THIS IS A SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE ONLY.  THIS IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS.  THE NAVY IS PUBLISHING THIS SOURCES SOUGHT NOTICE FOR MARKET RESEARCH PURPOSES ONLY.

02/06/25 1130 - Amended to include Terms of Use Agreement.

02/06/25 1445 - Amended to revise Terms of Use Agreement. The previous version is hereby null and void. Request all interest parties use revised form attached to this sources sought.

02/12/25 1100 - Amended to extend notice close date to 12 Mar 2025.

02/25/25 0745 - Amended to extend notice close date to 04 Apr 2025.

In accordance with FAR 10 and 15.201, the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) is issuing this sources sought announcement to support market research in anticipation of a potential future procurement.  In this regard, NAVSEA seeks to obtain a list of potential interested and qualified sources with experience and expertise necessary to develop and produce a Large Vertical Array (LVA) for SONAR.  Interested parties shall provide the below required information in a capability statement.  Information regarding the content and format of responses is set forth below.

The LVA will have application to the Ohio Class and Virginia Blocks III and IV submarine classes. The LVA shall consist of acoustic sensors, outboard electronic bottles (OBE), cables, and fixtures for manufacturing and installation to the submarine hull. The acoustic sensors will be arranged in the form of acoustic modules as documented in the specifications.

Respondents shall describe their capability to produce large submarine hull-mounted arrays and describe their capability of sustaining a throughput of up to two LVA systems a year on this program. The materials utilized shall be capable of sustaining years long periods of submersion in salt water and withstand the harsh environments at varying ocean depths.

Respondent systems shall be required to demonstrate the capability to be integrated and interoperable with the AN/BQQ-10(V) Sonar System installed on US Submarines. The outboard electronics will be predicated on an open-system architecture with no proprietary hardware or software included. The LVA outboard components shall meet the requirements of the performance specification, with a particular focus on ensuring arrays meet Grade B shock requirements.

The performance specification documents will not be posted as an attachment to this sources sought notice. General system requirements are controlled documents and shall be available only to those companies with a validated security clearance at a minimum of CONFIDENTIAL clearance level and a signed Terms of Use (TOU) agreement, which is attached. To attain validation of clearance, prospective respondents must submit a written request to Matthew Nalls at matthew.a.nalls2.civ@us.navy.mil, and Stuart Burman at stuart.burman2.civ@us.navy.mil with the attached TOU completed and signed. The controlled documents may only be provided to prospective respondents following approval by the NAVSEA Office of Security Programs and the Contracting Officer; and after approval, the documents will be mailed to the respondents. The written request must include:

• Company Name and Address
• CAGE Code
• Point of Contact, Email, and Phone
• Level of Facility Clearance / Level of Storage Capability
• Facility Security Officer Name, Email, and Phone
• Classified Mailing Address
• Classified Mailing POC Name, Email, and Phone

The below documents are not classified and will be distributed electronically to those sources with a valid CAGE code after validation of submitted TOU. At this time, national policy does not support release of the performance specification documents to foreign sources.

• Acoustic Panel Performance Specification
• OBE Performance Specification
• OBE to Network Interface Requirements Specification (IRS) / Interface Design Description
• OBE to Sensor Interface Requirements Specification (IRS) / Interface Design Description
• Outboard Cable Assemblies Specification
• Cable, Hybrid, Submarine Outboard Specification
• Conformal Acoustic Velocity SONAR (CAVES) Sensor Performance Specification

Respondents shall provide information addressing the following areas:

1) Sensor and Array Performance and Survivability of the acoustic sensor

a. Provide a detailed technical approach to ensure the LVA will meet all requirements after installation

b. Provide technical details supporting the sensor specifications addressing the acoustic performance, EMI requirements, reliability, and maintainability

2) Provide the overall technical approach to interface the LVA with existing OHIO Class and VIRGINIA Block III and planned Block IV platforms and subsystems

a. Provide overall technical approach to interfac