BAA 75D30127Q79332.pdf

CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION (CDC)

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH (NIOSH)

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA)

RFP# 75D30127Q79332

DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION OF MINE SAFETY AND

HEALTH TECHNOLOGY

Issuance Date: ................................................................... 11/05/2026

Concept Paper Q&A Deadline: ......................................... 11/30/2026 - 3:00 pm Eastern

Concept Paper Submission Date/Time: ............................ 12/14/2026 - 3:00 pm Eastern

Full Proposal Q&A Deadline: ........................................... 01/25/2027 - 3:00 pm Eastern

Full Proposal Submission Date/Time: .............................. 02/08/2027 - 3:00 pm Eastern

TABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION A – INTRODUCTION

Authority

Background and Research Opportunity Description

General Information and Process

Funding Information

Eligibility

Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

SECTION B – NIOSH RESEARCH INTERESTS

Advanced Computer Vision, Sensor Fusion, and Intelligent Technologies for Mine Safety and Health

Development of Real-Time Personal Monitoring Technologies for Respirable Dust and Crystalline Silica (Non- Regulatory)

Development of Technologies to Improve Lithium-Ion Battery Safety in Underground Mines

SECTION C – CONCEPT PAPER

Submission Process

Concept paper questions and communications

Concept paper format and content

Concept Paper Evaluation

SECTION D - FULL PROPOSAL

Submission Process

Full Proposal Questions and Communications

Full Proposal Format Requirements

Volume I: Technical Proposal Content

Volume II: Pricing Proposal

Volume III – Administrative Proposal

SECTION E – FULL PROPOSAL EVALUATION AND AWARD

Initial Review

Proposal Evaluation

Discussions, Proposal Revisions, and Partial Award(S)

Basis of Award

Applicable Clauses, Provisions, and CDC-Specific Terms

SECTION F- BAA SOLICITATION FORMS & ATTACHMENTS

SECTION A – INTRODUCTION

Authority

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is issued on behalf of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) pursuant to the authority of Radical FAR Overhaul (RFO) FAR 35.102 and RFO FAR 6.101(b)(3) which provide for the competitive selection of research proposals.

Contracts awarded based on responses to this BAA are considered the result of full and open competition and are therefore in full compliance with the requirements of PL 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984."

The CDC may award contracts with educational institutions, nonprofit organizations, not for profit organizations, state and local governments, and private industry for research and development (R&D) in those areas covered in Section B of this BAA.

Within the meaning of RFO FAR 6.101 and 35.102, this announcement constitutes the Government’s only solicitation, and the Government will not issue any other formal solicitation for the requirement(s) outlined herein. Offerors are advised that solicitation amendments may be issued via www.sam.gov and that concept paper and/or proposal submissions shall comply with the most current amended solicitation documents and/or attachments.

Background and Research Opportunity Description

The Mine Improvement and New Emergency Response Act of 2006 (MINER Act) permanently established the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research under the direction of an Associate Director, within the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. One purpose of this office is to enhance the development of new technology and technological applications, and to expedite commercial availability and implementation of such technology in mining environments. The MINER Act grants the Office of Mine Safety and Health Research the authority to (1) award competitive contracts and grants to institutions and private entities to encourage the development and manufacture of mine safety equipment and (2) award contracts to education institutions or private laboratories for the performance of product testing or related work with respect to new mine technology or equipment. This announcement is an opportunity for the award of contracts for enhancing safety in mines.

The primary goal of the MINER Act technology mandate is to improve/increase the use of technology in mines to improve mineworker safety and health, and the intent of this broad agency announcement is to support enabling activities such as technology identification, validation, demonstration, adaptation, and/or commercialization. The Office of Mine Safety and Health Research of NIOSH is soliciting concept papers to conduct research, exploratory development, testing, or evaluations of new technologies to improve mine safety, or to adapt technologies from other industries for application in mining environments. The primary interest of this broad agency announcement is to promote the modification or final development of practical technologies or systems that can be adopted by the mining community in a short period of time. Under this specific solicitation, proposals to conduct theoretical or basic research will not be considered. NIOSH strongly encourages proposals that include collaboration with mining industry partners who understand the reality of the mining environment and can provide insight into unique mining-related design requirements and potential commercialization of the technology.

Since the start of this broad agency announcement series in 2007, over 160 contracts have been issued in response to the annual solicitations.

The goal of this solicitation is to accelerate the development, adaptation, evaluation, demonstration, and adoption of innovative technologies that improve the safety and health of mine workers across coal, metal, nonmetal, stone, http://www.sam.gov/ sand, and gravel mining operations. NIOSH seeks applied research and technology-development efforts that have a credible pathway toward practical implementation in surface or underground mines. Of particular interest are projects that:

1) Advance promising prototype technologies toward mine-ready solutions, including final development, adaptation to challenging mining environments, modification to meet applicable permissibility requirements, and demonstration at mine sites.

2) Adapt technologies successfully used in other industries for mining applications, including necessary redesign, ruggedization, integration, permissibility modifications, performance evaluation, and in-mine demonstration.

3) Evaluate emerging or candidate technologies to determine their potential to improve mine worker safety and health, identify technical or operational barriers to implementation, and develop approaches for overcoming those barriers.

4) Facilitate adoption of mature safety and health technologies that are available but have not achieved widespread mining-industry implementation. Activities may include establishing initial operational capability through mine demonstrations, evaluating technology performance and usability, identifying barriers to adoption, and determining modifications needed for practical industry acceptance.

5) Conduct analyses that identify emerging hazards and future technology needs, including analysis of safety, health, injury, fatality, exposure, surveillance, operational, or other relevant data to inform future research and technology-development priorities.

General Information and Process

The Government will award contracts to proposals that provide the best value, as determined by the established evaluation criteria. Participants are sought who can develop and demonstrate technologies necessary to achieve the objectives outlined in this announcement.

This process is designed for offerors considering submission of a concept paper or proposal under this announcement. Early review based on technical merit, relevance to CDC, and projected funding helps limit unnecessary effort for both offerors and the Government.

Only a Contracting Officer (CO) may obligate the Government to contracts involving expenditure of funds. The Government is not responsible for costs incurred in developing concept papers or proposals and is not committed to funding any proposal. Submissions are strictly voluntary.

Funding Information

Estimated total funding under this solicitation is $4,000,000, with approximately six to 10 awards anticipated.

Individual awards (including the base effort and all options) are expected to range from $200,000 to $400,000, although exceptional proposals may be considered for funding up to $650,000; proposals exceeding this amount will not be evaluated.

Awards will generally be made as firm-fixed-price contracts, although the CO may negotiate a fixed price Other Transaction (OT) Agreement under the authority of 42 U.S.C. 242(c) when determined to be in the Government’s best interest. Grants and cooperative agreements will not be issued under this solicitation.

The preferred period of performance is 24 to 36 months, with periods of up to 48 months considered when adequately justified. Proposed schedules must be realistic and achievable, as extensions are not guaranteed and will not result in additional funding; therefore, offerors should ensure that the proposed period of performance and funding are appropriate for the scope of the work.

Eligibility

Eligible applicants include public, private, for-profit, and non-profit organizations, institutions of higher education, non-governmental organizations, and government entities within the United States. Eligibility encompasses:

- Private, for-profit companies developing or manufacturing industry products

- Non-profit professional societies or trade associations

- Accredited U.S. schools and public health programs

- Other accredited U.S. institutions of higher education and academic departments

- Private or public U.S.-based research institutes and centers

- For-profit and non-profit scientific, consulting, and advisory organizations

- State or local government agencies within the U.S.

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and U.S. Government entities may be subject to direct competition limitations. The proposer is responsible for demonstrating eligibility. FFRDCs and Government entities must submit a letter from their sponsoring organization, on official letterhead, citing the authority for eligibility. Awards to FFRDCs or Government entities may be issued via contract or interagency agreement (IAA).

Technology Readiness Level (TRL)

NIOSH will assess the maturity of proposed technologies using the nine-level Technology Readiness Level (TRL) framework which includes: TRL 1, basic scientific principles observed; TRL 2, technology concept formulated;

TRL 3, experimental proof of concept demonstrated; TRL 4, component or prototype validated in a laboratory environment; TRL 5, technology validated in a relevant environment; TRL 6, system or prototype demonstrated in a relevant environment; TRL 7, system prototype demonstrated in an operational environment; TRL 8, complete system qualified through testing and demonstration; and TRL 9, actual system proven through successful operation in its intended environment.

This solicitation is primarily intended to support technologies currently in the TRL 4–6 range for which the underlying concept and experimental proof of concept have already been demonstrated and further development, integration, testing, or validation is needed. This includes technologies requiring component or prototype validation in a laboratory environment (TRL 4), technology validation in a relevant environment (TRL 5), or system/prototype demonstration in a relevant environment (TRL 6). Other TRL levels will be considered with less priority.

Offerors shall identify and justify the current TRL of the proposed technology using appropriate supporting evidence, such as prior research, experimental results, prototype development, testing, or demonstrations.

Offerors shall also identify the anticipated TRL at project completion and describe the research, development, integration, testing, validation, and demonstration activities necessary to achieve the proposed advancement.

SECTION B – NIOSH RESEARCH INTERESTS

NIOSH encourages offerors to propose innovative solutions addressing any significant mine worker safety and health challenges that are responsive to the objectives and guidelines of this solicitation. Proposals outside the following specifically identified research interest areas strongly encouraged and will be evaluated using the same criteria and receive equal consideration for funding. Historically, such proposals have represented an important part of this program, accounting for 50–70 percent of funded projects in some fiscal years. Hence, any proposals addressing mining safety and health by application of innovative technologies and other applied research areas are encouraged. Examples include, but are not limited to, applications of advanced intelligent technologies and large language models; robotics and autonomous systems; novel ground-control sensors and monitoring technologies;

distributed acoustic, temperature, and other fiber-optic-based sensing; advanced subsurface and ground-scanning technologies such as muon tomography; development of permissible tools, sensors, and devices for mine safety and health applications; simulation, digital twins, and modeling of mining operations, ventilation, airflow, and particle dispersion; human-systems integration and technologies supporting psychological crisis and stress management; improved re-breathable air and emergency breathing technologies; enhanced wireless sensing and communications; high-accuracy underground localization and tracking for hazard monitoring and emergency response; and new prototypes of mining equipment and robotic tools. These examples are not intended to be exhaustive, and proposals addressing other innovative technologies with a clear potential to improve mine worker safety or health are strongly encouraged.

Advanced Computer Vision, Sensor Fusion, and Intelligent Technologies for Mine Safety and Health

Advances in computer vision, artificial/super intelligence, edge computing, and compact sensing technologies offer new opportunities to improve mine worker safety and health. Modern systems can interpret video and imagery in real time, recognize workers, equipment, activities, environmental conditions, and potential hazards, and combine these observations with information from other sensors to provide improved situational awareness and support timely interventions. Previous NIOSH research on video-based technologies for mining applications demonstrated the value of linking visual information with other hazard monitoring data. Recent advances in computer vision and AI/SI create opportunities in automated, real-time prediction/recognition/prevention of hazardous conditions and worker exposures.

The purpose of this topic area is to stimulate development and evaluation of advanced computer vision and sensor-fusion technologies for mine safety and health applications. Of particular interest are systems that combine video or imaging with sensors such as LiDAR, radar, ultra-wideband (UWB), thermal or depth cameras, ground control, environmental and exposure monitors, equipment sensors, or wearable devices. Technologies capable of performing analysis at the edge and providing timely warnings or actionable information without requiring continuous connectivity are of interest.

Potential applications include, but are not limited to (i) proximity detection and collision prevention, (ii) worker safety and activity monitoring, (iii) ground-control hazard detection, (iv) identifying work tasks, locations, activities, and events and correlating observations with other sensors, (v) data analytics applied to data collected by autonomous or remotely operated drones and robotic tools for safety inspections of hazardous or inaccessible areas and for supporting fire detection, emergency response, search and rescue, and post-event assessment.

Proposed projects should identify the mining safety or health need and describe how computer vision, AI/SI, and sensor fusion will address it. Offerors should describe the sensing architecture, data integration, AI/SI methods, and real-time or edge-processing approach; define performance measures such as accuracy, response time, range, and false-alarm rates; and address robustness under challenging mining conditions. Proposals should describe laboratory or field validation methods, deployment on workers, equipment, infrastructure, drones, or robotic platforms, and relevant usability, privacy, communications, and integration considerations. Offerors should also describe hazard communication or intervention methods, technology readiness, and technical barriers.

For technologies intended for underground coal or other gassy mines, offerors should address relevant intrinsic-safety, explosion-protection, and permissibility considerations and identify a potential pathway toward deployment in those environments.

NIOSH continues to identify the following two areas as recurring priorities within its ongoing research interests:

Development of Real-Time Personal Monitoring Technologies for Respirable Dust and Crystalline Silica (Non-Regulatory)

Exposure to respirable dust, particularly respirable crystalline silica (RCS), remains an important occupational health concern for mine workers. While continuous personal dust monitoring provides near-real-time respirable dust information, a significant technology gap remains for real-time, silica-specific personal exposure measurement. Conventional RCS assessment generally requires sample collection on a filter followed by instrumental analysis and therefore cannot provide continuous information as exposure conditions change.

NIOSH seeks innovative, small, lightweight, low-cost, wearable technologies capable of measuring RCS in real time or near real time in mining environments. Technologies are not required to use conventional regulatory gravimetric or mass-based measurement principles, provided they produce scientifically meaningful and actionable exposure information. Potential approaches may include optical or spectroscopic sensing, particle characterization, miniaturized analytical technologies, sensor fusion, advanced signal processing, data-driven methods, or other novel measurement principles.

Since multiple concepts have previously been proposed and are under development, NIOSH is particularly interested in relatively established technologies with demonstrated proof of concept and supporting test results.

Proposals should describe the scientific basis and performance of the proposed real-time or near-real-time respirable dust and/or RCS measurement technology, including silica selectivity, sensitivity, detection limits, accuracy, precision, response time, and relevant concentration range. Offerors should address wearability, including size, weight, ergonomics, power, battery life, worker burden, and cost, as well as performance under representative mining conditions. Proposals should include plans for validation against appropriate reference methods, evaluating the prototype in a mine-site, methods for communicating actionable exposure information, current technology readiness, remaining technical barriers, development milestones, and a credible pathway toward practical deployment, including applicable intrinsic-safety and permissibility considerations.

Development of Technologies to Improve Lithium-Ion Battery Safety in Underground Mines

The increasing use of lithium-ion (Li-ion) battery systems in underground mining equipment introduces safety challenges associated with confined spaces, demanding operating conditions, and proximity to workers. Large-format battery packs may contain thousands of cells, allowing failure in a single cell to propagate through modules and the larger battery system. Of particular concern is thermal runaway, which can generate intense heat, flammable and toxic gases, fire, excessive pressure, and potential explosions.

Previous NIOSH research has addressed Li-ion battery safety through thermal runaway detection and suppression, internal short-circuit detection, battery de-energization, battery chemistry, multi-cell system assessment, and management of thermal runaway gases in explosion-proof or flame-proof enclosures. NIOSH continues to seek innovative technologies to prevent, detect, mitigate, and control Li-ion battery hazards at the cell, module, pack, enclosure, or equipment level. Areas of interest include thermal runaway prevention and early detection;

propagation and re-ignition prevention; fire detection and suppression; management of heat, gases, and pressure;

electrical isolation and de-energization; explosion protection; advanced battery management systems (BMS); and system-level safety assessment.

Proposals should clearly define the safety problem, proposed technology, technical basis, expected performance, and pathway toward implementation. As applicable, offerors should address interactions among cells, modules, packs, enclosures, BMS, and other protection systems; laboratory or field validation under representative mining conditions; integration with mining equipment; reliability, maintainability, and cost; technology readiness and remaining technical barriers; and relevant explosion-protection and permissibility requirements.

SECTION C – CONCEPT PAPER

Submission Process

This solicitation will follow a two-stage proposal submission process. Offerors shall initially submit a concept paper for evaluation. Only selected offerors will be invited to submit a full proposal following formal notification from the Government.

Offerors shall submit concept papers electronically via email to the CO, Jennifer Gartzke, at xuy7@cdc.gov no later than the date and time specified on the cover page of this solicitation. Concept papers received after the submission deadline will not be considered by the Government.

The email subject line shall be formatted as follows: “CONCEPT PAPER Submission for NIOSH BAA RFP# 75D30127Q79332”. The submitted concept paper file shall be named after principal investigator’s (PI) name followed by the name of the offering organization/company.

Concept paper questions and communications

Offerors shall direct all communications concerning any aspect of this solicitation exclusively to the CO, Jennifer Gartzke, via email to xuy7@cdc.gov by the question submission deadline specified in the solicitation. The Government intends to respond to questions received by posting an amendment to the solicitation no later than seven business days after the Q&A period has ended. Questions received after the question submission deadline, but before the concept paper submission deadline, may be answered at the discretion of the CO. Offerors should not contact any other Government personnel regarding this solicitation unless expressly authorized by the CO.

Concept paper format and content

Format Requirements Concept papers shall be limited to a maximum of four pages, including all parts, and shall comply with the formatting requirements specified below:

Offerors shall submit concept papers in Microsoft Word and PDF format, using 8.5 × 11-inch letter-size pages, 1-inch margins on all sides, Aptos, 11-point font, and 1.15-line spacing. Text within tables, figures, charts, and graphics may deviate from the specified font size and spacing requirements, when necessary, provided that all content remains clearly legible. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that the concept paper contains all information required by this solicitation. The Government will redact and remove all pages over the stated limit for any concept paper submitted that exceeds the four-page limitation.

Page 1: Cover Page Offerors shall prepare the cover page clearly labeled “CONCEPT PAPER” in the first line. The cover page shall include, at a minimum, the following information:

a. Solicitation title and number;

b. Proposing company/institution/organization, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) registered in SAM.gov;

c. Proposed project title;

d. Administrative and technical points of contact information, including title, phone number, address, and email;

e. Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate for the proposed effort; and

f. Estimated period of performance, including the proposed overall project duration and, if applicable, any anticipated base and option periods.

The cover page should provide sufficient administrative and high-level project information to allow the

Government to readily identify the offeror, proposed effort, anticipated cost, and project duration.

Page 2-3: Abbreviated Statement of Work (SOW):

The abbreviated Statement of Work (SOW) shall clearly describe the necessity of mine safety and health problems, and the way the offered technology addresses that. The SOW section should be prepared for anonymous review and should not contain any information that identifies or could reasonably be used to identify the offeror, its personnel, or its partners. The SOW shall include the following sections:

a. Title of Project: Provide a concise, descriptive title that clearly reflects the proposed effort.

b. Background and Problem Statement: Briefly describe the mine safety and health problem or research and development (R&D) focus area addressed by the proposed effort and explain its significance.

Summarize the current state of knowledge and relevant technology or product development, identify the remaining technical or implementation gap, and provide supporting rationale demonstrating why the proposed work represents a logical next step toward a practical solution.

c. Objectives: Provide a brief and specific statement describing what the proposed effort will accomplish and the anticipated safety and health outcome.

d. Technical Approach and Technology Readiness: Describe the proposed technology or approach and how it will address the identified problem. Explain the underlying or enabling technology, its current state of development or readiness, and the advancements necessary to achieve the proposed outcome. Identify significant technical, operational, regulatory, permissibility, environmental, or other barriers associated with implementation in mining environments and describe how the proposed approach will address those barriers. Offerors are encouraged to include a graphical representation of the proposed technology or system, such as a conceptual diagram, schematic, rendering, or workflow, that clearly illustrates the major components, their interactions, and the intended application in the mining environment.

e. Performance: Describe the major tasks or phases necessary to achieve the objective of the project, including the principal activities and anticipated results of each task. Identify key milestones, decision points, and measurable outcomes that will be used to assess progress. Explain how the anticipated period of performance for overall project will be allocated to major tasks or phases.

f. Expected Outcome and Pathway to Implementation: Describe the anticipated technology, prototype, system, methodology, or other result at completion of the project. Explain how the proposed effort will advance the technology from its current state toward practical application, field demonstration, commercialization, industry adoption, or other appropriate implementation in the mining industry.

g. Estimated Cost: Provide a ROM estimate for the total proposed effort and approximate expense categories during project phases.

Page 4: Key Personnel and Bibliography Provide a brief summary of the key personnel proposed for the effort, including each individual’s role, relevant qualifications and expertise, responsibilities under the proposed work, and approximate percentage of effort to be devoted to the applicable task(s). The proposed team should collectively demonstrate the technical expertise and capabilities necessary to successfully perform the work. All key personnel and other staff necessary to initiate and perform the proposed effort shall be available and in place within one to two months following contract award.

Concept Paper Evaluation

The Government will evaluate each concept paper for its applicability to the NIOSH research interests and the likelihood that the proposed effort can be successfully performed. Concept papers will be reviewed by a technical evaluation team and assigned an overall rating of “Favorable” or “Unfavorable” based on the following criteria:

a. Scientific and Technical Merit – novelty, potential impact, technical approach, and scientific rigor;

b. Program Applicability – relevance to NIOSH research priorities and the significance of the safety and health need or technology gap addressed; and

c. Timeframe and Pricing Feasibility – reasonableness of the proposed schedule and estimated cost, including consideration of technical risk, offeror’s available resources, and the offeror’s capability to perform the proposed effort.

Following evaluation, the Government will provide written notification of the concept paper rating. Offerors receiving a favorable rating will be invited to submit a full proposal; however, Favorable rating does not constitute an award decision or a commitment by the Government to fund the proposed effort. Offerors receiving an unfavorable rating will not be allowed to submit a full proposal.

Only offerors formally invited by the Government may submit a full proposal. Offerors that do not submit a concept paper, or are not subsequently invited, will not be eligible to submit a full proposal or be considered for award. Full proposal instructions and submission deadlines will be provided with the invitation.

The Government will not provide debriefings for concept papers rated unfavorable.

SECTION D - FULL PROPOSAL

Submission Process

Offerors that receive a “Favorable” rating for their concept paper and are formally invited in writing by the CO may submit a full proposal. The full proposal shall include all required technical, administrative, pricing, and supporting information specified in this solicitation and in the Government’s invitation to submit a full proposal.

The invitation will specify the applicable proposal submission deadline and may provide additional instructions or requirements. Offerors must comply with both the requirements of this solicitation and any supplemental instructions provided in the invitation. Submission of a concept paper is a prerequisite for consideration for award; unsolicited full proposals will not be accepted.

An invitation to submit a full proposal represents an expression of Government interest only and does not constitute a commitment to make an award or fund the proposed effort, in whole or in part. Offerors are responsible for all costs associated with preparing and submitting proposals, and the Government will not reimburse such costs. The Government reserves the right to make no award or to cancel the requirement at any time without liability for proposal preparation or submission costs.

Offerors shall submit full proposals electronically via email to the CO Jennifer Gartzke, at xuy7@cdc.gov no later than the deadline specified in the invitation to submit a full proposal. Late full proposal submissions will not be considered by the Government. The email subject line shall be formatted as follows: “FULL PROPOSAL Submission for NIOSH BAA RFP# 75D30127Q79332 [Offeror Name]”. The submitted files shall be named after PI’s name followed by the name of the offering organization/company and the name of volume.

Full Proposal Questions and Communications

Offerors shall direct all communications concerning any aspect of this solicitation exclusively to the CO via email to Jennifer Gartzke, at xuy7@cdc.gov by the question submission deadline specified in the solicitation. The Government intends to respond to questions received by the specified deadline via an amendment within seven business days of the deadline. Questions received after the question submission deadline, but before the full proposal submission deadline, may be answered at the discretion of the CO. Offerors should not contact any other Government personnel regarding this solicitation unless expressly authorized by the CO.

Full Proposal Format Requirements

The full proposal shall consist of three mandatory volumes: (I) Technical Proposal, (II) Pricing Proposal, and (III) Administrative Proposal. Volume II shall consist of two components: Volume II-1, Pricing Proposal Narrative, and Volume II-2, Pricing Proposal Supporting Spreadsheet. Additional supporting documents identified in this solicitation, such as résumés or curricula vitae of key personnel, supplier quotations or invoices, subcontractor documentation, and letters of collaboration or partnership support, may be submitted as a combined single supplemental PDF attachment, named “Supplemental Documents” as applicable. Adding bookmarks or a table of contents is recommended for the supplemental documents file.

Technical Proposal (Volume I) of the full proposal shall be limited to a maximum of 20 pages in total and shall comply with the formatting requirements specified below. There will be no page limit for pricing/administrative proposals or supplemental documents.

Offerors shall submit proposal volumes in Microsoft Word and PDF format, using 8.5 × 11-inch letter-size pages, 1-inch margins on all sides, Aptos, 11-point font, and 1.15-line spacing. Text within tables, figures, charts, and graphics may deviate from the specified font size and spacing requirements, when necessary, provided that all content remains clearly legible. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that the proposal contains all information mailto:xuy7@cdc.gov mailto:xuy7@cdc.gov required by this solicitation. The Government will redact and remove all pages that exceed the page limitation and will not review the excess pages.

The SOW section of the technical proposal shall not include commercial product advertising or promotional materials and shall be unclassified and suitable for incorporation into any resulting award contract. Accordingly, the SOW shall not contain proprietary, confidential, or otherwise restricted information, data, legends, or markings. If proprietary information is necessary to support the technical proposal, it may be provided in a separate appendix as supplemental information, with each page containing proprietary drawings, data, or other information appropriately identified and marked. The appendix will count toward the total page limitation.

The Government reserves the right to revise or refine the proposed SOW, as appropriate, based on clarifications or discussions with the Offeror prior to award, and any agreed-upon revisions may be incorporated into the resulting award.

Volume I: Technical Proposal Content

The technical proposal shall be limited to a maximum of 20 pages, including all five sections, and shall comply with the structure specified below

Section 1: Cover Page Offerors shall prepare the cover page clearly labeled “TECHNICAL PROPOSAL” in the first line. The cover page shall include, at a minimum, the following information:

a) Solicitation title and number;

b) Proposing company/institution/organization, and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) registered in SAM.gov;

c) Proposed project title;

d) Administrative and technical points of contact information, including title, telephone number, address, and email;

e) Total proposed price; and

f) Proposed period of performance, including the proposed overall project duration and, if applicable, any base and option periods.

g) Offeror’s representative name, title, and signature (only on the PDF file).

Section 2: Statement of Work (SOW) The SOW section of the technical proposal must start on a new page. This section will be incorporated into a resulting award, it shall be written as a clear, complete, and executable description of the work to be performed.

The SOW shall be structured to include, at a minimum, the following information:

A. Proposed Project Title Provide a descriptive title that reflects the proposed effort.

B. Synopsis Provide a concise synopsis of the proposed effort that defines the mine safety or health problem or research focus area, summarize the current state of knowledge, and identify significant scientific or technical gaps.

The Offeror shall also identify and describe the location(s) where the proposed work will be performed, including the primary place of performance and any additional laboratories, test facilities, mine sites, field locations, subcontractor facilities, or other locations anticipated and the activities to be conducted at each location.

The proposed period of performance shall identify the anticipated start and end dates for the overall effort and clearly distinguish the base period from any proposed option period(s). If options are proposed, the Offeror shall identify each option period separately and indicate the total anticipated duration of the effort.

C. Problem Statement and Background Identify the specific mine safety or health issue, technology gap, or research focus area that the proposed effort is intended to address. Clearly explain the significance of the problem and the anticipated safety or health benefit of successfully addressing it.

The background shall establish the need, relevance, and technical basis for the proposed effort and describe the proposed technology in clear, concise, and generally non-technical terms. At a minimum, the background shall address the following:

a) Current State and Technology Gap: Summarize the current state of knowledge and relevant commercial or industry technology development. Identify the remaining technical or implementation gaps that must be addressed to achieve a practical and, where applicable, commercially viable solution. Provide sufficient supporting evidence to demonstrate that the proposed effort represents a logical and meaningful advancement toward addressing the identified safety or health problem.

b) Proposed Enabling Technology: Identify the principal technology, methodology, or technical approach being proposed and explain how it is expected to address the identified problem or technology gap.

c) Technology Readiness and Required Advancement: Describe the current maturity or readiness of the proposed technology and identify the research, development, integration, testing, or validation necessary to advance it toward the intended mining application. Describe the potential pathway and strategy for transitioning the technology from development to a commercially viable and available solution, including anticipated industry partnerships, manufacturing or scale-up considerations to achieve successful deployment in the mining industry.

d) Implementation Barriers: Identify significant known or anticipated barriers to successful implementation, including those associated with the mining environment, operational constraints, regulatory or statutory requirements, permissibility or intrinsic-safety requirements, industry adoption, or other relevant factors.

D. Scope of Work, Tasks, and Schedule Describe the steps required to accomplish the project objectives including key milestones and decision points.

Organize the proposed effort into clearly defined milestones, tasks and, where appropriate, subtasks. Each task shall be numbered and assigned a concise, descriptive title that clearly reflects the work to be performed. Task titles shall be expressed in terms of services, activities, or technical work and shall not be stated as labor categories, personnel assignments, milestones, or deliverables. Scope of Work shall provide sufficient detail for each task to clearly establish what work will be performed, how the activities relate to the overall technical approach, and how completion of the proposed tasks will lead to the anticipated project outcome. For each task, identify the principal activities to be performed, anticipated results or deliverables, and estimated period of performance for each task. Tasks should be logically sequenced, and significant dependencies or relationships among tasks should be clearly identified.

The proposed schedule shall be realistic, achievable, and consistent with the technical approach, available resources, and overall period of performance. Where project progression depends on successful completion of technical milestones, testing, validation, or other decision criteria, the Offeror shall identify these decision points and describe how the results will inform subsequent phases of the work. Where applicable, the schedule should also identify significant prototype development, laboratory testing, field evaluation, demonstration, regulatory or permissibility activities, and other major project events.

A Gantt chart is required and shall provide a graphical representation of the proposed schedule for the entire period of performance broken down to a month. At a minimum, the Gantt chart shall identify all major tasks and subtasks, their anticipated start and completion month, significant milestones and decision points, and schedule of major deliverables. The Gantt chart shall be consistent with the task descriptions and period of performance presented elsewhere in the proposal. If option periods are proposed, they shall be clearly identified and visually distinguished from the core/base effort in both the narrative Scope of Work and the Gantt chart.

E. Deliverables and Reporting Schedule The Offeror shall provide a summary and schedule of all deliverables and reporting requirements under the proposed effort. Deliverables shall be directly aligned with the tasks, milestones, and schedule identified in the Scope of Work section. For each deliverable, identify the associated task or subtask, deliverable description, due date or frequency, and delivery format. Where applicable, address delivery and disposition of prototypes, hardware, software code, data repository, or other products developed under the effort.

At a minimum, deliverables shall include, as applicable:

a) Technical Progress Reports: Monthly/quarterly reports summarizing work performed, progress toward objectives and milestones, significant results, technical issues or risks, and planned activities.

b) Schedule/Status Reports: Updates identifying progress against SOW tasks, milestones, decision points, and deliverables, including significant schedule deviations and corrective actions.

c) Task-Specific Deliverables: Reports, designs, test results, data, analyses, software code, prototypes, or other products resulting from individual tasks. Each deliverable shall be traceable to the corresponding SOW task and project schedule.

d) Draft Final and Final Technical Reports: Reports documenting the overall methods, designs, results, conclusions, and recommendations. The schedule shall allow approximately 30 calendar days for Government review of the draft final report before submission of the final report.

e) Data and Prototype Deliverables: Applicable data-collection and analysis protocols and, where appropriate, a prototype or demonstration system developed under the effort.

At a minimum, the final technical report shall be submitted electronically in Word and PDF formats and shall comply with applicable Section 508 accessibility requirements (refer to the note at the end of this section). If proprietary information is included, a separate version suitable for public release shall also be provided. The Contractor shall submit the applicable HHS Section 508 checklist and accessibility self-check results with the final report.

F. Bibliography Identify reference materials necessary to support or clarify the requirements of the SOW. References may include technical reports, studies, publications, standards, specifications, field memoranda, datasets, or other relevant documents. Each reference shall be clearly identified and, where appropriate, cross-referenced to the applicable SOW section or task. Provide an electronic link or other means of access when available. For materials that are not publicly available or readily accessible, identify how, when, and where the Offeror may obtain or review the referenced material. If no reference materials are applicable, omit this part.

G. Definitions If applicable, provide definitions for specialized terms, acronyms, or terminology necessary to interpret the SOW.

If no definitions are required, omit this part in its entirety.

H. Special Considerations This section can be used to describe any relevant considerations that do not logically fall within other sections of the SOW. Furthermore, Offerors shall identify, in this section, any special approvals, clearances, reviews, permits, certifications, or other requirements that are known or reasonably anticipated to apply to the proposed effort.

Offerors are not expected to identify all Government requirements that may ultimately apply; however, known requirements that could affect project scope, schedule, cost, testing, data collection, or implementation should be identified. If any of the considerations below is not applicable, the Offeror shall state, “Not Applicable.”

Government-Furnished Property: If applicable, identify all Government-Furnished Property (GFP) required for performance of the proposed effort and expected to be provided to the Contractor. The Offeror shall provide sufficient information to identify each item and its intended use in accordance with applicable requirements of RFO FAR 45.201. For each item of proposed GFP, identify, to the extent known, the property description, quantity, required configuration or specifications, intended use, location, and the date or project phase by which the property is required. The Offeror shall also explain why GFP is necessary for performance and identify any impact to cost, schedule, or technical performance if the requested property is unavailable or not provided by the anticipated date. Offerors should not assume that Government equipment, facilities, instrumentation, data, software, or other property will be available unless specifically identified and authorized by the Government.

Assertion of Data Rights: Include a summary of any proprietary rights to preexisting results, prototypes, or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research, results, and/or prototype. Any rights made in other parts of the proposal that would impact the rights in this section must be cross-referenced. If there are proprietary rights, the Offeror must explain how these affect its ability to deliver subsystems and toolkits for integration. Additionally, Offerors must explain how the program goals are achievable in light of these proprietary and/or restrictive limitations.

Information Security and Privacy: Identify any anticipated collection, access, storage, transmission, or processing of sensitive information or data and describe applicable information security, cybersecurity, privacy, or data-protection requirements. Identify any systems, software, connected devices, or information resources that may require Government security or privacy review.

Human Subjects Protections in Research: Identify whether the proposed effort is expected to involve human subjects, human-subject data, interaction or intervention with individuals, or other activities that may require Institutional Review Board (IRB) review or other human-subject protections. Describe any anticipated approvals and their potential effect on the project schedule.

Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA): Identify any proposed surveys, questionnaires, interviews, forms, or other information collections that may require review or approval under the Paperwork Reduction Act. Where applicable, describe the anticipated information collection and account for necessary review and approval activities in the proposed schedule.

Notice: Section 508 Compliance, Electronic and Information Technology Accessibility

Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794d), as amended by the Workforce Investment Act of 1998 and the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board Electronic and Information (EIT) Accessibility Standards (36 CFR part 1194), require that when Federal agencies develop, procure, maintain, or use electronic and information technology, federal employees with disabilities have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to the access and use by Federal employees who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency. Section 508 also requires that individuals with disabilities, who are members of the public seeking information or services from a federal agency, have access to and use of information and data that is comparable to that provided to the public who are not individuals with disabilities, unless an undue burden would be imposed on the agency.

Accordingly, any offeror responding to this solicitation must comply with established HHS EIT accessibility standards. Information about Section 508 is available at http://www.hhs.gov/web/508. The complete text of the Section 508 Final Provisions can be accessed at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm. The Section 508 accessibility standards applicable to this contract are:

In order to facilitate the Government's determination whether proposed EIT supplies meet applicable Section 508 accessibility standards, offerors must submit an HHS Section 508 Product Assessment Template, in accordance http://www.hhs.gov/web/508 http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/standards.htm with its completion instructions. The purpose of the template is to assist HHS acquisition and program officials in determining whether proposed EIT supplies conform to applicable Section 508 accessibility standards.