DIGITAL INTERMEDIATE FREQUENCY SYSTEM

Updated on 15 December 2025 to:

1.  Let interested parties know that questions on this RFI are due by 22 December 2025.

2.  Extend the RFI respone date to 29 December 2025.

3. Updated the Attachments/Links Section to delete duplicative response instructions.

Updated on 02 December 2025 to:

1.  Extend the RFI date to 19 December 2025

2.  Update the Contract Specialist POC information.

Original Posting

Digital Intermediate Frequency RFI

Solicitation Number:       W15P7T26RDIGIF

Notice Type: Sources Sought

Synopsis:

Product Manager Wideband Enterprise Satellite Systems (PdM WESS), located at Fort Belvoir, VA, is chartered and funded to develop the first increment of a Digital Intermediate Frequency (Digital IF) solution. PdM WESS is seeking information from qualified systems integrators capable of engineering, integrating, testing, and installing the foundational infrastructure for a Digital IF architecture.

This solution will establish a flexible, modular standards based Digital IF architecture across up to 18 large SATCOM teleport sites worldwide. PdM WESS aims to identify vendors with technical expertise to deliver a resilient SATCOM ground segment solution that supports scalability, interoperability, and long-term sustainment.

Interested vendors should demonstrate capabilities in system design, integration, and maintenance of complex SATCOM infrastructure aligned with PdM WESS’s modernization objectives. Additionally, respondents are requested to include information on any existing contract vehicles through which PdM WESS may engage their services.

Large and small businesses capable of delivering such SATCOM ground segment Digital IF infrastructure are requested to respond to this RFI. Such business may include those

• experienced in providing DoD SATCOM modems, terminals, and terminal equipment
• experienced in developing systems based on DIFI Standard (IEEE-ISTO 4900-2021) or VITA Radio Transport (VRT, ANSI/VITA 49.2) compliant Digital IF interfaces
• experienced in deploying Digital IF ground segment systems for SATCOM or otherwise
• experienced in installation and maintenance relevant to DOD teleports, i.e. SATCOM teleports.

Small business is defined by North American Industry Association Classification System (NAICS) "Radio and Television Broadcasting and Wireless Communications Equipment Manufacturing" 334220, (750 employees or less).

PdM WESS is seeking to:

• integrate Digital IF technologies into the DOD SATCOM ground segment architecture to gain operational advantages in growth and resilience
• ensure interoperability of all Digital IF equipment at and between all DOD teleports
• employ seamless integrated management and control (M&C) automation
• ensure IF performance adequate to support Wideband Global System (WGS) operations, including formal WGS certification as appropriate
• ensure site-to-site IF level interoperability enabled by wide area network (WAN) transport
• establish a baseline capable of expansion WRT both capability and capacity

The target Digital IF ground segment architecture generally requires the following functions:

• High speed Digital IF network
• Automated Digital IF signal chain management
• Digital IF Modem (DM)
• Digital IF Combiner/Divider (CD)
• Digital IF Conversion (IFC)
• Flexibility to support eventual growth into direct RF Conversion (RFC) to replace IFC
• Digital IF domain Test, Measurement, and Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE)
• Flexible Point of Presence (PoP) for WAN transport
• Ensure intra-theatre regional (CONUS, EUCOM, SWA, INDOPACOM) connectivity and ability to failover to alternate sites within each theatre’s footprint

The Government seeks information on the availability of equipment, subsystems, software, systems integration expertise, and logistics support capable of addressing the following Digital IF ground segment needs:

1. Resilient high-availability Digital IF networking
2. Digital IF equipment such as CDs and IFCs
3. Automation of Digital IF system management WRT mission description, scheduling, implementation, and status reporting
4. WGS Certification of Digital IF systems
5. Support for third party Digital IF Modems such as the emerging Enterprise Digital IF Multi-Carrier Modem (EDIM Modem)
6. DOD teleport integration, installation, testing, and immediate and ongoing logistics and software support
7. Support for future growth in capacity, waveform support, and Digital IF capability

Information Requested:

Interested vendors are asked to provide the following specific information:

1. Company: Name, address, and Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code.
2. Point of Contact: Name address, phone number, and e-mail.
3. Digital IF Network: The means of implementing a high reliability Digital IF Local Area Network (LAN) at SATCOM sites delivering the following:
   1. Adequate capacity to support up to 256 duplex missions, ranging each from 32 kilosymbols per second (32 ksym/s) to 200 Megasymbols per second (200 Msym/s), and averaging at least 20 Msym/s each uplink and downlink
   2. Spine-leaf architecture enabling horizontal growth as well as equipment failure recovery, switch maintenance, upgrade, and retrofit with no Digital IF mission down-time
   3. Connectivity to Points of Presence (PoPs) to reach external Digital IF components accessible via Wide Area Network (WAN)
   4. Ability to accommodate potential Digital IF stream compression, Forward Error Correction (FEC), and bulk Digital IF stream encryption over WAN
4. Digital IF Equipment: The means of delivering Digital IF domain equipment in support of operations as follows:
   1. CDs and IFCs adequate to support up to 256 duplex FDMA missions over up to 12 aggregate signal chains (antenna, RF band, and polarity); for example, up to 4 antennas, each antenna supporting 3 duplex aggregates (X-Band, Ka left hand polarized, and Ka right hand polarized), for a total of 12 duplex feeds.
   2. Conformance with IEEE-ISTO 4900-2021 (DIFI Standard) Information Class 0x0000 for immediate support of Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) waveforms
   3. Upgradability to support future DIFI Standard information classes for the sake of
      1. Transport efficient Multi-Frequency Time Division Multiple Access (MF-TDMA) operation (i.e. burst waveform support at changing center frequencies)
      2. Transport efficient Frequency Hop Spread Spectrum (FHSS) operation (i.e. burst waveforms at quickly changing center frequencies)
      3. Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS) operation (i.e. high sample rates and bit depths)
   4. Support for Digital IF functions (DM, CD, IFC, and in the future, RFC) using equipment from multiple vendors interchangeably
   5. Digital IF domain TMDE for on-site test as well as Digital IF domain mission monitoring.
5. M&C Automation: The means of delivering integrated Digital IF system management:
   1. Digital IF equipment suite management to include equipment status and utilization
   2. Ability to support Digital IF signal chains employing IFCs or RFCs interchangeably
   3. Digital IF mission management to include mission scheduling, implementation, and status
   4. Signal chain orchestration (assignment of equipment to missions) and subsequent equipment configuration
   5. Mission status logging and reporting
   6. Documented Northbound Application Programming Interface (API) supporting enterprise machine-machine interfaces enabling the following automated functions:
      1. Mission download
      2. Mission acceptance or rejection
      3. Mission status
      4. Mission updates
   7. Configuration management to support updates and upgrades to all Digital IF functions (DM, CD, IFC, RFC) by all vendors
   8. Cybersecurity considerations to include:
      1. Support for Zero Trust Architecture (ZTA)
      2. Support for Risk Management Framework (RMF) accreditation of overarching SATCOM site management system
6. WGS Certification: Develop a solution capable of complying with the Wideband Global Satellite (WGS) certification process and emerging Digital IF MIL standards.
7. DM Support: The means of supporting third party DMs, including Digital IF interoperability and management.
   1. To begin with FDMA operations, e.g. EDIM Modem
   2. With the capacity to grow into MF-TDMA, FHSS, and DSSS waveforms employing emerging DIFI Standard information classes for stream rate efficiency
8. SATCOM Teleport Integration: The means of integrating this Digital IF system into DOD SATCOM teleport sites, to include:
   1. IF integration at L-Band with Modernization of Enterprise Terminal (MET) systems (i.e. AN/GSC-52B(V))
   2. Data traffic network integration WRT third party DMs
   3. M&C network integration in support of comprehensive management automation
   4. Subsequent installation of this initial increment of  Digital IF infrastructure, as described, at up to 18 sites worldwide
   5. Comprehensive testing to include mission failure detection and reassignment to alternate SATCOM facilities over WAN
9. Logistics: The ability to deliver logistics support to include operator documentation, training, technical support, depot and repair support, maintenance, and configuration management
10. Future Growth: The means of supporting ongoing upgrades to capabilities and capacity

Disclaimers:

This RFI is for planning purposes only and shall not be misconstrued to create an obligation on the part the Government to enter into any agreement, nor to implement the contemplated actions, nor to serve as the basis for any claim for reimbursement for any costs associated with the preparation of responses submitted to the RFI. Questions regarding this announcement shall be submitted in writing by e-mail to the Contracting Officer. Verbal questions will NOT be accepted.

Answering this request:

Questions should be submitted by 22 December 2025 to the KO and KS listed in this SAM.gov posting.  Please furnish the above requested RFI documents by Monday, December 29, 2025 at 4:00pm EST. Please submit the requested information in PDF or Microsoft Word format to Keith Magaw, Contract Specialist at keith.a.magaw.civ@army.mil or Kristin Dacey, Contracting Officer at kristin.l.dacey2.civ@army.mil.  Questions can also be submitted on the CHESS site.