Notice of Sources Sought Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) Systems

Alabama

03/17/2025 11:23 AM EDT

04/16/2025 04:00 PM EDT

DEPT OF DEFENSE - DEPT OF THE ARMY - AMC

REVISION 1 - Language in Paragraph 3.7 amended.

REVISION 2 - Questions and answers have been included as an attachment.

REVISION 3 - Updated questions and answers have been included as an attachment.

Notice of Sources Sought

Degraded Visual Environment (DVE) Systems

Classification

Original Set Aside: N/A

Product Service Code:  6610 – Flight Instruments

NAICS Codes: 334511 - Search, Detection, Navigation, Guidance, Aeronautical, and Nautical System and Instrument Manufacturing; 541330 – Engineering Services

Place of Performance: Army Contracting Command - Redstone 5303 Martin Road Sparkman Center, Redstone Arsenal, AL 35898, USA

Description

1. Notice

This Sources Sought is issued for informational purposes and market research only, it does not constitute a solicitation. The Government will not reimburse any company or individual for expenses associated with preparing/submitting information in response to this posting. The information provided may be used by the Government in developing its acquisition strategy, statement of work/statement of objectives, and performance specifications. Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained within their response.

1. Scope

The United States Government (USG) Army Program Executive Office (PEO) Aviation, Project Manager, Aviation Mission Systems and Architecture (PM AMSA) is conducting market research to identify possible sources capable of providing ruggedized Aviation DVE multi-spectral systems. The USG is interested in information regarding DVE systems, software and sensors at Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 9 and Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) 9, with a current AirWorthiness Release (AWR) document.

1. 1. Background

Rotary wing aircraft encounter conditions known as “Degraded Visual Environments” (DVE) where weather or obscurants, such as dust, snow, or other obscurants, can cause aircrews to lose visual and spatial references, resulting in the inability to control aircraft closure rates, velocity, drift and touchdown points leading to personnel injuries, fatalities, and loss/damage of aircraft. 

A DVE multi-spectral system is currently fielded on a limited number of Army rotary wing aircraft. These systems provide “Situational Awareness” (SA) through secondary, supplemental sources of information. The system serves to enhance overall aircrew awareness and lower operator workload, but is not intended to replace primary flight reference information. 

2.2 Instructions to Potential Respondents

Respondents to this RFI are encouraged to submit evidence which demonstrates their current ability to manufacture, install, and sustain DVE systems, software and sensors as specified herein.  Respondents may respond to one or more individual DVE item of interest, but respondents are asked to provide applicable partnership information to demonstrate and deliver a complete DVE system. 

Respondents are asked to submit documents in easily readable pdf formats not to exceed 20 pages.

3. Requested Information

3.1 Company Information
 

1. Company Name
2. Address
3. Point of Contact (include phone number and email address)
4. CAGE Code
5. Web Page URL
6. State the country of ownership for the company
7. State whether the company is a non-traditional defense contractor

3.2 Capabilities

The USG is particularly interested in information regarding systems with the following characteristics;

1. The ability to demonstrate a system with a current AWR on an HH-60M by 2QFY25 and deliver production quantities by 2QFY27 or earlier.
2. Prior or existing systems installed on military aircraft. If so, what aircraft, how many, and what functionality was provided.
3. Experience integrating and qualifying systems for use on US Army rotor wing aircraft.
4. Experience qualifying systems in accordance with AR 70-62.
5. The ability to provide spatially accurate, fused visual imagery, which depicts obstacles in the vicinity of the helicopter landing zone before and after entering obscured conditions. 
6. The ability to provide non-motion compensated images at a quality in obscured conditions consistent with that of the image in clear air prior to entering obscured conditions (referred to as "see and remember").
7. The ability to provide "see and remember" capability and display to the pilot when entering and leaving obscured conditions.
8. The ability to provide the aircrew with a visual representation of the physical environment forward of the aircraft for single ship during take-off and landing.
9. The ability to accept sensor data from multiple sensors and fuse the data into a single model that is presented to the aircrew in an intuitively understood manner to facilitate safe operation of the aircraft. The data from the sensors needs to be aligned and geo-registered to avoid misleading or duplicative data to the aircrew.
10. Weigh less than 200 pounds (total system weight), with externally mounted hardware not exceeding 75 pounds (total external components).
11. Be ruggedized to operate on the following US Army helicopter Platforms:  AH-64E Apache Helicopters; UH/HH-60M/UH-60V Utility Helicopters; CH-47F Cargo Helicopters.  The DVE system and sensors are required to be sufficiently robust to provide reliable operation over military temperature ranges and environments, high levels of vibration and shock, exposure to rain and sand, aircraft power, and electromagnetic environmental conditions associated with military avionics.

3.3 Items of Interest

The USG requests that responses also include the following information;

1. Plans for hardware and software improvement
2. Engineering Services capabilities
3. Lessons learned from past performance
4. Sustainment capabilities
5. Topology - how the software and hardware components are integrated
6. Performance Metrics such as Field of Regard, Field of View, acuity, detection, and ranges of hazards/obstacles such as towers, wires and cables, etc
7. DVE obscured environments supported (aircraft-generated (e.g., brownout caused by sand dust as the result of rotor wash), natural (e.g., snow, rain), man-made (e.g., smoke or other battlefield obscurants) or other obscured environments.
8. Information/symbology presented (visual, audio, tactile, etc.), methods of presentation, source(s) of presented information
9. Preliminary airworthiness assessment in accordance with the Army Military Airworthiness Certification Criteria (AMACC), Revision A.  The AMACC is available from the following website:  https://www.avmc.army.mil/Directorates/SRD/TechDataMgmt/
10. TRL and MRL
11. Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) / Government Furnished Information (GFI) required
12. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) unit cost at relevant quantities
13. ROM schedule for the system and major components

3.4 Data Rights, Licensing, Costs

The USG requests that respondents describe data rights associated with software code to include executable code, computer databases, computer software documentation, models (e.g., SysML) source code, code listings, design details, processes, flow charts, and related material that would enable the software to be reproduced, recreated or recompiled.  PEO Aviation also requests that respondents include licensing costs, including developmental and production licenses, for all components.

           

3.5 Schedule

The USG requests that respondents provide a program schedule that includes a timeline for when systems will be available for lab and mission system integration and overall system lead times. For planning purposes, assume a prototyping event such as a demonstration no later than 2QFY25 and deliveries beginning 2QFY27. Assess the risk of meeting this schedule as high, moderate, or low. If the approach cannot meet this schedule, provide a schedule in the same format with achievable timelines. 

3.6 Costs and Budgeting

Due to the budgetary importance of understanding technology related costs, the USG requests respondents provide Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) estimation by quantity range (e.g. Qty 1-50; Qty 51-100; Qty 101-199; Qty 200+) of production assets for relevant products that provide the capabilities described within broken down as follows:

1. Sensor component and capabilities
2. DVE sensor fusion software components
3. Processing and integration hardware and software

3.7 Partnerships or Potential Partnerships

The USG requests that respondents describe partnerships or potential partnerships relevant to the response to include Small Business sub-contracting opportunities.

4. Responses, Communications, and Additional Considerations

1. The Government may contact respondents to obtain additional information or clarification to fully understand a company's response. This may include discussions, site visits, demonstrations, etc. to further the Government's understanding of a proposed solution, as well as a company's understanding of the Government's requirements.
2. Respondents shall clearly mark proprietary data with the appropriate markings. Any proprietary information received in response to this request will be properly protected from any unauthorized disclosure. Any material that is not marked will be considered publicly releasable.
3. When submitting a response, please be aware that the Army workforce is supplemented by contracted support personnel. Any proprietary data submitted may be handled by contract support services personnel who have signed Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs).
4. Responses are due electronically by 1500 CST on 16 April 2025 and shall be submitted electronically via the Department of Defense (DOD) SAFE Site File Exchange website (https://safe.apps.mil) to the following (use the following distribution email addresses as prompted by the site):  christopher.w.leonard2.civ@army.mil and sara.a.willbourn.civ@army.mil. No hard copy or fax responses will be accepted. If a late submittal is received, acceptance of such will be at the discretion of the Government.
5. Questions, clarifications or additional information relating to this action shall be submitted via email to Army Contracting Command-Redstone (ACC-RSA) points of contact:  Christopher Leonard, christopher.w.leonard2.civ@army and Alyssa Wilbourn, sara.a.willbourn.civ@army.mil. Subject line must read Sources Sought for DVE - [Company Name]. Example: Sources Sought for DVE - ABC Inc.  NO telephone calls will be accepted. Questions shall NOT contain proprietary or classified information. Contractors shall not contact any Government personnel regarding this Sources Sought other than the individuals designated. Contacting any Government personnel other than the individuals designated may result in an organizational conflict of interest (OCI) and may result in a contractor being excluded from the competition and consideration for award.

5. Disclaimer

This notice is not a request for proposal (RFP) and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation or ultimately award a contract. Responses will not be considered as proposals, nor will any award be made as a result.