[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 227 (Monday, November 25, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 64910-64911]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-25507]
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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
Coast Guard
[Docket No. USCG-2019-0608]
Cooperative Research and Development Agreement--Cloud Suitability
of Radio Frequency (RF) Communications Capabilities
AGENCY: Coast Guard, DHS.
ACTION: Notice of intent; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Coast Guard announces its intent to enter into a
cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) with several
companies to evaluate the suitability of implementing Radio Frequency
(RF) communications capabilities as virtualized services in a
commercial cloud/Secure Cloud Computing Architecture (SCCA)
environment. This CRADA would leverage CG network infrastructure, DISA
Cloud Access Points (CAPs) and commercial cloud offerings to evaluate
RF detection, processing, recording and distribution services. The
CRADA will explore communication services that are developed to
leverage virtualization and cloud hosting environments under a variety
of scenarios. The Coast Guard is currently considering partnering with
General Dynamics Mission Systems (GDMS) and solicits public comment on
the possible participation of other parties in the proposed CRADA, and
the nature of that participation. 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 must be submitted to the online docket via https://www.regulations.gov, or on or before December 26, 2019.
Synopses of proposals regarding future CRADAs must reach the Coast
Guard (see FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT) on or before December 26,
2019.
ADDRESSES: Submit comments online at https://www.regulations.gov by
searching docket number ``USCG-2019-0608'' and following website
instructions.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: If you have questions on this notice
or wish to submit proposals for future CRADAs, contact LCDR Grant
Wyman, Project Official, IT and Networks Branch, U.S. Coast Guard
Research and Development Center, 1 Chelsea Street, New London, CT
06320, telephone 860-271-2727, email [email protected].
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Public Participation and Request for Comments
We request public comments on this notice. Although we do not plan
to respond to comments in the Federal Register, we will respond
directly to commenter and may modify our proposal in light of comments.
Comments should be marked with docket number USCG-2019-0608 and
should provide a reason for each suggestion or recommendation. You
should provide personal contact information so that we can contact you
if we have questions regarding your comments; but please note that all
comments will be posted to the online docket without change and that
any personal information you include can be searchable online (see the
Federal Register Privacy Act notice regarding our public dockets, 73 FR
3316, Jan. 17, 2008). We also accept anonymous comments.
We encourage you to submit comments through the Federal rulemaking
Portal at https://www.regulations.gov. If your material cannot be
submitted using https://www.regulations.gov, contact the Coast Guard
using the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this notice.
Documents mentioned in this notice and all public comments, are in our
online docket at https://www.regulations.gov and can be viewed by
following that website's instructions. Additionally, if you go to the
online docket and sign up for email alerts, you will be notified when
comments are posted or a final rule is published.
You may submit detailed proposals for future CRADAs directly to the
Coast Guard using the FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT section of this
notice.
Discussion
CRADAs are authorized under 15 U.S.C. 3710(a).\1\ A CRADA promotes
the transfer of technology to the private
[[Page 64911]]
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.
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\1\ The statute confers this authority on the head of each
Federal agency. The Secretary of DHS's authority is delegated to the
Coast Guard and other DHS organizational elements by DHS Delegation
No. 0160.1, para. II.B.34.
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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 procurement
contracts, grants, and other type of agreements.
Under the proposed CRADA, the Coast Guard's Research and
Development Center (RDC) will collaborate with one or more non-Federal
participants. Together, the RDC and the non-Federal participants will
evaluate cloud suitability of Radio Frequency (RF) communications to
learn best practices for implementing RF communications in a cloud
environment.
We anticipate that the Coast Guard's contributions under the
proposed CRADA will include the following:
(1) Develop a test plan for execution under the CRADA;
(2) Provide commercial cloud or government cloud access, data,
facilities, and approvals required for work under the CRADA;
(8) Collect and analyze test plan data; and
(9) Develop a report documenting the methodologies, findings,
conclusions, and recommendations related to this CRADA work.
We anticipate that the non-Federal participants' contributions
under the proposed CRADA will include the following:
(1) Provide cloud ready RF services to conduct work to be described
in test plan;
(2) Provide required operators and technicians to perform work
identified in the test plan;
(3) Provide technical data for the RF cloud services to be
utilized;
(4) Provide shipment and delivery of any RF cloud services
ancillary equipment required;
(5) Provide travel and associated personnel and other expenses as
required for subject work.
The Coast Guard reserves the right to select for CRADA participants
all, some, or no proposals submitted for this CRADA. The Coast Guard
will provide no funding for reimbursement of proposal development
costs. Proposals and 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 five single-sided pages (excluding
cover page, DD 1494, JF-12, etc.). 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 General Dynamics Mission
Systems (GDMS), for participation in this CRADA. However, we do not
wish to exclude other viable participants from this or future similar
CRADAs.
This is a technology suitability effort. The goal of this CRADA is
to evaluate the suitability of implementing RF communications
capabilities as virtualized services in a cloud environment. Special
consideration will be given to small business firms/consortia, and
preference will be given to business units located in the U.S.
This notice is issued under the authority of 5 U.S.C. 552(a).
Dated: November 8, 2019.
Gregory C. Rothrock,
Captain, USCG, Commanding Officer, U.S. Coast Guard Research and
Development Center.
[FR Doc. 2019-25507 Filed 11-22-19; 8:45 am]
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