrate, and evaluate an Armed Overwatch Program aircraft prototype.

In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 2371b(f), the OTA Agreement will include a provision for a potential follow-on production contract to be awarded without additional competition. Basic eligibility to receive a follow-on production contract will require the successful completion of the prototype project. The follow-on contract is expected to be an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity award under: 1) the authorities set forth in 10 U.S.C. ch. 137 and 48 C.F.R. parts 1 and 2; or 2) a similarly structured OTA agreement under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2371b(a). Either form of contract shall have a 5-year base ordering period, and a 2-year optional ordering period. The Government estimates an acquisition of 75 aircraft with associated support over the life of the acquisition.

III. PHASES

a. Phase 1 – Request for White Papers: As the first step of this effort, an offeror shall submit a white paper and a completed Attachment C – Armed Overwatch Supplier Response (emailed to registered industry day vendors) for consideration no later than 12:00 PM Noon Eastern Standard Time (EST), 14 April 2020. White paper submittals shall be no longer than 30 pages, including all charts and graphs, and should demonstrate an offeror’s capability to deliver a prototype that meets the criteria to successfully complete the prototype project. PEO-FW will review responses and request selected offerors to provide a one-on-one presentation and host a site visit at their facility (Phase 2). Data rights will be an important provision in both the OTA Agreement and any follow-on production contract. Within the white paper submission, offerors will be required to assert any rights that cover the intellectual property of the offeror and any potential subcontractor(s).

b. Phase 2 – Offeror Site Visits: During this phase, invited offerors will be allotted a two-day, one-on-one session with the USSOCOM PEO-FW evaluation team at the contractor’s facility in random order. Offerors should be prepared to address any questions arising from the white paper submissions and discuss: 1) technical approach, 2) technical maturity, 3) a notional schedule to perform an operational prototype demonstration, 4) aircraft integration, readiness, and risks with respect to meeting the requirements listed in Attachment A, 5) a notional schedule for the planned integration discussed in item 4, 6) manufacturing readiness as defined on www.dodmrl.com, and 7) all DoD flight and weapons clearances. Offerors will also be asked for a more detailed Attachment C with cost breakout and justification. The revised Attachment C template for this breakout will be provided to selected offerors at the end of Phase 1. The session will include a Q&A portion, and discussions may continue outside of the Site Visit. If the USSOCOM evaluation team favorably evaluates an offeror during this phase, negotiations to be awarded an OTA under Phase 3 may begin in as little as two weeks.

c. Phase 3 – Operational Prototype Demonstration / Follow on Production Proposal: After the site visits, selected offerors will be invited to enter into an OTA Agreement (OTA) to delivery and demonstrate their proposed prototype and to provide a proposal of how the offeror will meet a requirement for 75 aircraft over a 5-7 year period if awarded a follow-on production contract. Phase 3 will consist of flight demonstrations at Government test facilities. All offerors will need to be ready to demonstrate their system on the same date. The Government will identify the test date at the start of Phase 3 and a random draw will determine the order of testing. No award of a follow-on contact for production is guaranteed.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE:
 The period of performance for Phases 1-3 will be approximately eight (8) months, commencing approximately 20 March 2020 and concluding on or about 21 December 2020.

SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:
Submissions will only be accepted via email. Please include both points of contacts listed below on each email submission and any other emails transmitted to USSOCOM for any other reasons. Encrypt or password-protect all proprietary information prior to sending via email. Offerors are responsible to confirm receipt with the Agreements Officer listed below.

POINTS OF CONTACT:
All questions/requests shall be directed to the points of contact listed:

Contracting and Agreements Officer:
Mrs. Laura Fuller – Email: laura.fuller@socom.mil

Contracts Specialist
Mr. Ramon Negron-Cancel – Email: ramon.negron-cancel.civ@socom.mil

IV. ATTACHMENTS

  • Attachment A Armed Overwatch Requirements – Emailed to registered industry day vendors estimated 26 Feb
  • Attachment B Industry Day Registration Form
  • Attachment C Armed Overwatch Supplier Response Template – Emailed to registered industry day vendors estimated 26 Feb
  • DoD Dictionary of Military and Associated Terms, January 2020 found at www.jcs.mil/Doctrine