[Federal Register Volume 78, Number 64 (Wednesday, April 3, 2013)]
[Notices]
[Pages 20120-20122]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2013-07681]


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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY

Coast Guard

[Docket No. USCG-2013-0193]


Cooperative Research and Development Agreement: Joint Technical 
Demonstration of Tactical Data Link Range Enhancement Software

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 with Engility 
Corporation (Engility) to develop, demonstrate, evaluate, and document 
contributions of tactical data link (TDL) range enhancement software 
technologies to improve operational effectiveness and communications 
interoperability (e.g., situational awareness, digital command and 
control, etc.) among forces including Coast Guard and other Department 
of Homeland Security components, Department of Defense, as well as 
other Federal, State, local, Tribal, and coalition forces. While the 
Coast Guard is currently considering partnering with Engility, we are 
soliciting public comment on the possible nature of and participation 
of other parties in the proposed CRADA. In addition, the Coast Guard 
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 3, 2013, or reach the Docket Management Facility by that 
date.
    Synopses of proposals regarding future, similar CRADAs must reach 
the Docket Management Facility on or before September 30, 2013.

ADDRESSES: You may submit comments on this notice identified by docket 
number USCG-2013-0193 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.

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    (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 Judith R. Connelly, Project Official, C4ISR Branch, TDL Range 
Enhancement Software Technologies, U.S. Coast Guard Research and 
Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT 06320, telephone 
860-271-2643, email [email protected]. If you have questions 
on viewing or submitting material to the docket, call Ms. Barbara 
Hairston, 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 Judith R. Connelly, 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-2013-0193), 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 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 
locate this notice by using ``USCG-2013-0193'' as your search term. 
Click the ``Comment Now'' box opposite this notice and follow the 
instructions to submit your comment. 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 and locate this notice by using ``USCG-2013-0193'' 
as your search term. 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 (R&DC).
    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 R&DC would collaborate 
with one or more non-Federal participants. Together, the R&DC and the 
non-Federal participants would identify and investigate the advantages, 
disadvantages, required technology enhancements, performance, and other 
issues associated with TDL range enhancement software to enhance 
operational effectiveness and efficiency.
    The R&DC, with the non-Federal participants, will create and employ 
a structured and collaborative test protocol to better understand the 
potential advantages of TDL capabilities throughout Coast Guard mission 
areas. The non-Federal participants will investigate the use of a wide 
range of TDL capabilities in table-top exercises followed by controlled 
field tests, and finally longer-duration operational testing on actual 
Coast Guard platforms.

Party Contributions

    We anticipate that the Coast Guard's contributions under the 
proposed CRADA will include the following:
    (1) Lead the development of the test objectives and test plan for 
the specific work to be accomplished under the CRADA;
    (2) Conduct the ``field demonstration'' analysis of the mutually-
agreeable representative TDL range enhancement software using 
information networks, surveillance/collection platforms, and search and 
rescue units, in accordance with the CRADA test plan;

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    (3) Define performance metrics and parameters used to understand 
the potential improvements of the mutually-agreeable representative TDL 
range enhancement software in accordance with the CRADA test plan;
    (4) Coordinate Coast Guard platform engineering changes and 
enterprise architecture modifications to incorporate mutually-agreeable 
representative TDL range enhancement software and supporting hardware 
configurations in accordance with the CRADA test plan;
    (5) Identify cooperative sortie opportunities with Coast Guard and 
Department of Defense (DOD) search and surveillance assets to 
understand the potential improvements of the mutually-agreeable 
representative TDL range enhancement software to link collected data 
with search platforms outside the information enterprise network;
    (6) Develop the CRADA Final Report, which will document 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 input into the Coast Guard-developed CRADA test 
objectives and CRADA test plan;
    (2) Provide mutually-agreeable representative TDL range enhancement 
software and supporting hardware configurations (as required) and 
conduct preliminary data information sharing validation and equipment 
``bench testing'' in accordance with the CRADA test plan;
    (3) Provide expertise needed for platform installation of mutually-
agreeable representative TDL range enhancement software and supporting 
hardware, along with on-site technical support throughout the 
demonstration;
    (4) Provide on-site mission specific training for Coast Guard 
platform operators throughout the operational demonstration; and
    (5) 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:
    (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 Engility Corporation for 
participation in this CRADA. This consideration is based on the fact 
that Engility has demonstrated its software-only solution, its 
product's compatibility with the Coast Guard's situational awareness 
system, and its product's widespread use throughout the DOD and 
coalition forces. 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 TDL capability. Since the goal of 
this CRADA is to identify and investigate the advantages, 
disadvantages, required technology enhancements, performance, costs, 
and other issues associated with using TDL capabilities, 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: March 25, 2013.
Alan N. Arsenault,
Captain, USCG, Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Research and 
Development Center.
[FR Doc. 2013-07681 Filed 4-2-13; 8:45 am]
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