Baseband Interface Group (BIG) Ground and Airborne Variant Production

The US Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center (AFNWC) Strategic Communications Division, Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts is exploring ideas for a follow-on Production Contract for the Baseband Interface Group (BIG) and BIG-Airborne (BIG-A) National Security Agency (NSA). Initial Production efforts were covered by the development contractor under an NSA contract.

This is a follow-on effort for a quantity of NSA certified Production Units and individual Shop Replaceable Unit (SRU) board level components to be utilized until Depot level support for the BIG and BIG-A is established.

The Government is conducting market research to identify potential sources possessing the necessary data, expertise, capabilities, and experience to deliver Production Units and SRU board level components, maintaining the NSA certification and maintaining the Nuclear Hardness and Survivability (NH&S) certification through a Production effort as the BIG and BIG-A transition from the NSA contract to future activities. The period of performance will be three years.

Based upon the above needs, the USG is seeking the following sources sought related information on your overall approach to providing follow-on production units and SRU level components, maintaining NSA certification and maintaining Nuclear Hardness and Survivability (NH&S) assurance certification for the BIG and BIG-A.

Discuss your overall approach manufacturing production units and SRU level components, maintaining NSA certification and maintaining Nuclear Hardness and Survivability (NH&S) assurance certification for the BIG and BIG-A. Discuss how you would provide this delivery effort with the BIG and BIG-A software and intellectual property being proprietary and not releasable outside the US Government. Describe your overall program management and systems engineering approach.

Describe your certified software development environment. Describe your approach for maintaining Nuclear Hardness Assurance. Describe how you would ensure repaired and replaced BIG and BIG-A assets are protected and shipped to Government destinations. Discuss how you would maintain and renew all software licenses, patches, updates, and Government information assurance (e.g., cyber) updates needed to keep the BIG and BIG-A current and NSA Type 1 certified.

Discuss any similar experience in providing ICS support to NSA Type 1 certified cryptographic equipment. Discuss the extent of subcontracting or teaming arrangements in your approach, if any. What GFI, GFE and GFP would you request for this effort? Discuss the location(s) in which the work would be accomplished. Discuss any organizational conflict of interest and outline your mitigation plans.

Interested parties are requested to respond to this sources sought with either a white paper and/or a set of briefing slides. The response should provide administrative information including contact information, phone number, and email of designated point of contact. Responses shall be limited to 10 pages and/or 50 slides.