Request for Information (RFI)

REQUEST FOR INFORMATION FOR PARTICIPATIONResponse Due Date: MARCH 8, 12:00 pm (Washington/EST)Response to: NGFR@hq.dhs.govSubject: Emerging Technology Solutions to Enhance First Responder Safety and EffectivenessA. INTRODUCTION:The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate's (S&T) Next Generation First Responder (NGFR) Apex program is hosting the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury Operational Experimentation (OpEx). The NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx will take place during the week of August 18, 2019, in Birmingham, Alabama, and will integrate first responder technologies to enhance the mission-response capabilities of Birmingham-area responders and federal agencies. The event is aligned to the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) 2019 Shaken Fury Earthquake Exercise during the first week of June 2019, which is based on response, recovery and mitigation actions related to a New Madrid

Seismic Zone earthquake scenario. The NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx builds directly upon the success of the NGFR - Harris County OpEx, which was conducted in December 2018. The NGFR - Harris County OpEx assessed the integration and capabilities of sensors (e.g., chemical, physiological), situational awareness platforms, and communication and collaboration tools to support a multi-jurisdictional response to a HAZMAT and mass casualty incident at the Port of Houston. During the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx, DHS S&T will evaluate how DHS-developed technologies, commercial technologies and existing public safety systems integrate using open standards, and how those integrated capabilities enhance first responder safety and effectiveness.DHS S&T invites industry, academia, Federally Funded Research and Development Centers, and other U.S. government organizations to submit applications addressing innovative technology solutions for integration, testing and evaluation during the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx. Participants will receive first responder and DHS feedback to help them improve their technologies and have exposure to local leadership.For the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx, DHS S&T and technology provider partners will use the NGFR Integration Handbook to guide the integration of DHS-funded technologies, commercial technologies, and existing Birmingham and Jefferson County systems. During the OpEx, responders from Birmingham and Jefferson County will participate in a scenario-based experiment with simulated HAZMAT and search and rescue (SAR) response in a collapsed building. First responders and emergency managers will be trained on and provided with DHS-developed and commercial technologies for use during the OpEx that enhance existing or provide new capabilities. These integrated systems will give responders the right information at the right time, helping them avoid hazards, share key decision-making information across all responding agencies, and support resource management and tracking, while not overwhelming them with too many separate devices.DHS S&T is seeking to evaluate technology solutions that provide on-body, incident area, agency-wide or cross-jurisdictional capabilities that make responders better protected, connected and fully aware, and is focusing on these capability gaps:1. Fixed, on-body or handheld sensors (e.g., physiological monitoring, HAZMAT detection, environmental threat detection);2. Search and rescue sensor deployment tools and systems (e.g., sensors, robotics, unmanned aircraft systems (UAS));3. Indoor and outdoor responder location tracking systems;4. Wireless patient physiological monitoring and location tracking systems;5. Resource tracking and management systems;6. Mobile and enterprise common operating picture, collaboration or situational awareness platforms (e.g., mapping applications that display responder locations and sensor alerts);7. Video and image access, management and analytics tools;8. Deployable communications systems, including those for Land Mobile Radio (LMR), Long-term Evolution (LTE), satellite, mobile ad-hoc network (MANET) and Wi-Fi; and9. Emergency vehicle traffic signal preemption systems.Details of these technology solution descriptions and criteria are provided in Appendix C.This is a Request for Information (RFI) for participation only and the U.S. government will not award a contract on the basis of this RFI. Respondents who are selected will be asked to enter into a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with DHS S&T in order to participate in the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx. Responses should be focused on the offeror's capability to provide and integrate the requested solutions, as well as their ability to provide adequate training and technical support for first responders prior to and during the OpEx and planning events.Solutions must be Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 7 or above; definitions for TRLs are available here: https://www.dhs.gov/sites/default/files/publications/Product%20Realization%20Guide.pdf.Organizations that respond will not be paid for the information submitted and the U.S. government will not pay for any submission preparation or related costs. Documents submitted in response to this RFI will not be returned. The U.S. government is under no obligation to provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. There is no guarantee that any submission in response to this RFI will result in a U.S. government invitation to participate in the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx. The U.S. government may or may not use any responses to this RFI as a basis for a subsequent project, including considering responses for participation in FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Shaken Fury Exercise described in Section I.B. BACKGROUND:DHS S&T works with America's first responders to ensure they are more effective and safer-regardless of the hazards they face. DHS S&T develops and adapts innovative technologies that help first responders make communities more secure and resilient, because we know that homeland security truly starts with hometown security. The NGFR program is a five-year program that began in January 2015 and is part of a longer-term DHS S&T commitment to envision and assist the responder of the future. The NGFR program works to make responders better protected, connected and fully aware by developing, adopting and integrating cutting-edge first responder technologies using open standards. This complex, multi-disciplinary program consists of a diverse but related portfolio of projects that span from basic research to advanced technology development, and an initiative to define a common set of open standards for technology integration. These open standards enable industry partners to develop standards-based solutions that easily plug-and-play into an interoperable responder ecosystem, including legacy systems. This approach opens doors to industry while lowering costs and increasing choices for public safety organizations, helping them rapidly adapt to changing environments and evolving threats as they secure communities nationwide.DHS S&T hosts OpEx events to put emerging technologies into the hands of end users in an operational setting, allowing first responder and federal stakeholders to try out new technologies before buying, while also giving technology developers direct feedback on how to improve their technologies. DHS S&T and participating technology providers want to know whether the technologies work, what could make them better, what capabilities end users prioritize, what makes technologies hard to incorporate into operational procedures, and what are organizational or cultural barriers that prevent response agencies from buying or adopting these technologies. The end goal is getting improved technologies into the hands of homeland security practitioners as fast as possible, so that those technologies have greater operational impact.The NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx will connect homeland security end users, technology innovators and the interagency community to assess cutting-edge technology in operational settings and facilitate technology demonstrations for homeland security operators. During the OpEx, Birmingham-area first responders and federal partners will use integrated responder technologies to enhance their mission capabilities in a HAZMAT and SAR scenario. The OpEx will employ new technologies to streamline collaboration through response, SAR, triage and decontamination, including capabilities to improve responder safety, enhance operational communications, increase operational coordination and augment situational awareness. Together, DHS S&T and responders will evaluate how selected DHS-developed and commercial technologies integrate with existing public safety systems using open standards, and how those integrated capabilities meet the OpEx goals. As an outcome of this OpEx, DHS S&T will provide the after action report to federal, state and local law enforcement and public safety organizations for them to use as guidance in acquiring and fielding similar interfaces and solutions. This report and all other knowledge products developed by DHS S&T will be posted to the program website: www.dhs.gov/NGFR. DHS S&T and partners hope to demonstrate how integrated solutions deliver greater operational impact for first responders and communities.The City of Birmingham will host the World Games 2021 in July 2021, a major international sporting event with approximately 3,600 athletes competing in 34 sports at 36 venues around Birmingham. This ten-day event will bring a substantial influx of visitors to the region, requiring a significant public safety presence. While the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx focuses on an earthquake scenario, rather than a planned major event, having a technology testbed in Birmingham two years before the main event will provide invaluable experience to public safety, industry and federal partners, as well as exposure to potential technologies. Local public safety agencies from Birmingham and Jefferson County hope that the NGFR OpEx will pinpoint lessons learned and identify operational and technical partnership opportunities that will support planning and execution for the World Games 2021.C. OBJECTIVE:DHS OBJECTIVES: DHS S&T is hosting the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx to promote first responder technology integration and support innovation and adoption of public safety technologies to make responders better protected, connected and fully aware. This event will be the final NGFR Integration Demonstration and will showcase the NGFR Apex program's achievements. During the OpEx, DHS S&T will evaluate how the selected technology solutions increase responder safety and effectiveness and how well they integrate with other commercial technologies, DHS-funded technologies and legacy public safety systems in compliance with the NGFR Integration Handbook guidance. The test and evaluation will take place during a scenario-based operational experiment involving local public safety and federal response partners. DHS S&T is looking to assess a wide variety of capabilities including but not limited to the integration of sensors, communication systems, location services, collaboration apps and situational awareness platforms to support first responder operations.WHY PARTICIPATE: In return for their participation, technology providers will have exposure to Birmingham and Jefferson County public safety leadership and responders, local and national VIPs, FEMA and other technology development organizations, and will receive end-user feedback to help improve their products. The planning process for the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx will help build relationships between partners that may prove advantageous. For example, several of the NGFR - Harris County OpEx technology providers identified opportunities with participating responder organizations and some formed agreements with other industry participants for ongoing collaboration. Technology providers will receive feedback on their technologies directly from responders, as well as a more detailed DHS S&T evaluation of how their solution performed individually and as part of an integrated system. One NGFR - Harris County OpEx industry participant described the direct feedback from first responders as "invaluable" and many shared how they planned to improve their technologies in response to the recommendations. DHS S&T will host a VIP demonstration and technology showcase during the OpEx to highlight the accomplishments, partners and operational impact of the event. All technology providers will have an opportunity to present their technologies to VIPs and participating responders during the technology showcase. In addition, all participating organizations will be recognized as a participant in DHS S&T media releases and after action knowledge products, as well as in later versions of the NGFR Integration Handbook.D. PARTICIPATION REQUIREMENTS:After review of the technology solution applications, the U.S. government may invite candidates to participate in NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx where the integration of these technologies will be evaluated during operational scenarios. In addition to participating in the main event in August 2019, selected participants will be asked to participate in integration planning calls, the integration testing in May and an OpEx dry in July. As stated above, participating organizations will be required to enter into a CRADA that defines the conditions of participation, including intellectual property rights and security parameters for sharing information. A draft CRADA template is provided in Appendix D.Selected technology providers will participate in guided integration discussions and in-person and virtual integration events to ensure successful operation and integration during the OpEx. DHS S&T requires all participants to commit to participating in the integration prep-work, as well as participating in-person at specific events:• Integration Testing, week of May 5 (3-5 days);• OpEx Dry Run, week of July 14 (3-5 days); and• Final OpEx event, week of August 18 (3-5 days).One additionally scheduled event, the Emergency Operations Center Information Sharing Drill will take place during the week of June 2, in alignment with the Shaken Fury Activities throughout the region. This event will require some, but not all, of the selected technical participants; clarity will be provided in the selection notifications in March.Through these events and ongoing collaboration, DHS S&T seeks to increase the probability that all technical components can be integrated using open-source standards as found in the NGFR Integration Handbook, and that participating first responders are appropriately trained and have time to practice using the technologies before the OpEx. Beyond the event, DHS S&T would like to demonstrate technical and operational first responder technology integration, and participating organizations will be asked to provide feedback on the NGFR Integration Handbook to improve the integration approach.The DHS S&T team will provide venues, supporting infrastructure and personnel for assessment (operational and technical), based on availability of resources. Costs specific to running the technology solutions, materials, developing training materials, personnel expenses and all travel costs will be at the technology provider's expense. Selected participants must be prepared to set up and execute their technology solutions for the events and cannot be dependent on venue resources to do so. Industry participation in the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx does not suggest or imply that the U.S. government will endorse, procure or purchase equipment.NOTE: This is an integration event. All organizations that apply must understand that their technologies will be integrated into a larger system of first responder technology, and will share data between devices owned and operated by other companies and/or first responder organizations. Hardware and/or software integration is required, and participating organizations will assist with that integration. Do not submit an application if you are unwilling to integrate your solution with other technologies. See Section H for more information on Intellectual Property rights during the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx.E. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:THE DEADLINE FOR APPLICATION PACKAGES is no later than 5:00 p.m. EST onThursday, February 28, 2019. Applications received after this time may not be considered. All technology solution application packages must be submitted via email to NGFR@hq.dhs.gov with the subject "(Organization Name) Application: NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx."CLEARLY IDENTIFY ALL PROPRIETARY INFORMATION in the technology solution application. If proprietary information is required to adequately describe a technology solution, ensure that it is appropriately marked within the application form and white papers. Subject to all applicable laws and regulations, the U.S. government will not disclose to the public any proprietary information obtained from a candidate that is properly and clearly identified and labelled under the Trade Secrets Act (18 U.S.C. § 1905). Further, the Trade Secrets Act, 18 U.S.C. § 1905, also prohibits the U.S. government from disclosing trade secret or business confidential information.Therefore, any such proprietary information contained in your technology solution application form must be clearly marked in accordance with the following directions:1. Insert the following paragraph in the comments section on page 7 of the application form, and on the cover page of any white papers:This Technology Solution Application includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the U.S. government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed-in whole or in part-for any purpose other than to evaluate this application or develop a subsequent CRADA for the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx. This restriction does not limit the U.S. government's right to use information contained in the data if they are obtained from another source without restriction.2. Application Form: Mark each text box that contains restricted information with "PROPRIETARY" at the start of the section of text.3. White Papers: Mark each page and section that contains restricted information.DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION in the technology solution application. If classified information is required to adequately describe a technology solution, submit an unclassified application with a request for a classified submission of supporting materials.DO NOT SUBMIT ACQUISITION PROPOSALS. Submit technology solution applications only. No contracts will be awarded based on this announcement, but selected participants will be asked to sign a CRADA. Submitting an application in response to this RFI does not guarantee an invitation to participate in the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx.All submissions shall use the application form provided in Appendix A. Please ensure that all required fields are completed. All application forms shall be submitted in the Portable Document Format (PDF) file format. Additional information may be submitted in a white paper, which shall be limited to a maximum of 10 (ten) pages. In the white paper, please expand on the technical description of the methodology and standards included in the application, and include links to supporting materials, e.g., videos. All white papers shall be submitted in either Microsoft Word .docx or PDF format.All application packages shall be submitted via email to NGFR@hq.dhs.gov by no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 28, 2019, and must include the following information in the subject and body of the email:Subject• [Organization Name] Application: NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpExBody• Organization Name;• Technology Solution(s) Name(s);• Primary Point of Contact for the application:o Name;o Title;o Email; ando Phone number.You will receive an email verifying receipt of your application. If you do not receive this confirmation within five (5) business days, please resubmit the application or email us to confirm receipt. Multiple applications addressing different technology solutions may be submitted. Each application package must address only one technology solution - note that a single "technology solution" may have multiple components, including both hardware and software. All components of the technology solution, including those that are commercially available, should be identified in the Technology Solutions table on page 5 of the application form. You will be notified in March by email if your technology solution is selected for invitation to the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx.Technology solution application packages must be submitted to NGFR@hq.dhs.gov no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 28, 2019. Applications received after this time may not be considered. If you have questions regarding the submittal, please email NGFR@hq.dhs.gov in advance of the deadline.F. BASIS FOR SELECTION TO PARTICIPATE:DHS S&T and appropriate supporting U.S. government organizations will review the application packages for technical merit, likelihood of integrating with first responder technology and systems, and applicability to desired capabilities. DHS S&T will notify selected participants in March via an emailed invitation to the original submitter. No review outcomes or selection criteria will be made available to submitters.G. ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:DHS S&T reserves the right to ask clarifying questions about your application during the review period. If selected, participants may be asked to provide additional information that will be used in preparation for the event.While only federal employees will participate in the final selection process, first responders and U.S. government support contractors may review and provide support during the application evaluation process. All participants involved in the evaluation process, including those in support roles, will sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement prior to such involvement. Submission in response to this RFI constitutes approval to release the application package to the evaluation team that may include first responders and U.S. government support contractors.Be advised that lessons learned from the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx may be broadly disseminated to the first responder community on a public-facing website: www.dhs.gov/NGFR or other U.S. government websites.H. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY:All Background Intellectual Property (IP) is and shall remain the exclusive property of the party owning it (or, where applicable, the third party from whom its right to use the Background IP has derived). Each party shall give full disclosure and a license to DHS S&T of all Background IP necessary for the collaboration, owned or licensed by which it is relevant to the planning and execution of the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx.DHS S&T will grant unlimited rights in any Foreground IP developed from the planning and execution of the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx. Refer to the CRADA (see Appendix D) for more information. For the purposes of this event, the term equipment in the CRADA refers to software, hardware and firmware. DHS expects the attached draft CRADA will be substantially similar to the actual agreement executed for this OpEx.I. FEMA'S NATIONAL URBAN SEARCH AND RESCUE SHAKEN FURY EXERCISE:FEMA is hosting a national Urban Search and Rescue (US&R) exercise during the 2019 Shaken Fury Earthquake Exercise the week of June 2, 2019, at the Muscatatuck Urban Training Center in Indiana. This US&R Shaken Fury Exercise will run in parallel to, but independent of, other DHS S&T activities including the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx. The US&R Shaken Fury Exercise will include search and rescue task forces from the United States and Canada, and possibly include other countries as well. Each task force will mobilize, arrive on site and conduct operations designed to test and train on needs defined by the task forces. The operational tempo will simulate real-world conditions with 16-24 hour operational periods and logistical challenges such as personnel billeting, feeding and movement. Air assets, including National Guard and Department of Defense rotary wing assets, are planning to participate, which will necessarily limit inclusion of UAS for safety considerations. The training center provides props for heavy rescue, wide area searches, water rescue and air lifts, to name a few.Participants will be invited to provide technology for US&R task force members to utilize during part of their operational period, demonstrate emerging technologies during a showcase event or provide technology to support a VIP event. Technology for operational use by US&R task force members must be specifically oriented to the mission and scenario requirements must align with planned activities and available props being used. Technology intended for the showcase should be sufficiently developed so that US&R task force members can see prototypes and the value added to their missions must be well articulated. The intent of the showcase is to provide industry partners the opportunity to interact with end users and receive candid feedback about the technology. It should not be considered a sales opportunity or trade show. A VIP event is planned and decision support technology, such as video, information sharing, personnel tracking and tactical communications, that would benefit decision makers at the managerial and executive level are welcome as part of an immersive experience for this audience.All responses received for the RFI, except those with UAS-based solutions, will automatically be considered for invitation to the US&R Shaken Fury Exercise. There will be no separate RFI for the US&R event, and organizations may not apply to only the US&R event without also applying for the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx. DHS S&T will notify participants in March via an emailed invitation to the original submitter to participate in the US&R Shaken Fury Exercise. This will be a separate notification from invitations to participate in the NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpEx.Please note that the US&R Shaken Fury Exercise will NOT require integration of technology solutions, as all selected technology solutions will be presented and demonstrated separately. All participants in the US&R Shaken Fury Exercise will also require a CRADA, and if an organization is invited to participate in both the Birmingham and US&R events, it will require two separate CRADAs as the statement of work would be different for each event.J. APPENDICES:A. Technology Solution Application Form - NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpExB. Fact Sheet - NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpExC. Technology Solution Descriptions and Criteria - NGFR - Birmingham Shaken Fury OpExD. Draft DHS Cooperative Research and Development Agreement Template