Operational Test and Evaluation Support Services for USCG Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force

Requirement

This requirement provides comprehensive engineering, technical, and analytical support to Commander, Operational Test and Evaluation Force (OPTEVFOR) in executing its role as an independent Operational Test Agency (OTA) for U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) acquisition programs. The objective is to ensure USCG systems are independently assessed for operational effectiveness, operational suitability, and cyber survivability under realistic, fleet-representative operating conditions prior to full-rate production decisions and fleetwide deployment. Scope encompasses end-to-end Operational Test and Evaluation (OT&E) lifecycle support across major USCG acquisition domains, including surface cutters, aviation platforms, unmanned systems, Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Cyber, and Intelligence (C5I) systems, and enterprise mission software. Support activities span the full acquisition lifecycle, including Early Operational Assessments (EOA), Operational Assessments (OA), Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E), and Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation (FOT&E). Key technical and analytical support tasks include: Test Design & Framework Development: Applying Mission-Based Test Design (MBTD) methodologies to develop Integrated Evaluation Frameworks (IEFs) that decompose mission requirements into Critical Operational Issues (COIs), Key Performance Parameters (KPPs), Measures of Effectiveness (MOEs), and Measures of Suitability (MOSs). Test Planning & Documentation: Authoring rigorous, event-specific Operational Test Plans (OTPs), data collection and management plans, environmental threat matrices, and safety briefs aligned with USCG Major Systems Acquisition Manual (MSAM) guidelines and DHS/DoD acquisition directives. Operational Test Execution & Data Collection: Providing on-site technical support during underway, flight, and shore-based test events, managing automated and manual data collection instrumentation, executing realistic operational scenarios, and conducting cybersecurity operational test and evaluation (adversarial assessments and vulnerability assessments). Data Analysis & Independent Evaluation Reporting: Processing complex operational telemetry, qualitative operator feedback, and cyber vulnerability data; applying rigorous statistical and scientific methodologies; and drafting comprehensive Operational Test Agency (OTA) evaluation reports and executive briefings to inform USCG Executive Leadership and the DHS Acquisition Decision Authority (ADA). Programmatic & WIPT Coordination: Participating in Test and Evaluation Working-level Integrated Product Teams (T&E WIPTs), reviewing draft Test and Evaluation Master Plans (TEMPs), and collaborating with USCG Acquisition Directorates (CG-9), requirements sponsors, and developmental test stakeholders. Support will primarily be performed at OPTEVFOR headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia, with occasional travel to USCG operational bases, shipyards, flight test facilities, and underway cutter deployments.