Amendment 23

Ground Vehicle Systems Center Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Amendment 23

PURPOSE OF REVISION: The purpose of Amendment 23 is to:

In Section 6.1, Open AoIs:

Revise overarching AoI description under GROUND VEHICLE ROBOTICS. Add “k. Mission Autonomy Common Control Architecture Strategies, Prototypes & Solutions”, “l. Unified Command and Common Control (UC3) for Multi-Entity Mission Autonomy (MEMA) for Robotic Operations” and “m. Unified Combat Teaming” under GROUND VEHICLE ROBOTICS.

General Information

Authority

The 2014 Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) established innovation as a central line of effort in the national defense strategy of the United States. The decisive military advantage of the United States over its adversaries and peer competitors is steadily eroding. Consequently, under 10 U.S.C. 3458, Contracting Officers may acquire innovative commercial items, technologies, or services using a competitive procedure called a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO). Under a CSO, the Department of Defense may competitively select proposals received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a broad agency announcement, based on a review of proposals by scientific, technological, or other subject-matter expert peers. Use of a CSO in accordance with DFARS Subpart 212.70 is considered to be a competitive procedure for the purposes of 10 U.S.C. 221 and FAR 6.102. Finally, Contracting Officers shall treat items, technologies, and services acquired using a CSO as commercial products and commercial services. Contracts or agreements under this authority shall be fixed-price, including fixed-price incentive fee contracts. White Papers/Proposed Solutions that may meet needs of other Federal Agencies may be shared, as appropriate.

Background:
The United States Army Combat Capabilities Development Command (DEVCOM) Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC), located in Warren, Michigan, is the U.S Armed Forces’ research and development facility for advanced technology in ground systems. The U.S Army DEVCOM is a major subordinate command of the U.S Army Futures Command (AFC) and shares its facilities with the U.S Army Tank- Automotive and Armaments Command (TACOM). GVSC’s current technology focus areas include Power and Mobility, Autonomous Systems, Force Projection, Survivability & Protection, Electronics and Architecture, Cyber Engineering and Software Integration, Human Machine Integration, Advance Manufacturing and Modeling, and Simulation and Prototyping.

Ground Vehicle Systems Center (GVSC) seeks to accelerate the delivery and sustainment of Ground System Capabilities to their partners to ensure early identification of warfighter needs. GVSC aims to develop systems that are resistive to immediate obsolescence and overmatch. GVSC will invest in the technologies, competencies, and organic infrastructure that will achieve the exponential capability offset that will guarantee future dominance in the ground domain.