Attachment_1_CWMD_RD_OBA_Topic_Solicitation_Chem_Bio_Standoff-20190916.pdf

Attachment 1 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Open Broad Agency Announcement (CWMD OBAA) Topic

Solicitation No. 2: 70RWMD1900000005

Topic Solicitation No. 2: 70RWMD1900000005 Page 1

1. Topic Solicitation Number: Topic Solicitation No. 2: 70RWMD1900000005

2. FBO Solicitation Number: 70RDND19R00000003

3. Topic Solicitation No. 2: 70RWMD1900000005 Event Dates/Time (Local Eastern Time)

• Notification to Submit Pitch Papers – September 16, 2019

• Pitch Paper Due Date & Time – October 17, 2019, 3:00 PM Eastern Time

• Notification to Submit Proposals – November 1, 2019

• Proposal Due Date – November 25, 2019, 3:00 PM Eastern Time

• Notification of Selection/Non Selection of Proposals– December 9, 2019

• Award date (estimated) – February 11, 2020

There will be no exceptions to the time and date on which responses are due, unless determined otherwise by the Government. Proposals received after the designated closing date/time will not be considered. See 5.3.1 of the OBAA.

Note: This Topic Solicitation will be conducted in accordance with the Two Phased Evaluation Process as described under Section 1.6 of the OBAA. This Topic Solicitation is being issued in accordance with the notice and solicitation requirements set forth in FAR 5 for this FAR 35 Research and Development solicitation. The OBAA Solicitation 70RDND19R00000003 was posted on Federal Business Opportunities on April 17, 2019.

This evaluation process will consist of the solicitation, receipt, and evaluation of both pitch papers and proposals. Under this evaluation, Phase 1 will consist of the solicitation, receipt, and evaluation of the pitch papers from potential performers. Entries in the various sections of the pitch papers should be concise and conform to the specified formatting and word count limitations as indicated in Section 5.2. No formal transmittal letter is required for the Phase 1 responses. Once the Pitch Paper peer/scientific review process has been completed, potential Offerors will be notified in writing, typically via e-mail, whether as a result of their respective Pitch Paper submissions the potential Offerors are “encouraged” or “not encouraged” to submit Proposals.

Those Phase 1 potential Offerors who are encouraged to submit proposals will be invited to participate in Phase 2, which will consist of the solicitation, receipt, and evaluation of a proposal, limited to 16 pages, excluding the cover sheet, Volume II, or Volume III (Section 5.3). Once the proposal peer/scientific review process has been completed, Offerors will be notified in writing, typically via e-mail, whether their respective proposals have been selected, selected but not funded, or not selected for award.

Offerors not selected for an award may request feedback regarding the peer/scientific review findings of submitted proposals. A written request to the Contracting Officer must be received within 3 calendar days of notification of non-selection.

4. Topic Solicitation Research & Development Focus Areas:

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CWMD.07 – Chemical and Biological Detection: Provide increased capability to detect and identify chemical and biological threats in response to emerging operational needs.

4.1. Research Opportunity Description

Title: Stand-Off Detection and Identification of Hazardous Biological or Chemical Materials

Objective: Mature biological and/or chemical standoff detection technologies that have been proven in a laboratory environment for use in a relevant operational environment as rapidly deployable (e.g. throwable), pre-emplaced or man portable sensors that allow operators to become aware of biological or chemical agents used as Weapon of Mass Destruction (e.g. nerve agents, fentanyl, bacteria, and viruses) at a safe distance ranging from a meter to kilometers depending on the specific mission.

Technology Readiness Level at Beginning: TRL 4 Technology Readiness Level at Conclusion: TRL 6

Background

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is committed to using cutting-edge technologies and scientific talent in its mission to make America safer. In December 2017, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) established the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) Office by consolidating the Domestic Nuclear Detection Office (DNDO) and a majority of the Office of Health Affairs (OHA). The mission of CWMD is to counter attempts by terrorists or other threat actors to carry out an attack against the United States or its interests using a weapon of mass destruction. The DHS CWMD Research and Development (R&D) appropriation provides resources necessary to identify, explore, and demonstrate new technologies and capabilities that will help enable the DHS and stakeholders to prevent, protect against, respond to, and mitigate nuclear, chemical, radiological, and biological threats and incidents.

Priority needs of DHS’s operational components drive CWMD's R&D investments. CWMD looks for the following types of solutions within the chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear mission space:

• Over the horizon, future innovations that will transform the way homeland security operators accomplish their missions.

• Near-term capabilities that will solve current operational challenges and meet the Department's R&D needs.

• New applications of technologies to respond to emerging threats to the homeland.

As the threat of terrorism evolves, DHS intends to assess a wide spectrum of potential technologies that can enhance its capabilities. This topic directly addresses a CWMD Office priority focused on development of emerging chemical and biological detection needs for operators.

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Description

The Department of Homeland Security operators encounter ever-changing mission locations and environments and need a capability to alert them to potential biological and chemical hazards. To address this need, this topic is seeking to mature biological and/or chemical standoff detection technologies that have been proven in a laboratory environment for use in a relevant operational environment as rapidly deployable (e.g. throwable), pre-emplaced or man portable sensors that allow operators to become aware of biological or chemical agents used as Weapon of Mass Destruction (e.g. nerve agents, fentanyl, toxins, bacteria, and viruses) at a safe distance ranging from a meter to kilometers depending on the specific mission.

Solutions must provide a cost-effective, low maintenance technology to detect and identify biological agents, chemical agents, or both chemical and biological agents in an ad hoc environment in near-real time with a high probability of detection and low false/nuisance alarm rate without collecting and retrieving sample materials for analysis in the laboratory. For those that detect both, solutions can be in the form of a separate biological sensor and chemical sensor that are integrated together or a single sensor that can detect both biological and chemical hazards. Furthermore, solutions must be able to:

1. Provide continuous monitoring and alert the user to the presence of a chemical and/or biological agent via visual and/or audible alarm.

2. Provide reachback capability.

3. Provide the ability to operate with minimal training by operators and first responders.

4. Provide the ability to operate without requiring the user to have specialized expertise and knowledge in detecting and identifying chemical and/or biological materials.

Specifically, technologies are sought that can do one or more of the following:

1. Detect and identify chemical and/or biological agents present on fast moving objects and carriers (e.g. packages moving on conveyor belts and fast moving carriers of chemical and biological agents).

2. Be used to provide a “perimeter” of detection and identification capability for chemical and/or biological agents around a stadium or large public gathering.

3. Provide an alarm time of less than 15 seconds for chemical and/or biological agents.

4. For chemical sensors, detect and identify chemicals that are present in both uniform and non-uniform coatings.

5. For chemical sensors, detect and identify the presence of one or more chemicals of interest at a surface concentration in the range of 10 to 50 ng/cm2 with a goal of 0.1 to 1 ng/cm2 on a variety of cardboard, paper, wood and plastic substrates.

6. For biological sensors, detect and identify minute concentrations of one or more agents (e.g., bacteria and toxins) on surface accurately.

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This effort is not pursuing the use of unmanned aerial/ground vehicles to support the biological and chemical detection. Solutions must be compatible with unprotected human interaction with the screening area (i.e. Class 1M eye safe).

Phase Structures

This will be a phased development activity. Research activities are sought that can be rapidly matured into an operational capability within a 15 to 24 month time frame.

• Phase I (6-12 months concluding at TRL 4): Conduct the necessary research and development (experiments, modeling, analysis, and trade studies) to support a Proof of Concept (PoC) demonstration leading to validation in a lab environment. A draft Concept of Operation (CONOPS) for testing should also be developed in Phase I in collaboration with CWMD;

• Phase II (6-9 months concluding at TRL 5): Following a successful PoC, conduct additional necessary technology maturation to support testing in a relevant operational environment. Based on Phase II feedback and testing, work with CWMD to develop the final CONOPS for testing. Work with CWMD to develop a Test Readiness Review (TRR), report, and Test Plan for Phase III;

• Phase III (3 months concluding at TRL 6): Following a successful TRR, execute the Test Plan and generate a comprehensive final report for the entire effort.

1. Deliverables: Minimum deliverables required under this Topic Solicitation are disclosed in Sections 8.8 and 8.9 of the OBAA, to include monthly reports, performance reviews, end of phase performance evaluation & report for each phase, and final performance evaluation & report.

Performers should define additional program-specific deliverables as appropriate for the proposed approach. These may include but are not limited to prototypes, algorithms, or software packages, and will be negotiated upon selection. The government requests unlimited government rights for all software and algorithms developed under this topic.

2. Number of Selections: CWMD expects to make up to 3 awards using its FY 2020 funds.

3. Anticipated Ceiling: Although subject to appropriations and funds availability, it is anticipated that approximately $3,000,000 of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funds will be available for any resultant awards under this OBAA Topic. The Government will reserve the right to incrementally fund any resultant contracts awarded from this OBAA Topic as provided by the FAR 52.232-22, “Limitation of Funds.” Contracts or other agreements that obligate funds will not have an overall period of performance that exceeds 24 months from the date of contract award. Offerors must propose a 6 to 9 month base effort for Phase I with additional option periods for Phase II and Phase

III.

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4. Anticipated Award Type: Award type is anticipated to be in the form of Cost Reimbursement type contracts. However, the Government reserves the right to award Fixed Price, Other Transactional Authority, or Interagency Agreements (IAs) to appropriate parties should the situation warrant.

In the event an Offeror or subcontractor is a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), Department of Energy National Laboratory, or other Federally funded entity, DHS/CWMD will work with the appropriate sponsoring agency to issue an interagency agreement pursuant to the Homeland Security Act of 2002, Economy Act (31 U.S.C. 1535), or other appropriate authority.

5. Anticipated Award Dates: The 2nd Quarter of Fiscal Year 2020 is when the government anticipates making any resultant awards under this Topic. However, the award date may vary based on the quality of the Proposals received and the availability of funds.

6. Pitch Paper Instructions: Potential Offerors must submit their Pitch Papers in accordance with the CWMD OBAA, Section 5.2 - Pitch Paper Format and Submission Process. See FBO link above for access to CWMD OBAA Solicitation Number 70RDND19R00000003.

7. Pitch Paper Review Process: Pitch papers will be reviewed in accordance with Section 5.2.3 of the OBAA.

8. Proposal Instructions: Offerors participating in Phase II’s Proposal process must submit their Proposals in accordance with CWMD OBAA, Section 5.3 - Proposal Format and Submission Process. The Statement of Work (SOW) must follow the format in Attachment 1. See FBO link above for access to CWMD OBAA Solicitation Number 70RDND19R00000003.

9. Proposal Evaluation Process: Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Section 6 of the

OBAA.

10. Notification to Offerors of Contractor Support Services for Proposal Evaluation Process

Offerors are advised that non‐federal, contract support personnel from the two companies listed below will be used to carryout administrative functions for the topic program managers and serve as Source Selection Organization members in the source selection process. These individuals will be authorized access to only those portions of pitch paper and/or proposal data and discussions that are necessary to enable them to perform their respective duties. The firms are expressly prohibited from competing on the subject acquisition and from scoring or rating of proposals or recommending the selection of a source. Administrative duties may include, but are not limited to, making and distributing copies of proposals, scheduling and attending meetings, taking and compiling notes, etc.

Gryphon Schafer Government Services, LLC Agreements@GryphonTechnologies.com mailto:Agreements@GryphonTechnologies.com

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Engility/SAIC Nancye Bates Nancye.E.Bates@saic.com 703-984-5121

Pam Righter Pamela.R.Righter@saic.com 703-488-5082

In accomplishing their duties related to the source selection process, the aforementioned firms may require access to proprietary information contained in the Offerors' proposals. Therefore, pursuant to FAR 9.505‐4, this firm must execute an agreement with each Offeror that states that they will (1) protect the Offerors’ information from unauthorized use or disclosure for as long as it remains proprietary and (2) refrain from using the information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. Each Offeror must contact the companies listed above at the respective email addresses at least two weeks prior to the pitch paper and/or proposal submission deadline to effect execution of such an agreement.

CWMD highly recommends that the Offerors use the standard one page company‐to‐company, non‐disclosure agreements found in Attachment 2. It is imperative that potential Offerors submitting pitch papers and/or Offerors submitting proposals for this OBAA Topic Solicitation submit a copy of their signed agreement to CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov, in addition to providing a copy with the pitch paper and/or proposal. The above entities shall be contacted at the email addresses above at least two weeks prior to the pitch paper and/or proposal submission deadline to effect execution of such an agreement and shall submit a copy of the fully executed NDA with its proposal. Pitch papers and/or proposals submitted to this Topic Solicitation will not be considered complete until the submission of the dually signed non‐disclosure agreement.

Failure to execute such an agreement with the above companies will result in the potential Offeror’s pitch paper and/or proposal submission being found non-compliant. Non-compliant submissions will not be reviewed or evaluated.

11. Foreign Concerns: Foreign persons are advised that their participation may be subject to Export Control restrictions in accordance with CWMD OBAA Section 8.4. Any such restrictions shall be reviewed on an individual award basis.

12. Questions: Any questions concerning this Topic Solicitation must be submitted via email to CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov with a cc to the Contracting Officer at cheri.redding@hq.dhs.gov no later than September 23, 2019, 3:00 PM EST in the following format:

Question # Reference Contractors’ Question

1 General (if there is no specific document reference) mailto:Nancye.E.Bates@saic.com mailto:Pamela.R.Righter@saic.com mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov mailto:cheri.redding@hq.dhs.gov

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2 (Example) OBAA Solicitation 70RDND19R00000003, page 15, Section 5.2, first paragraph, second sentence

3 (Example) Topic Solicitation No. 2:

70RWMD1900000005, page 2, Section 9, first sentence

Please include “Questions for CWMD OBAA/ Topic Solicitation No. 2: 70RWMD1900000005” in the subject line. All questions and responses will be posted on the Federal Business Opportunities website http://www.fbo.gov unless vendors indicate that their questions contain proprietary information for which a public response from the Government would be inappropriate. Questions will only be accepted or answered electronically.

http://www.fedbizopps.gov/

4.1. Research Opportunity Description