Cooperative Research and Development Agreement-Cloud Suitability of Radio Frequency (RF) Communications Capabilities

AGENCY:

Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION:

Notice of intent; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Coast Guard announces its intent to enter into a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with several companies to evaluate the suitability of implementing Radio Frequency (RF) communications capabilities as virtualized services in a commercial cloud/Secure Cloud Computing Architecture (SCCA) environment. This CRADA would leverage CG network infrastructure, DISA Cloud Access Points (CAPs) and commercial cloud offerings to evaluate RF detection, processing, recording and distribution services. The CRADA will explore communication services that are developed to leverage virtualization and cloud hosting environments under a variety of scenarios. The Coast Guard is currently considering partnering with General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) and solicits public comment on the possible participation of other parties in the proposed CRADA, and the nature of that participation. 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 must be submitted to the online docket via https://www.regulations.gov,, or on or before December 26, 2019.

Synopses of proposals regarding future CRADAs must reach the Coast Guard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) on or before December 26, 2019.

ADDRESSES:

Submit comments online at https://www.regulations.gov by searching docket number “USCG-2019-0608” and following website instructions.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

If you have questions on this notice or wish to submit proposals for future CRADAs, contact LCDR Grant Wyman, Project Official, IT and Networks Branch, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320, telephone 860-271-2727, email Grant.C.Wyman@uscg.mil.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

We request public comments on this notice. Although we do not plan to respond to comments in the Federal Register, we will respond directly to commenter and may modify our proposal in light of comments.

Comments should be marked with docket number USCG-2019-0608 and should provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You should provide personal contact information so that we can contact you if we have questions regarding your comments; but please note that all comments will be posted to the online docket without change and that any personal information you include can be searchable online (see the Federal Register Privacy Act notice regarding our public dockets, 73 FR 3316, Jan. 17, 2008). We also accept anonymous comments.

We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal rulemaking Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be submitted using https://www.regulations.gov,, contact the Coast Guard using the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice. Documents mentioned in this notice and all public comments, are in our online docket at https://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by following that website's instructions. Additionally, if you go to the online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when comments are posted or a final rule is published.

You may submit detailed proposals for future CRADAs directly to the Coast Guard using the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.

Discussion

CRADAs are authorized under 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.

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 procurement contracts, grants, and other type of agreements.

Under the proposed CRADA, the Coast Guard's Research and Development Center (RDC) will collaborate with one or more non-Federal participants. Together, the RDC and the non-Federal participants will evaluate cloud suitability of Radio Frequency (RF) communications to learn best practices for implementing RF communications in a cloud environment.

We anticipate that the Coast Guard's contributions under the proposed CRADA will include the following:

(1) Develop a test plan for execution under the CRADA;

(2) Provide commercial cloud or government cloud access, data, facilities, and approvals required for work under the CRADA;

(8) Collect and analyze test plan data; and

(9) Develop a report documenting the methodologies, findings, conclusions, and recommendations related to this CRADA work.

We anticipate that the non-Federal participants' contributions under the proposed CRADA will include the following:

(1) Provide cloud ready RF services to conduct work to be described in test plan;

(2) Provide required operators and technicians to perform work identified in the test plan;

(3) Provide technical data for the RF cloud services to be utilized;

(4) Provide shipment and delivery of any RF cloud services ancillary equipment required;

(5) Provide travel and associated personnel and other expenses as required for subject work.

The Coast Guard reserves the right to select for CRADA participants all, some, or no proposals submitted for this CRADA. The Coast Guard will provide no funding for reimbursement of proposal development costs. Proposals and 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 five single-sided pages (excluding cover page, DD 1494, JF-12, etc.). 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 General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS), for participation in this CRADA. However, we do not wish to exclude other viable participants from this or future similar CRADAs.

This is a technology suitability effort. The goal of this CRADA is to evaluate the suitability of implementing RF communications capabilities as virtualized services in a cloud environment. Special consideration will be given to small business firms/consortia, and preference will be given to business units located in the U.S.

This notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).