AFRL Enterprise CSO_FA865226SC003_DRAFT.pdf

FA8652-26-S-C003

AFRL Enterprise CSO

Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) 1

Enterprise Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) 2

FA8652-26-S-C003 3

DRAFT 7

Record of Revisions 12

Revision Number Description of Changes Date

Table of Contents 35 1 OVERVIEW ............................................................................................................ 4 36

2 AUTHORITY ........................................................................................................... 4 37

3 SCOPE .................................................................................................................. 4 38

4 INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS ...................................................................................... 4 39

5 CSO WITH SPIRALS ............................................................................................... 5 40

6 TYPES OF AWARDS ............................................................................................... 5 41

7 ONE-STEP AND TWO-STEP SPIRALS ...................................................................... 5 42

8 EVALUATION ......................................................................................................... 7 43

9 CATEGORIZATION ................................................................................................. 7 44

10 SELECTION ........................................................................................................ 8 45

11 OTHER AWARD CONSIDERATIONS .................................................................... 8 46

12 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION .............................................................................. 9 47

13 ATTACHMENTS AND APPENDICES ................................................................... 10 48

1 OVERVIEW 61

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Enterprise Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) 62 serves as the overarching enterprise announcement providing the framework for the 63 issuance of competitive solicitations (i.e. Spirals), which will seek innovative, commercial 64 solutions to meet the mission of the AFRL enterprise. Innovative products and/or services 65 competitively selected by peer review of proposals resulting from a general solicitation are 66 considered commercial notwithstanding the definition under FAR Subpart 2.101. 67

2 AUTHORITY 69

This CSO is issued in accordance with DFARS Subpart 212.70, for the acquisition of 70 innovative commercial products or commercial services. The use of a CSO is permanently 71 authorized by section 803 of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 72 (FY) 2022 (Pub. L. 117-81) codified at 10 USC 3458. 73

3 SCOPE 75

The scope of this CSO encompasses the Areas of Interest (AOI) identified in Attachment 1 76 Areas of Interest (AOI). The Government seeks to obtain innovative solutions or new 77 capabilities that fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, and/or provide potential 78 technological advancements. Meaningful proposals with varying technical or scientific 79 approaches are anticipated. 80 The Government reserves the right to amend the requirements of this CSO and each 82 subsequent Spiral. 83

4 INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS 85

Resulting solutions awarded under the CSO shall meet the definition of “innovative” in 86 accordance with (IAW) 10 USC 3458 and implemented by DFARS 212.7001: 87 Innovative means— 88

(1) Any technology, process, or method, including research and development, that is 89 new as of the date of submission of a proposal; or 90

(2) Any application that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal of a 91 technology, process, or method existing as of such date. 92

A note on innovative studies and analysis (S&A) that may be funded with Operations and 94 Maintenance (O&M) appropriations: The effort must also meet the definition of S&A; the 95 working definition of which is “short term (preferably 1 year), non-developmental, 96 investigative work that addresses urgent and the near-term needs, issues, and consultative 97 questions.” 98

5 CSO WITH SPIRALS 100

Both enterprise-wide (i.e. centralized) and decentralized Spirals may be issued by either 101 AFRL/PK or an issuing Technical Directorate, respectively. This CSO will be active 102 indefinitely for the issuance of the Spirals and will be updated annually, until terminated. It 103 is the responsibility of prospective offerors to monitor the Government Point of Entry (GPE), 104 SAM.gov (https://sam.gov), for additional information pertaining to this CSO as well as for 105 future Spirals issued hereunder. 106 Prospective offerors shall adhere to this enterprise CSO as well as the information 108 contained within the Spiral. Spirals will identify the areas of interest and period of 109 performance requirements to which prospective offerors shall focus their solutions, as well 110 as specific submission instructions/dates/times, and evaluation criteria. Each Spiral will be 111 announced on the GPE. 112 The Government is not obligated to make any awards as a result of the CSO Spirals. All 114 awards are subject to the availability of funds and successful negotiations. Any resultant 115 award has the potential for an increase in value and level of effort as the Government 116 explores the innovative product/solution. The Government is not responsible for any 117 monies expended by the offeror prior to the issuance of any award, to include, but not 118 limited to, bid and proposal preparation costs. 119

6 TYPES OF AWARDS 121

The Government intends to award FAR Part 12 fixed-price type contracts, including fixed-122 price incentive; however, it reserves the right to award Other Transactions for Prototype 123 (OTP) pursuant to 10 USC 4022 (to include follow-on production agreements). 124 Prospective offerors are encouraged to review 10 USC 4022, including 10 USC 4022(f). 125 The Government may incrementally fund any or all awards under this CSO. 126

7 ONE-STEP AND TWO-STEP SPIRALS 128

Spirals issued under this CSO may utilize either a One-Step or a Two-Step process as 129 outlined below and may be Open or Closed. 130 Open Spirals provide an avenue for Industry to submit innovative solutions in alignment 132 with the AOIs at any given time; Open Spirals may be issued by AFRL/PK (enterprise) or an 133 issuing Technical Directorate (decentralized). 134 https://sam.gov/

Closed Spirals will be issued by a Technical Directorate (decentralized) and narrow the 136 area of interest for specific requirements and require submission by a specified time. Late 137 bid and proposal provisions IAW FAR 52.212-1(c) apply. Submissions are evaluated upon 138 receipt. Submission under an Open Spiral shall not be performed to circumvent a 139 Decentralized Spiral issued by a Technical Directorate. 140 One-Step Spiral for Commercial Solutions Proposal (CSP): 142 This process requires the prospective offeror to submit a CSP in response to a One-Step 143 Spiral. 144 Contents: The CSP shall include a technical proposal, price proposal, and Statement of 146 Work (SOW) in accordance with Attachment 3: CSP Template, or as otherwise directed in 147 the Spiral. The Government reserves the right to require a Pitch in conjunction with, and as 148 part of, the CSP. 149 Evaluation: The CSP will be evaluated in accordance with Section 8 of this CSO unless 151 varying criteria is established at the Spiral level. The Government reserves the right to 152 select all, some, or none of the submissions. At the conclusion of the evaluation, the 153 offeror will be notified of the CSP categorization as defined in Section 9. 154 Two-Step Spiral for Commercial Solutions Brief (CSB) and CSP: 156 This process requires the prospective offeror to submit a CSB in response to a Two-Step 157 Spiral. 158 Step-One Contents: The CSB shall include a PowerPoint Briefing and White Paper in 160 accordance with Attachment 2: CSB Template, or as otherwise directed in the Spiral. The 161 Government reserves the right to require a Pitch in lieu of the CSB. 162 Evaluation: The CSB will be evaluated in accordance with Section 8 of this CSO unless 164 varying criteria is established at the Spiral level. A CSB that does not meet the compliance 165 or evaluation criteria will not be considered further. The Government reserves the right to 166 select all, some, or none of the submissions. At the conclusion of the CSB evaluation, the 167 offeror will be notified of the CSB categorization as defined in Section 9. An offeror whose 168 CSB is categorized as Selectable will be invited to move forward to Step-Two. 169 Step-Two Request for CSP: The designated Contracting Officer (CO) will issue a Request for 171 CSP to the offeror(s) selected to move forward. Contents: The offeror shall submit a CSP 172 that includes a technical proposal, price proposal and SOW in accordance with 173

Attachment 3: CSP Template, or as otherwise directed in the Spiral. The submission due 174 date will be included in the Step-Two Request for CSP. 175 Evaluation: The CSP will be evaluated in accordance with Section 8 of this CSO unless 177 varying criteria is established at the Spiral level. The Government reserves the right to 178 select all, some, or none of the submissions. 179

8 EVALUATION 181

General CSO Compliance: The CSB and/or CSP will be reviewed for compliance and to 182 determine whether the commercial solution is "innovative" pursuant to DFARS 212.7001. 183 Method of Evaluation: The method of evaluation for CSB and CSP will include scientific, 185 technological, or other subject-matter expert peer review process. 186 CSB Evaluation Factors: The Government will evaluate using the factors below unless 188 otherwise specified at the Spiral level: 189

a. Technical Merit and Applicability 190

b. Funding Availability 191

CSP Evaluation Factors: The Government will evaluate using the factors below unless 193 otherwise specified at the Spiral level. The evaluation factors are of equal importance. 194

a. Technical Merit and Applicability 195

b. Importance to Agency Programs 196

c. Price 197

i. Price shall be considered to the extent appropriate, but at a minimum price will 198 be determined fair and reasonable using the procedures at DFARS subpart 199

212.209. The CO will use market research as the primary method to determine 200 the price fair and reasonable. The CO may request information from the offeror 201 regarding recent purchase prices paid by the Government and/or commercial 202 customers for the same or similar commercial items. 203

d. Funding Availability 204

9 CATEGORIZATION 206

CSB and CSP submissions will be categorized as either Selectable, Selectable/Insufficient 207 Funding, or Not Selectable as defined below: 208 Selectable: Based upon the evaluation criteria, the CSB/CSP is selectable and sufficient 210 funding is available. 211

Selectable/Insufficient Funding: Based upon the evaluation criteria, the CSB/CSP is 213 selectable; however, insufficient funding is available. 214 Not Selectable: Based upon the evaluation criteria, the CSB/CSP is not selectable based. 215 Even if there is sufficient funding, the submission should not be funded. 216 The Government reserves the right to award all, some, or none of a proposal. When the 218 Government elects to award only part of a proposal, the selected part may be categorized 219 as Selectable, though the proposal, as a whole, may not merit such a categorization. 220

10 SELECTION 222

CSB Selection: If a CSB is categorized as Selectable, the offeror will be notified that it has 223 been selected to move to the Step-Two Request for a CSP. 224 CSP Selection: Award(s) will be made once a CSP is categorized as Selectable. The CO 226 reserves the right to negotiate proposed scope of work, price, and other terms and 227 conditions as may be required. 228 If a CSB or CSP has Technical Merit and Applicability, but there is insufficient funding, the 230 CO may request that the solution be maintained electronically for consideration and 231 subsequent funding for up to one year after submission. 232

11 OTHER AWARD CONSIDERATIONS 234

SAM.gov. To be considered for award, offerors must be registered in the System for Award 236 Management (SAM) at https://sam.gov, be considered responsible within the meaning of 237 FAR Part 9.1, “Responsible Prospective Contractors,” have a satisfactory performance 238 record, and otherwise be eligible for award based on federal law and regulation. 239 Safeguarding Covered Defense Information (CDI). Awards shall include either DFARS 241 252.240-7997 (Deviation 2026-O0025), NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment Requirements, 242 (FAR-based contracts), or equivalent (OTP), and the awardee shall be required to 243 implement the NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-171 in effect at the time of the Spiral 244 solicitation, or as otherwise authorized. 245 Additional Compliance Criteria for 10 USC 4022 OTPs: If the Government decides to pursue 247 a 10 USC 4022 OTP, the CSP will be evaluated to determine if the following requirements 248 are met: 249

a. Meets the definition of a prototype; 250

b. Mission effectiveness is demonstrated; 251

c. Meets the requirements for eligibility at 10 USC 4022(d): 252

i. There is at least one nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research 253 institution participating to a significant extent in the prototype project; or 254

ii. All significant participants in the transaction other than the Federal Government 255 are small businesses (including small businesses participating in a program 256 described under Section 9 of the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. 638)) or non-257 traditional defense contractors; or 258

iii. At least one-third of the total cost of the prototype project is to be paid out of 259 funds provided by sources other than the Federal Government; or 260

iv. The Senior Procurement Executive for the agency determines, in writing, that 261 exceptional circumstances justify the use of a transaction that: 262

a) Provides for innovative business arrangements or structures that would not 263 be feasible or appropriate under a contract; or 264

b) Would provide an opportunity to expand the defense supply base in a 265 manner that would not be practical or feasible under a contract. 266

Science and Technology Protection (S&TP). The Government will conduct an S&TP Initial 268 Risk Review for CSPs categorized as Selectable IAW the review procedures outlined in 269 Attachment 4. The Government may ultimately decline to award a Selectable proposal as 270 explained in Paragraph II(a)(3) of the attachment. 271

12 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION 273

POINT OF CONTACT: General questions regarding this AFRL Enterprise CSO may be sent 274 to afrl.cso.mailbox@us.af.mil. Utilized the email subject line: “AFRL CSO General 275 Question(s)”. 276 Due to the large amount of expected interest in this CSO, and to maintain a written record 278 of questions, this is the only email address that will be used for communication. Material 279 questions and answers (Q&A) will be published and updated to the GPE. 280 Specific Spiral Questions and Submittals: Any questions regarding One-Step or Two-Step 282 Spirals shall be sent to the POC identified in the Spiral. 283

DATA RIGHTS: Resultant awards are subject to DFARS 252.227-7990 (DEVIATION 2026-285 O0036), Technical Data-Commercial Products and Commercial Service, or equivalent, 286 when the awardee will be required to deliver technical data pertaining to commercial 287 products, commercial components, commercial services, or commercial processes. It is 288 the Government’s intention to acquire only Technical Data, Computer Software, and 289 Computer Software Documentation data rights necessary to satisfy agency needs. The 290 data rights will be negotiated at the contract or OTP level. 291 FOREIGN PARTICIPATION: Foreign firms are advised that they will not be permitted to 293 participate in this CSO. The research and test data produced under a resultant contract or 294 OTP may contain Military Critical Technology List (MCTL) information whose export is 295 restricted by Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S. Sec 2751, et seq.) or the Export 296 Administration Act of 1979, as amended (Title 50, U.S.C., App. 2401, et seq.). 297 NON-GOVERNMENT ADVISORS: PROPRIETARY information may be provided to Federally 299 Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDC), Systems Engineering and Technical 300 Assistance (SETA), Systems Engineering and Integration (SE&I), and/or Advisory and 301 Assistance Services (A&AS) contractors working for the Government for the purpose of 302 evaluating/reviewing CSB/CSP submissions. These non-Government advisors have signed 303 a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with the Government. 304 DEBRIEFINGS: The Government will conduct written, post-award debriefings upon request 306 and in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(e); debriefings will address the evaluation factors 307 contained herein only. 308 GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY (GFP) AVAILABILITY: GFP is not anticipated to be 310 made available under any resulting contract or OTP; however, a determination regarding 311 GFP will be made for each award. In accordance with FAR 45.201(b), the contractor is 312 responsible for all costs related to making the property available for use, such as payment 313 of all transportation, installation, or rehabilitation costs. 314 BASE SUPPORT/NETWORK ACCESS: Base support will be determined at the Spiral level. 316

13 ATTACHMENTS AND APPENDICES 318

Attachment 1: Areas of Interest (AOI) 319 Attachment 2: CSB Template 320 Attachment 3: CSP Template 321 Attachment 4: AFRL Solicitation Language for Security Risk Review 322 Appendix 1: RESERVED 324 Appendix 2: Security Program Questionnaire 325

Appendix 3: Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile Worksheet 326 Appendix 4: Privacy Act Statement 327