Beyond Line-of-Sight Communications Aperture Development for Tactical Aircraft
Added: Jun 26, 2018 1:23 pm
Broad Agency Announcement- Call #1 Overview Information Federal Agency Name: Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) Air Force Tactical Exploitation of National Capabilities (AF TENCAP) Broad Agency Announcement Title: AFLCMC-AFTENCAP-BAA-17-02 Broad Agency Announcement Type: This is Call 0001 against the below identified BAA. This is the initial announcement for a BAA With Call. Broad Agency Announcement Number: AFLCMC-AFTENCAP-BAA-17-02-Call #0001 THIS WILL BE A TWO-STEP SOLICITATION:First Step: WHITE PAPER DUE DATE AND TIME: For this Call, White papers must be submitted by 4:00PM Eastern Time on 31 Jul 2018 If you have questions please contact Mr. William T. Smith, AFLCMC/WINK, 2530 Loop Road West, Bldg. 560, Room 125, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7101, Phone: (937) 255-2479 Unclassified: william.smith.11@us.af.mil. Second Step: PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: To Be Determined based on the outcome of the received White Papers. Date and Time will be provided in the Requests for Proposals sent to offerors that submit White Papers considered to meet the needs of the Air Force based upon the review criteria as set forth in Section V below.NOTE: White Paper/Proposal receipt after the due date and time shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c) (3). It should be noted that this installation observes strict security procedures to enter the facility. These security procedures are NOT considered an interruption of normal Government processes, and proposals received after the above stated date and time as a result of security delays will be considered "late." Furthermore, note that if offerors utilize commercial carriers in the delivery of proposals, they may not honor time-of-day delivery guarantees on military installations. Early white paper submission is encouraged.Solicitation Request: AF TENCAP is soliciting white papers on the research/development effort described below. White Papers should be addressed to the Contracting Point of Contact (POC) stated in Section VII of the Full Text Announcement. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small Businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541712, and the small business size standard is 500 employees. White Papers/Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. There will be no other solicitation issued in regard to this requirement. Offerors should be alert for any BAA amendments that may permit extensions to the white paper submission date or changes to the requirement.System for Award Management (SAM) Registration: FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (SAM) (OCT 2016), and DFARS 252.204-7004, Alternate A, System for Award Management (SAM) (FEB 2014) are included by reference. SAM is the primary Government repository for prospective federal awardee information and the centralized Government system for certain contracting, grants, and other assistance related processes. It replaces CCR/FedReg, On-line Representations and Certifications (ORCA) and the Excluded Parties Lists System (EPLS). By submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee shall be registered in the SAM database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation. Contractors may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the SAM accessed through https://www.acquisition.gov or by calling 866-606-8220.Type of Contract/Instrument: The Air Force reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of research/development effort proposed. Accordingly, the Government may award any appropriate contract type under the FAR. It is anticipated that an award under this BAA Call #1 will be a cost plus fixed fee (CPFF) contract. Cost reimbursement contracts require successful offerors to have an accounting system approved by DCAA and considered adequate for tracking costs applicable to the contract. Estimated Program Cost: $15-20M total, anticipated total costs for all four tasks. (Current funding is $13M.) Anticipated Number of Awards: The Air Force anticipates awarding a single award for all four tasks for this announcement but reserves the right to award multiple contracts, to provide a partial award based on available government funding or not award at all. AF TENCAP is soliciting white papers, rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost estimates and potentially technical and cost proposals under this announcement that supports the needs of its technology development mission. As described in the BAA AFLCMC-AFTENCAP-BAA-17-02, this Call #1 is concentrated on Focus Area 7: Air Superiority, with an emphasis on the first sub-bullet for "Survivable and secure netted tools and technologies that attain or enhance robust, survivable, and flexible LPI/LPD high-bandwidth communications and datalink architectures to effectively execute command and control in an A2/AD environment." Address questions to: Contracting Officer, Mr. William T. Smith, AFLCMC/WINK, 2530 Loop Road West, Bldg. 560, Room 010, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7101, phone: (937) 255-2479, unclassified email: william.smith.11@us.af.mil. Full Text Announcement •I. Program Description: Talon TACET AVIS PHASE II 1. Talon TACET AVIS is a 3 phase effort which focuses on improving communications capability specifically between National systems and 5th Gen tactical platforms to enhance mission effectiveness and improve survivability in highly-contested environments. Phase I (Study) evaluated potential material solutions and focused on requirements development for a future BLOS aperture. The results of this study have been incorporated into the requirements of Phase II. This effort is for Phase II (Technology Development) and will design, build and demonstrate a 5th Gen representative BLOS aperture. Phase III is a planned follow-on effort to develop and demonstrate a platform specific prototype. To support the objectives of Phase II, a new cost-effective aperture capability needs to be developed that can ideally support multiple waveforms across multiple satellites, wide-band frequency coverage, smaller form factors and reduced power/cooling requirements as well as maintain the potential to be integrated within 5th Gen tactical platforms. Phase II will produce a prototype array(s) that will be tested to verify expected performance characteristics and future applicability to 5th Gen tactical platforms. While the prototype array will not be expected to address specific platform requirements, it will need to be easily modified in a later phase to meet 5th Gen tactical platform size, weight, power and cooling (SWaP-C), environmental and integration requirements once those are identified. The potential environment for this aperture will include applications on platforms from fighter type aircraft to ISR platforms or bomber aircraft. The most stressing environment is expected to be the 5th Gen tactical fighter application due to SWaP-C limitations as well as maneuvering and speed envelopes. The Government Statement of Objectives pertaining to this white paper is available via an AMRDC SAFE file transfer. Please contact William T. Smith at william.smith.11@us.af.mil, phone (937) 255-2479 and provide your name, company, address, email address, phone number, and CAGE Code to set up the file transfer. The SOO will only be provided to offerors with a valid CAGE Code. 2. Deliverable items: Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs), Software, Hardware, or Other for planning purposes are specified in the attached SOO. CDRLs may include but are not limited to Status Reports, Scientific and Technical Reports, Performance and Cost Reports, Funds and Man-Hour Expenditure Reports, Contractor Funds and Status Reports, and Presentation Material. 3. Schedule: The award is anticipated to be between 18 to 24 months; however, Period of Performance will be tailored in Step 2. 4. Other Requirements: Program Security Classification/DD Form 254, TEMPEST, OPSEC, International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) 22 CFR 120-130, Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 15 CFR 730-774, Government Furnished Property, and Base Support/Network Access/Voluntary Protection Program will be considered for each award. a. Additional Security Requirements: All contractors shall participate in all activities associated with the disciplines of the organization's Industrial Security, Information Security, Personnel Security, Operations Security (OPSEC), Antiterrorism, and Program Protection programs, following appropriate measures in each program as required for this particular contract. These are required in an effort to reduce program vulnerability from successful adversary collection, exploitation of critical information, and violations of export control requirements. The prime contractor will ensure that all subcontractors, if required, conform to these requirements as required by the prime contractor. FAR 52.204-2, Security Requirements shall apply to all efforts awarded under this announcement.Security Requirements (Aug. 1996)(a) This clause applies to the extent that this contract involves access to information classified "Confidential," "Secret," or "Top Secret."(b) The Contractor shall comply with --(1) The Security Agreement (DD Form 441), including the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (DoD 5220.22-M); and(2) Any revisions to that manual, notice of which has been furnished to the Contractor.(c) If, subsequent to the date of this contract, the security classification or security requirements under this contract are changed by the Government and if the changes cause an increase or decrease in security costs or otherwise affect any other term or condition of this contract, the contract shall be subject to an equitable adjustment as if the changes were directed under the Changes clause of this contract.(d) The Contractor agrees to insert terms that conform substantially to the language of this clause, including this paragraph (d) but excluding any reference to the Changes clause of this contract, in all subcontracts under this contract that involve access to classified information. 5. Other Information: a. Government Furnished Property (GFP) Availability: If GFP is requested in the proposal the following clauses/provisions apply:(1) FAR 52.245-1 Government Property (JAN 2017) (2) FAR 52.245-9 Use and Charges (APR 2012) (3) DFARS 252.211-7007, Reporting of Government-Furnished Property (AUG 2012) (4) DFARS 252.245-7001, Tagging, Labeling, and Marking of Government-Furnished Property (APR 2012) (5) DFARS 252.245-7002, Reporting Loss of Government Property (DEC 2017) (6) DFARS 252.245-7003, Contractor Property Management System Administration (APR 2012) (7) DFARS 252.245-7004, Reporting, Reutilization, and Disposal (DEC 2017) b. Data Rights Desired: (1) Technical Data: Government Purpose Rights(2) Non-Commercial Software (NCS): Unlimited Rights(3) NCS Documentation: Unlimited Rights(4) Commercial Computer Software Rights: Customary License AF TENCAP is engaged in the discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace forces. As such, rights in technical data and NCS developed or delivered under this contract are of significant concern to the government. The Government will therefore carefully consider any restrictions on the use of technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation which could result in transition difficulty or less-than full and open competition for subsequent development of this technology. In exchange for paying for development of the data, the Government expects technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation developed entirely at Government expense to be delivered with Unlimited Rights. Technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation developed with mixed funding are expected to be delivered with at least Government Purpose Rights. Offers that propose delivery of technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation subject to Government Purpose Rights should fully explain what technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a Government contract will be incorporated, how the incorporation will benefit the program, and address whether those portions or processes are segregable. The Government expects that delivery of technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation subject to Government Purpose Rights will fully meet program needs. Offers that propose delivery of technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation subject to Limited Rights, Restricted Rights, or Specifically Negotiated License Rights will be considered. Proposals should fully explain what technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a government contract will be incorporated and how the incorporation will benefit the program. Offerors are reminded that the Identification and Assertion of Restrictions on the Government's Use, Release, or Disclosure of Technical Data or Computer Software (the assertions list), required under DFARS 252.227-7013, DFARS 252.227-7014, DFARS 252.227-7017, is included in Section K and due at time of proposals. Assertions must be completed with specificity with regard to each item, component, or process listed. Nonconforming assertions lists will be rejected. Note that DFARS 252.227-7014(d) describes requirements for incorporation of third party computer software (commercial and noncommercial). Any commercial software to be incorporated into a deliverable must be clearly identified in the proposal. Because many commercial software licenses are not transferrable or may not be acceptable to the Government, commercial software licenses proposed for delivery to the Government must be approved by the contracting officer prior to award. As used in this subparagraph, the terms Unlimited Rights, Government Purpose Rights, Specifically Negotiated License Rights, and Limited Rights in technical data are as defined in DFARS 252.227-7013. The terms Unlimited Rights, Government Purpose Rights, Specifically Negotiated License Rights, and Restricted Rights in noncommercial computer software and noncommercial software documentation are as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014. The term Commercial Computer Software is as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014. II. Award Information: The anticipated award date for contracts selected for award under this BAA Call #1 to be determined. Current funding for this BAA is approximately $13M. This funding profile is an estimate only and will not be a contractual obligation for funding as all funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and availability. Potential offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice. The Government reserves the right to make an award of a lower or higher dollar amount sufficient to fund the full effort as described in the SOO. Additionally the Government reserves the right to award all, part or none of the proposed. The Government anticipates awarding one contract, but reserves the right to award none or more than one contract. Notice to Offeror(s)/Supplier(s): Funds are not presently available for this effort. No award will be made under this solicitation until funds are available. The Government reserves the right to cancel this solicitation, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this solicitation, the Government has no obligation to reimburse an offeror for any costs. III. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible Offeror: Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. Offerors must have a valid U. S. Security Clearance of Secret/Collateral and have a DSS accredited facility capable of receiving, processing, storing and transmitting classified material in order to respond to this announcement. All classified materials must be handled in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM) (DoD 5220.22-M) and Industrial Security Regulation (DoD 5220.22-R). 2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost Sharing is not required. 3. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers: The following guidance is provided for Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) contemplating submitting a proposal, as either a prime or subcontractor, against this BAA. FAR 35.017-1(c)(4) prohibits an FFRDC from competing with any non-FFRDC concern in response to a Federal agency request for proposal for other than the operation of an FFRDC (with exceptions stated in DFARS 235.017-1(c)(4)). There is no regulation prohibiting an FFRDC from responding to a solicitation. However, the FFRDC's sponsoring agency must first make a determination that the effort being proposed falls within the purpose, mission, general scope of effort, or special competency of the FFRDC, and that determination must be included in the FFRDC's proposal. In addition, the non-sponsoring agency (in this case AFLCMC) must make a determination that the work proposed would not place the FFRDC in direct competition with domestic private industry. Only after these determinations are made would a determination be made concerning the FFRDC's eligibility to receive an award. 4. Government Agencies: If a Government agency is interested in performing work, contact the Program Office identified in the BAA. If those discussions result in a mutual interest to pursue your agency's participation, the effort will be pursued independent of this announcement. 5. Other: a. Foreign Participation: No b. Export Control: This acquisition may involve data that are subject to export control laws and regulations. Only contractors who are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) and have a legitimate business purpose may participate in this solicitation. Contact the DLA Installation Support, 74 Washington Avenue N., Battle Creek, Michigan 40917-3084 (877) 352-2255 or email at DLAContactCenter@dla.mil for further information on the certification process. You must submit a copy of your approved DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with your proposal. c. There are no limits to the number of white papers/proposals an offeror may submit. d. Offerors may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this solicitation are not met on the white paper (and later proposal) due date as identified above. e. Responses may be provided at classification levels up to and including S//SAR. All responders to this RFI, regardless of classification, must notify the Contracting Officer, Mr. William T. Smith via unclassified e-mail at william.smith.11@us.af.mil. PLEASE ANNOTATE THE BAA NUMBER, DATE TITLE AND CAGE CODE IN THE SUBJECT LINE OF YOUR E-MAIL RESPONSE. Classified responses which cannot be submitted through JWICS to Mr. Smith should seek additional guidance and direction for submittal from Ms. Rhonda Blubaugh (primary) at rhonda.blubaugh.ctr@us.af.mil, phone: (719) 567-0475 or Mr. John Dunlap (alternate) at john.dunlap.6.ctr@us.af.mil, phone: (719) 567-0441 prior to submission. IV. White Paper/Proposal Preparation Instructions: 1. Application Package: This Announcement consists of a Two-Step Process described in detail below. All white papers, ROMs and technical/cost proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. There will be no other solicitation issued in regard to this requirement. Step 1 will request submission of White Papers and ROM cost estimates for each task as described in Section I. The Government intends to review the white papers/ROMs received in Step 1 and request full technical and cost proposals from the offeror or offerors selected in the white paper evaluation process in Step 2 of the BAA. An unfavorable white paper evaluation will bar the offeror from further consideration. ONLY WHITE PAPERS AND ROUGH ORDER OF MAGNITUDE (ROM) COST ESTIMATES FOR EACH TASK ARE BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME. Offerors should be alert for any BAA amendments that may permit extensions to the white paper submission date. For additional information, a copy of the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Guide for Industry is located at http://www.wpafb.af.mil/Portals/60/documents/afrl/AFRL-broad-agency-announcement-guide.pdf. 2. First Step (White Paper) Instructions: a. General: The FIRST STEP requests a white paper and a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost for each of the four tasks (Tasks 1-4) described in the SOO which must be requested through e-mail via AMERDEC SAFE. The white paper shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research/development effort and the offeror's proposed technical approach. The Government will review the white papers and corresponding ROMs in accordance with the FIRST STEP review criteria, set forth in Section V below. Based on this review, the Government will determine which of the white papers have the potential to best meet the Government's needs. It is anticipated that Government review of the white papers submitted will take at least 30 working days after receipt. Those offerors submitting white papers assessed as meeting Air Force needs will be asked to submit a management, technical and cost proposal. An offeror submitting a proposal without first submitting a white paper will not be eligible for an award. The cost of preparing white papers in response to this Solicitation is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting or any other contract; however, it may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost as specified in FAR 31.205-18. No costs will be reimbursed by the Government for submission of a white paper. b. Page Limitation: The White Paper shall be limited to 15 pages, including illustrations, flowcharts, charts, drawings, and diagrams, prepared and submitted in Word or Adobe PDF format. Font shall be standard 12-point business font Arial. Character spacing must be "normal"; not condensed in any manner. Pages shall be single-spaced (must use standard single-space function in Microsoft Word or Adobe PDF format), double-sided (each side counts as one page), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least one-inch margins on both sides, top and bottom. Lines between text lines must also be 12-point. All text, including text in tables must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, charts, drawings, and diagrams. These exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items. Pages shall be numbered starting with the cover page being Page 1, and the last page being Page 15. The page limitation covers all information including indices, photographs, foldouts (counted as 1 page for each 8.5 by 11 portion) tables, charts, appendices, attachments, resumes, etc. The Government will not consider pages in excess of these limitations and any page after 15 will be removed from the submission. c. Format: The white paper and ROMs will be formatted in softcopy, Microsoft 10 compatible formats as follows: Section A: BAA number, Title of Program, Name of Company, Company's Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number and address, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, Contracting POC, Technical POC, DCMA POC and DCAA POC with appropriate telephone numbers, and email addresses for the POCs; Section B: Period of Performance and Task Objectives; Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables; Section D: Cost of Task (Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)). d. Technical Portion: The technical portion of the white paper shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research/development effort and the offeror's proposed technical approach/solution, and outline the offeror's expertise in the following areas: the development and demonstration of BLOS SATCOM systems; subsystem integration on 5th Gen aircraft; and signature management/integration. It may also include any proposed deliverables, resumes, descriptions of facilities and equipment. e. Cost Portion: The cost portion of the white paper shall include four separate ROM cost estimates, one for each of the 4 tasks described in the Section I. No detailed price or cost support information should be forwarded; only a time-phased by FY bottom line figure should be provided. f. Other Information: Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, it must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 52.215-1(e). g. White Paper/Proposal Content Summary: Offerors may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this solicitation are not met on the proposal due date. Reference Section VIII for a Checklist of the requirements. h. White Paper Due Date and Time: See Overview Information at the beginning of the Solicitation. 3. Second Step (Proposal) Instructions: a. General: The SECOND STEP consists of offerors submitting an executive summary, a technical and cost proposal. Upon notification by the Government of interest in the submitted white paper, the offeror should submit a technical and cost proposal within 45 working days of the formal request for proposal. After receipt, proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the award criteria in Section V. below. Offerors should consider proposal instructions contained in the BAA Industry Guide, which can be accessed on line at http://www.wpafb.af.mil/Portals/60/documents/afrl/AFRL-broad-agency-announcement-guide.pdf. This guide is specifically designed to assist the offeror in understanding the BAA proposal process. Technical/management and cost volumes should be submitted in separate volumes, and must be valid for 180 days from date of receipt. Proposals must reference the announcement number AFLCMC-AFTENCAP-BAA-17-02-Call #0001 and relevant research/development area(s). Offerors are advised that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit the Government. The cost of preparing proposals in response to the Request for Proposals is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting or any other contract; however, it may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost as specified in FAR 31.205-18. b. Page Limitation: The following describes the page limitations on the proposal submittal: (1) The Proposal shall be limited to 30 pages for the technical volume and offerors are requested to limit the Cost volume to 50 pages prepared and submitted in Word or Adobe PDF format, with all costs prepared in Excel with working (unlocked) formulas. (2) Font shall be standard 12-point business font Arial. (3) Character spacing must be "normal," not condensed in any manner. (4) Pages shall be single-spaced, double-sided (each side counts as one page), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least one-inch margins on sides, top and bottom. Lines between text lines must also be 12-point. (5) All text, including text in tables must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, charts, drawings, and diagrams. These exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items. (6) Pages shall be numbered starting with the cover page being Page 1, and the last page being not more than Page 30. The page limitation covers all information including indices, photographs, foldouts (counted as 1 page for each 8.5 by 11 portion), tables, charts, appendices, attachments, etc. (7) The proposal page limit does not include the offeror's proposed Statement of Work (SOW); however, the same formatting rules apply to the SOW, which is limited to 10 pages. (8) Offerors should submit the proposal in Microsoft 10 compatible softcopy format. Submissions methods and formats should coordinated with the contracting officer, Mr. William T. Smith, AFLCMC/WINK, 2530 Loop Road West, Bldg. 560, Room 125, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7101, phone: (937) 255-2479, unclassified email: william.smith.11@us.af.mil. (9) Note: The Government will check the proposal and SOW for conformance to the stated requirements. Any pages in excess of the stated page limitation after the format check will not be considered. c. Technical/Management Section: The proposal shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research/development effort and the technical approach. Additional information on prior work in this area, descriptions of available equipment, use of base support (if desired) data and facilities and resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort should also be included as attachments to the technical proposal. This volume shall include a SOW detailing the technical tasks proposed to be accomplished under the proposed effort and suitable for contract incorporation. Do not include any proprietary information in the SOW. Refer to the BAA Industry Guide referenced above to assist in SOW preparation. Any questions concerning the technical proposal or SOW preparation shall be referred to the Technical POC cited in Section VII. If Government Furnished Property is requested you are required to submit the following information with your offer: (1) A list or description of all Government property that the offeror or its subcontractors propose to use on a rent-free basis. The list shall identify the accountable contract under which the property is held and the authorization for its use (from the contracting officer having cognizance of the property); d. Cost/Business Section: (1) Separate the proposal into a business section and cost section. (a) The business section should contain all business aspects to the proposed contract, such as type of contractual instrument, any exceptions to terms and conditions of the announcement model contract, any information not technically related, etc. Provide rationale for exceptions. (b) Identify any technical data that will be delivered with less than unlimited data rights. (c) Cost proposals are requested to be kept to a maximum of 50 pages. The proposal shall be furnished with supporting schedules and shall contain a person hour breakdown per task following FAR 15.408, Table 15-2. Refer to the BAA Industry Guide mentioned in paragraph IV.3.a. for detailed proposal instructions. Cost proposals should include all costs in Excel format including formulas. (2) Subcontracting plans, for subcontracts anticipated to exceed $750,000, shall be submitted along with the technical and cost proposals in Word or Adobe PDF format (but do not count against the cost proposal requested maximum of 50 pages). Reference FAR 19.704, DFARS 219.704, and AFFARS 5319.704(a)(1) for subcontracting plan requirements. Small business concerns are exempt from this requirement. e. Proposal Content Summary: You may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this solicitation are not met on the proposal due date. Reference Section VIII for a checklist of the requirements. V. White Paper / Proposal Review Information 1. Evaluation Team. Responders are hereby notified that the Government intends to utilize an Evaluation Team in the white paper evaluation process and in determining which initiatives should proceed to step two. The Evaluation Team may consist of Government personnel, Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDC) personnel, Technical Services and Engineering Support personnel, and Systems Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) personnel. Prior to participation on the Evaluation Team each member will be required to sign a nondisclosure agreement or an OGE Form 450. 2. Assessment Areas. The objective of the evaluation is to identify Responders who will provide the greatest satisfaction of requirements/objectives within funding limitations. The applicability and potential impact of the proposed effort to the AF TENCAP mission will be evaluated. Concepts will be evaluated based on the merit and relevance of the specific effort proposed as it relates to the AF TENCAP focus area objectives and other criteria identified in this section, rather than against other concepts covering the same general area or other areas. The evaluation also includes problem comprehension, and the degree to which the proposed solution(s), if successful, will provide the warfighter capability. Each submission will be prioritized within the scope of the entire AF TENCAP execution mission. White Papers will typically be reviewed by the appropriate requiring activity within 30 days after submission by the Responder. The Government will evaluate white papers based upon the following criteria: Warfighter Impact, Technical Value, and Risk. The request from one or more sources for a full proposal for consideration of an award will be based on an evaluation of each offeror's white paper (both technical and ROM aspects) to determine the overall merit of the white paper in response to the announcement, as well as on Agency need and funding availability. a. Warfighter Impact Assessment: This assessment will address the Warfighter Impact of the concept. The AF TENCAP is most interested in concepts that significantly impact the ability of the warfighter to accomplish their mission and provide dramatic improvement through new mission capabilities that directly address critical problems. Include an architecture of vision with explanation and identify strategic or operational relevancy or a tactical warfighter specifically interested in the capability. b. Technical Value Assessment: This assessment will address or establish the technical worthiness of the proposed effort. Items to be considered include technical approach toward achieving the stated objective(s), and the existence of sufficient technical payoff to warrant risk. Efforts should focus on truly new and unique approaches and techniques to existing systems that lead to, or enable revolutionary and evolutionary improvements in capability, performance, and/or cost. The degree to which the proposed effort presents a new and innovative approach will be evaluated. The AF TENCAP is most interested in projects that are investigating unexplored approaches, methods, sources, etc. Of most interest are those ideas that represent a creative use of existing capabilities. This could cover an innovative method of exploiting existing information, or a means to combine existing technologies in a creative manner. New and emerging technologies are of less interest, given the emphasis within the AF TENCAP on leveraging of already proven technologies in a creative manner. However, submissions proposing new systems/emerging technologies are not automatically dismissed and may be considered. Identify the Technology Readiness Level (TRL), preferably TRL numbers 6, 7 and 8 as these are significant and most desired by the Government; however, other TRL numbers will be considered. Refer to the table below to assist with your identification in the white paper. TRL NrDefinition1Basic principles observed and reported2Technology concept and/or application formulated3Analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof of concept4Component and/or breadboard validation in a laboratory environment5Component and/or breadboard validation in a relevant environment6System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment7System prototype demonstration in an operational environment8Actual system completed and qualified through test and demonstration c. Risk Assessment: This assessment will evaluate the proposed approach/white paper's likelihood of success to include cost, schedule, performance and transition. ROM-level cost and schedule estimates should be included. Include a goal to finish transition effort by the end of 24 months. The assessment will evaluate the reasonableness and accuracy of the ROM cost/schedule estimate. 3. SECOND STEP - Proposal Evaluation Criteria: The selection of one or more sources for award will be based on an evaluation of each offeror's proposal (both technical and cost/price aspects) to determine the overall merit of the proposal in response to the announcement. The technical aspect, which is ranked as the first order of priority, shall be evaluated based on the following criteria that are of descending order of importance as well as on Agency need and funding availability: a. Technical: (1) Unique and innovative approach proposed to accomplish the technical objectives. (2) The offeror's understanding of the scope of the technical effort. (3) The soundness of the offeror's technical approach. (4) The potential to transition the research and development deliverables to future Government needs. Any proposed restrictions on technical data or computer software will be considered. (5) The availability of qualified technical in-house prime or subcontractor personnel and their experience with the applicable technologies. (6) The availability, from any source, of necessary research, test, laboratory, or shop facilities. b. Cost/Price: Cost/Price includes the reasonableness and realism of the proposed cost and fee and consideration of proposed budgets and funding profiles. Cost/Price is a substantial factor, but ranked as the second order of priority. c. Proposal Risk Assessment: Proposal risk for technical, cost, and schedule will be assessed as part of the evaluation of the above evaluation criteria. Proposal risk relates to the identification and assessment of the risks associated with an offeror's proposed approach as it relates to accomplishing the proposed effort. Tradeoffs of the assessed risk will be weighed against the potential payoff. 4. SECOND STEP /PROPOSAL - Review and Selection Process a. Categories: The technical and cost proposals will be evaluated at the same time and categorized as follows: (1) Category I: Demonstrates technical merit; is important to agency programs; and the offeror presents relevant experience and access to adequate resources. The cost/price is reasonable and realistic. Risk is acceptable. Proposals in Category I are recommended for acceptance (subject to availability of funds) and normally are displaced only by other Category I proposals. (2) Category II: Demonstrates technical merit; is important to agency programs; and the offeror presents relevant experience and access to adequate resources; but requires further development. The cost/price is reasonable and realistic. Risk is acceptable. Category II proposals are recommended for acceptance, but at a lower priority than Category I. (3) Category III: Does not demonstrate technical merit; does not meet agency needs does not present adequate experience or resources; the risk level is unacceptable; or the cost/price is not reasonable or realistic. b. No other evaluation criteria will be used. The technical and cost proposals will be evaluated at the same time. The Air Force reserves the right to select for award any, all, part or none of the proposals received. VI. Award Administration Information 1. Award Notices: Offerors will be notified if its proposal is recommended for award, by e-mail, on or about 44 working days (approximately 60 calendar days) after receipt of proposal. The notification is not to be construed to mean the award of a contract is assured, as availability of funds and successful negotiations are prerequisites to any award. 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: See Section I. 3. Reporting: Reporting will be required in accordance with the Contract Data Requirements Lists for each contract. VII. Agency Contacts 1. Address questions to: Contracting Officer, Mr. William T. Smith, AFLCMC/WINK, 2530 Loop Road West, Bldg. 560, Room 125, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7101, phone: (937) 255-2479, unclassified email: william.smith.11@us.af.mil. Or for classified utilize Mr. Smith's JWICS account at william.smith@af.ic.gov VIII. Other Information 1. Acquisition of Commercial Items: Based upon market research, the Government is not using the policies contained in Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, in its solicitation for the described supplies or services. 2. Support contractors: Offerors are advised that employees of commercial firms under contract to the Government may be used to administratively process proposals or perform other administrative duties requiring access to other contractors' proprietary information. These support contracts include nondisclosure agreements prohibiting their contractor employees from disclosing any information submitted by other contractors or using such information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. Support contractors will be used for analysis and evaluation of white papers or proposals or monitoring of contract performance. 3. Communications: Dialogue between prospective offerors and Government representatives is encouraged until a Request for Proposal is issued. Discussions with the point of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. 4. Debriefings: If a debriefing is requested in accordance with the time guidelines set out in FAR 15.505 and 15.506, a debriefing will be provided, but the debriefing content may vary to be consistent with the procedures that govern BAAs (FAR 35.016). 5. Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF): NOTICE: Any contract award resulting from this solicitation will contain the clause at DFARS 252.232-7003, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving Reports (JUN 2012), which requires electronic submission of all payment requests. Any contract resulting from this solicitation will establish a requirement to use WAWF-RA for invoicing and receipt/acceptance, and provide coding instructions applicable to this contract via the clause at DFARS 252.232-7006, Wide Area Workflow Payment Instructions (MAY 2013). Contractors are encouraged to take advantage of available training (both web-based and through your local DCMA office), and to register in the WAWF-RA system. Information regarding WAWF-RA, including the web-based training and registration, can be found at https://wawf.eb.mil. Note: This WAWF-(iRAPT) requirement does not apply to Universities that are audited by an agency other than DCAA. 6. Item Unique Identification and Valuation: Any contract award resulting from this solicitation will contain the clause at DFARS 252.211-7003, Item Unique Identification and Valuation (MAR 2016), which requires unique item identification and valuation of any deliverable item; when determined necessary by the requiring activity for serially managed, mission essential, or controlled inventory. Also included are any DoD serially managed subassembly, component, or part embedded within a delivered item and the parent item that contains the embedded subassembly, component, or part. If you have questions regarding the Unique Item Identification requirements, please contact the Contracting Point of Contact listed above. For more information, see the following website: http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/pdi/uid/index.html. The contract will also include DFARS 252.211-7007, Reporting of Government-Furnished Property (AUG 2012). 7. Forward Pricing Rate Agreements: Offerors who have forward pricing rate agreements (FPRA's) and forward pricing rate recommendations (FPRR's) should submit them with their proposal. 8. Pre-Award Clearance: Pursuant to FAR 22.805, a pre-award clearance must be obtained from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Office Of Federal Contract Compliance Program's (OFCCP) prior to award of a contract (or subcontract) of $10,000,000 or more unless the contractor is listed in OFCCP's National Pre-award Registry (https://ofccp.dol-esa.gov/preaward/pa_reg.html). This registry indicates that the contractor has been found to be "in compliance" within the past two years with the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations that the OFCCP is mandated to enforce. The registry is updated nightly and facilities reviewed more than 2 years ago are removed and new ones are added. Award may be delayed if you are not currently listed in the registry and the contracting officer must request a pre-award clearance from the OFCCP. 9. Limitations on Pass-Through Charges: As prescribed in FAR 15.408(n)(1) & 15.408(n)(2), provisions 52.215-22, Limitations on Pass Through Charges - Identification of Subcontract Effort (OCT 2009), and 52.215-23, Limitations on Pass-Through Charges (OCT 2009), are contained in this solicitation by reference. Any contract valued greater than the threshold for cost or pricing data threshold, except fixed price contracts awarded on the basis of adequate price competition, resulting from this solicitation, shall contain the Clause at FAR 52.215-23 (or Alt I). 10. Ombudsman: The Ombudsman clause, AFFARS 5352.201-9101, Ombudsman (JUN 2016), will be contained in any contracts or agreements resulting from this Solicitation. For this effort the Ombudsman point of contact is Lt Col Peter Sandness, AFLCMC/AQ email: peter.sandness@us.af.mil, phone (937) 255-5512 11. Associate Contractor Agreements: Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs) are agreements between contractors working on Government contracts that specify requirements for them to share information, data, technical knowledge, expertise or resources. The contracting officer may require ACAs when contractors working on separate government contracts must cooperate, share resources or otherwise jointly participate in working on contracts or projects. Prime contractor to subcontractor relationships do not constitute ACAs. For each award, the contracting officer will identify associate contractors with who agreements are required. 12. Post-Award Small Business Program Representation: As prescribed in FAR 19.309(c), FAR Clause 52.219-28, Post-Award Small Business Program Representation (JUL 2013), is incorporated by reference in this solicitation. This clause will be contained in any contracts resulting from this solicitation. This clause requires a contractor to represent its size status when certain conditions apply. The clause provides detail on when the rerepresentation must be complete and what the contractor must do when a representation is required. 13. Employment Eligibility Verification: As prescribed by FAR 22.1803, FAR Clause 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (OCT 2015), is hereby incorporated by reference in this solicitation. Any contract awarded as a result of this BAA that is above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, and contains a period of performance greater than 120 days, shall include this clause in its contract. This clause provides the requirement of contractors to enroll as a Federal Contractor in the E-Verify program within 30 days after contract award. 14. Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Sub-contract/Sub-recipient Awards: As prescribed by FAR 4.1403(a), FAR 52.204-10, Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (OCT 2016), is hereby incorporated by reference in this solicitation. Any contract valued at $30,000 or more, excluding classified contracts or contractors with individuals, must contain this clause. 15. Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters: Any contract award that exceeds $500,000.00; and when an offeror checked "has" in paragraph (b) of the provision FAR 52.209-7, shall contain the clause/article, FAR 52.209-9, Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (JUL 2013). 16. Contractor Business Systems: DFARS 252.242-7005, Contractor Business Systems (FEB 2012), is hereby incorporated by reference. 17. Safeguarding of Unclassified Controlled Technical Information: As prescribed in DFARS 204.7304, DFARS 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting (OCT 2016), is hereby incorporated by reference. 18. White Paper/Proposal Content Checklist: Offerors may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this solicitation are not met on the proposal due date. a. Step One: White Papers and ROMs are due to the Contracting POC. b. Step One and Step Two: White Paper and Proposal page limits are strictly enforced. See Section IV.2.b and IV.3.b of the solicitation for page limits. c. Step One and Step Two: Proposals and White Papers must be submitted in the format specified in Section IV. d. Step Two: Completed Certifications and Representations (Section K) are due with the proposal. e. Step Two: The Cost/Business Proposal must contain all information described in Section IV.3.d. f. Step Two: For any subcontracts proposed, the Cost/Business Proposal must contain a subcontractor analysis IAW FAR 15.404-3(b). g. Step Two: The Cost/Business Proposal must contain any exceptions to the sample Model Contract Terms and Conditions. However, be advised that the document awarded may include contract line items (CLINs)/clauses/articles in addition to those in the models, and/or some of the CLIN/clauses/articles in the models may be deleted, depending on the specific circumstances of the individual effort. Any additions or deletions will be discussed with the offeror prior to award of the document. h. Step Two: Offerors other than small businesses who intend to use subcontracts in excess of $750,000 are to include a subcontracting plan in Microsoft Word Readable Format or Adobe PDF format on a CD ROM as well as a hard copy. i. Step Two: Offerors who have Forward Pricing Rate Agreements (FPRA's) and Forward Pricing Rate Recommendations (FPRR's) should submit them with their proposal. j. Step Two: If a DD254 is applicable, offerors must verify their Cognizant Security Office information is current with Defense Security Service (DSS) at www.dss.mil. k. If export control is applicable, offerors must submit a Certified DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with proposal.
FA8620-19-R-3003 Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Lifecycle Management Center Wright Patterson Air Force Base
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