Modernization of the U.S. Army In-transit Visibility Technology Footprint
This is a REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI), for planning/market research purposes only, and shall not be construed as a solicitation or as an obligation on the part of the Government.
This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in the response.
The Government will not be liable for payment of any response preparation expenses.
This is NOT a request for quotations or proposals.
No solicitation exists and a formal solicitation is not guaranteed to be issued by the Government as a result of the responses received to this RFI.
Interested parties are responsible for adequately marking proprietary or competition sensitive information contained within their response known and labeled accordingly.
To reiterate, this is a RFI ONLY. No solicitation will be issued at this time.
Participation in this effort is strictly voluntary with no cost obligation to be incurred by the U.S. Government.
Any information received as a result of this RFI will become the property of the Government and will not be returned to the respondents. Respondents are responsible for properly marking proprietary or sensitive information contained in their response.
SCOPE:
This RFI pertains to Non-Proprietary / Open Source / Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology consisting of but not limited to; transponders (data rich, license plate, and asset), readers (fixed and mobile), portable deployment kits, Iridium satellite modems, portable barcode printers or other emerging technologies that may assist the U.S. Army in tracking assets while in-transit, worldwide.
DESCRIPTION:
The U.S. Army, Product Lead, Logistics Information Systems (PL LIS), is seeking potential sources regarding available current technologies that provide accurate, timely, and reliable In-transit Visibility (ITV) data. This RFI addresses the availability of Non-Proprietary / Open Source / Commercial-off-the-Shelf (COTS) products and technical engineering services to support the initiative.
The Government is looking to modify or replace the current active RFID (aRFID) network to improve the timeliness, accuracy, and delivery of in-transit visibility data to the warfighter. The Government assumes that a device would be affixed to assets or other objects of interest to capture and transmit varying amounts of data. It is not a critical requirement for the device to hold content level data. The reported location data would be used to provide users at all levels near real time visibility of tagged assets that are in-transit.
The potential vendor(s) responsibilities may include but are not limited to; hardware and software delivery, performance of associated training, warranty support, and maintenance services, within CONUS and OCONUS sites.
GOAL:
The goal of this RFI is to gather Industry comments, and advice, on products and services to support the U.S. Army's need to track assets using RFID readers, data rich tags, license plate tags, advanced passive tags, Bluetooth technology, Wi-Fi or other emerging capabilities. Industry responses will be used by the Government to refine the scope of the potential future requirements for the described products and services. Companies are encouraged to not include marketing informational materials that do not relate to the products / services described in this RFI, however, responses may include URL links to technical documentation materials (i.e., technical data sheets).
CURRENT PRODUCTS IN USE:
Products currently in use include but are not limited to; microprocessor-based Radio Frequency Identification hardware, software, encryption, defense against viruses/malware, data communications, services and turn-key integration services to include: aRFID Technology; Radio Frequency (RF) transponders; fixed Interrogators; RF remote devices; portable printers; transit case groups; satellite modem (Iridium) and terminal; Local Access Network (LAN) connectivity devices; rechargeable batteries and battery chargers; software (configuration/operational software for PC, configuration/operational software); upgrades and updates to all delivered software; separately orderable components; contractor provided technical engineering services (installation, de-installation, and relocation of RFID components); middleware development services for task orders; commercially available middleware for task orders; system integration Item Unique Identification (IUID) marking and implementation support services; software development services; warranty; and training.
Please provide a short paragraph as to whether any new products meet the following (see items a through c below) and a copy of your published product specification sheet.
a. The Government seeks industry comments on current or emerging technology that supports in-transit visibility. It benefits the Army if the proposed new technology is interoperable with the current Radio Frequency In-transit Visibility (RF-ITV) server, current government owned tag write software to populate pre-defined data fields to support level 6 detail to the fielded RF-ITV server.
b. For all products, the Government seeks information on location of manufacturer, or final assembly, and certification that the company complies with the US Trade Agreements Act.
c. Other information (e.g., new technology that is anticipated to be released in the next three years) of which the Government should be aware.
RESPONSE TO THIS REQUEST FOR INFORMATION:
Please submit responses to this RFI no later than 1400 Central Time on Friday, October 06, 2023.
The following should be included with any response:
PART I: Company Information
1. Organization Name (if organization has experienced name changes, please list previous names used)
2. Address
3. Primary point of contact and phone number
4. Company Unique Entity ID (from SAM.gov) and Cage code
5. Company ownership (public, private, joint venture)
6. Business Classification / Socio-Economic Status (e.g., large, small, 8(a), women owned, hub-zone, SDB, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned) for NAICS Code: 334111
7. Positive assertion indicating registration in the System for Award Management database (https://sam.gov/)
8. Brief overview of Products and Services provided
9. Sales Information. Specifically, is this product (or one very similar to this specification) routinely sold to commercial customers and/or other government entities?
10. Relevant experience and any other information you deem relevant to this notice.
All submissions, written comments, or questions shall be submitted to both Mr. John Kerch, john.d.kerch.civ@army.mil, and Mr. Benjamin Geringer, at benjamin.l.geringer.civ@army.mil no later than 1400 Central Standard Time, on October 06, 2023. Please ensure the Subject Line contains the following: "RFI Modernization In-transit Visibility"
