Persistent Cyber Training Environment   5

Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE)
Consolidated Integration and Development Contract (P-CIDC)

Army Contracting Command-Orlando is issuing this sources sought synopsis as a means of conducting market research to identify potential sources having an interest and industry technologies available to consolidate the integration and development of the Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE) platform.

The result of this market research will contribute to determining the method of procurement, if a requirement materializes. Based on the responses to this sources sought notice/market research, this requirement may be set-aside for small businesses (in full or in part) or procured through full and open competition. All small business set-aside categories will be considered. Telephone inquiries will not be accepted or acknowledged, and no feedback or evaluations will be provided to companies regarding submissions.

DISCLAIMER

THIS SOURCES SOUGHT IS FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) TO BE SUBMITTED. IT DOES NOT CONSTITUTE A SOLICITATION AND SHALL NOT BE CONSTRUED AS A COMMITMENT BY THE GOVERNMENT. RESPONSES IN ANY FORM ARE NOT OFFERS AND THE GOVERNMENT IS UNDER NO OBLIGATION TO AWARD A CONTRACT AS A RESULT OF THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. NO FUNDS ARE AVAILABLE TO PAY FOR PREPARATION OF RESPONSES TO THIS ANNOUNCEMENT. ANY INFORMATION SUBMITTED BY RESPONDENTS TO THIS TECHNICAL DESCRIPTION IS STRICTLY VOLUNTARY.

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

The Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE) is a capability providing the Department of Defense (DOD) cyberspace workforce the ability to conduct cyberspace operations training (including exercises and mission rehearsals), experimentation, certification, as well as the assessment and development of cyber capabilities and tactics, techniques, and procedures for missions that cross boundaries and networks. PCTE provides the capability required to train forces operating in cyberspace in accordance with congressional and DOD mandates.

PCTE's ultimate solution will be a cloud-based training platform to support Cyber workforce with individual through force level sustainment training, team certification, and provide the foundations for a collective training network (i.e. Cyber Flag, Cyber Guard). It will leverage existing architecture and capability, including existing Service tools connected to the various cyber ranges, in order to provide the emulated environments for virtual cyber training. The materiel development activities for PCTE include integrating hardware and software into a training platform that orchestrates event planning, training resources, and after action review into a cohesive and networked training event.

The PCTE platform, in its desired end state, will use integrated virtual machines connecting Cyber Training and Test Ranges. As part of the Cyber Range cloud-based environment, PCTE will have the ability to share resources, such as scenarios and content, and providing additional "maneuver space" such as emulated Red (adversarial), Blue (friendly), Grey (neutral), and Industrial Control System (ICS) environments. It will connect to six geographically disperse Cyber workforce locations and allow individual units to access capabilities and participate in distributed training (called Connectivity). PCTE is not a cyber range; it is every aspect of training exercise means and training systems that would take place in a range.

The PCTE program continually deploys prototype capabilities through competitive Cyber Innovation Challenges (CICs) to the field to include such capabilities as event management, environment creation/replication, and connections into to the Services' Crew Training Facilities. With continued evaluation of the CIC prototypes by Cyber Mission Forces (CMF) personnel, the PCTE platform will evolve based on changes in technology, threat, and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs). These changes will require software developed by contractors, external vendors, and other Government organizations to be holistically incorporated into the existing platform for rapid delivery.

Product Manager (PdM) Cyber Resiliency and Training (CRT) is currently integrating vendor solutions into the modular PCTE baseline that includes a number of commercial and proprietary products. Integration requires technical data exchange, specifications, and coordination with other contractors to ensure compatibility and selection the best-of-breed cyberspace operations training platform. It is expected the P-CIDC contract will require the integration of software delivered under the CICs to meet identified gaps and integrate new capabilities.

As part of the lifecycle sustainment of PCTE, the PdM CRT has a requirement for a contracting vehicle to continue development operations with the integration of software and hardware enhancements delivered on other contracts as technology insertion occurs while conducting testing, providing periodic system updates, and fielding technology upgrades of PCTE to CMF. In addition, the contract will provide a limited operations and maintenance support for PCTE to ensure high system availability throughout the acquisition life cycle. The contract will be dynamic and agile to support a highly complex joint program operating in a number of classifications at geographically disparate sites requiring 24/7 on-demand accessibility.

The P-CIDC has the underlying need to ensure standardization, synchronization, and management while maximizing reuse, commonality and high system availability while maintaining the systems cyber security posture. The contract must provide for a dynamic mechanisms for multiphase configuration management, development and support, integration and sustainment labs, and technology insertion and growth.

The purpose of the P-CIDC contract is to support the business goals of the PCTE program. These goals include:

Decreasing time to produce and present training scenarios
Increasing training throughput
Increasing quality of training
Increasing the reuse of training scenarios/emulated environments

REQUIRED CAPABILITIES
The Government requires the development and integration of software, hardware and associated levels of testing to support release of PCTE material solution to satisfy current and future PCTE requirements. In this the Government seeks the contractor to deliver a fully integrated training platform involving software and hardware contributions from various sources for integration, to include performing testing prior to fielding the software. This will require such activities that include software development, system integration, test and system delivery and upgrades to ensure compliance with contract requirements and timely delivery of required products. It is expected the system development, integration and release of the PCTE platform will occur with direct Cyber Mission Forces (CMF) user-centric feedback integrated and driving agile six month capability releases.

In addition, the contractor will provide a real time web-based reporting mechanism to collect, store and analyze operations, maintenance, supply, and inventory data of all the sites. This reporting system will provide Government access for the purposes of operations and logistics reviews. A customer call in center will be required providing twenty-four hours per day seven days a week toll-free call-in support services. The contract efforts are to include repairs and replacement stocks for maintaining required Operational Availability (Ao) of 95%; it will include updates to logistic documentation such as provisioning data, tech manuals and drawings, and provide integration instruction and field support for SW and HW upgrades at customer locations. This effort will encompass logistics support and sustainment of Regional Compute and Storage (RCS) nodes over seven locations CONUS and OCONUS.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENTS

The contractor shall be required to have a minimum SECRET level clearance for personnel supporting CMF at on-site facilities and be in compliance with the security regulations and security requirements specified in the Contracts Security Classification Specifications, DD Form 254 and addendum sheets. The contractor shall be required to handle TOP SECRET - Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) as required.
Contractor will also be qualified with DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF), comply with DoD Instruction 8510.01, support recertification and reaccreditation effort of accrediting any system through all accreditation phases as outlined in DoDM 8510.1-M, DoDD 8500.1, and AR 25-2. The contractor shall be responsible for maintaining accredited systems in their hardware/software baseline configuration.

ELIGIBILITY

The applicable NAICS code for this requirement is 541512 Computer Systems Design Services with a size standard of $27.5M in average annual receipts. The Product Service Code (PSC) is 7010, Information Technology Equipment System Configuration.

Draft Statement of Work (SOW) is included in this posting. For purposes of this Sources Sought Notice, the applicable documents referenced in the SOW will not be made available
This requirement will be a non-commercial contract. The type of contract anticipated will be made in the form of a Single Award, Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity (ID/IQ) Contract to one responsible Offeror and delivery orders (DO) will be issued against the ID/IQ as need arises. Tasking will be ordered with issuance of individual DO specifying the items/supplies/software to be provided from the basic contract. Firm fixed-price (FFP), cost reimbursable, and minimal time and material (T&M) delivery orders are anticipated for this effort with a five to seven year ordering period, and an estimated maximum ceiling of $800,000,000. The basic contract will specify the requirements to be delivered in accordance with the P-CIDC SOW.

SUBMISSION DETAILS

Interested businesses should submit a brief capabilities statement package demonstrating ability to provide the products/systems listed in this Technical Description. Documentation should be in bullet format. No phone or email solicitations with regards to the status of the RFP will be accepted prior to its release.

Responses should include a narrative to demonstrate your capabilities and knowledge with diverse programs of this magnitude. Specifically, interested contractors shall:
1. State the scope of past and present (within the last 3 years) relevant experience on similar contracts. Include dollar value of contract(s), whether performed as a prime or subcontractor, complexity and a point of contact.
2. Demonstrate your knowledge and capabilities of maintaining complex software, hardware, and enterprise architecture within a DoD enterprise system in a virtualized and cloud based environment.
3. Demonstrate your past and present experience on developing and integrating scalable application software products within DoD enterprise systems running in a virtualized and cloud based environment. If so, describe the services, capabilities and locations of these efforts.
4. Provide specific experiences, while orchestrating and coordinating with a number of third party software providers, for the integration and/or upgrade of software for a DoD enterprise system in a virtualized and cloud based environment.
5. Provide specific experience with continuous software integration and delivery using the Agile Methodology.
6. Provide your experience performing on an Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) / Delivery Order type contract for providing software development, integration, testing and fielding of a DoD enterprise system(s).
7. Describe your ability and experience with utilizing a real time web-based Management Information Systems to collect, store, and manage operations, maintenance, supply, and inventory data for an enterprise system dispersed over multi-location sites (CONUS and OCONUS).
8. Describe your ability and experience managing multiple and concurrent efforts that include engineering, logistics, equipment maintenance, software support services, configuration management, surge capability and quality control, risks and mitigation.
9. Describe your experience supporting several geographically disbursed efforts at a SECRET or higher security level.
10. Describe your company's experience working with a software integration lab/facilities.
11. State any of your company's commercial product(s) that support the integration of software products and/or software upgrades, testing, fielding, limited operations and maintenance at a TOP SECRET level.
12. The Government anticipates PCTE will require the enterprise system to maintain RMF accreditation on current and future baseline configurations. Describe your ability and experience with the DoD Risk Management Framework (RMF) to include integration and development that meet RMF Guidelines at a number of classification levels and environments to include Closed, Restricted Networks (CRNs), Open SIPRNET, Open NIPRNET, and Top Secret/SCI.
13. Provide teaming arrangements or Joint Ventures you may pursue to meet the PCTE sustainment requirements.
14. Interested small business prime contractors describe how you plan to meet the limitations on subcontracting per FAR 52.219-14, Limitations on Subcontracting; and how teaming to meet the overal requirements (if required) would be accomplished. For interested small business sub-contractors, please specify the areas your firm is interested in supporting.
15. Provide any alternative approaches (i.e. Contract Type and NAICS Code) to satisfying the PCTE requirements and comments described within this SSN.
Potential sources must identify their business type (i.e., small business, large business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a) certified business, woman-owned business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned, HUBZone, etc.) Brevity of extraneous information is desired.

Information should be sent via e-mail to rebeca.a.gonzalez.civ@mail.mil and as an alternative to david.b.hector.civ@mail.mil. Alternative submittal methods by mail to: ACC-Orlando, ATTN: Bravo Division (Rebeca Gonzalez), 12211 Science Drive, Orlando, FL 32826-3224. Responses are requested by 02 November 2018. The submission of this information is for Planning Purposes only and is not to be construed as a commitment by the government to procure any supplies or services, or for the government to pay for the information received. No solicitation document exists at this time. All questions concerning this requirement should be directed to the Procuring Contracting Officer, Rebeca Gonzalez, via email or by telephone at (407) 384-3968, or the contract specialist David Hector by email or by telephone (407) 384-3721.