By 
Last week the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) issued a Request For Information (RFI) notice that said it is exploring possibly reopening a multiple award contract (MAC) to provide payloads, sensors, and other support for unmanned surface vehicles.
In February 2020, the Navy previously awarded 40 vendors in the Independent Delivery-Independent Quantity Multiple Award Contract (IDIQ-MAC) marketplace for procurement of supplies and services to support the Navy’s USV Family of Systems (FoS).
According to the latest Nov. 21 notice, the Program Executive Office Unmanned and Small Combatants’ Unmanned Maritime Systems Program Office (PMS 406) and NAVSEA Contracts Department (SEA 02) previously said it intended “to periodically evaluate the need to offer on-ramps for additional industry partners over the USV FoS IDIQ-MAC’s Period of Performance (five-year base period, with an additional five-year ordering period option).”
The Navy said the MAC is currently being used to solicit under fair competition procedures among qualified IDIQ-MAC holders for orders on various supplies and services to support USVs. The RFI underscored orders thus far “have included various design and integration studies, combat systems ship integration activities, and payload development and integration efforts.”
This new RFI now seeks to “gauge interest in additional companies to potentially pursue access to the USV FoS IDIQ-MAC pool of awardees.”
The pool of awardees were originally awarded access into six functional areas including payloads; non-payload sensors organic to the USV; mission support systems that provide interfaces for payloads, including launch and recovery; autonomy and vehicle control systems; ashore and host platform elements that enable the USV to launch and recover from an ashore or host platform; and logistics and sustainment activities required for optimal performance of the USVS with their payloads throughout program lifecycle.
The Navy said this would be a competitive solicitation and responses to the RFI are due by Dec. 19.
