Navy Seeks Input About Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture

On 15 February 2019, the U.S. Department of the Navy, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA), Program Executive Office (PEO) Unmanned and Small Combatants (USC), Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office issued a notice for the purpose of inviting both government organizations and industry to participate in the development of the Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture (UMAA).

The UMAA is being established to enable autonomy commonality and reduce acquisition costs across both surface and undersea unmanned vehicles. Engagements with respondents will consist of periodic industry days to educate, exchange information, and provide opportunity for the government to receive feedback on the development of UMAA.

BACKGROUND

In 2018, the Unmanned Maritime Program Office (PMS 406) chartered a cross-organizational team to develop the Unmanned Maritime Autonomy Architecture with the goal of standardizing autonomy interfaces across its growing portfolio of unmanned vehicles. Earlier this year, the team published the UMAA Architecture Design Description (ADD) providing the initial framework for both service and interface definition. Additional design guidance will be provided through a series of Interface Control Documents (ICDs) in the areas below.

• Situational Awareness,
• Sensor and Effector Management,
• Processing Management,
• Communications Management,
• Vehicle Maneuver Management,
• Vehicle Engineering Management,
• Vehicle Computing Management,
• Support Operations

This RFI proposes a series of industry days where ICDs will be presented in draft form for discussion, comment, and feedback prior to final government approval. This represents an excellent opportunity for both industry and the government to collaborate and ensure the products are well understood prior to the government invoking them contractually.

UMAA ICDs will be made available via the web to interest parties including government, industry, and academia regardless of participation in the industry days.

BASIC DESCRIPTION

The US Navy seeks: (1) feedback on services and interfaces proposed, and (2) ideas and concepts that would expand on what is currently proposed.

An initial industry day will be held on March 4, 2019 from 13:00-15:00 at 1201 M Street SE, Washington DC 20003 (CACI Maritime Plaza I, Conference Rooms 214/215/216). This event will provide an overview of the UMAA and allow for questions and answers. If the event that you would like to participate and cannot attend in person, a telecon number will be posted to the DI2E website in advance of the event.

Subsequent industry day working sessions are shown as scheduled below. These sessions will be divided into a briefing session with questions (~2 hrs.), followed by a working forum meeting (~6 hrs.). These working forum sessions will be collaborative and no proprietary information should be provided or discussed. The intended work product derived from these meetings (UMAA) will belong to the government and may be provided to industry and other DoD agencies as needed for future acquisition or other government need.

Scheduled Events

UMAA industry day - March 4, 2019
UMAA initial industry day working forum event - April 17, 2019
(Covering vehicle maneuvering, vehicle components, and organic navigation sensors)
UMAA industry day working forum event - 3rd QTR, 2019
UMAA industry day working forum event - 1st QTR, 2020
UMAA industry day working forum event - 3rd QTR, 2020
UMAA industry day working forum event - 4th QTR, 2020

To ensure adequate space is available for all, there will be a maximum of (2) participants allowed from any single organization.

UMAA information will be made available via the Defense Intelligence Enterprise (DI2E) collaborative DoD website approximately two weeks prior to each event.

For the initial industry day, participants are required to register their attendance via registration form no later than (1) week prior to the industry day. The registration form is attached to this posting.

Follow-on working forum registration information will available as a part of the information package released on DI2E.

Detailed schedule and logistics information will be posted on DI2E UMAAPUBLIC website as it becomes available for the remaining sessions.

The process of creating an account and getting DI2E access is described here. Access to the UMAAPUBLIC DI2E website pages will be available to all approved DI2E users. Once users have an approved DI2E account, access to the repository is available here. At the release of this RFI, the UMAA ADD is available on DI2E. In addition to UMAA ADD and ICD information, other supporting information released by PMS 406 will be made available through periodic DI2E postings. For any questions regarding DI2E or access to the ADD, please contact the DI2E helpdesk or the Technical POC below.

IV. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS and REQUIREMENTS

1. Defense and commercial contractors, including small businesses, veteran-owned businesses, service-disabled veteran-owned business, HUBZone small businesses, and women-owned businesses are encouraged to participate. Academia and other research organizations are also encouraged to participate.
2. The Government intends to incorporate working group feedback received and will use the responses to refine ICDs in support and development of future solicitations. The government will also provide feedback on areas of particular interest.
3. Proprietary information will not be accepted as part of the service and interface discussion. The government intends the services and interfaces defined to be open to all DoD contractors.
4. All interaction will be UNCLASSIFIED for the March industry day and the first working forum in April, subsequent industry days may be SECRET. JPAS forwarding information will be provided as needed through the DI2E UMAAPUBLIC website. Gaining access to this information and attendance of future sessions may require the execution of a Terms of Use (TOU) agreement.
5. The information provided will assist NAVSEA in developing the requirements for inclusion in future procurements and acquisitions.
6. Follow-up questions may be asked of responders for clarification, but this will not indicate a government preference. Responders are advised that the U.S. Government will not pay for any information or administrative costs incurred in response to this RFI. Not responding to this RFI does not preclude participation in any future RFP or other solicitation affected by this RFI.

V. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT

Questions of a technical nature regarding this RFI may be sent to the following Technical Point of Contact:

Technical POC: Mark Rothgeb
PMS 406 UMAA IPT Lead
Applied Research Laboratory, Pennsylvania State University
Email: mer15@arl.psu.edu

Program POC:
CDR Jeremiah Anderson
PMS 406 UUV DPAPM
1333 Isaac Hull Avenue, SE
Washington Navy Yard, DC 20375
Email: jeremiah.p.anderson@navy.mil

Logistics POC: Tanner Pierce
PMS 406 Support
Booz | Allen | Hamilton
Email: pierce_tanner@bah.com

Responses to questions received under this RFI will be posted to the this announcement at Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) Webpage

DISCLAIMER AND IMPORTANT NOTES:

Respondents are advised that the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory and Penn State Applied Research Laboratory will assist the Government in developing the standards based on the participation received under this notice. Further, the government will be using the support of a Booz Allen Hamilton contractor for planning and logistics support for the industry engagements. Participation in the proposed forums constitutes consent that the above-mentioned contractors can have access to all information provided in the industry day working forum sessions.

This notice is not a request for proposals and is not to be construed as a commitment by the Government to issue a solicitation. This notice does not obligate the Government to award a contract or otherwise pay for the information provided in response. Sources choosing to respond to this notice are wholly responsible for any costs/expenses associated with participating in the working sessions. Therefore, any cost associated with participating in the feedback forums is solely at the interested vendor's expense. The Government reserves the right to use information provided by respondents for any purpose deemed necessary and legally appropriate.

Source: Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps)