Opportunity: CASSIS RFM Product Owner

Introduction

CASSIS Terminal Programme Overview

The CASSIS Terminal programme, funded under the ESA ARTES C&G Technology Phase framework, aims to develop technology prototypes of a low-cost mobile terminal, supporting hybrid terrestrial-satellite seamless connectivity for vehicular communication. The prototypes will make extensive use of industrial and automotive grade components, with a roadmap to upgrade to full automotive grade qualification during the Product Phase. The terminal architecture allows vertical integration into V2X solutions supplied by Tier1s. The terminal is specifically designed for vehicular connectivity, where an agile and high-precision antenna tracking system is required to maintain the satellite link on a moving vehicle on public roads, with the ability to perform in-field self-calibration.

The CASSIS Terminal is formed by an RF Module (RFM), a Satellite Core Module (SCM) and a Hybrid Connectivity Module (HCM). The RFM and HCM will be developed as part of the CASSIS Terminal project, while the SCM will be procured from 3rd party modem/hub providers.

Opportunity Purpose and Objective

The purpose of this call is to select a UK Business to join the CASSIS Consortium as a Project Partner and become the Product Owner for the RF Module. The key role and responsibility of the RFM Product Owner is to determine the final technical solution, develop the route to market for the primary automotive sector but also for other adjacent sectors. The RFM Product Owner is expected to lead a future industrialisation and pre-production phase.

The objective of this call is to provide UK businesses with a transparent and fair opportunity to present their cases for participation in this project.

From this process the Catapult will evaluate the responses and select a single partner with which to proceed with the proposal development. The evaluation shall be qualitative based on the alignment of the responses with the wider Catapult objectives. In this case, the aim is to establish and address technology gaps in the UK supply chain by creating industrial and research environments where such outputs can be generated. As such, the Catapult is keen to identify a partner that will provide maximal, measurable impact on the UK ecosystem, particularly in terms of job creation and commercial growth.

Mandatory Requirements

All applicants must note the following mandatory requirements in order to apply.

The applicant must:

• Be a UK organisation
• Demonstrate a high probability of successfully meeting the aims of the opportunity
• Include consideration of the commercial or scientific viability of the proposed innovation. This should demonstrate that the innovation would support development of a realistic and sustainable market
• Demonstrate that they have an effective structure in place for managing the administration of the grant requested and demonstrate that they have a sound approach to planning to achieve their programme aims on time and within budget
• Agree to Satellites Applications Catapults terms and conditions and sign an NDA to ensure commercial sensitivity of the project
• Be registered on ESA’s portal, ESA-Star
• Be able to match fund the project as set out in the below Funding Requirements

Funding Requirements

The anticipated value of this opportunity is between £300,000 and £800,000.

All applicants must be willing to match fund the project as per ESA’s match funding rules. The size of the match funding will differ depending on the size or type of organisation involved in the proposal.

Further details of match funding requirements can be found on ESA ARTES’s website at https://artes.esa.int/competitiveness-growth/overview. Note that it is expected that the maximum funding level is 75%.

The Selection Process

Registration Process

Potential partners can express an interest in the opportunity by completing the Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire (PQQ) at the end of this page, which will be used to identify their suitability to participate in the project. A copy of the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Terms and Conditions and Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) (click here to download) will need to be signed and returned as part of the submission. The deadline to register interest in this opportunity and submit the PQQ has now passed.

Application Form (only to be completed by successful PQQ applicants)

Following assessment of the PQQ’s, the successful applicants will be issued the Application Form along with supporting documents as per the list below and must return the completed documents to Satellite Applications Catapult by 11pm, 13th October 2020.

Documents to be completed and returned by applicant:

• Application Form
• Letter of Intent

Supporting documents for information

• Project details
• Proposed Statement of Work

When completing the Application Form, the applicant must adhere to the following mandatory requirements:

• No adjustments to the formatting, size or other parameters are permitted unless expressly stated
• All sections of the Application Form are mandatory
• All questions are limited to the word count as specified unless otherwise stated. Should any answer provided overrun the specified word limit we will only consider material up to the designated word limit
• No marketing material, such as brochures and other such attachments should be provided as part of the response
• All Application Forms and specified accompanying documents must be submitted electronically to the email address stated by the specified deadline. Any responses received after this point will not be accepted

Should the applicants have any questions during the process, these should be sent to alessandro.modigliana@sa.catapult.org.uk no later than 11pm, 7th October 2020.

Responses to questions will be answered and shared with all applicants, for clarity and fairness, no later than 11pm, 9th of October 2020.

Evaluation Criteria

Upon completing the Application Form, applicants will be assessed according to a scoring system on a set number of criteria with the criteria weighted to reflect the relative importance to the final score.

A successful applicant will need to score a minimum of 80% in their overall proposal.

The below table outlines the scoring criteria that will be used for assessment against each question.

Clarification

Following assessment, applicants that meet the criteria scoring threshold of 80% will be invited to a clarification for further discussion and to allow them the opportunity to clarify any areas of their submission.

Based on the questionnaire scoring and clarification meeting the most suitable applicant will be selected. Clarification questions will be sent by email prior to the meeting.

Schedule of Events

Reponses to this announcement of opportunity will be evaluated in accordance with the following schedule:

Pre-Qualifying Questionnaire

To register your interest in this opportunity please click here to complete the questionnaire. The deadline for this part of the application is 11pm, 1st October 2020.

A copy of the Satellite Applications Catapult’s Terms and Conditions and Non-disclosure Agreement (NDA) (click here to download) will also need to be signed and uploaded as part of the questionnaire.