SOURCES SOUGHT
A -- AUTONOMOUS MINE DETECTION SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
- Notice Date
- 8/5/2009
- Notice Type
- Sources Sought
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Army, U. S. Army Materiel Command, US Army CECOM Contracting Center-Washington, US Army CECOM Contracting Center-Washington, ATTN: AMSEL-AC-W, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700
- ZIP Code
- 22331-0700
- Solicitation Number
- W909MY-09-Q-1006
- Response Due
- 9/21/2009
- Archive Date
- 11/20/2009
- Point of Contact
- MICHELLE HODGES, 703-325-2854<br />
- E-Mail Address
-
US Army CECOM Contracting Center-Washington
(michelle.hodges@us.army.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- The U.S. Army Contracting Command, CECOM Contracting Center-Washington on behalf of the US Army Product Manger Countermine and Explosive Ordnance Disposal and the US Army RDECOM, CERDEC, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division, Dismounted Soldier Applications Branch is conducting a market research to identify companies having technology, qualifications, and capabilities to demonstrate robot-mounted payload(s) with the ability to perform all or some combination of the following remotely and semi-autonomously: (1) detect surface laid and buried, metallic and low-metallic, antitank and antipersonnel landmines and scatterable munitions; (2) detect other explosive hazards (e.g., booby traps, explosively formed projectiles) that are either above ground or partially buried, or emplaced in such a way that they are concealed; (3) mark a safe path of travel through a suspected minefield; (4) mark detected targets, both mines and explosive hazards; (5) neutralize detected mines and hazards. The objective is to identify and evaluate technical approaches that would allow these capabilities to be deployed on a small robot platform, where size, weight and power (SWaP) are highly constrained. Platform and payload(s) should achieve the highest degree of autonomy possible to minimize the workload on the operator during navigation, threat interrogation, detection, marking, and neutralizer deployment. Payloads should be designed to operate with multiple existing robotic platforms. Results of this market research may be used to formulate a near term program that integrates detection sensors, marking, and neutralizer technologies with semi-autonomous behaviors into payloads compatible with the Man-Transportable Robotic System (MTRS). This future program may include the following requirements and attributes: Probability of Detection:.96 (T).996 (O) False Alarm Rate:.4/m2 (T).3/m2 (O) Rate of Advance Down-track*:.5m/min (T) 2m/min (O) Probability of False Alarm:.2 (T).1 (O) Threat Marking Accuracy: 10cm from edge (T) 5cm from center (O) Lane Width: 1m wide Centerlane marked (T) 1m wide sides marked (O) Operation in water: 4 nominal depth (T) 6 nominal depth (O) Reliability (Mean Time Between Essential Function Failure (MTBEFF): 10 hours (T) 18 hours (O) Maintainability (Maintenance Manhours per Operating Hour (MMH/OH):.12 (1/8) (T).039 (O) Semi-autonomy: Minimize Soldier tasking while executing missions (T/O) Operating Area: Mine detection on moderately rough route; 36 diameter culvert or tunnel (T) Open/rolling complex and urban terrain including roadways and confined areas (e.g., buildings, bunkers, sewers, caves, ditches, behind guard rails, around bridge abutments and telephone poles); 24 diameter culvert or tunnel (O) Assembly and Installation: less than 3 hours and can be transported to the mission already assembled (T) less than 30 minutes (does not have to be able to be transported already assembled) (O) Probability of Neutralization (Pn) in one attempt:.9 (T).95 (O) * Rate of Advance Downtrack (RoAD). The rate at which the AMDS inspects and marks an area. The lane it moves down and the objective are defined in a militarily useful way: across an open area, down a road, etc. The AMDS must detect and mark suspected threats and avoid these threats in the time used to calculate this rate. Only the time spent traveling, detecting, and marking contributes to this rate of travel. (There is no time penalty for neutralizing.) The following performance capabilities may be required: * Search for threats, mark threats, and neutralize threats along specified routes by using semi-autonomous platform and payload behaviors. Routes will contain natural, man-made buried and above ground clutter and interferents, landmines and explosive hazards. Explosive hazards may be concealed or camouflaged. Soils will be natural but not constrained to any specific type. Terrain will vary between flat and steep. It will include down-track and cross-track elevation changes designed to challenge the limitations of the payload(s) and platform operating together. Routes may also include confined areas and subterranean environments including standard 36-inch diameter culverts and tunnels. * Payload should be able to operate in environments outlined by MIL-STD 810G, Hot Dry (A1; 49 degrees C) and Basic Cold (C1, -31 degrees C) and temperatures in between. Payload should operate in mild inclement weather conditions such as wind and rain. * Detection and marking of threats over a 1m wide area. * Performance and environmental testing. * Mine marks, lane marks and explosive hazard marks should be visibly different and distinguishable from one another. Marks shall be visible from a minimum of five (5) meters for a minimum time of two (2) hours during day, night, and limited visibility. * Neutralization solutions may be explosive or non-explosive. * Payload must be robust in an electromagnetically active environment. Platform, system, equipment, and subsystem electromagnetic compatibility performance requirements are specified in MIL-STD-464 (platform level) and MIL-STD-461 (equipment and subsystem/system level) for all electromagnetic disciplines. * Payload must be compatible with existing or planned US and Coalition communications. * Payload should achieve flexible semi-autonomy that can support changing levels of operator involvement (i.e., teleoperation, shared control, etc), and also changing areas of operator focus (i.e., driving, reaching, camera movement, etc.). White papers that discuss Detection and/or Marking concepts should reference any existing test reports that address the following: * Evaluation of compatibility with a host robotic platform, * Size, weight and power requirements of the detection and/or marking equipment, * Semi-autonomy in detection and marking of threats, * Probability of Detection, * False Alarm Rate, * Rate of Advance Down-track (forward speed while detecting and marking), * Sensitivity of the detection approach to common ambient soil, environmental and climatic conditions. * Capability to detect tripwires and other contact sensors and how these would be dealt with in a typical mission scenario, * Technology readiness level (TRL) or maturity of the detection and/or marking concept and supporting information For white papers with technical approaches that consider only Marking or Detection, but not both, compatibility with the complementary function should be discussed in the white paper to summarize the extent that existing test reports demonstrate this capability. In addition to the metrics above, the location accuracy and precision of the detection and threat declaration approach should be described for insight into how this affects the efficacy of potential neutralization approaches. White papers that discuss Neutralization concepts should reference any existing test reports that discuss the following objectives: * Evaluation of neutralizer performance as a function of depth of the selected overburdens or concealment materials. * Semi- autonomy in re-acquiring target markings and deploying neutralizers, * Neutralizer delivery, deployment and initiation approach, * Size, weight and power requirements of the neutralization equipment to be used, * All known safety hazards and considerations, * Neutralization time from initiation to complete neutralization, * Performance repeatability, * The Probability of Neutralization for the target types tested, * Compatibility of the neutralization approach with alternate host platforms and detection and marking approaches, * Capability to detect tripwires and other contact sensors and how these would be dealt with in a typical mission scenario, * Technology readiness level (TRL) or maturity of the concept and supporting information This is NOT a Request for Proposal. Companies who desire to participate in this market survey are encouraged to submit a white paper which supports the companys claim that it presently has the technology, qualifications, and capabilities to satisfy one or more of the performance and technical objectives described above. The white paper should discuss the companys sensor or munitions and performance test results. The white paper should also discuss related company experience and include point(s) of contact. The white paper should be prepared in MS Word, limited to ten (10) pages to Michelle Hodges, Contracting Officer at michelle.hodges@us.army.mil within 45 calendar days of this notice. Please reference the RFQ Number (W909MY-09-Q-1006) in the Subject line of all responses and questions submitted. Prospective Sources are cautioned that only the Contracting Officer is legally authorized to commit the Government. All proprietary information should be clearly marked. This Market Survey is for information and planning purposes only, and does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP). This Market Survey is not to be construed as a commitment by the U. S. Government. If a formal solicitation is generated at a later date, a solicitation notice will be published. No award will be made as a result of this Market Survey, as this is a request for information only. All information is to be submitted at no cost or obligation to the Government.
- Web Link
-
FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USA/USAMC/DAAB15/W909MY-09-Q-1006/listing.html)
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Army CECOM Contracting Center-Washington ATTN: AMSEL-AC-W, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria VA<br />
- Zip Code: 22331-0700<br />
- Zip Code: 22331-0700<br />
- Record
- SN01900875-W 20090807/090806002303-bc3966c7f956417d8d21c2790b54a4e1 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
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