REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (RFI)
1. This Request for Information (RFI) is issued in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) clause 52.215-3 (Request for Information or Solicitation for Planning Purposes - Oct 1997) and is published to obtain information for use by the Air Force Lifecycle Management Center (AFLCMC), Cryptologic and Cyber Systems Division (CCSD), Joint Base San Antonio - Lackland, Texas, for market research and planning purposes only.
2. THIS RFI IS NOT A REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL, INVITATION FOR BID, OR AN ANNOUNCEMENT OF A SOLICITATION; IT IS ONLY INTENDED FOR INFORMATION OR PLANNING PURPOSES. There is no bid package or solicitation document associated with this announcement. Response to this RFI is strictly voluntary and will not affect any potential offeror’s ability to submit an offer if a solicitation is released. Any requests for a solicitation package will be disregarded. The government does not intend to award a contract on the basis of this RFI or otherwise pay for the information solicited. No entitlement to payment of direct or indirect costs or charges by the government will arise as a result of preparing submissions in response to this RFI and the government's use of such information. Submittals will not be returned to the sender. Respondents to this RFI may be asked to provide additional information/details based on their initial submittals.
3. This RFI is being conducted to determine if there are contractors capable of fulfilling the following requirement.
The ITAC requires the procurement of a new Layer 1 physical switching fabric to replace an existing End-of-Life (EOL) Apcon switch. The new switch is critical to support the ITAC Test Bed Labs for the National Security Agency (NSA) joint testing and to provide technical support to Air Force customers utilizing High Assurance Internet Protocol Encryptor (HAIPE), Collaborative Advanced Secure Test Network (CASTNET), and Ethernet Data Encryptor (EDE) devices.
Based on initial research, the Government believes that only a single solution can meet the unique combination of high-density, multi-generational port speeds, ultra-low deterministic latency, and proprietary automation software required. This RFI is intended to survey the market to validate whether other sources exist that can meet all of the Government's specialized requirements listed below:
- Chassis and Port Density: A modular Layer 1 chassis that supports a minimum of (320) 100M/1G/2.5G/5G/10G ports and (64) 40G/100G ports in a single managed fabric.
- Deterministic Latency: The switching fabric must provide sub-5-nanosecond (<5ns) deterministic latency across all ports and connections to prevent the introduction of packet jitter into cryptographic testing.
- Automation Software: The solution must include proprietary automation software (i.e Velocity TestStream) capable of a ‘Snap-N-Restore’ or ‘snapshot’ capability, allowing for the digital recording and restoration of complex physical layer testbed topologies in seconds.
- Secure Facility Compliance: The product must be certified for placement in a Secret facility. All wireless capabilities (e.g., Wi-Fi, Bluetooth) must be disabled or physically removed by the vendor prior to shipment.
- Maintenance: On-site maintenance is not required; the industry standard practice of "Return to Factory" or "Advanced Hardware Replacement" is sufficient for this lab environment.
4. Anticipated Period of Performance: 12-Month base period for hardware, software and standard commercial warranty.
5. All vendors are requested to respond to the requirement by submitting a capability statement (no more than 2 pages) that includes the following items.
- Company name
- Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Codes as registered in SAM.gov.
- Points of contact including address, e-mail address, telephone, and fax numbers
- Lead time for the hardware
- Provide a high-level ROM /budgetary estimate
6. As indicated above, this is market research. Your responses will be used for planning purposes. Please address any comments and/or questions you may have regarding this RFI in writing by e-mail directly to the Contracting Officer, Ms. Lolita Soto, Email: lolita.soto@us.af.mil, and Mr. Richard Villarreal, Email: richard.villarrreal.1@us.af.mil. Response due date: 6 February 2026, 4:00 PM CST. Please annotate the subject line of e-mail responses as: “Layer 1 Switch, RFI Response.” Responses may be emailed to the addresses listed above.
