Wide Area Motion Imagery Study

Trade Agreement: NAFTA/AIT/Canada FTAs with Peru/Colombia/Panama
Tendering Procedures: Generally only one firm has been invited
to bid
Attachment: None
Non-Competitive Procurement Strategy: Exclusive Rights
Comprehensive Land Claim Agreement: No
Vendor Name and Address: 
PV Labs Inc.
175 Longwood Road South
Suite 400A
Hamilton Ontario
Canada
L8P0A1
Nature of Requirements: 
Airborne Demonstration of Wide Area Motion Imagery

1. Explanation of what an Advance Contract Award Notice (ACAN)
is: 
An ACAN is a public notice indicating to the supplier community
that a department or agency intends to award a contract for
goods, services or construction to a pre-identified supplier,
thereby allowing other suppliers to signal their interest in
bidding, by submitting a statement of capabilities. If no
supplier submits a statement of capabilities that meets the
requirements set out in the ACAN, on or before the closing date
stated in the ACAN, the contracting officer may then proceed
with the award.


2. Definition of Requirements or Expected Results
The Department of National Defence (DND) has a requirement to
conduct a study to assess the performances and capabilities
airborne of Wide Area Motion Imagery (WAMI) and the utility of
this technology for intelligence applications. 

The work will include the following:

Task 1: Airborne collection of WAMI at 10,000 and 15,000 feet
above ground

Objective: Collect a reference airborne WAMI dataset for future
use by the Department of National Defence (DND).

Expected results: This task will provide DND with a reference
WAMI dataset that will be exploitable to derive imagery quality
metrics, to evaluate commercial off-the-shelf and government 
exploitation tools, and to assess the utility of WAMI for
intelligence applications.

Performance standard: The collected dataset will achieve the
following performance standards:
-True RGB color WAMI: 300 Megapixels or greater;
- Broadband MWIR WAMI: 5 Megapixels or greater;
- Duration of flight: one hour (1h) or greater;
- Duration of continuous data collection: one hour (1h) or
greater; 
- Nadir instantaneous field of view: 0.005 degrees or smaller;
- Frame rate: 2 frames per second or greater;
- Collection geometry: stabilized turret, look down
configuration;
- Stabilization accuracy: 5 microradians or smaller;
- Stabilization capability: capable of persistent orbits using a
Roll/Pitch/Roll configuration;
- Orthorectification: mandatory;
- Geoposititioning: mandatory;
- Access to WAMI database: Access to imagery using an
Application Programming Interface (API).

Deliverable:
- Hard drive with database of collected imagery;
- Documentation on the API functionalities and use.

Task 2: Demonstration of WAMI real-time data exploitation
capabilities

Objective: Demonstrate WAMI system real-time data exploitation
capabilities.

Expected results: This task will allow a DRDC observer to assess
the system real-time WAMI data exploitation capabilities for
intelligence applications. 

Performance standard: The activities conducted under this task
will achieve the following performance standards:
- Access to live data: real-time;
- Access to reach-back archived data: real-time;
- Orthorectification of collected imagery: real-time;
- Geopositionning of collected imagery: real-time;
- Storage and archival of data: real-time.

Deliverable: For Task 2, the deliverable will consist in a live
demonstration taking place inside the aircraft while Task 1 is
being conducted. An observer from DRDC will be in the aircraft
to receive this deliverable from a supplier's representative.
Optionally, the live demonstration could take place at a remote
ground location if an appropriate communication link is
available to the supplier. 

Task 3: Demonstrate post-processing data exploitation
capabilities

Objective: Demonstrate post-processing WAMI data exploitation
capabilities.

Expected results: This task will provide DND with a set of
ground moving target tracks that will be exploitable to derive
intelligence products, to evaluate commercial off-the-shelf and
government off-the-shelf exploitation tools, and to assess the
utility of WAMI for activity-based-intelligence (ABI)
applications.

Performance standard: The generated ground moving target tracks
will achieve the following performance standards:
- Maximum number of simultaneous tracks: 5000 or greater;
- Track-back capability: ability of system to find initial point
of moving target given final destination, mandatory;
- Virtual gate capability: ability of system to automatically
detect if a moving target crosses a geographic location,
mandatory.

Deliverable:
- Hard drive with database of ground moving target tracks;
- Documentation on the ground moving target tracks data format;
- Multimedia briefing material (Powerpoint with movies) showing
examples of ground moving target tracking, track-back
capability, and virtual gate capability. 


3. Criteria for assessment of the Statement of Capabilities
(Minimum Essential Requirements) Any interested supplier must
demonstrate by way of a statement of capabilities that its
product/equipment/system (as appropriate) meets the following
requirements for a live airborne demonstration:

WAMI sensor:
- Imaging type: true color RGB;
- Number of megapixels: 300 or greater;
- Number of frame per seconds: 2 or greater;
- Instantaneous field of view (nadir): 0.005 degrees or smaller; 

Pointing and stabilization system:
- Mount type: stabilized turret, look down configuration;
- Stabilization accuracy: 5 microradians or smaller;
- Stabilization capability: allow continuous rotation about the
line of sight (roll/pitch/roll configuration), requires slip
ring in gimbal with fiber optic rotary joint;
- Data transmission on a single optical fiber.

Imagery processing capabilities:
- Integrated Orthorectification of WAMI imagery : real-time;
- Integrated Geopositionning of WAMI imagery : real-time;
- Access to imagery database: Access to live and reach-back data
using an Application Programming Interface (API);
- Ground moving target tracking: post-processing, greater than
5000 tracks.

Data storage and archival:
- Duration of continuous data collection: 1 hour or greater;
- Storage space on airborne system: 9TB or greater ;
- Airborne data storage and archival: real-time.


4. Trade Agreements
This procurement is subject to the following trade agreements:
Agreement on Internal Trade (AIT)
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)
Free Trade Agreement between Canada and Colombia/Peru/Panama

Article 506 12 (b) of the Agreement on Internal Trade is invoked
because there is an absence of competition for technical reasons
and the goods or services can be supplied only by a particular
supplier and no alternative or substitute exists. 

Article 1016.2(b) of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) is invoked because there is an absence of competition
for technical reasons. Therefore, the goods or services can be
supplied only by a particular supplier and no reasonable
alternative or substitute exists; 


5. Justification for the Pre-Identified Supplier 

- The PSI-Vision imaging system developed by PV Labs is the only
Canadian system capable of collecting more than 300 megapixels
available for a live airborne demonstration. The PSI-Vision
imaging system is proprietary to PV Labs and can only be
operated with this supplier.

- The tCMS data processing system developed by PV Labs is the
only available system allowing integrated real-time
orthorectification and geopositioning of WAMI imagery. These
capabilities are proprietary to PV Labs and only available
through this supplier.

- PV Labs is the only supplier providing a sensor system capable
of single optical fiber data transmission, allowing 3-axis
stabilization for continuous rotation about the line of sight. 

- Only PV Labs' WAMI sensor, pointing and stabilization system,
imagery processing capabilities: and data storage and archival
capabilities meet all the requirements listed in section 3 above.


6. Government Contracts Regulations Exception

Government Contracts Regulations, subsection 6 (d) "where only
one supplier can do the work" is being invoked for the contract
requirement.


7. Period of the Proposed Contract
3 months from contract award date

8. Estimated Value of the Proposed Contract
The estimated cost for this requirement is within the following
category :
Between $100,000.00$ and 250,000.00$, applicable taxes included.


9. Name and Address of the Pre-identified Supplier
PV Labs International
McMaster Innovation Park
175 Longwood Road South, Suite 400A
Hamilton, ON, L8P 0A1
CANADA


10. Suppliers' right to submit a statement of capabilities. 
Suppliers who consider themselves fully qualified and available
to provide the services and/or 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.


11. Closing Date for a Submission of a Statement of Capabilities
The closing date and time for accepting statements of
capabilities is November 25th, 2014 at 02:00 PM Eastern Standard
 Time.


12. Inquiries and Submission of Statements of Capabilities

Suppliers may inquire or send a statement of capabilities to:

Frédéric Hamann
Suppy Specialist
Public Works and Government Services Canada
Acquisitions Branch
Quebec Region
601-1550 Avenue D'Estimauville
Québec, Qc, G1J 0C7
CANADA

Telephone:	418-649-2975
Facsimile:	418-648-2209
E-mail address: frederic.hamann@tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca

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.