Low Noise, High Sensitivity Accelerometers for Space
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENTBAA-RVKV-2016-003Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate
ANNOUNCEMENT OVERVIEW
NAICS CODE: 541712
FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Strategic Atomic Navigation Device Systems Program, 3550 Aberdeen Avenue SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: Low Noise, High Sensitivity Accelerometers for Space
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement; this announcement serves as both the pre-solicitation and the solicitation.
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: BAA-RVKV-2016-003
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER(S): N/A
BRIEF PROGRAM SUMMARY: This is a Closed Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit research proposals for the United States Air Force Research Lab, Space Vehicles Research Directorate, Battlespace Environment Division.
This closed BAA approach allows for proposal submittals at a specified date and time. Any changes or cancellation of the BAA will be posted in FedBizOpps as amendments to this BAA.
PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: Proposals are due by 12 Noon (MST) (9 November 2016) delivered to the address specified in Section III. Proposals received after the due date and time shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3), Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisitions. 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 due date and time specified above 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 proposal submission is encouraged.
GENERAL INFORMATION: The applicable NAICS code for this announcement is 541712 with a size standard of 1,000 employees. This acquisition is unrestricted. This BAA is issued under the provisions of Federal Acquisition Regulation paragraph 6.102(d)(2), Use of Competitive Procedures, that provides for the competitive selection of research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to this BAA that are selected for award are considered to be the results of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provisions of PL 98-369, the Competition In Contracting Act of 1984. There will be no other announcement issued for this requirement. Offerors must monitor FedBizOpps https://www.fbo.gov in the event this announcement is amended.
TYPE OF CONTRACTS/INSTRUMENTS: The Air Force reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of research proposed. Accordingly, the Government may award any appropriate contract type under the Federal Acquisition Regulation. There will be NO Grants, Cooperative Agreements, or Other Transactions for Research opportunities under this announcement. It is anticipated that awards under this BAA will generally be cost reimbursable, which require successful offerors to have an accounting system considered adequate for tracking costs applicable to the contract.
ON-LINE REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS: Potential offerors are notified that to be eligible for an award and in compliance with FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management and DFARS 252.204-7007 Alternate A, Annual Representations and Certificates, they must submit annual Electronic Representations and Certifications, otherwise known as the On-line Representations and Certifications Application (ORCA) via the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov. Before submitting the Electronic Representations and Certifications, contractors must be registered in the System for Award Management Database. On-line registration instructions can be accessed from the System for Award Management at www.sam.gov. These FAR and DFAR level representations and certifications are required in addition to the representations and certifications are in attachment # 4. These completed representations and certifications should be submitted with proposals.
ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: The Air Force anticipates awarding a minimum of two contracts. However, the Air Force reserves the right to make multiple awards or no awards. The AF also reserves the right to award some, all or none of the proposals. There will be NO Grant, Cooperative Agreement, or Other Transactions for Research opportunities under this announcement.
POINTS OF CONTACT:
Technical Points of Contact (TPOC):
Primary Technical Manager: Dr. Lawrence M. Robertson, AFRL/RVBYE, Kirtland AFB, NMPhone: 505-846-7687, Email: lawrence.robertson@us.af.mil
Alternate Point of Contact: Lt Michael W. Bishop, AFRL/RVBYE, Kirtland AFB, NM Phone: 505-853-3063, Email: michael.bishop.42@us.af.mil
Contracting Points of Contact:
Contracting Officer: Mr. Francis M. Eggert, Det 8 AFRL/RVKVB, Kirtland AFB, NMPhone 505-846-7603, Email: francis.eggert@us.af.mil
Contract Specialist: Mr. Ambros D. Montoya, Det 8 AFRL/RVKVB, Kirtland AFB, NMPhone: 505-853-4170, Email: ambros.montoya@us.af.mil
AFRL/RVKVBATTN: Mr. Francis Eggert or Mr. Ambros D. Montoya3550 Aberdeen Ave SE; Building 570; Suite: 1160Kirtland AFB, NM 87117BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENTBAA-RVKV-2016-0003 Air Force Research Laboratory Space Vehicles Directorate
FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT
NAICS CODE: 541712
FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Air Force Research Laboratory, Space Vehicles Directorate, Strategic Atomic Navigation Device Systems Program, 3550 Aberdeen Avenue SE, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: Low Noise, High Sensitivity Accelerometers for Space
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement; this announcement serves as both the pre-solicitation and the solicitation.
THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. Offerors MUST monitor FedBizOpps http://www.fbo.gov in the event this announcement is amended. Monitoring this website will ensure that offerors receive the maximum time for proposal preparation.
BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: BAA-RVKV-2016-0003
CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER(S): N/A
PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: Proposals are due by 12 Noon (MST) (9 November 2016) delivered to the address specified in Section III. Proposals received after the due date and time shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3), Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisitions. 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 due date and time specified in the above 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 proposal submission is encouraged.
I. REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION
Objective: AFRL is seeking potential offerors with the capability to provide advanced technology, through design, development and demonstration of a space-qualified Low-Noise, High Sensitivity Accelerometer system for satellites.
1. Key Design Parameters: All offerors shall meet the following Key Design Parameters in order to be considered for an award:
1.1. Size, Weight and Power
Design Parameter Threshold Goalvolume <10 liters <8 litersweight <10 kg <8 kgpower <50W <30W
The "traceable" goal is required for the Preliminary Design Review (PDR) only and is not required for the demonstration prototypes.
1.2 Accelerometer PerformanceThe accelerometer shall meet the following performance requirements
Design Parameter Threshold Goalposition error 20m/12 hoursnoise floor threshold (with >50 Hz update rate) <10 ng <5 ng noise floor threshold (with >100 Hz update rate) <50 ng <20 ng
** (See the PDF version in the Attachments for a full table)
1.3 Environmental Consideration and Radiation Hardening
The accelerometer must be capable of surviving harsh launch vehicle (i.e. EELV-like boosters) environments including high g-loads, vibration, and pyro-shock events in addition to the severe on-orbit thermal cycling. In addition the accelerometer shall be initially space radiation hardened with the objective of surviving a 2 year lifetime at Middle Earth Orbit (MEO). The traceable PDR design is envisioned as fully radiation hardened and survivable up to a 10 year lifetime at MEO.
Offers can request access to the EAGLE General Environment/Interface Specification Requirements and Test Document (GEISRT) (available in the Bidders Library, described below) as a Point of Departure toward meeting many of these Key Design Parameters in this section. However, given the EAGLE GISRT was developed with a different set of payloads and orbits in mind, the exact satellite interface and environmental specifications will be developed by the accelerometer host satellite vendor and provided to the contractor during the execution of the contract. It is expected that the contractor will work with the government and the host satellite contractor to ensure proper integration.
2. This is a Closed Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) describing the research areas of interest for AFRL/RVB. This closed BAA approach allows for a single opportunity for proposal submittals. Proposals received after the stated due date and time will be governed by FAR 52.215-1(c) (3).
2. Technical Objectives
This effort will require a potential offeror to have a demonstrable working knowledge of Government, Air Force and other community efforts in the development of atomic frequency standards and development of experimental space hardware systems. A successful offeror will demonstrate capability across the entire spectrum of relevant disciplines and activities.
The Government's objective is to design, develop, build, mature and experiment with a three-axis accelerometer system on the proposed Navigation Technology Satellite (NTS) -3 space experiment. It is envisioned that the system will fit into the SWAP constraints discussed above in a hosted payload port of an Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) Secondary Payload Adapter (ESPA) ring as defined in the EAGLE GEISRT and Payload Users Guide (available in the Bidders Library). In additional, hardware must be developed that is "closed" enough to be traceable to a design that could be productized by the GPS PO, but also open enough to allow for on-orbit experimentation. Current accelerometer science concept plans include discovering the magnitude and direction of forces on the NTS-3 satellite system. In addition, offerors will have to work with the NTS-3 contractor to integrate the accelerometer payload into the final experimental satellite system.
It is also anticipated that the offer will explore cyber hard by design as feature of the development program. It is anticipated that the offeror will demonstrate key aspects of cyber hard by design for key mission critical functions and concentrate on a few specific areas of the design as funding allows. The Bidders Library contains information on the definitions and scope of this area.
Once the offer has developed the hardware system, it is anticipated that a manufacturing readiness assessment will be performed. The purpose of this task is to provide an early consideration of the manufacturability and affordability of key components and subsystems for the accelerometer development program. Potential manufacturing risk areas will be identified in order to develop early risk mitigation plans. In addition, any critical material needs should be identified to ensure future availability, producibility, and affordability. These tasks include the following:
1.1 Identify Manufacturing Challenges1.1.1 The contractor shall develop a list of manufacturing challenges associated with large amounts of touch labor, expensive or exotic materials, high part count for key components, and any low yielding processes.1.1.2 The contractor shall develop an Accelerator design to cost model for GPS satellite insertion. This model shall provide detailed cost information for all key components and sub-assemblies for the overall Accelerometer.1.2 Establish Manufacturing Baseline1.2.1 The contractor shall conduct an initial Manufacturing Readiness Assessment (MRA) of the Accelerometer in order to determine the associated Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of key components and subsystems. The contractor shall conduct the first MRA within 4 months of task go-ahead. This initial MRA shall be used to establish the baseline level of maturity for the Accelerometer and associated components and subsystems. 1.2.2 The contractor shall coordinate the list developed in section 1.1.1 and the cost model developed in section 1.1.2 and the results of the initial MRA with AFRL/RXME and AFRL/RV to determine which items to address in order to enhance the manufacturing maturity of the Accelerometer system.1.2.3 The contractor shall develop agile manufacturing processes to address the cost drivers and manufacturing risk areas from the condensed list generated in section 1.2.2.1.3 Optimize Manufacturing Processes 1.3.1 The contractor shall optimize the manufacturing processes developed in section 1.2.3 and demonstrate the ability to achieve an MRL of 5.1.3.2 The contractor shall conduct a second MRA to verify that they have achieved an MRL of 5 with the newly implemented manufacturing process improvements.
The government anticipates the Deliverables to be space flight tested for experimentation at the Advanced Experiment Integration Facility located in Building 277 on Kirtland AFB on a Rent-Free non-interference basis or as mutually agreed to by the parties in writing. Noninterference means that use of the government property on this effort will not interfere with the performance of the contract under which the property is accountable. Flight testing in this case will include shock, vibration and thermal vacuum testing of the components as well as day-and-life testing of the Deliverable with the spacecraft system. The government also anticipates testing of the Deliverables in multiple government labs on a Rent-Free non-interference basis or as mutually agreed to by the parties in writing.
Finally, the offer should expect to assist the government during on-orbit testing of the system and provide technical support. This includes development of multiple flight units to be flown (priced separately) and a unit for long term timing testing on the ground. This task shall also include support in operations; anomaly resolution; Assembly, Integration and Test; and science data analysis support.
3. Deliverable Items: The following data deliverables are required in accordance with the Contract Data Requirements List (CDRL) DD Form 1423 found in Attachment #3: (a) Monthly Status/Financial Reports; (b) annual technical reports; and (c) a Final Report, in both draft and final form. Pursuant to DFARS 227.304-1, Patient Rights Under Government Contracts an interim (annual) and final DD Form 882 (Report of Inventions and Subcontracts) is required. Data deliverables are subject to negotiations.
- Overall Contracting Period Of Performance: 87 Months- Technical Period of Performance: 84 months
(1) CLIN 0001: Conduct Trade Studies thru System Requirements PDR Completion with Reports; POP: 12 Months(2) CLIN 0002: CDR Completed with Reports; POP: 12 Months(3) CLIN 0003: Test Readiness Review (TRR) Completed with Reports; POP: 12 Months(4) CLIN 0004: Final Brassboard & Test Results Completed with Reports; POP: 6 Months(5) CLIN 0005: Space Experiment Flight Unit; Host ICD Development & Support; POP: 12 months(6) CLIN 0006: Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) Assessment & Report; POP: 6-months and concurrent with the last 6-months of CLIN 0005(7) CLIN 0007: Flight Experiment Integration, Test, and Operations Support; POP: 30-months(8) CLIN 0008: Repair and Overhaul; (RESERVED - Concurrent with effort or N/A)(9) CLIN 0009: Data and Reports (Concurrent with the effort)(NSP)(10) CLIN 00010: Data and Reports - Final Report (NSP); POP: 3 months.
Note that the contractor should provide cost estimates consistent with this CLIN structure4. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE (POP): The anticipated period of performance for individual awards for from this BAA is expected to be 87 total months. The period of performance is to be proposed in the format "includes 84 months for technical effort and 3 months for a Guaranteed Final Report preparation."
II. AWARD INFORMATION
Anticipated Number of Awards: The Air Force anticipates awarding a minimum of two contracts. However, the Air Force reserves the right to make multiple awards or no awards. The AF also reserves the right to award some, all or none of the proposals. There will be NO Grants, Cooperative Agreements, or Other Transactions for Research opportunities under this announcement.
III. POINTS OF CONTACT
1. Technical Points of Contact (TPOC):
Primary Technical Manager: Dr. Lawrence M. Robertson, AFRL/RVBYE, Kirtland AFB, NMPhone: 505-846-7687, Email: lawrence.robertson@us.af.mil
Alternate Point of Contact: Lt Michael W. Bishop, AFRL/RVBYE, Kirtland AFB, NM Phone: 505-853-3063, Email: michael.bishop.42@us.af.mil
2. Contracting Points of Contact:
Contracting Officer: Mr. Francis M. Eggert, Det 8 AFRL/RVKVB, Kirtland AFB, NMPhone 505-846-7603, Email: francis.eggert@us.af.mil
Contract Specialist: Mr. Ambros D. Montoya, Det 8 AFRL/RVKVB, Kirtland AFB, NMPhone: 505-853-4170, Email: ambros.montoya@us.af.mil
AFRL/RVKVBATTN: Mr. Francis Eggert or Mr. Ambros D. Montoya3550 Aberdeen Ave SE; Building 570; Suite: 1160Kirtland AFB, NM 87117
3. Ombudsman: Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (AFFARS) clause 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman is hereby incorporated into this BAA and will be made a part of any awards based on this announcement. An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition announcement. Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first express their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer listed above for resolution. The ombudsman for AFRL is Ms. Barbara Gehrs, AFRL/PK, 1864 4th Street, Bldg 15, Room 225, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, 45433-7130, Phone: 937-904-4407, Fax: 937-904-7024, Email: Barbara.Gehrs@us.af.mil.
IV. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION
1. Eligible Offeror/Applicants: All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal. Small Businesses, Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Minority Institutions (MI), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman-Owned Businesses, and Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses are encouraged to submit proposals; however, no part of this announcement will be a set-aside. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors are advised that their participation is subject to foreign disclosure review procedures. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors should immediately contact the contracting office point of contact for information if they contemplate responding. All correspondence must reference the BAA number, and the BAA title.
2. Cost Sharing or Matching: Cost sharing is not a requirement.
3. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs): DoD-sponsored FFRDCs that function primarily as research laboratories (C3I Laboratory operated by the Institute for Defense Analysis, Lincoln Laboratory operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Software Engineering Institute operated by Carnegie Mellon) may respond to solicitations and announcements (Section 217, Pub. L. 103-337) (DFARS 235.017-1, FFRDC Sponsoring Agreements)
The following guidance is provided for other DoD sponsored and non-DoD sponsored FFRDCs contemplating submitting a proposal, as either a prime or subcontractor, against this BAA. FAR 35.017-1(c) (4), Federally Funded Research Development Centers, 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. There is no regulation prohibiting an FFRDC from responding to a solicitation or announcement. 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 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 the FFRDC's eligibility to receive an award be considered.
5. Government Agencies: If a Government agency is interested in performing work it should contact the Program Office identified. If those discussions result in a mutual interest to pursue the agency's participation, the effort will be pursued independent of this Broad Agency Announcement.
6. Export Control: Research areas will involve technology that is subject to U.S. Export Control Laws. Therefore, only offerors who are certified by the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) may submit proposals. For questions, contact DLIS on-line at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp or at DLIS, US/Canada Joint Certification Center, Federal Center, 74 North Washington, Battle Creek MI 49017-4312, Phone: 800-352-3572. DFARS 252.225-7048, Export Controlled Items (June 2013), is incorporated into this announcement and any contracts resulting from this announcement.
7. Foreign Nationals: The Contractor is expected to generate or require access to export controlled items, it is anticipated that foreign participation will not be permitted. Foreign Nationals (also known as Foreign Persons) as defined by 22 CFR 120.16 means any natural person who is not a lawful permanent resident as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(20) or who is not a protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3). It also means any foreign corporation, business association, partnership, trust, society or any other entity or group that is not incorporated or organized to do business in the United States, as well as international organizations, foreign governments and any agency or subdivision of foreign governments (e.g., diplomatic missions).
"Lawfully admitted for permanent residence" means the status of having been lawfully accorded the privilege of residing permanently in the United States as an immigrant in accordance with the immigration laws, such status not having changed.
"Protected individual'' means an individual who (A) is a citizen or national of the United States, or (B) is an alien who is lawfully admitted for permanent residence, is granted the status of an alien lawfully admitted for temporary residence under 8 U.S.C. § 1160(a) or 8 U.S.C. § 1255a(a)(1), is admitted as a refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or is granted asylum under Section 8 U.S.C. § 1158; but does not include (i) an alien who fails to apply for naturalization within six months of the date the alien first becomes eligible (by virtue of period of lawful permanent residence) to apply for naturalization or, if later, within six months after November 6, 1986, and (ii) an alien who has applied on a timely basis, but has not been naturalized as a citizen within 2 years after the date of the application, unless the alien can establish that the alien is actively pursuing naturalization, except that time consumed in the Service's processing the application shall not be counted toward the 2-year period.
8. Security Requirement: It is anticipated that this effort will be performed at an UNCLASSIFIED / FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY level Or SECRET/NOFORN. However, depending on the type of system proposed this effort could require access to and processing of classified information. In those cases, a DoD Contract Security Classification Specification per FAR 52.204-2 is required. The successful offeror will need the appropriate security clearance prior to award.
9. Base Support: Work on site at Kirtland Air Force Base is not anticipated at this time. However, offerors shall specifically call out elements of the effort proposed to be conducted within the confines of Kirtland AFB, NM, and those that are to be performed off-site. Any differences in on-site versus off-site rates shall be specifically annotated and segregated in your proposal.
V. COMMUNICATIONS
1. Prospective offerors are reminded to contact the technical point of contact to verify interest in the effort to be proposed.
2. Written dialogue between prospective offerors and Government representatives is encouraged until submission of proposals. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Offerors are advised that only contracting officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit the Government. Any dialogue that takes place will not be taken into consideration during the evaluation of the proposals. Potential offerors should submit questions in writing via email to both the technical and contracting points of contact identified above. Questions and answers will be published in an amendment to the solicitation on www.FedBizOpps.gov (FBO) for the benefit of all interested parties. Questions containing proprietary information should be clearly marked; no proprietary information will be published to FBO.
VI. PROPOSAL/APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION
1. General Information:
a) DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN THE PROPOSAL.
b) Potential offerors are requested to advise the contracting officer if they intend to submit a proposal in response to this announcement. Such notification is merely a courtesy and does not commit the offeror to submit a proposal.
c) This BAA is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to pay for proposal preparation cost. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or to any other contract. However, it may be an allowable indirect expense as specified in FAR 31.205-18, Independent Research and Development and Bid and Proposal Costs (IR&D and B&P).
d) DoD policy, per DFARS 227.7103-1, Noncommercial Items or Processes, is to acquire only the technical data and the rights to that data necessary to satisfy government needs. The Government anticipates receiving, at a minimum, "Government Purpose Rights" to technical data developed under contracts awarded based on proposals received in response to this announcement. Data rights offered other than "Unlimited Rights," as defined in DFARS 227.7103-5, Government Rights, should be identified in accordance with DFARS clause 252.227-7017, Identification and Assertion of Use, Release, or Disclosure Restrictions, and addressed in the business section of the cost proposal.
e) There are no limits to the number of proposals an offeror may submit to this announcement.
f) NOTE! Offerors shall be ineligible for award if all requirements of this announcement and are not met by the proposal due date and time.
2. Proposal Submission:a) Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in the provision of FAR 52.215-1(e) Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition. Properly marked proprietary information will be treated in accordance with DFARS 252.227-7016, Rights in Bid or Proposal Information.
b) Technical/management and cost volumes should be submitted in separate volumes, and shall be valid for 180 days. Proposals must reference the BAA announcement number and include a unique contractor generated proposal identification number. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal are not desired.
c) Submit with a cover letter, an original, three paper copies, and one electronic copy of the technical proposal and the cost/business proposal. The original and paper copies of technical and cost/business proposals must be in separate volumes. See additional information in a. and b. below.
a. Electronically by means of the US Army's Space and Missile Center's AMRDEC Secure Access File Exchange, (SAFE) utility at https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/safe/. It is the proposers responsibility to upload the complete proposal via this site with sufficient time to verify the safe arrival. Acknowledgement will be made by an email receipt from the contracting office or their representative. NOTE! See the attached instructions for submitting your proposals electronically. Also, note, that these proposals stay inside of the SAFE utility for a limited time. See Attachment # 5.
AND, Followed by Hard Copies per Paragraph b. below
b. By sending THREE (3) hardcopies of the proposal with an electronic copy of the proposal on either a compact disk (CD-R) or a DVD-R) which shall be in a PC compatible file format and must be readable by Microsoft Office. The electronic copy of the cost proposal worksheets must be in Microsoft Office Excel 2003 or later version and must contain all cell formulas.
AFRL/RVKVB (General Mail Room)Attn: Mr. Ambros D. Montoya or Mr. Francis M. Eggert3550 Aberdeen Ave., SE (Bldg 570)Kirtland AFB, NM 87117-5776
d) Proposals should be submitted to the address specified directly above. Proposals sent to any inappropriate address are ineligible for award. Proposal will be accepted up to noon on 9 November 2016. Please note, allow enough time to mail handler's to get through security and receive documents by the required due date and time. Currently the US Mail has been delayed 1-3 days due to staffing, we highly recommend using FedEx, UPS or other expeditious means. Also, it is the Offeror's responsibility to ensure that their proposal's arrive by the due date and time.
3. Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions
a) Cover letter - A cover letter shall accompany each proposal. The cover letter should identify the BAA number, a statement that the proposal is valid for 180 days from the due date specified, provide technical and contracting points of contact, CAGE code, and include statement indicating if the firm is a small business, veteran-owned small business, service-disabled veteran-owned small business, HUBZone small business, small disadvantaged business, 8(a), or women-owned small business concern. The proposal must be signed and dated by an authorized official of the organization.
b) Technical Proposal1) Page Limitation: The Technical Proposal shall be limited to 30 pages. The proposal will be prepared and submitted in Word format. Font shall be an easy to read font no smaller than 12 pitch or proportional font size 10 or larger. Character spacing must be normal, not condensed in any manner. 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 all sides. Smaller type may be used in figures and tables as long as it is clearly legible. Pages shall be numbered starting with the cover page being Page 1. 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. Blank pages, title pages, tables of content, lists, tabs, or cover sheets are not included in the page count. The proposal page limit does not include the offeror's proposed non-proprietary Contractor Statement of Work (C-SOW); however, the same formatting rules apply to the C-SOW. A CD-R with the Microsoft Word version of the Technical/Management Proposal and the C-SOW must be submitted with the hard copies of the proposal and must match the hard copy. Please note: The Government will check the proposal and C-SOW for conformance to the stated requirements. Any pages in excess of the stated page limitation will not be considered.
2) Content: The proposal shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research and the technical approach. The technical proposal must convey an understanding of the problems or limitations of the general technology area and the intended application(s). The technical proposal shall include the following items:
i. Executive Summary: Describe the proposed project, objectives, and approach. Provide a vision of what will ultimately be achieved and what solution this effort will produce. Summarize the technical issues addressed without repeating the objectives. Discuss the innovation and benefits of the proposed approach and its relationship to previous efforts.
ii. Project Description: Describe the techniques, methods, materials, or ideas that will be addressed in this proposal, their innovation, and to what degree they advance the state-of-the-art.iii. Project Plan: Describe in detail the planned approach and how the plan will be executed. This section should include all technical aspects of the approach. Provide technical detail and analysis necessary to support the technical approach proposed. Clearly identify the core of the intended approach. The "new and creative" solution to the problem(s) should be developed and analyzed in this section. Include a risk assessment of key technical, schedule, or cost areas and their potential impact on the project. If subcontractors are involved, identify why the proposed subcontractors were selected and what tasks they are to perform.
iv. Contractor's Statement of Work (C-SOW): The C-SOW, a stand-alone document, should detail the research to be accomplished under the technical area and should be suitable for incorporation into the award document. The proposed C-SOW should summarize the technical methodology and the task description, but not to the extent to make the awarded instrument inflexible. Do not include any proprietary information in the C-SOW since contractors may request copies of previously awarded contracts under the Freedom of Information Act. Consequently, it is imperative that no company-sensitive information be included in the C-SOW. For assistance in preparing the C-SOW, refer to the BAA Guide for Industry which can be accessed on line at http://www.wpafb.af.mil/Portals/60/documents/afrl/AFRL-broad-agency-announcement-guide.pdf?ver=2016-07-08-141724-390 located in Attachment 2: Sample Statement of Work.
v. Milestone Chart: A Milestone Chart should indicate when specificobjectives are expected to be met in the overall program schedule and should identify the specific accomplishments necessary to proceed to the next task. Provide a schedule of when the deliverable items identified are to be delivered.
vi. Facilities and Equipment description: Describe the facilities that will be used to achieve the goals of the project in terms of manufacturing capability, testing facilities, and/or any relevant specialized equipment as appropriate.
vii. Description of Relevant Prior Work: Provide a list of related previous or current government, commercial, or internally funded work during the past five years. For each such effort, provide the principal investigator, title of effort, contract number, a brief summary of results, the dollar value, and a technical and contracting point of contact, including phone numbers, for the funding organizations.
viii. Management Plan: Offerors should provide an approach that demonstrates the ability to effectively and efficiently manage and administer the research project to a successful conclusion.
ix. Resumes of Key Individuals: Include brief summaries of resumes ofrelevant key individuals including any consultants or subcontractors that might be proposed.
c) Cost/Business Proposal:
This part of the proposal will be separated into a Cost section and a Business section as described below. Prospective offerors are encouraged to discuss the type of contract proposed with the appropriate contracting point of contact prior to preparing a proposal.
1) Business Section: The business section should contain all business aspects of the proposed contractual arrangement, such as type of contract/instrument, any exceptions to the terms and conditions of the announcement, including a rationale for the exception, any information not technically related, etc. Include the completed representations and certifications and any specific representations and certifications. There is no page limit for this section; however, offerors are requested to limit the business section to 20 pages.
2) Cost Section: Cost proposal instructions are provided in attachment #2. Cost proposals have no page limitations, but brevity is encouraged. d) Proposal Content Summary: A proposal may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this announcement are not met by the proposal due date. Failure to provide a complete proposal may result in a determination that the proposal is non-responsive and may be eliminated from consideration for award.
VII. PROPOSAL REVIEW and EVALUATION PROCEDURES:
1. Criteria: The selection of one or more sources for award will be based on an evaluation of each proposal to determine its overall merit in response this announcement. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with FAR 35.016, Broad Agency Announcement. The evaluation will utilize a peer or scientific review process and shall be based on the following criteria that are listed in descending order of importance:
A. Overall scientific and technical merits of the proposalB. Importance to AFRL/RVBY programsC. Funds availability
Once selected for possible award, the price will be evaluated for realism and reasonableness. 2. Review and Selection Process: Proposals will be categorized as follows:
a. Highly Recommended: Proposals are recommended for acceptance if sufficient funding is available; the overall scientific and technical merits exceed the requirements; and the technology/development path is directly applicable to AFRL/RVBY programs and are highly important to those programs. A proposal may be displaced only by other Highly Recommended proposals.
b. Selectable: Proposals are recommended for acceptance if sufficient funding is available; the overall scientific and technical merits meet the requirements; and the technology/development path is applicable to AFRL/RVBY programs. However, these proposals are at a lower priority than Highly Recommended proposals and the proposals may require additional development. To ensure a diversity of approaches, a Selectable proposal may be prioritized over a Highly Recommended proposal if the Selectable proposal presents a unique approach unlike any of the Highly Recommended proposals.
c. Not Selectable: Proposals are not recommended for acceptance even if sufficient funding is available; the overall scientific and technical merits do not meet the AFRL/RVBY requirements.
VIII. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION
1. Award Notices: Offerors will be notified in writing whether their proposal is recommended for award. An award recommendation does not mean that an award is assured since availability of funds and successful negotiations are prerequisites to any award.
2. Debriefings: When requested, a debriefing will be provided. The debriefing process will follow the guidelines set out in FAR 15.505 and 15.506, but the debriefing content may vary to be consistent with the procedures that govern BAAs (FAR 35.016).
IX. OTHER INFORMATION
1. Bidders Library: A Bidders Library is available from the government by contacting the technical and contracting POCs. Bidders must submit proof of US citizenship and the government will send them information via AMRDEC secure file transfer. Information in the bidders library is considered ITAR controlled and must be securely controlled by offers. Below is the list of available documents
a. EAGLE General Environment/Interface Specification Requirements and Test Document (GEISRT) (Document)b. EAGLE Payload Users Guide (Document)c. Cyber Hard by Design Guidelines (Document)
2. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI): Organizational Conflict of Interest may apply to this action but cannot be determined prior to issuance of this announcement. FAR Subpart 9.5, and Team Arrangements, FAR Subpart 9.6: All offerors shall provide a written statement whether or not OCI and or Team Arrangements applies when submitting a proposal; otherwise, the offerors' proposal shall be considered "NON-RESPONSIVE" to this solicitation. If the offerors states that OCI and or Team Arrangement applies, then the offeror shall submit a Mitigation Plan (for OCI) with their proposal in accordance with FAR 9.505, General rules. All items within FAR Subpart 9.5 and Subpart 9.6 apply. OCI or Team Arrangements may apply to this action but cannot be determined prior to issuance of this announcement. Proposing firms should contact the cognizant Ethics Counselor from the employee's Government agency for further guidance if in this situation. This issue and the need for applicable clauses will be resolved prior to the award of any instrument resulting from an offeror's proposal.
3. Support Contractors: Only Government employees will evaluate the proposals for selection. AFRL Directed Energy (RD) and Space Vehicles (RV) Directorates have contracted for various business and staff support services, some of which require contractors to obtain administrative access to proprietary information submitted by other contractors. Administrative access is defined as "handling or having physical control over information for the sole purpose of accomplishing the administrative functions specified in the administrative support contract, which do not require the review, reading, or comprehension of the content of the information on the part of non-technical professionals assigned to accomplish the specified administrative tasks." These contractors have signed general non-disclosure agreements and organizational conflict of interest statements. The required administrative access will be granted to non-technical professionals. Examples of the administrative tasks performed include: a.) Assembling and organizing information for R&D case files; b.) Accessing library files for use by government personnel; and c.) Handling and administration of proposals, contracts, contract funding and queries. Consent to administrative access is included in the representations and certifications that will be provided as attachment #4. Any objection to administrative access must be in writing to the Contracting Officer and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection.
4. Wide Area Workflow Notice: Any contract or award resulting from this announcement must comply with DFARS 252.232-7003, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests, which requires electronic submission of all payment requests. The Department of Defense adopted the Wide Area Workflow (WAWF) system as the electronic format for submission of payment requests. Any contract resulting from this announcement will establish a requirement to use WAWF for invoicing and receipt/acceptance and will provide coding instructions applicable to the contract. Contractors are encouraged to take advantage of available training, both web-based and through their organization's cognizant Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) office, and to register in the WAWF system. Information regarding WAWF, including the web-based training and registration, can be found at https://wawf.eb.mil/ .
5. Item Identification and Valuation: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at DFARS 252.211-7003, Item Identification and Valuation, which requires unique item identification and valuation of any deliverable item for which the government's unit acquisition cost is $5,000 or more; subassemblies, components, and parts embedded within an item valued at $5,000 or more; or items for which the government's unit acquisition cost is less than $5,000 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. Per DFARS 211.274-3 policy for valuation, it is DoD policy that contractors shall be required to identify the government's unit acquisition cost for all items delivered, even if none of the criteria for placing a unique item identification mark applies. Therefore, your proposal must clearly break out the unit acquisition cost for any deliverable items. Per DFARS 211.274-3 policy for valuation, "the government's unit acquisition cost is the contractor's estimated fully burdened unit cost at time of delivery to the government for cost type or undefinitized line, subline, or exhibit line items" (per DoD, "fully burdened unit costs" to the government would include all direct, indirect, G&A costs, and an appropriate portion of fee.). If you have questions regarding the unique item identification requirements, please contact the contracting point of contact listed above. The contract will also include DFARS 252.211-7007, Reporting of Government-Furnished Equipment in the DoD Item Unique Identification (IUID) Registry IAW the clause.
6. Forward Pricing Rate Agreements or Payroll Direct Labor Rates and DCMA or DCAA information: Offerors who have forward pricing rate agreements (FPRAs) and forward pricing rate recommendations (FPRRs) or Payroll Direct labor rates as well as DCMA or DCAA rate and audit information should submit them with their proposal .
7. Pre-Award Clearance: Pursuant to FAR 22.805, Procedures for Equal Employment Opportunities, a pre-award clearance must be obtained from the U.S. Department Of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Office Of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (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 at: http://www.dol-esa.gov/preaward. 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; facilities reviewed more than 2 years ago are removed and new ones are added. An award may be delayed if the offeror's organization is not currently listed in the registry and the contracting officer must request a pre-award clearance from the OFCCP.
8. Excessive Pass-Through Charges: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at FAR 52.215-22, Limitations on Pass-Through Charges - Identification of Subcontract Effort, and FAR 52.215-23 Alt I, Limitations on Pass Through Charges. The offeror shall identify in its proposal the total cost of the work to be performed by the offeror and the total cost of the work to be performed by each subcontractor under the contract, task order, or delivery order. If the offeror intends to subcontract more than 70 percent of the total cost of work to be performed under the contract, task order, or delivery order, the offeror shall identify in its proposal: (i) The amount of the offeror's indirect costs and profit/fee applicable to the work to be performed by the subcontractor(s); and (ii) A description of the added value provided by the offeror as related to the work to be performed by the subcontractor(s). If any subcontractor proposed under the contract, task order, or delivery order intends to subcontract to a lower-tier subcontractor more than 70 percent of the total cost of work to be performed under its subcontract, the offeror shall identify in its proposal: (i) The amount of the subcontractor's indirect costs and profit/fee applicable to the work to be performed by the lower-tier subcontractor(s); and (ii) A description of the added value provided by the subcontractor as related to the work to be performed by the lower-tier subcontractor(s).
9. Associate Contractor Agreements: Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs) are agreements between contractors working on government contract projects that specify requirements for sharing 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 whom agreements are required.
10. Post-Award Small Business Program Re-representation: As prescribed in FAR 19.308, FAR Clause 52.219-28, Post-Award Small Business Program Re-representation, is incorporated by reference in this announcement. This clause will be contained in any contracts resulting from this announcement. This clause requires a contractor to represent its size status when certain conditions apply. The clause provides details on when the representation must be complete and what the contractor must do when a representation is required.11. Subcontracting Plans: Small Business Subcontracting Plans are required for efforts anticipated to exceed $700,000, in accordance with FAR 19.702, Statutory Requirements for the Small Business Subcontracting Program. Prospective offerors shall submit applicable subcontracting plans in accordance with the requirements set forth in FAR 19.704, Subcontracting Plan Requirements, DFARS 219.704, and AFFARS 5319.704. Small businesses are exempt from this requirement. If a company has a master subcontracting plan, as described in FAR 19.701, or a comprehensive subcontracting plan, as described in DFARS 219.702, a copy of the plan shall be submitted with the proposal. The subcontracting plan is a part of the cost/business section of the proposal and will not be included in the page count.
For proposed Subcontracting Plans that are below the DoD goals (https://www.sba.gov/contracting/contracting-officials/goaling), the offeror shall provide additional information which demonstrates how it intends to provide meaningful subcontracting opportunities and rationale as to why the goals were not attainable. In accordance with FAR 19.702, Statutory Requirements. If the apparent successful offeror fails to negotiate a subcontracting plan acceptable to the contracting officer within the time limit prescribed by the contracting officer, the offeror will be ineligible for award.
X. Six Attachments (1) Attachment # 1 Data Assertions(2) Attachment # 2 Cost Proposal Instructions(3) Attachment # 3 CDRLs(4) Attachment # 4 Representations and Certifications (Section K)(5) Attachment # 5 AMRDEC Secure Access File Exchange, (SAFE) Instructions(6) Attachment # 6 DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification Specification
BAA-RVKV-2016-0003 Department of the Air Force Materiel Command Research Laboratory
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