Industry has until Oct. 31 to submit White Papers to the Army in response to a second Sources Sought to find additional candidate systems under evaluation (SUE) against specific network equipment gaps to participate in the April/May 2012 Network Integration Evaluation 12.2.
The Oct. 11 notice from the System of Systems Integration (SoSI) Directorate wants specific candidates to fill gaps in current and evolving networked equipment. Those gaps are: a Multichannel Radio; a Low-Cost- Low-SWaP Tactical Cross Domain Solution; a Small Form Factor, Modular Transit Case Based Company Command Post; a Tactical Router; and Improved Operational Energy.
Functional requirements for these gaps are listed in paragraph two of the Sources Sought on the Federal Business Opportunities website.
However, the Army said those who responded to the May 27 sources sought or the Aug. 4 Tech Call memo don’t have to respond again unless they can provide new or updated information to meet these gaps.
The Army wants solutions that address specific network capabilities that are at the representative model or prototype system stage and that have been tested in a relevant environment.
According to Col. John Wendel, military deputy to the director of System of Systems Integration, “By employing the agile process we are providing industry with the Army’s capability gaps, allowing them a chance to compete regularly in the NIE process. This will greatly shorten the procurement cycle.”
The Army developed a holistic network strategy that fundamentally changes how the network will be acquired, tested and deployed. Previously, the Army fielded network systems independently and on their own acquisition timelines, which often did not allow for the integration of the latest high-tech network solutions or interoperability among systems.
The Army’s new approach is to deploy network capabilities that are integrated from the Tactical Operations Center to the soldier and fielded in two-year increments, linked to how brigades train, equip and deploy in the Force Generation Model.
This provides a means to integrate the latest in networked technology and get it to deploying forces quickly.
To support this strategy, network acquisition efforts will facilitate rapid implementation of commercial and government technologies to establish a network baseline, and then incrementally build from that baseline using the most relevant technologies.
More information is available at the Federal Business Opportunities website at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=5c4692f56e4208d960cbf87ee29d4052&tab= core&_cview=1