Army seeks new technology submissions for fall NIE
The Army has issued a sources sought document to attract new technologies for inclusion into this fall's Network Integration Evaluation.
The Army is seeking mature technologies to include in its major autumn networking and test event. Government and industry organizations are being solicited to contribute existing networking and communications capabilities to participate in the service’s Network Integration Evaluation (NIE) 13.1, which will take place over six weeks this October and November at Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range, N.M.
Managed by the Army’s System of System Integration (SoSI) Directorate, the goal of the Sources Sought solicitation is to identify promising technologies and evaluate them against a set of entrance criteria for an opportunity to participate in NIE 13.1. The Army is looking for systems that focus on specifically identified gaps in its networking and networked equipment. Army officials emphasized that the service only wants systems that are mature or at the prototype stage and that have been tested in a relevant environment. The deadline for white paper submissions is Feb. 2.
The gaps are: multi-channel tactical radio; mission command on-the-move; low-cost, low-swap tactical cross domain solutions; joint participation capability (by the U.S. and allies); aviation extension; small form factor, modular transit case satellite communications terminal and baseband; mission command in-garrison training; and improved operational energy. The functional requirements for these gaps are listed in paragraph two of the sources sought on the Federal Business Opportunities site.
“This sources sought notices seeks candidates against a specific set of gaps, rather than the broader areas of specific interest released in the previous two notices,” Erin Deronghe, SoSI’s division chief of portfolio integration management said in a statement. She said in the first two NIEs, the Army established a network baseline that it is now building on. Also, the service is soliciting for non-networked capabilities to promote more rapid acquisition and fielding of the best of those identified technologies, she said.