[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20120-20122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07681]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2013-0193]
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Joint Technical
Demonstration of Tactical Data Link Range Enhancement Software
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for public comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is announcing its intent to enter into a
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement with Engility
Corporation (Engility) to develop, demonstrate, evaluate, and document
contributions of tactical data link (TDL) range enhancement software
technologies to improve operational effectiveness and communications
interoperability (e.g., situational awareness, digital command and
control, etc.) among forces including Coast Guard and other Department
of Homeland Security components, Department of Defense, as well as
other Federal, State, local, Tribal, and coalition forces. While the
Coast Guard is currently considering partnering with Engility, we are
soliciting public comment on the possible nature of and participation
of other parties in the proposed CRADA. In addition, the Coast Guard
also invites other potential non-Federal participants, who have the
interest and capability to bring similar contributions to this type of
research, to consider submitting proposals for consideration in similar
CRADAs.
DATES: Comments and related material on the proposed CRADA must either
be submitted to our online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or
before May 3, 2013, or reach the Docket Management Facility by that
date.
Synopses of proposals regarding future, similar CRADAs must reach
the Docket Management Facility on or before September 30, 2013.
ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this notice identified by docket
number USCG-2013-0193 using any one of the following methods:
(1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
(2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
(3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
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(4) Hand Delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone
number is 202-366-9329.
To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods.
See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on
submitting comments.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice,
contact Judith R. Connelly, Project Official, C4ISR Branch, TDL Range
Enhancement Software Technologies, U.S. Coast Guard Research and
Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320, telephone
860-271-2643, email [email protected]. If you have questions
on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Barbara
Hairston, Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone 202-366-9826.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Request for Comments
We encourage you to submit comments and related material on this
notice. All comments received will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you
have provided.
Do not submit detailed proposals for future CRADAs to the Docket
Management Facility. Potential non-Federal CRADA participants should
submit these documents to Judith R. Connelly, U.S. Coast Guard Research
and Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320, email
[email protected].
Submitting Comments
If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this
notice (USCG-2013-0193), and provide a reason for each suggestion or
recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online via
http://www.regulations.gov, or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but
please use only one of these means. If you submit a comment online via
http://www.regulations.gov, it will be considered received by the Coast
Guard when you successfully transmit the comment. If you fax, hand
deliver, or mail your comment, it will be considered as having been
received by the Coast Guard when it is received at the Docket
Management Facility. We recommend that you include your name and a
mailing address, an email address, or a telephone number in the body of
your document so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding
your submission.
To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov and
locate this notice by using ``USCG-2013-0193'' as your search term.
Click the ``Comment Now'' box opposite this notice and follow the
instructions to submit your comment. If you submit your comments by
mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no larger than
8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic filing. If you
submit comments by mail and would like to know that they reached the
Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard or
envelope. We will consider all comments and material received during
the comment period.
Viewing Comments and Related Material
To view the comments and related material, go to http://www.regulations.gov and locate this notice by using ``USCG-2013-0193''
as your search term. If you do not have access to the Internet, you may
view the docket online by visiting the Docket Management Facility in
Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590,
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal
holidays. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to
use the Docket Management Facility.
Privacy Act
Anyone can search the electronic form of comments received into any
of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association,
business, labor union, etc.). You may review a Privacy Act, system of
records notice regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008,
issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements
Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), are
authorized by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (Pub. L. 99-
502, codified at 15 U.S.C. 3710(a)). A CRADA promotes the transfer of
technology to the private sector for commercial use as well as
specified research or development efforts that are consistent with the
mission of the Federal parties to the CRADA. The Federal party or
parties agree with one or more non-Federal parties to share research
resources, but the Federal party does not contribute funding. The
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as an executive agency under 5
U.S.C. 105, is a Federal agency for purposes of 15 U.S.C. 3710(a) and
may enter into a CRADA. The Secretary of DHS (Secretary) delegated
authority to the Commandant of the Coast Guard to carry out the
functions vested in the Secretary by section 2 of the Federal
Technology Transfer Act of 1986, which authorizes agencies to permit
their laboratories to enter into CRADAs (see DHS Delegation No. 0160.1,
para. 2.B(34)). The Commandant of the Coast Guard has delegated
authority in this regard to the Coast Guard's Research and Development
Center (R&DC).
CRADAs are not procurement contracts. Care is taken to ensure that
CRADAs are not used to circumvent the contracting process. CRADAs have
a specific purpose and should not be confused with other types of
agreements such as procurement contracts, grants, and cooperative
agreements.
Goal of Proposed CRADA
Under the proposed CRADA, the Coast Guard's R&DC would collaborate
with one or more non-Federal participants. Together, the R&DC and the
non-Federal participants would identify and investigate the advantages,
disadvantages, required technology enhancements, performance, and other
issues associated with TDL range enhancement software to enhance
operational effectiveness and efficiency.
The R&DC, with the non-Federal participants, will create and employ
a structured and collaborative test protocol to better understand the
potential advantages of TDL capabilities throughout Coast Guard mission
areas. The non-Federal participants will investigate the use of a wide
range of TDL capabilities in table-top exercises followed by controlled
field tests, and finally longer-duration operational testing on actual
Coast Guard platforms.
Party Contributions
We anticipate that the Coast Guard's contributions under the
proposed CRADA will include the following:
(1) Lead the development of the test objectives and test plan for
the specific work to be accomplished under the CRADA;
(2) Conduct the ``field demonstration'' analysis of the mutually-
agreeable representative TDL range enhancement software using
information networks, surveillance/collection platforms, and search and
rescue units, in accordance with the CRADA test plan;
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(3) Define performance metrics and parameters used to understand
the potential improvements of the mutually-agreeable representative TDL
range enhancement software in accordance with the CRADA test plan;
(4) Coordinate Coast Guard platform engineering changes and
enterprise architecture modifications to incorporate mutually-agreeable
representative TDL range enhancement software and supporting hardware
configurations in accordance with the CRADA test plan;
(5) Identify cooperative sortie opportunities with Coast Guard and
Department of Defense (DOD) search and surveillance assets to
understand the potential improvements of the mutually-agreeable
representative TDL range enhancement software to link collected data
with search platforms outside the information enterprise network;
(6) Develop the CRADA Final Report, which will document the
methodologies, findings, conclusions, and recommendations of this CRADA
work.
We anticipate that the non-Federal participants' contributions
under the proposed CRADA will include the following:
(1) Provide input into the Coast Guard-developed CRADA test
objectives and CRADA test plan;
(2) Provide mutually-agreeable representative TDL range enhancement
software and supporting hardware configurations (as required) and
conduct preliminary data information sharing validation and equipment
``bench testing'' in accordance with the CRADA test plan;
(3) Provide expertise needed for platform installation of mutually-
agreeable representative TDL range enhancement software and supporting
hardware, along with on-site technical support throughout the
demonstration;
(4) Provide on-site mission specific training for Coast Guard
platform operators throughout the operational demonstration; and
(5) Provide input into the Coast Guard-developed CRADA Final
Report.
Selection Criteria
The Coast Guard reserves the right to select for CRADA participants
all, some, or none of the proposals in response to this notice. The
Coast Guard will provide no funding for reimbursement of proposal
development costs. Proposals (or any other material) submitted in
response to this notice will not be returned. Proposals submitted are
expected to be unclassified and have no more than four single-sided
pages (excluding cover page and resumes). The Coast Guard will select
proposals at its sole discretion on the basis of:
(1) How well they communicate an understanding of, and ability to
meet, the proposed CRADA's goal; and
(2) How well they address the following criteria:
(a) Technical capability to support the non-Federal party
contributions described; and
(b) Resources available for supporting the non-Federal party
contributions described.
Currently, the Coast Guard is considering Engility Corporation for
participation in this CRADA. This consideration is based on the fact
that Engility has demonstrated its software-only solution, its
product's compatibility with the Coast Guard's situational awareness
system, and its product's widespread use throughout the DOD and
coalition forces. However, we do not wish to exclude other viable
participants from this or future similar CRADAs.
This is a technology transfer/development effort. Presently, the
Coast Guard has no plan to procure a TDL capability. Since the goal of
this CRADA is to identify and investigate the advantages,
disadvantages, required technology enhancements, performance, costs,
and other issues associated with using TDL capabilities, non-Federal
CRADA participants will not be excluded from any future Coast Guard
procurements based solely on their participation in this CRADA.
Special consideration will be given to small business firms/
consortia, and preference will be given to business units located in
the U.S.
Authority
This notice is issued under the authority of 15 U.S.C. 3710(a), 5
U.S.C. 552(a), and 33 CFR 1.05-1.
Dated: March 25, 2013.
Alan N. Arsenault,
Captain, USCG, Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Research and
Development Center.
[FR Doc. 2013-07681 Filed 4-2-13; 8:45 am]
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