Attachment 1 - OBAA Topic No. 7 Solicitation 70RWMD20R00000006 Final.pdf

Attachment 1

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DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY (DHS) COUNTERING WEAPONS

OF MASS DESTRUCTION OPEN BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (CWMD

OBAA) TOPIC SOLICITATION NO. 7: 70RWMD20R00000006

1. Topic Solicitation Number: Topic Solicitation No. 7: 70RWMD20R00000006

2. beta.SAM.gov Solicitation Number: 70RWMD20R00000006 for Topic Solicitation 7 and, beta.SAM.gov Solicitation Number: 70RDND19R00000003 for OBAA

3. Topic Solicitation No. 7: 70RWMD20R00000006 Event Dates/Time (Local Eastern Time)

• Potential Offeror Question Submission Deadline – April 23, 2020, 3:00 PM Eastern Time

• Pitch Paper Submission Deadline – May 18, 2020, 3:00 PM Eastern Time

• Pitch Paper Notifications – June 1, 2020

• Proposal Due Date – June 19, 2020, 3:00 PM Eastern Time

• Notification of Selection/Non-Selection of Proposals – June 30, 2020

• Award date (estimated) – September 3, 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 (FBO.gov) on April 17, 2019. Effective November 12, 2019, FBO.gov is retired, and the OBAA Solicitation 70RDND19R00000003 can now be found on https://beta.sam.gov.

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 as indicated in Section 11 of this Topic Solicitation. 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 in the format indicated in Section 14 of this Topic Solicitation. Once the proposal peer/scientific review process has been completed, Offerors will be notified in writing, https://beta.sam.gov/ https://beta.sam.gov/

pg. 2 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:

CWMD.04 – Chokepoint Optimization: Technologies to improve the ability to scan conveyances for threats and other anomalous activities at chokepoints (ports-of-entry, rail scanning) through development of new capabilities to optimize chokepoint operations or to improve performance of currently deployed sensors for scanning conveyances at chokepoints.

CWMD.05 – Nuclear Sensing: Technologies to provide cross-cutting improvements to nuclear threat detection through dramatically improved performance or reduced costs when compared to Commercial off the Shelf.

4.1. Research Opportunity Description

Topic Title: Perovskites and Ceramics for X-Ray Radiography

Objective: Develop and evaluate perovskite and/or ceramic based materials for use in x-ray radiography.

Technology Readiness Level at Beginning: TRL 2 Technology Readiness Level at Conclusion: TRL 4 (Note: TRL definitions can be found in Attachment B of the OBAA.)

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.

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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.

Non-intrusive inspection x-ray systems are deployed to generate images of conveyances such as cargo containers. Cargo container imaging helps customs operations by being able search for contraband items such as weapons, drugs, and others without having to open the container. Current detectors used in x-ray radiography systems are based on materials such as cesium iodide, lead tungstate, and cadmium tungstate.

Description

Perovskite-based and ceramics-based materials have shown promise to perform as well as the state-of-the-art but at lower cost or perform better than the state-of-the-art at similar or lower cost. Other desired characteristics for materials would include good spectroscopy performance, insensitivity to temperature, and mechanically robust.

Proposed materials that perform better than state-of-the-art at similar or lower cost must achieve or exceed all of the following performance metrics:

• Responsive to x-ray energy between 0.5-9 MeV

• If scintillator, greater than 10,000 photons /MeV

• Radiation hardness of 500 MRad or greater over a time period of 5 years

• Non-hygroscopic preferred unless encapsulation does not affect detector pitch

• Producible in moderate to large detector voxels (>10 mm x >10 mm x >25 mm =

>2.5 cm3)

• Less than 1% afterglow @ 2 milliseconds

• Less than 100 microsecond rise time with < 1 millisecond fall time

For materials that perform as well as the state-of-the-art but at lower cost, some combination of the above performance metrics must be achieved. Materials developed under the topic should have a lower cost objective of ~$3.50 per cm3 initially and ~$2.50 per cm3 after optimization.

5. Deliverables: Deliverables will include monthly project reporting and an annual project summary and accomplishments report:

Monthly Project Reporting: A monthly report will be submitted each month to provide project updates. The due date is no later than the 15th of the month

pg. 4 following the month being reported. For example, a monthly report for June will be due no later than July 15th. A monthly report template will be provided by the program office.

Annual Project Report and Accomplishments: A detailed annual report shall be submitted no later than 30 days after the budget period end date. The report shall include an updated project quad chart and summary of fiscal year accomplishments.

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

7. Anticipated Ceiling: Although subject to appropriations and funds availability, it is anticipated that approximately $1,000,000 of Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 funds will be available across resultant awards for this OBAA Topic Solicitation for the first year of the effort. For planning purposes, the overall ceiling should not exceed $2,500,000 over a five-year period of performance for each award.

8. Anticipated Award Type: Award type is anticipated to be in the form of Cooperative

Agreements.

9. Anticipated Award Dates: The 4th Quarter of Fiscal Year 2020 is when the government anticipates making a resultant award for this Topic Solicitation. However, the award date may vary based on the quality of the Proposals received and the availability of funds.

10. Pitch Paper Submission Instructions: Pitch papers shall be submitted on or before the deadline listed in the Topic Solicitation in accordance with Section 5.2.1 of the OBAA.

11. Format and Content of Pitch Paper: Pitch paper format and content should follow Section

5.2.2 with the below exception -

The pitch paper should contain the following information in the following order:

• Cover Sheet (see Attachment C in OBAA for format, not included in two page limit);

• Quad Chart (see Attachment E in OBAA for format, included in two page limit);

• One page summary capturing information not included in the Quad Chart or Cover

Sheet abstract to include:

o Project Summary: The Project Summary must address the scientific context, intellectual merit, relevance to the Topic Solicitation, potential long-term impact, and timeliness of the proposed project. Must present a clear and compelling explanation of the cutting-edge nature of the proposed research and its potential impact. High-risk proposals with the potential for high impact are encouraged.

o Modes of Dissemination and Education: Provide a summary description of the mode of training undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, including collaborative training and plans for dissemination and education outreach.

o Management Plan: Provide a summary description of the management structure and approach for the effort.

12. Pitch Paper Review Process: Pitch papers will go through an informal review process as

pg. 5 described in Section 5.2.3 of the OBAA with one exception –

Pitch papers will be reviewed against three (3) criteria of equal importance: Intellectual Merit and Technical Approach, Transformational Impact, and Broader Impact which are described below.

13. Proposal Submission Instructions: Offerors shall submit proposals in accordance with Section 5.3.1 of the OBAA with the below exception regarding proposal content -

Proposals consist of three separate documents described in detail below:

• Volume I: Technical and Management Proposal (Not to exceed 16 pages. The cover sheet (Attachment D in OBAA) will not be included in the 16 page limit);

• Volume II: Supplemental Data (Not to exceed 10 pages);

• Volume III: Cost proposal (no page limit).

14. Format and Content of Proposals: The three-volumes consist of three separate electronic files, which may need to be delivered to the Government in separate emails but may be transmitted in a single email if size limitations permit. Volumes I and II will only be accepted in PDF format. Volume III will only be accepted in Microsoft Excel format (only .xls and .xlsx files are acceptable). The maximum file size for each volume is 10 MB. Memory sizes of graphic images should be minimized before insertion into any of the files and should support clear display and document printing. Non-conforming proposals may be rejected without review.

Volume I, Technical and Management Proposal Volume I shall provide the primary technical and management description of the proposal.

Volume I is the primary document to be evaluated by the technical reviewers, with Volumes II and III used as supplementary material. Volume I shall not exceed sixteen (16) pages of standard size (8.5” by 11”) using 1” margins in 12 point fonts or larger for text and 9 point fonts or larger for pictures, figures, tables and charts for all Topic Solicitations.

Volume I shall include the sections described below. The section headings below are mandatory, the page limits for each section are suggestions, and only the overall limit of 16 pages will be considered during compliance checks. Proposals for which Volume I exceeds the 16 page limit will have any pages above the 16 page limit removed and those pages will not be reviewed or evaluated.

Quad Chart The general Quad Chart can be found in Attachment C. The proposal Quad Chart content does not have to be the same as the pitch paper Quad Chart but should be in a similar format.

Proposed Research Narrative consisting of the following items:

• An explanation of the scientific context, intellectual merit, relevance to the Topic

Solicitation, its potential long-term impact and timeliness of the proposed project;

• A detailed description of the proposed research, its goals, objectives and milestones, how it compares to the current state-of-the-art, and any substantive risks and risk mitigation strategies;

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• A brief summary of prior research in this area and how the proposed research differs from this prior research;

• A discussion of the broader impacts of the proposed work;

• If appropriate, a justification for why an effort involving at least two investigators is necessary to carry out the proposed project;

• If appropriate, a discussion of the multidisciplinary approach taken and its proposed benefits;

• A description of the contribution to be made by each senior investigator; and

• A timeline for the planned work.

Modes of Dissemination and Education Narrative describing:

• The mode of training undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers, including co-mentorship or other collaborative training; and

• Plans for dissemination and education/outreach/publications including any pilot activities.

Management Plan Narrative describing:

• How the group effort will be coordinated, including the role of industry and/or national laboratory partners (if appropriate);

• How decisions will be made regarding the conduct of the project; and

• How collaboration will be evaluated.

References Cited References should include full titles of articles and book chapters cited. This section should include bibliographic citations only and must not be used to provide parenthetical information outside of the project description. Indicate with an asterisk (*) references co-authored by two or more proposal investigators.

Volume II, Supplemental Data Budget Justification A Budget Justification is required for ALL applications. Please ensure that items listed in the budget justification correspond to the funds requested in Volume III, Cost Proposal.

Please use the following cost categories to group items of cost in your budget justification.

PERSONNEL

FRINGE BENEFITS

TRAVEL

EQUIPMENT

SUPPLIES

CONTRACTUAL

OTHER DIRECT COSTS

INDIRECT COSTS

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If you wish to display your budget justification by task, please ensure that you supply a total for each of the cost categories listed above for the proposed budget period in your application.

Research & Related Project/Performance Site Location(s) Please provide information for every site (including subcontractors and outside vendors, with sub-awards or subcontracts of $25,000 or more) in your project.

Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile Please supply biographical information on key personnel.

Research & Related Other Project Information Please define any technical terminology that is discipline-specific. Be concise and direct in descriptions. Tips: Write for a general audience.

Government Furnished Equipment Mention if any government-furnished equipment (GFE, e.g. specific radioactive sources to calibrate or test detector systems) is required.

Volume III, Cost Proposal Volume III, Cost Proposal should include up to three to five annual budgets, one for each year of the duration of the award in addition to a cumulative budget grouped by the following cost categories.

PERSONNEL

FRINGE BENEFITS

TRAVEL

EQUIPMENT

SUPPLIES

CONTRACTUAL

OTHER DIRECT COSTS

INDIRECT COSTS

An annual grantees review will enable the investigators of grants awarded through this solicitation to review progress, exchange information, and promote collaborations. The PI, all co-PIs, and at least one of the students supported from each funded grant will be required to participate. Representatives of CWMD, DHS Science and Technology, other Federal agencies, and various National Laboratories and industry are also expected to be present at this annual review to provide an expanded opportunity for collaboration and information sharing. Funds must be included in each year of the proposal budget for attendance at this annual workshop. For budgetary purposes, the workshop may be assumed to be in the U.S. and be of three days duration. This workshop will be a primary mechanism for the CWMD program managers to assess progress and thus to adjust the future funding profiles for individual projects.

15. Proposal Evaluation Process: Proposals will be reviewed in accordance with Section 6 of the OBAA with the below exception –

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Proposals will be reviewed against three (3) criteria of equal importance: Intellectual Merit and Technical Approach, Transformational Impact, and Broader Impact which are described below.

16. Evaluation Criteria: The review of pitch papers and evaluation of proposals submitted in response to this Topic Solicitation will be accomplished through an independent technical review using the following criteria, which are of equal importance:

Criteria I: Intellectual Merit and Technical Approach The following elements will be considered upon technical evaluation:

• The intellectual merit of the proposed research activity will serve to advance knowledge and understanding within the related technical field and/or across multiple related disciplines.

• The proposed team (including industry or laboratory partner, if any) has the experience (include prior, if available) and expertise to conduct the proposed research.

• The proposed technical plan is clear and complete and addresses cost/schedule, technical strategies, and resources.

Criteria II: Transformational Impact The following additional elements will be considered upon technical evaluation, as applicable:

• The relevance of the application toward the Topic Solicitation requirements/objectives and the CWMD mission.

• The success of the proposed research addresses operator needs in the CWMD mission space.

• The proposed research activity exhibits creative, original (non-duplicative), innovative, and/or transformative concepts.

Criteria III: Broader Impact The following elements will be considered upon technical evaluation:

• The research activity will advance knowledge and understanding in CWMD related solutions while promoting teaching, training, and learning to support fostering the next generation scientists and engineers.

• The degree of undergraduate and/or graduate student participation in the proposed research.

• The proposed activity will broaden the participation of underrepresented groups (e.g., gender, ethnicity, disability, geographic, etc.).

• The dissemination of the results will broadly enhance scientific and technological understanding that may be beneficial to the academic community and society.

17. Program Reviews: The Program Office will have substantial involvement in the administration of the award(s) including tracking research progress toward defined objectives and goals, funding levels and expenditures, and tracking of project publications, patents, and student participants. The recipient will be required to maintain close and regular

pg. 9 interaction with the Program Office, including: a) kick-off reviews to discuss in detail the technical and programmatic aspects of the proposed research and b) program review meetings 3 times per year at recipient site, CWMD office, and/or remotely.

18. Students: Students supported (funded) under this project are classified as trainees and must be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., its territories or its possessions. Students who are not citizens or permanent residents of the U.S., its territories, or its possessions may be involved in the project, but not funded by this project.

19. Notification to Offerors of Contractor Support Services for Proposal Evaluation

Process

Offerors are advised that non‐federal, contract support personnel from the company listed below will be used to carryout administrative functions for the topic program managers and serve as non-evaluating Source Selection Organization members in the source selection process. These individuals will be authorized access to only those portions of proposal data and discussions that are necessary to enable them to perform their respective duties. The firm is 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 to members of the Source Selection Organization, scheduling and attending meetings, taking and compiling notes, etc. to Federal Government Technical Evaluation Team Members only.

Gryphon Schafer Government Services, LLC

Agreements@GryphonTechnologies.com

In accomplishing their duties related to the source selection process, the aforementioned firm 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 company listed above at the respective email address at least two weeks prior to the 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 agreement included with this Topic Solicitation. It is imperative that potential 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 proposal. The above entity shall be contacted at the email address above at least two weeks prior to the proposal submission deadline to effect execution of such an agreement and shall submit a copy of the fully executed NDA with its proposal. 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 company will result in the potential Offeror’s proposal submission being found mailto:Agreements@GryphonTechnologies.com mailto:Agreements@GryphonTechnologies.com mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov

pg. 10 non-compliant. Non-compliant submissions will not be reviewed or evaluated.

20. Questions: Any questions concerning this Topic Solicitation must be submitted via email to

CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov no later than the date specified under Section 3 or as amended in the following format:

Question # Reference Contractors’ Question

1 General (if there is no specific document reference)

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

3 (Example) Topic Solicitation No. 7:

70RWMD20R00000006, page 2, Section 9, first sentence

Please include “Questions for CWMD OBAA/ Topic Solicitation No. 7:

70RWMD20R00000006” in the subject line. All questions and responses will be posted on the website https://beta.sam.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.

mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov mailto:CWMDOBAA@hq.dhs.gov https://beta.sam.gov/ https://beta.sam.gov/