[Federal Register Volume 77, Number 83 (Monday, April 30, 2012)]
[Notices]
[Pages 25488-25490]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2012-10320]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2012-0298]


Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Federally 
Integrated Communications System

AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.

ACTION: Notice of intent; request for public comments.

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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard is announcing its intent to enter into a 
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with General 
Dynamics C4 Systems, Inc. to lab demonstrate, field test, evaluate, and 
document at least one technical approach to show interoperability, with 
end-to-end encryption, for disparate Federal communications systems at 
the Internet Protocol level. The Coast Guard invites public comment on 
the proposed CRADA, and also invites other potential non-Federal 
participants, who have the interest and capability to bring similar 
contributions to this type of research, to consider submitting 
proposals for consideration in similar CRADAs.

DATES: Comments and related material on the proposed CRADA must either 
be submitted to our online docket via http://www.regulations.gov on or 
before May 30, 2012, or reach the Docket Management Facility by that 
date.
    Notifications from parties interested in participating as a non-
Federal participant in a CRADA similar to the one described in this 
notice must reach the Docket Management Facility on or before May 30, 
2012.

ADDRESSES: You may submit written comments on this notice identified by 
docket number USCG-2012-0298 using any one of the following methods:
    (1) Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov.
    (2) Fax: 202-493-2251.
    (3) Mail: Docket Management Facility (M-30), U.S. Department of 
Transportation, West Building Ground Floor, Room W12-140, 1200 New 
Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590-0001.
    (4) Hand delivery: Same as mail address above, between 9 a.m. and 5 
p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. The telephone 
number is 202-366-9329.
    To avoid duplication, please use only one of these four methods. 
See the ``Public Participation and Request for Comments'' portion of 
the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section below for instructions on 
submitting comments.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice, 
contact Ms. Octavia Ashburn, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development 
Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320, telephone: 860-271-
2882, email: [email protected]. If you have questions on 
viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Renee V. Wright, 
Program Manager, Docket Operations, telephone (202) 366-9826.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Public Participation and Request for Comments

    We encourage you to submit comments and related material on this 
notice. All comments received will be posted, without change, to http://www.regulations.gov and will include any personal information you have 
provided.
    Do not submit detailed proposals for future CRADAs to the Docket 
Management Facility. Potential non-Federal CRADA participants should 
submit these documents to Ms. Octavia Ashburn, U.S. Coast Guard 
Research and Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320 
(email [email protected]).

Submitting Comments

    If you submit a comment, please include the docket number for this 
notice (USCG-2012-0298), and provide a reason for each suggestion or 
recommendation. You may submit your comments and material online via 
http://www.regulations.gov, or by fax, mail, or hand delivery, but 
please use only one of these means. If you submit a comment online via 
http://www.regulations.gov, it will be considered received by the Coast 
Guard when you successfully transmit the comment. If you fax, hand 
deliver, or mail your comment, it will be

[[Page 25489]]

considered as having been received by the Coast Guard when it is 
received at the Docket Management Facility. We recommend that you 
include your name and a mailing address, an email address, or a 
telephone number in the body of your document so that we can contact 
you if we have questions regarding your submission.
    To submit your comment online, go to http://www.regulations.gov and 
type ``USCG-2012-0298'' in the ``Keyword'' box. If you submit your 
comments by mail or hand delivery, submit them in an unbound format, no 
larger than 8\1/2\ by 11 inches, suitable for copying and electronic 
filing. If you submit comments by mail and would like to know that they 
reached the Facility, please enclose a stamped, self-addressed postcard 
or envelope. We will consider all comments and material received during 
the comment period.

Viewing Comments and Related Material

    To view the comments and related material, go to http://www.regulations.gov, click on the ``read comments'' box, which will 
then become highlighted in blue. In the ``Keyword'' box, insert ``USCG-
2012-0298'' and click ``Search.'' Click the ``Open Docket Folder'' in 
the ``Actions'' column. If you do not have access to the Internet, you 
may view the docket online by visiting the Docket Management Facility 
in Room W12-140 on the ground floor of the Department of Transportation 
West Building, 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE., Washington, DC 20590, 
between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal 
holidays. We have an agreement with the Department of Transportation to 
use the Docket Management Facility.

Privacy Act

    Anyone can search the electronic form of comments received into any 
of our dockets by the name of the individual submitting the comment (or 
signing the comment, if submitted on behalf of an association, 
business, labor union, etc.). You may review a Privacy Act, system of 
records notice regarding our public dockets in the January 17, 2008, 
issue of the Federal Register (73 FR 3316).

Cooperative Research and Development Agreements

    Cooperative Research and Development Agreements (CRADAs), are 
authorized by the Federal Technology Transfer Act of 1986 (Pub. L. 99-
502, codified at 15 U.S.C. 3710(a)). A CRADA promotes the transfer of 
technology to the private sector for commercial use as well as 
specified research or development efforts that are consistent with the 
mission of the Federal parties to the CRADA. The Federal party or 
parties agree with one or more non-Federal parties to share research 
resources, but the Federal party does not contribute funding. The 
Department of Homeland Security (DHS), as an executive agency under 5 
U.S.C. 105, is a Federal agency for purposes of 15 U.S.C. 3710(a) and 
may enter into a CRADA. The Secretary of DHS (Secretary) delegated 
authority to the Commandant of the Coast Guard to carry out the 
functions vested in the Secretary by section 2 of the Federal 
Technology Transfer Act of 1986, which authorizes agencies to permit 
their laboratories to enter into CRADAs (see DHS Delegation No. 0160.1, 
para. 2.B(34)). The Commandant of the Coast Guard has delegated 
authority in this regard to the Coast Guard's Research and Development 
Center (RDC).
    CRADAs are not procurement contracts. Care is taken to ensure that 
CRADAs are not used to circumvent the contracting process. CRADAs have 
a specific purpose and should not be confused with other types of 
agreements such as procurement contracts, grants, and cooperative 
agreements.

Goal of Proposed CRADA

    Under the proposed CRADA, the Coast Guard's RDC would collaborate 
with non-Federal participants. Together, the RDC and the non-Federal 
participants would conduct lab demonstrations, field tests and 
evaluations, and document at least one technical approach to show 
interoperability, with end-to-end encryption, for disparate 
communications systems at the Internet Protocol (IP) level. The systems 
will be comprised of the current Coast Guard Rescue 21 (R21 or Rescue 
21) conventional Land Mobile Radio (LMR) network and a Federal wireless 
system partner. This integrated communications system should provide 
for interoperability among the different Federal agency heterogeneous 
radio systems, without changing the functionality of each existing 
system.
    We anticipate that the Coast Guard's contributions under the 
proposed CRADA will include the following:
    (1) Support network architecture and security discussions on the 
work to be accomplished under the CRADA;
    (2) Lead the development of the test objectives and test plan for 
the specific work to be accomplished under the CRADA;
    (3) Facilitate interactions between USCG, the non-Federal 
participants, and a Federal wireless system partner to gain approval 
for support during the test period of the CRADA test plan;
    (4) Provide Coast Guard resources, and conduct the field test and 
evaluation in accordance with the CRADA test plan; and
    (5) Develop the CRADA Final Report, which documents the 
methodologies, findings, conclusions, and recommendations of this CRADA 
work.
    We anticipate that the non-Federal participants' contributions 
under the proposed CRADA will include the following:
    (1) Provide an R21 gateway to work with current Commercial Off-the-
Shelf configuration used during this CRADA investigation;
    (2) Provide an Inter Subsystem Interface (ISSI) Gateway to work 
with a Federal wireless system partner interface;
    (3) Test the R21 gateway with R21 system in lab demonstration;
    (4) Test the Federal wireless system partner gateway in lab 
demonstration;
    (5) Conduct system level test for both gateways in lab 
demonstration;
    (6) Develop configuration process to execute field test and 
evaluation;
    (7) Provide input into the Coast Guard-developed, CRADA test 
objectives and CRADA test plan;
    (8) Provide equipment and software, and participate in equipment 
installation and training for field test and evaluation;
    (9) Following field test and evaluation, remove equipment and 
software and restore to R21 original configuration;
    (10) Provide technical report describing system configuration and 
system performance of equipment and gateway;
    (11) Provide input into the Coast Guard-developed, CRADA Final 
Report.

Selection Criteria

    The Coast Guard reserves the right to select for CRADA participants 
all, some, or none of the proposals in response to this notice. The 
Coast Guard will provide no funding for reimbursement of proposal 
development costs. Proposals (or any other material) submitted in 
response to this notice will not be returned. Proposals submitted are 
expected to be unclassified and have no more than four single-sided 
pages (excluding cover page and resumes). The Coast Guard will select 
proposals at its sole discretion on the basis of:
    (1) How well they communicate an understanding of, and ability to 
meet, the proposed CRADA's goal; and
    (2) How well they address the following criteria:

[[Page 25490]]

    (a) Technical capability to support the non-Federal party 
contributions described; and
    (b) Resources available for supporting the non-Federal party 
contributions described.
    Currently, the Coast Guard is considering General Dynamics for 
participation in this CRADA. This consideration is based on: (1) 
General Dynamics' expertise, experience, and interest with the design, 
development, maintenance, and operations of the Coast Guard's Rescue 21 
system; (2) General Dynamics' capability to provide the significant 
contributions required for the CRADA work; and (3) the Coast Guard's 
Rescue 21 system, which includes a General Dynamics product containing 
restricted rights software code. However, we do not wish to exclude 
other viable participants from this or future similar CRADAs.
    This is a technology transfer/development effort. Presently, the 
Coast Guard has no plan to procure a new LMR network. The goal of this 
CRADA is to conduct lab demonstrations, field tests and evaluations, 
and to document at least one technical approach to show 
interoperability, with end-to-end encryption, for disparate 
communications systems at the Internet Protocol (IP) level, and not to 
set future Coast Guard acquisition requirements for the same. 
Therefore, non-Federal CRADA participants will not be excluded from any 
future Coast Guard procurements based solely on their participation in 
this CRADA.
    Special consideration will be given to small business firms/
consortia, and preference will be given to business units located in 
the U.S.

Authority

    This notice is issued under the authority of 15 U.S.C. 3710(a), 5 
U.S.C. 552(a), and 33 CFR 1.05-1.

    Dated: April 19, 2012.
Alan N. Arsenault,
Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Research and Development Center.
[FR Doc. 2012-10320 Filed 4-27-12; 8:45 am]
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