Inflatable Antenna Kits

Trade Agreement: Canadian Free Trade Agreement (CFTA)
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited to bid
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: Yes
Vendor Name and Address: 
GATR Technologies
11506 Gilleland Road
Huntsville Alabama
United States
Nature of Requirements: 

ADVANCE CONTRACT AWARD NOTICE (ACAN)

The purpose of this Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) is to signal the government's intention to award a contract for these services to the pre-selected supplier:

GATR Technologies
Huntsville, Alabama 35806
USA

Before awarding a contract, however, the government would like to provide other suppliers with the opportunity to demonstrate that they are capable of satisfying the requirements set out in this Notice, by submitting a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar day posting period.

If other potential suppliers submit a statement of capabilities during the 15 calendar day posting period that meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, the government will proceed to a full tendering process on either the government's electronic tendering service or through traditional means, in order to award the contract.

If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a statement of capabilities meeting the requirements set out in the ACAN, a contract will be awarded to the pre-selected supplier, as referenced above.

BACKGROUND

The Department of National Defence (DND) has a requirement to obtain two (2) antenna kits in order to provide communications in support of Northern Operations. These kits will provide us with the capability to provide communications in the Canadian North often where no other communication infrastructure is available. 

Operating in the Canadian North provides many challenges.  The ability to communicate effectively has proven to be one of the greatest.  With an Area of Operations (AOR) of 4 million sq. km, and distances measured in the thousands of kilometers, the communications link between communities in the north and the south, between remote locations and the nearest community or between deployed troops and the higher Headquarter (HQ) can be tenuous at the best of times.  Ensuring a clear understanding of the objective can be heavily impacted by how the information flows and the feedback that is being provided from the field.
 
Given the vastness of this area of operations, our main data communication link is satellite and we have been using commercial rented equipment on the N-series operations in the last few years. The deployment of large Command Posts (CPs) accommodating 40 to 50 stations such as Op NANOOK and Op NUNALIVUT, require a high speed data link and the usage of lower speed systems, such as the BGAN or IRIDIUM is both too slow and too expensive. 

Yellowknife is connected to the south using a single Fiber Optic Cable link that follows the route around the lake to the city. Joint Task Force North Headquarter (JTFN HQ) is provided connectivity at 100 Mbps from that link. There are no alternate means and if the link is cut, we lose all connectivity. We experienced two fiber cuts in the last year one of which lasted about 4 hours and completely disconnected the whole city (cell phones, internet, cable television, services went down). During the major forest fire season of 2014, the underground line was almost severed due to the intense heat. Such a repair could have taken days or even weeks and the HQ would have been left without connectivity. Given the contracting and procurement delays, we could not get an alternative service fast enough to reconnect the HQ.
 
OBJECTIVE

In order to address this deficiency, DND requires the purchase of two satellite terminals to provide the flexibility to react to unforeseen circumstances as well as planned operations. These special antenna kits will have to be able to work in both Ku and X bands. The X Band will use the WGS (WideBand Global Satcom) satellite constellation, property of the US government and managed by the US Department of Defense (DoD). This system is strictly restricted for military use. DoD requires that all the equipment utilized to access the WGS satellite constellation being certified by them and only them. Uncertified equipment will be denied access to the WGS satellite constellation. Because of weight and volume limitations created by the fact that once in the high Arctic DND has to use aircrafts as small as the CC138 Twin Otter or even helicopters, the antennas kits procured must be extremely light, compact and easy to transport. They must also be very easy to assemble and disassemble, given the constant movement of our troops on the ground.

QUALIFICATIONS

To fulfill the requirements of the contract, the supplier must be able to provide a product which meets, at a minimum, the following features and specifications:

1. Path loss/Signal loss:
There are multiple limitations for satellite in the North, one of which is called: Path loss or Signal Loss. Moisture in the atmosphere absorb the electromagnetic energy from the satellite signal. This is especially important in the north since there is a significant path loss through the atmosphere which is even exacerbated by bad weather. To help alleviate this effect, one approach is to use an antenna with a higher gain, using a larger reflector increase the amount of electromagnetic signal received, hence an higher receive gain. The GATR 48dBi gain is superior to the 0.98m dish 14dBi gain. The antenna must measure a minimum of 2.4 meters.

2. WGS Satcom accessibility:
Antenna kits must be capable to function in Ku and X bands, with the X Band using the WGS (WideBand Global Satcom) satellite constellation, which is managed by the US Department of Defense (DoD). The antenna kit must be fully certified by DoD in order to have access to the WGS. Must also have the minimum 40W for Ku Band and 80W for the X Band. Each satellite communications antenna kit must work in the Ku band and be easily adaptable to the X band.

3. Transportability and Portability:
Product must fit aboard aircraft as small as the CC-138 Twin Otter. The size of a Twin Otter door restricts the maximum size of an object we could carry to about 1.2m. Operating in the North means operating at high altitude where there are major climatic limitations. All the components of the satellite communications antenna kits must withstand Canadian Arctic weather conditions, i.e. winds up to a maximum of 60 Km/h and temperature as low as of - 30 Celsius degrees. Operating at high latitudes means low elevation angle which increase path loss issues.  The antenna and its components must be capable of producing, at minimum, elevation angles of 5 to 90 degrees. The limitation in size for transportability limits us to small dishes (0.98m) who have been proved to be ineffective in the North. The total weight of the antenna and its components must not exceed 300 pounds. Each satellite communications antenna kit must be possible to transport in a maximum of three (3) transport containers; each transport container must measure a maximum of 33 in. x 22 in. x17 in.  The GATR has an inflatable system which is unique, providing DND with a 2.4m reflector offering more than twice the gain (the sensitivity of the antenna).
 
CONTRACT PERIOD

The resulting contract will be valid from date of contract award to 31 March 2018.

COST ESTIMATE OF THE PROPOSED CONTRACT

$ 397,184.02 USD

COMPREHENSIVE LAND CLAIMS AGREEMENT(S) 

With the delivery required at Yellowknife (NT), this procurement is subject to the Tlicho Government.

GOVERNMENT OF CANADA REGULATIONS EXCEPTION

The Treasury Board’s Government Contract Regulations, Part 10.2.1 Section 6 states there are four exceptions that permit the contracting authority to set aside the requirement to solicit bids. This includes:
d. "only one supplier person or firm is capable of performing the contract."


Delivery Date: Above-mentioned

You are hereby notified that the government intends to negotiate with one firm only as identified above. Should you have any questions concerning this requirement, contact the contracting officer identified above.

An Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN) allows departments and agencies to post a notice, for no less than fifteen (15) calendar days, indicating to the supplier community that it intends to award a good, service or construction contract to a pre-identified contractor. If no other supplier submits, on or before the closing date, a Statement of Capabilities that meets the requirements set out in the ACAN, the contracting authority may then proceed with the award.  However, should a Statement of Capabilities be found to meet the requirements set out in the ACAN, then the contracting authority will proceed to a full tendering process.

Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available to provide the services/goods described herein, may submit a statement of capabilities in writing to the contact person identified in this Notice on or before the closing date of this Notice. The statement of capabilities must clearly demonstrate how the supplier meets the advertised requirements.

The PWGSC file number, the contracting officer's name and the closing date of the ACAN must appear on the outside of the envelope in block letters or, in the case of a facsimile transmission, on the covering page.

The Crown retains the right to negotiate with suppliers on any procurement.

Documents may be submitted in either official language of Canada.