STTC - Air To Ground Communication – Request for Information

1 PURPOSE AND NATURE OF THE REQUEST FOR INFORMATION 2 2 BACKGROUND INFORMATION 3 3 ENQUIRIES AND SUBMISSION OF RESPONSE 3 4 REQUIREMENT 3 _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 1 Purpose and Nature of the Request for Information

1.1 Public Works and Government Services Canada (PWGSC) is requesting industry feedback regarding the acquisition of both Direct Air To Ground (Direct A2G) and Satellite Air-To Ground (Satellite A2G) capability for Data and Voice – Broadband Communications for the CC330 aircraft (A330-200).

1.2 This Request for Information (RFI) seeks to obtain feedback from industry regarding the requirement, found at section 4 below.

1.3 This RFI is in regards to A2G communications with a seamless capability to transition between satellite and ground based stations where necessary for a stable, secure and robust WIFI broadband enabled voice and data transfer capability. Respondents are invited to provide information on how best they could meet this requirement with coverage in continental North America as well as globally, describing equipment, software and systems that will be integrated into the aircraft.

1.4 The objectives of this RFI are to

1.4.1 Gather and document preliminary information from potential vendors that could potentially provide this service;

1.4.2 Assess the long term viability and sustainability of this capability to allow PWGSC and DND to make informed financial and technical decisions on future commitments;

1.4.3 Provide the client department, Department of National Defence, information and guidance regarding vendors capable of meeting the requirement; and

1.4.4 Obtain a cost estimate for the requirement.

1.5 This RFI is neither a call for tender nor a request for proposal.

1.6 No agreement or contract will be entered into based on this RFI. The issuance of this RFI is not to be considered in any way a commitment by the Government of Canada, nor as authority to potential respondents to undertake any work that could be charged to Canada. This RFI is not to be considered as a commitment to issue a subsequent solicitation or award contract(s) for the work described herein.

1.7 Although the information collected may be provided as commercial-in-confidence (and, if identified as such, will be treated accordingly by Canada), Canada may use the information to assist in drafting performance specifications (which are subject to change) and for budgetary purposes.

1.8 Respondents are encouraged to identify, in the information they share with Canada, any information that they feel is proprietary, third party or personal information. Please note that Canada may be obligated by law (e.g. in response to a request under the Access of Information and Privacy Act) to disclose proprietary or commercially-sensitive information concerning a respondent (for more information: http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/a-1/).

1.9 Respondents are asked to identify if their response, or any part of their response, is subject to the Controlled Goods Regulations.

1.10 Participation in this RFI is encouraged, but is not mandatory. There will be no short-listing of potential suppliers for the purposes of undertaking any future work as a result of this RFI. Similarly, participation in this RFI is not a condition or prerequisite for the participation in any potential subsequent solicitation.

1.11 Respondents will not be reimbursed for any cost incurred by participating in this RFI.

1.12 The RFI closing date published herein is not the deadline for comments or input. Comments and input will be accepted any time up to the time when/if a follow-on solicitation is published.

2 Background Information

2.1 The Royal Canadian Air Force is acquiring a fleet of Airbus A330-200 aircraft as part of the Strategic Tanker Transport Capability project. One aircraft will be converted for VIP transport and this aircraft will require both Satellite A2G and Direct A2G Data and Voice – Broadband Communications Capability.

3 Enquiries and Submission of Response

3.1 All enquiries, responses and other communications related to this RFI must be directed to the attention of Gireesh Nair at the following email address, stating the RFI #W847A-240378:

tpsgc.paastr-apsttc.pwgsc@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

4 Requirement

4.1 The Direct A2G and Satellite A2G requirements are as follows

4.1.1 When the aircraft has line-of-sight communications connectivity, Direct A2G must be used with ground stations.

4.1.2 Where ground stations are not available or in areas of poor signal reception, the service must be capable of transitioning from ground to Satellite service seamlessly and vice versa.

4.1.3 Direct A2G service must be for both voice and broadband data.

4.1.4 Additional features and benefits: If the vendor has provision for broadband WIFI features such as the ability to offer stable internet service, streaming video/audio, easy and quick response access to WWW.web sites, ability for live conferences, VOIP Calls, ability to send and receive emails with attachments, secure VPN etc., they could be listed as a capability in the response.

4.2 A response to the requirement should include

4.2.1 Price breakdown (budgetary pricing);

4.2.2 Availability;

4.2.3 Global Coverage of Services;

4.2.4 List of equipment, software and procedures that will be added to aircraft, including (at a minimum) the following information:

a) Transmitter, Receiver, Modem and Antenna specifications; b) Band used i.e., Ka, Ku, L Band etc.; c) Frequencies and modulation scheme used; d) Bandwidth requirements; e) Quality of Service (QoS) capabilities; and f) Available rates of data transfer (bit rate).

4.2.5 Certificate of Acceptance for use of system on the Airbus A330-200; and

4.2.6 Aircraft on ground time for installation and testing of service.