AUS-SIR BEYOND Final .pdf

Paperwork Reduction Act - OMB No. 2120-0595

FAA BEYOND PHASE 2 SELECTION

SCREENING INFORMATION REQUEST

697DCK-26-R-00423

Date: 08/27/2026

TABLE OF CONTENTS

1 PROJECT TITLE

2 SCREENING INFORMATION REQUEST (SIR) NO

3 COMPETITIVE SELECTION PROCESS AND AGREEMENT TYPE

4 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

5 FUNDING

6 BACKGROUND

7 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

7.1 Introduction

7.2 SIR Submission Method and Questions, Concerns, and Clarifications

7.3 Place, Date, Time, and Format for Submission of Proposals

8 OFFEROR PROPOSAL CONTENT

8.1 Proposal Instructions

8.2 Technical Submission Package

9 BEYOND PHASE 2 SELECTION & OFFEROR PROPOSAL EVALUATION

9.1 Evaluation Methodology and Selection

9.2 Evaluation Criteria for Award

9.2.2Comparative Analysis

10 PERIOD OF OFFER

11 EXPENSES RELATED TO OFFEROR SUBMISSIONS

12 COMMUNICATIONS WITH OFFERORS

13 NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION OF OFFERORS

14 DISPOSITION OF PROPOSALS

15 NON-GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL PARTICIPATION

16 RESPONSIBLE PROSPECTIVE OFFEROR

17 CERTIFICATION OF REGISTRATION IN THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD

MANAGEMENT (SAM)

18 APPENDIX A: APPLICABLE CLAUSES

19 APPENDIX B: SIR ACRONYMS

1 PROJECT TITLE

BEYOND Phase 2 Selection.

2 SCREENING INFORMATION REQUEST (SIR) NO.

697DCK-26-R-00423

3 COMPETITIVE SELECTION PROCESS AND AGREEMENT TYPE

4 The FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L.118-63) Section 920, allows for the expansion of the BEYOND program. The FAA will implement a BEYOND Phase 2 competitive selection process, through this SIR. This competitive selection process is not a procurement or acquisition under the FAA Acquisition Management System. The FAA did not develop any acquisition requirements for this competitive selection process, and the process will not result in the award of a procurement contract. Consistent with the FAA Administrator’s authorities under 49 U.S.C. §106(l) and (m), this process will result in the award of an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). The FAA intends to award up to eight (8) OTAs through this solicitation.

5 PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE

The BEYOND Phase 2 OTA shall begin on the date of award and shall terminate on September 30, 2028, unless subsequent updates to FAA Reauthorization Act of 2024 (P.L. 118-63) extend the termination date of the program.

6 FUNDING

There is no FAA funding for the BEYOND Phase 2 OTA. Each Party will be responsible for its own costs for responding to this solicitation and, if awarded an OTA, complying with the terms and conditions of the OTA.

7 Each Party will be responsible for its own costs for responding to this solicitation and, if awarded an OTA, complying with the terms and conditions of the OTA. BACKGROUND

A Presidential Memorandum established the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Integration Pilot Program (IPP) on October 25, 2017. The nine IPP lead participants accomplished many achievements under the IPP, but there were still challenges to be met, which are detailed in the IPP Final Report. Once the program concluded on October 25, 2020, as mandated by statute, the FAA established a new program called BEYOND to address remaining challenges and continue the partnerships and progress made under IPP.

The BEYOND program launched October 26, 2020, as a four-year initiative. It focused on working toward operating under established rules rather than waivers, collecting data to develop performance-based standards, collecting and addressing community feedback, understanding the potential and realized societal, economic and community benefits of drone use and streamlining the approval processes for drone integration.

The three objectives of the first phase of the BEYOND program, which ran from 2020 to 2025, were to:

• Advance UAS beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) operations that are repeatable, scalable and economically viable;

• Collect, analyze and address community concerns; and

• Identify potential and realized societal and economic benefits of UAS operations in general, and BVLOS operations in particular.

For more information on BEYOND Phase 1, visit the website.

BEYOND Phase 2 launched in 2025 with the purpose of expanding BEYOND’s scope and participants to test and evaluate the use of new and emerging aviation concepts and technologies to evaluate and inform FAA policies, rulemaking and guidance related to the safe integration of such concepts and technologies into the national airspace system

(NAS).

The 2024 FAA Reauthorization Act directed the FAA to continue the efforts of the BEYOND program and gave the FAA Administrator the discretion to expand the BEYOND program to additional lead participants and to update the objectives to align with current needs.

7.1.1 Programmatic and Operational Objectives

BEYOND Phase 2 has four programmatic focus areas: infrastructure, scalability, safety and automation. Five operational focus areas have also been identified as the greatest challenges that will need to be addressed for progress to be made: public safety, controlled airspace, remote, rural areas with inadequate infrastructure, on-airport operations and cross international borders. The programmatic and operational focus areas are characterized in Figure 1.

Specific BEYOND Phase 2 programmatic objectives:

• Safety - Contribute to safety through regulatory compliance, viable approval pathways, and tailored existing certification processes for UAS https://www.faa.gov/uas/programs_partnerships/beyond

• Infrastructure - Enable deployable technologies, physical and data exchange, Command and Control (C2) and Detect and Avoid (DAA)

• Automation - Increase Automation in UAS and aviation emerging technologies

• Scalability - Enable scalable operations by commercial, civilian governmental, military, and public UAS, through the use and expansion of UTM ecosystem

Figure 1: BEYOND Phase 2 Objectives

7.1.2 Key Performance Indicators

The Phase 2 BEYOND program has Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to track the progress and success of the overall program toward the four previously mentioned programmatic objectives.

KPI 1 – Goal Completion

For each programmatic objective, each Lead Participant (LP) completes 90 % of total milestones submitted in their Technical Submission Package (TSP) during the lifecycle of BEYOND Phase 2.

1. Short Term Milestones (1 year): Each LP achieves at least 60% cumulative milestone completion.

2. Long Term Milestones (2-3 years): Each LP achieves 90% cumulative milestone completion.

KPI 2 – Increase Automation

Each year measure the following areas:

1. Increased operations leveraging new functions of automation (provides a mitigation of risk or reduced human interaction).

2. Increased operations in more complex airspace or operation.

3. Decreased unplanned human intervention in automated sorties measured at the end of the calendar year across the program.

KPI 3 – Drone Safety

Demonstrate a decrease or stable trend (no increase) of:

1. Any incidents that result in serious injury to any person or any loss of consciousness, or if it causes damage to any property in excess of $500 to repair or replace the property (whichever is lower)

2. Breaking Well Clear

3. Near Mid Air Collisions (NMACs)

4. Mid Air Collisions (MACs)

KPI 4 – Interoperability

Progress in the development and implementation of interoperable technologies, through FAA acceptance of new services throughout the NAS. Increasing number of operations (using UTM services):

1. Phase 1: Gain service acceptance.

2. Phase 2: Expand operational service areas from primarily Class G to more complex airspace.

3. Phase 3: Acceptance of additional services.

KPI 5 – Evaluate Standards

Increase the implementation and scalable use of a consensus standard developed by a Standard Development Organization (SDO). Percentage of operations or operators successfully using a system or service, based on an established consensus standard, to demonstrate compliance in mitigating risk associated with uncrewed or crewed air traffic.

KPI 6 – Impact of Operations

Provide relevant societal & economic impact information for use in FAA policymaking. Each LP will provide an analysis of societal and economic benefits realized from operations enabled via involvement with the BEYOND program.

8 INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS

8.1 Introduction

8.1.1 The FAA intends to conduct this competitive selection process through a proposal submission and evaluation process, with the potential to authorize and designate a maximum of eight new BEYOND Phase 2 SLTTs. The FAA will notify all SLTT government Offerors of the selection decisions.

A notional schedule is below:

Event Date Proposals Due September 10, 2026 OTA sent for signature to selected Offerors October 5, 2026 Award October 12, 2026

8.1.2 Proposals should represent an SLTT’s best efforts to respond to the SIR. Failure to submit any of the information required by this SIR may render the SLTT Offeror ineligible for award, and the Offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated.

8.1.3 An SLTT may submit only one proposal as the Prime Offeror; however, an SLTT may be included as a partner in proposals from one or more other SLTTs.

8.2 SIR Submission Method and Questions, Concerns, and Clarifications

8.2.1 An Offeror’s proposal must be submitted by email to the Contracting Officer or Contract Specialist listed in paragraph 8.2.3.

8.2.2 The Offeror must be a State, Local, Tribal, or Territorial government. The FAA will only accept one primary Point of Contact for this solicitation. All communications from the Offeror must be through this appointed individual. The FAA will accept only one email address per Offeror. An alternate Point of Contact must be provided by the Offeror in their Executive Summary.

8.2.3 The following COs are the designated points of contact for this SIR:

Primary Contracting Officer (CO)

Kristin T. Frantz UAS and Emerging Technologies Branch, AAQ-590 Federal Aviation Administration 1701 Columbia Ave College Park, GA 30337 Email: Kristin.T.Frantz@faa.gov

Contracting Specialist Jackson T. LeMay UAS and Emerging Technologies Branch, AAQ-590 Federal Aviation Administration 1701 Columbia Ave College Park, GA 30337 Email: Jackson.T.Lemay@faa.gov

8.2.4 All questions from potential Offerors relevant to SIR content must be submitted by email to the contracting officer and contracting specialist no later than 1:00pm ET on September 3, 2026.

8.2.5 The FAA intends to post all questions and answers to the SAM.gov website (without the author’s identification or any confidential proprietary information).

Offerors should not include identifying information in the question. If identifying information is included in the question, it will be redacted before posting;

otherwise, the question may not be answered. However, if answered, questions and associated answers determined by the FAA to be unsuitable for public dissemination because they contain confidential, proprietary information submitted by the Offeror that cannot be sufficiently redacted will be provided only to the Offeror.

8.2.6 The FAA reserves the right not to answer any question(s) received outside of the timeframes set out in this solicitation. Furthermore, the FAA reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to extend or not extend the proposal due dates based on the questions received.

8.2.7 The Offeror understands that, if an Offeror withdraws from the selection process or a proposal is not submitted by the due date, the Offeror will be ineligible for award, and the Offeror’s proposal will not be evaluated.

8.3 Place, Date, Time, and Format for Submission of Proposals

8.3.1 Proposals must be submitted by email to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist by 3:00 PM ET on September 10, 2026.

8.3.2 The FAA will not accept any submission made by facsimile, telex, telegraph, or similar devices; nor will paper copies be accepted.

8.3.3 The Offeror must submit all required responses to this SIR by email to the Contracting Officer and Contract Specialist. Email submissions will be the only means by which proposals will be accepted by the FAA.

8.3.4 If the Contracting Officer (CO) or his/her designated representative(s) does not receive a proposal by the specified date and time, it will not be evaluated. Offerors assume full responsibility for ensuring that proposals are submitted no later than the date and time specified in this solicitation.

8.3.5 Proposals must be complete and conform to the instructions in this SIR; incomplete proposals or those which deviate from the instructions will be deemed non-conforming and result in the exclusion of the proposal from further consideration. The FAA reserves the right to waive any requirements, minor irregularities, and/or discrepancies if it would be in the best interest of the Government to do so. General statements that the Offeror understands the requirements of the work to be performed will not be considered adequate and will result in lower assessments or may be cause for rejection of the proposal in its entirety.

8.3.6 All proposals will be initially screened for completeness, accuracy, and timeliness.

Alternate proposals are not authorized, and the FAA will not evaluate any alternate proposal received.

8.3.7 It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure the completeness of the proposal. The evaluation of proposals will solely be conducted on the basis of the information contained in the written proposal. The Government will not assume that an Offeror possesses any capabilities not specified in the written proposal.

8.3.8 The resulting OTA must be signed by an official who is legally authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Offeror and who is legally authorized to enter into an Agreement.

8.3.9 Acronyms should be defined in the proposals.

8.3.10 In presenting material in the proposal, the Offeror is advised that the quality of information is more important than quantity. Clarity, brevity, and logical organization should be emphasized during the proposal preparation process.

9 OFFEROR PROPOSAL CONTENT

9.1 Proposal Instructions

The Offeror must submit a single PDF file not to exceed 26 pages containing all sections as outlined in the table below. Offerors are notified that excess pages will not be reviewed or evaluated. Executed teaming agreements and letters of intent/attestation do not count toward that page limit and should be added to the end of the same singular PDF file. Sections shall be clearly marked.

Proposal Format: Proposal pages beyond the specified maximum limit will not be reviewed as part of the evaluation. Proposals must be formatted using the following parameters:

Font Type: Times New Roman Font Size: 12 point (no reduction permitted) Page Margins: 1 inch (top, bottom, and each side) Page size: 8 ½” x 11” All pages should be numbered with section and page numbers.

9.2 Technical Submission Package

The Technical Submission Package (TSP) should contain all the sections listed in Table 1.

Table 1 – Technical Submission Package Criteria

Criteria Criteria Description

1. Applicant

Eligibility

(no page limit)

• A letter of attestation from the State Attorney General, Authorized Tribal representative, or Territorial Attorney General, or local equivalent, as applicable, must affirm that:

o The Offeror is an instrumentality of a State, local, Tribal, or territorial government, o The Offeror is approved by the chief executive officer of the State, local, territorial, or Tribal government for the principal place of business of the applicant.

2. Executive

Summary

(limit 2 pages)

The Executive Summary must highlight the applicant's vision for the future, who will be affected by the goals, and the anticipated economic, societal, and safety benefits. It must also include a high-level summary of all proposed goals, identifying the goal description, associated industry partners, and short-term/long-term milestones.

3. Detailed Section for Each Goal

Offeror must provide narrative sections for a maximum of 4 enumerated goals that each include:

• Broad objective of the goal

(maximum of 4 goals) (limit 3 pages per goal) • Detailed Description o Identify specific plans and the desired end state.

o Describe who will be impacted by the goal.

o Specify the exact type of UAS operation(s) to be conducted.

• Strategies for Completion & Requests of the FAA o Outline exactly what resources are needed to complete the goal.

o Identify the industry partners/third-party vendors involved and define their specific roles.

o Clearly identify what the applicant is requesting from the FAA, including specific certificates of authorization (COAs), waivers, exemptions, or new guidance/policies/pathways to acceptance

4. Alignment with

BEYOND

Phase 2 Objectives &

FAA

Integration Priorities

(limit 3 pages per goal)

The proposal should demonstrate how the goals advance BEYOND Phase 2 programmatic objectives in the operational focus areas identified in 6.1.1 above:

• Programmatic & Operational Span: Articulate which of the of the BEYOND Phase 2 programmatic focus areas (Safety, Infrastructure, Automation, Scalability) and operational focus areas (Public safety, Controlled airspace, Remote/rural, On-airport, Cross-border) the proposal addresses.

• Filling Operational Gaps: Explain how proposed operations explore new environments, new technologies, or new operations.

o Incorporate operations that explore the use of larger UAS, UAS flying farther distances, and operating at higher altitudes (Bigger, Higher, Farther).

• Alignment with FAA integration priorities with focus areas to include:

o Operations in Open Movement Areas o ATM-UTM Integration o Cross-Border Operations o Public Safety and Public Health o Evolving UTM Operations - Larger UAS and Higher Altitudes

5. Ability to contribute data to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

(limit 3 pages)

The proposal must detail how each goal will directly support and provide data for BEYOND KPIs. Address how you will provide valuable data in each of the following areas:

• Goal Completion: progress toward short-term and long-term milestones for each goal.

• Increase Automation: How goals involve diverse operational areas, leverage new functions of automation, and increase operations in more complex airspace.

• Interoperability: How goals increase the number of operations/users using ATM/UTM services and increase the complexity of service areas or add additional services.

• Drone Safety: Provide detailed safety management plans and measures designed to demonstrate a stable or decreasing trend in incidents and near mid-air collisions (NMACs).

• Evaluate Standards: Provide plans to develop or contribute to new consensus standards through SDOs, or successfully implement existing compliance standards (SDOs).

• Impact of Operations: Provide actionable societal and economic impact information/analysis for use in FAA policymaking.

• Supporting Documentation: Clearly define any limits on what operational, maintenance, or anomaly data the applicant/partners can share with the FAA.

6. Requests of and Benefits to the FAA

The proposal should describe how each goal will provide value to the FAA, including:

• Identify operations that are new or novel and cannot currently be conducted in compliance with existing regulations.

• Clearly identify the need for FAA involvement, detailing specific requests from the FAA (e.g., specific certificates of authorization, waivers, exemptions, or new approval pathways needed to complete the goal).

• How the information and experience yielded will result in concrete benefits to the FAA to inform the development of future policies, rulemaking, and guidance for complex UAS integration.

7. Timeline, Goals, and feasibility of completion within the

BEYOND

Phase 2 period

The proposal must demonstrate project readiness and achievable goal completion, including:

• A methodical and detailed timeline (or Gantt chart) providing a thorough account of significant activities, key dates, and contextual milestones.

• Clearly delineated Short-Term Milestones (1-2 years) and Long-Term Milestones (2-4 years).

• Goals that are exceptionally well defined (SMART: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound).

• Feasibility of completing all submitted goals during the lifecycle of the BEYOND Phase 2 program (prior to September 30, 2029)

10 BEYOND PHASE 2 SELECTION & OFFEROR PROPOSAL EVALUATION

10.1 Evaluation Methodology and Selection

OTA awards will be issued to the Offerors determined to best meet the selection criteria that are included in this SIR and reflected in the evaluation of the proposals.

The evaluation process will ensure that the recommended awards collectively satisfy the goals and requirements of the program to the greatest extent possible.

A Technical Evaluation Team (TET) Lead will manage the evaluation with the CO.

Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with Sections 8 and 9.2 of this SIR.

The TET will make award recommendations to the Source Selection Official (SSO). The CO serves as the business advisor to the SSO.

The SSO will issue a final award determination to the Contracting Officer in writing before OTAs are executed.

10.2 Evaluation Criteria for Award

Evaluations will be based solely on the materials included in the proposal. Therefore, the Offeror’s initial proposal should contain the Offeror’s best solution. After receipt of proposals, the FAA will conduct the evaluation. However, during the evaluation process, the FAA may, solely at its discretion, communicate with Offerors regarding proposal elements. At any time prior to selection, including upon receipt of proposal, the FAA may exclude a proposal from further consideration for any material failure to follow instructions, including the omission of required information, or when the Offeror is no longer considered to be among the most highly rated Offerors being considered for award.

The FAA anticipates selecting a maximum of eight of the best-suited Offeror(s) from initial responses, without engaging in exchanges with Offerors. Once the FAA determines the Offeror(s) that is the best-suited (i.e., the apparent successful Offeror(s)), the FAA reserves the right to communicate with only that Offeror(s) to address any remaining issues, if necessary, and finalize an OTA with that Offeror. If the parties cannot successfully address any remaining issues or come to terms on the final OTA, as determined pertinent at the sole discretion of the FAA, the FAA reserves the right to communicate with the next best-suited Offeror based on the original analysis and address any remaining issues. Once the FAA has begun communications with the next best-suited Offeror, no further communications with the previous Offeror will be entertained.

The resulting BEYOND OTA(s) must be signed by an official who is legally authorized to negotiate on behalf of the Offeror and who is legally authorized to enter into an Agreement.

10.2.1 Evaluation Criteria and Scoring

Evaluation of the proposal will be conducted using a single confidence rating for the whole proposal. The FAA review team will evaluate the entire proposal against the submission listed in Section 8.

Table 2 – BEYOND Phase 2 Scoring Criteria Breakdown

Evaluation Criterion Evaluation Elements

1. Applicant eligibility (Pass/Fail)

This will be evaluated on a pass/fail basis. Any offer that does not pass this criterion will be determined to not be eligible for award and will not be evaluated further.

2. TSP Sections 2 -7 (Single Confidence Rating)

These sections of the TSP will be evaluated holistically to assess the level of confidence the FAA has that the applicant can achieve all stated goals and advance BEYOND Phase 2 programmatic objectives. The TSP will receive one of five confidence ratings as follows:

5 - Very High Confidence 4 - High Confidence

3 - Moderate Confidence 2 - Low Confidence 1 - No Confidence The elements of evaluation used in determining a confidence rating are derived from TSP requirements as follows:

• Specificity of plans for each identified goal and how those plans support BEYOND Phase 2 Objectives in para. 6.1.1 (see TSP sections 3 and 4)

• Clarity of the specific role and contributions of identified industry partners or other third-party participants (see TSP section 3)

• Span of BEYOND Phase 2 focus areas supported and the degree of alignment with those focus areas (see TSP section 4)

• The extent to which stated goals implement novel technologies, new operational concepts, or include new operational environments (see TSP section 4)

• Degree to which goals align with FAA integration priorities (see TSP section 4)

• Degree to which the proposal contributes high-value data to each KPI in section 5 of the TSP (see TSP section 5)

• Specificity of what is needed from the FAA and its alignment with FAA's mission, authority, and capabilities (see TSP section 6)

• Level of detail and completeness of the proposed timeline (see TSP section 7)

• How well goals adhere to SMART methodology and are feasible within the lifecycle of BEYOND Phase 2 program (see TSP section 7)

Table 3 – BEYOND Phase 2 Confidence Rating Definitions

Confidence Rating Evaluation Element-Based Definitions

5 - Very High Confidence

The Government has very high confidence that the applicant:

• has specific plans for UAS operations that are aligned with

BEYOND Phase 2 objectives and include collaboration with multiple parters to achieve applicant’s goals;

• shows that goals are completely aligned with the entire span of BEYOND Phase 2 focus areas;

• illustrates the stated goals implement many novel technologies, new operational concepts, or new operational environments;

• shows goals completely align with FAA integration priorities;

• demonstrates a deep, comprehensive ability to contribute high-value data across all Key Performance Indicators (KPIs);

• clearly identifies a distinct need for FAA involvement that is aligned with FAA's mission, authority, and capabilities;

• conveys proposed timelines are complete, detailed and exceptionally well developed;

• shows that all performance goals are highly defined (SMART) and easily achievable within the BEYOND Phase 2 lifecycle.

4 - High Confidence

The Government has high confidence that the applicant:

• has specific plans for UAS operations that are aligned with

BEYOND Phase 2 objectives and include collaboration with multiple parters to achieve applicant’s goals;

• shows that goals are largely aligned with most BEYOND Phase 2 focus areas;

• illustrates how stated goals implement more than one novel technology, new operational concept, or new operational environment;

• shows goals strongly align with FAA integration priorities;

• demonstrates a solid framework for contributing high-value data across all Key Performance Indicators (KPIs);

• effectively identifies a distinct need for FAA involvement that is aligned with FAA's mission, authority, and capabilities;

• conveys proposed timelines are complete, detailed, well organized and with all milestones identified;

• shows that the majority of performance goals are highly defined (SMART) and are largely achievable within the BEYOND Phase 2 lifecycle.

3 - Moderate Confidence

The Government has moderate confidence that the applicant:

• has specific plans for UAS operations that are aligned with

BEYOND Phase 2 objectives and include collaboration with parters to achieve applicant’s goals;

• shows that goals are aligned with some BEYOND Phase 2 focus areas;

• illustrates how stated goals implement at least one novel technology, new operational concept, or a new operational environment;

• shows goals align adequately with FAA integration priorities;

• demonstrates a solid framework for contributing high-value data across several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs);

• identifies a general need for FAA involvement that is aligned with FAA's mission, authority, and capabilities;

• conveys proposed timelines that are logical but lack detail and or are missing some milestones;

• shows that most performance goals are clearly defined, and many are achievable within the BEYOND Phase 2 lifecycle.

2 - Low Confidence

The Government has low confidence that the applicant:

• has specific plans for UAS operations or plans only somewhat align with BEYOND Phase 2 objectives and may consider collaboration with parters to achieve applicant’s goals;

• shows that goals are aligned with some BEYOND Phase 2 focus areas;

• illustrates that stated goals implement only variations of existing technologies, operational concepts, and operational environments;

• shows goals weakly align with FAA integration priorities;

• demonstrates a limited ability to contribute high-value data across several Key Performance Indicators (KPIs);

• weakly identifies the need for FAA involvement that is aligned with FAA's mission, authority, and capabilities;

• provides proposed timelines with gaps, missing details or milestones, or is not well organized;

• shows that most performance goals do not adhere to SMART characteristics or do not appear to be achievable within the BEYOND Phase 2 lifecycle.

No Confidence

The Government has no confidence that the applicant:

• has specific plans for UAS operations, plans do not align with BEYOND Phase 2 objectives, or do not consider collaboration with parters to achieve applicant’s goals;

• shows that goals are not aligned with any BEYOND Phase 2 focus areas;

• illustrates that stated goals duplicate existing technologies, operational concepts, and operational environments in current BVLOS operations;

• shows goals do not align with FAA integration priorities;

• demonstrates no substantial ability to contribute high-value data to Key Performance Indicators (KPIs);

• does not identify a need for FAA involvement that is aligned with FAA's mission, authority, and capabilities;

• provides proposed timelines that are incomplete, incoherent, have significant errors or are missing critical milestones;

• shows that performance goals are poorly defined, poorly planned, and are clearly not achievable within the BEYOND Phase 2 lifecycle.

10.2.2 Comparative Analysis

Upon completion of evaluations, the FAA will perform a comparative evaluation of the proposals (comparing Offeror responses to one another) to select the proposals that are best suited to fulfill the FAA’s needs, based on the Offerors’ responses to the criteria outlined in this SIR.

11 PERIOD OF OFFER

The Offeror’s proposals must be binding for at least 180 calendar days from the date of the final submission. Proposals may offer more than 180 days.

12 EXPENSES RELATED TO OFFEROR SUBMISSIONS

The FAA will not pay for the information solicited, nor reimburse the Offerors for any costs incurred in preparing or submitting a response to this SIR, including costs incurred for oral presentations, or for making necessary studies or designs for the preparation thereof.

13 COMMUNICATIONS WITH OFFERORS

The FAA expects to have communications with potential Offerors throughout the selection process. The FAA may enter into discussions with one or more Offerors regarding their proposal(s) without entering into discussions with all Offerors. The scope of these discussions may explore, but is not limited to, various topics, options, issues, and/or opportunities that result from this SIR, and are in the best interest of the BEYOND Phase 2 selection process.

14 NOTIFICATION OF SELECTION OF OFFERORS

Written notice of selection will be provided to all Offerors.

15 DISPOSITION OF PROPOSALS

Proposals from unsuccessful Offerors will not be returned. The original proposals will be retained by the Contacting Officer.

16 NON-GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL PARTICIPATION

(a) Offerors are advised that employees of firms identified in paragraph (b) may serve as advisors in the selection process. All non-Government employees are required to sign non-disclosure of information agreements. The exclusive responsibility for selection remains with the FAA. Any objection to disclosure of information to these non-Government employees must be provided in writing no later than 14 calendar days after the SIR release and must include a detailed statement with the basis of the objection. This objection must be emailed to the COs at:

Email: Kristin.T.Frantz@faa.gov and Jackson.T.Lemay@faa.gov

The email subject should read:

“Objection to disclosure of information to non-Government Personnel– (insert Entity Name)

The email should read as follows:

“In accordance with Section 15 NON-GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL PARTICIPATION (insert Entity Name) is submitting a statement. The Offeror should attach detailed statements with the basis of the objection and the following information:

Entity Name:

Contact Name:

Email:

Phone Number:”

(b) The support service and technical advisors may include: The MITRE

Corporation’s Center for Advanced Aviation System Development (CAASD), the FAA’s Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC), Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC), Cavan Solutions and Titania mailto:Kristin.T.Frantz@faa.gov mailto:Jackson.T.Lemay@faa.gov

Solutions Group, Inc. Therefore, said parties will not be eligible to be an Offeror or Team Member for any of the OTAs that result from this SIR.

17 RESPONSIBLE PROSPECTIVE OFFEROR

Notwithstanding the evaluation methodology outlined in this SIR, the CO will determine whether the Offeror is responsible prior to the award of any resultant OTA.

18 CERTIFICATION OF REGISTRATION IN THE SYSTEM FOR AWARD

MANAGEMENT (SAM)

In order to be issued an OTA, registration in the System for Award Management (SAM) is required. Offerors must include their SAM UEI number in the proposal Executive Summary.

System for Award Management

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause

"Registered in the SAM database" means that the Offeror or Awardee has entered all mandatory information, including the Unique Identity Identifier (UEI) or the Electronic Funds Transfer indicator, into the SAM database.

"System for Award Management (SAM) database" means the primary Government repository for Contractor information required for the conduct of business with the Government.

"Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)" (also known as the Unique Entity ID) means a number or other identifier used to identify a specific commercial, nonprofit, or Government entity. See www.sam.gov for the designated entity for establishing unique entity identifiers.

"Electronic Funds Transfer indicator" means a 4-character suffix to the Unique Entity Identifier. This 4-character suffix may be assigned at the discretion of the business concern to establish additional SAM records for identifying alternative Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) accounts for the same parent concern.

(b)(1) By submission of an offer, the Offeror acknowledges the requirement that a prospective awardee must be registered in the SAM database prior to award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract, basic agreement, basic ordering agreement, or blanket purchasing agreement resulting from this solicitation.

http://www.sam.gov/

(2) The Offeror must enter, in Representations, Certifications and Other Statements of Offeror’s Section of the solicitation, the UEI or EFT indicator that identifies the Offeror's name and address exactly as stated in the offer. The UEI will be used by the Contracting Officer to verify that the offeror is registered in the SAM database.

(c) If the Offeror does not have a UEI, it should contact www.sam.gov directly to obtain one.

The Offeror should be prepared to provide the following information:

(1) Company legal business name.

(2) Tradestyle, doing business, or other name by which your entity is commonly recognized.

(3) Company Physical Street Address, City, State, and ZIP Code.

(4) Company Mailing Address, City, State and ZIP Code (if different from physical street address).

(5) Company Telephone Number.

(6) Date the company was started.

(7) Number of employees at your location.

(8) Chief executive officer/key manager.

(9) Line of business (industry).

(10) Company Headquarters name and address (reporting relationship within your entity).

(d) If the Offeror does not become registered in the SAM database in the time prescribed by the Contracting Officer, the Contracting Officer may proceed to award to the next otherwise successful registered offeror.

(e) Processing time should be taken into consideration when registering. Offerors who are not registered should consider applying for registration immediately upon receipt of this solicitation.

(f) The Offeror or Awardee is responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the data within the SAM database, and for any liability resulting from the Government's reliance on inaccurate or incomplete data. To remain registered in the SAM database after the initial registration, the Awardee is required to review and update on an annual basis from the date of initial registration or subsequent updates its information in the SAM database to ensure it is current, accurate and complete. Updating information in SAM does not alter the terms and conditions of this OTA and is not a substitute for a properly executed OTA document. If registered in SAM as a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned

Small Business (SDVOSB), by submission of an offer, the offeror acknowledges that they are certified as an SDVOSB under the Small Business Administration’s Veteran Small Business Certification Program (VetCert).

(g)(1)(i) If a Offeror or Awardee has legally changed its business name, "doing business as" name, or division name (whichever is shown on the OTA ), or has transferred the assets used in performing the OTA , but has not completed the necessary requirements regarding novation and change-of-name agreements e, the Awardee must provide the responsible Contracting Officer a minimum of one business day's written notification of its intention to:

(A) Change the name in the SAM database;

(B) Submit novation and change-of-name agreements; and

(C) Agree in writing to the timeline and procedures specified by the responsible Contracting Officer. The Offeror or Awardee must provide the Contracting Officer with the notification, sufficient documentation to support the legally changed name.

(ii) If the Offeror or Awardee fails to comply with the requirements of paragraph (g)(1)(i) of this clause, or fails to perform the agreement at paragraph (g)(1)(i)(C) of this clause, and, in the absence of a properly executed novation or change-of-name agreement, the SAM information that shows the Offeror or Awardee to be other than the Awardee indicated in the OTA will be considered to be incorrect information within the meaning of the "Suspension of Payment" paragraph of the electronic funds transfer (EFT) clause of this OTA

(2) The Offeror or Awardee must not change the name or address for EFT payments or manual payments, as appropriate, in the SAM record to reflect an assignee for the purpose of assignment of claims. Assignees must be separately registered in the SAM database. Information provided to the Offeror or Awardee's SAM record that indicates payments, including those made by EFT, to an ultimate recipient other than that Offeror or Awardee will be considered to be incorrect information within the meaning of the "Suspension of payment" paragraph of the EFT clause of this OTA.

(h) Offerors and Awardees may obtain information on registration and annual confirmation requirements via the internet at http://www.sam.gov.

19 APPENDIX A: Applicable Terms and Conditions

Prohibition on Conducting Restricted Business Operations in Sudan - Certification

(a) Definitions. As used in this provision "Business operations" means engaging in commerce in any form, including by acquiring, developing, maintaining, owning, selling, possessing, leasing, or operating equipment, facilities, personnel, products, services, personal property, real property, or any other apparatus of business or commerce.

"Marginalized populations of Sudan" means

(1) Adversely affected groups in regions authorized to receive assistance under section 8(c) of the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (Pub. L. 109-344) (50 U.S.C. 1701 note); and

(2) Marginalized areas in Northern Sudan described in section 4(9) of such Act.

"Restricted business operations" means business operations in Sudan that include power production activities, mineral extraction activities, oil-related activities, or the production of military equipment, as those terms are defined in the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007 (Pub. L. 110-174). Restricted business operations do not include business operations that the person (as that term is defined in Section 2 of the Sudan Accountability and Divestment Act of 2007) conducting the business can demonstrate

(1) Are conducted under contract directly and exclusively with the regional government of southern Sudan;

(2) Are conducted pursuant to specific authorization from the Office of Foreign Assets Control in the Department of the Treasury, or are expressly exempted under Federal law from the requirement to be conducted under such authorization;

(3) Consist of providing goods or services to marginalized populations of Sudan;

(4) Consist of providing goods or services to an internationally recognized peacekeeping force or humanitarian organization;

(5) Consist of providing goods or services that are used only to promote health or education; or

(6) Have been voluntarily suspended.

(b) Certification. By submission of its offer, the offeror certifies that the offeror does not conduct any restricted business operations in Sudan.

(End of Provision)

Restrictions on Certain Foreign Purchases

(a) Except as authorized by the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in the Department of the Treasury, the Awardee must not acquire, for use in the performance of this Agreement, any supplies or services if any proclamation, Executive order, or statute administered by OFAC, or if OFAC's implementing regulations at 31 CFR

Chapter V, would prohibit such transaction by a person subject to the jurisdiction of the United States.

(b) Except as authorized by OFAC, most transactions involving Cuba, Iran, and Sudan are prohibited, as are most imports from North Korea, into the United States or its outlying areas. Lists of entities and individuals subject to economic sanctions are included in OFAC's List of Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons at http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/sdn. More information about these restrictions, as well as updates is available in the OFAC's regulations at 31 CFR Chapter V and/or on OFAC's website at http://www.treas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac.

(c) The Awardee must insert this clause, including this paragraph (c), in all subcontracts.

(End of clause) Prohibition on Contracting with Entities Engaging in Certain Activities or Transactions Related to Iran- Representation and Certifications

(a) Definitions.

"Person"

(1) Means

(i) A natural person;

(ii) A corporation, business association, partnership, society, trust, financial institution, insurer, underwriter, guarantor, and any other business organization, any other nongovernmental entity, organization, or group, and any governmental entity operating as a business enterprise; and

(iii) Any successor to any entity described in paragraph (1)(ii) of this definition; and

(2) Does not include a government or governmental entity that is not operating as a business enterprise.

"Sensitive Technology"

(1) Means hardware, software, telecommunications equipment, or any other technology that is to be used specifically (i)To restrict the flow of free, unbiased information in Iran; or

(ii) To disrupt, monitor, or otherwise restrict the speech of the people of Iran; and

(2) Does not include information or informational materials the export of which the President does not have the authority to regulate or prohibit pursuant to Section 203(b)(3) of the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C. 1702(b)(3)).

(3)The offeror must e-mail any questions concerning sensitive technology to the Department of State at CISADA106@state.gov.

(b) Certification. Except as provided in paragraph (c) of this provision or if a waiver has been granted in accordance with AMS Iran Sanctions Guidance, by submission of its offer, the offeror

(1)Represents, to the best of its knowledge and belief, that the offeror does not export any sensitive technology to the government of Iran or any individuals owned or controlled by, or acting on behalf or at the direction of, the government of Iran;

(2) Certifies that the offeror, or any other entity owned or controlled by, or person controlled by the offeror, does not engage in any activities for which sanctions may be imposed under section 5 of the Iran Sanctions Act of 1996. These sanctioned activities are in the areas of development of the petroleum resources of Iran, production of refined petroleum products in Iran, sale and provision of refined petroleum products to Iran, and contributing to Iran's ability to acquire or develop certain weapons or technologies; and

(3) Certifies that the offeror, and any other entity owned or controlled by, or person controlled by the offeror, does not knowingly engage in any transaction that exceeds $10,000 with Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps or any of its officials, agents, or affiliates, the property and interests in property of which are blocked pursuant to the International Emergency Economic Powers Act 50 USC 1701 et. seq. (see the Department of the Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons List on their website).

(c) The certification requirement of paragraph (b) of this provision does not apply if the acquisition is subject to the trade-related acts in AMS Trade Agreements Guidance.

(End of provision)

Prohibition on Hardware, Software, and Services Developed or Provided by Kaspersky Lab Entities

(a) Definitions. As used in this clause—

Kaspersky Lab covered article means any hardware, software, or service that–

(1) Is developed or provided by a Kaspersky Lab covered entity;

(2) Includes any hardware, software, or service developed or provided in whole or in part by a Kaspersky Lab covered entity; or

(3) Contains components using any hardware or software developed in whole or in part by a Kaspersky Lab covered entity.

Kaspersky Lab covered entity means–

(1) Kaspersky Lab;

(2) Any successor entity to Kaspersky Lab, including any change in name, e.g.

“Kaspersky”;

(3) Any entity that controls, is controlled by, or is under common control with Kaspersky Lab; or

(4) Any entity of which Kaspersky Lab has a majority ownership.

(b) Prohibition. Section 1634 of Division A of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 (Pub. L. 115-91) prohibits Government use of any Kaspersky Lab covered article. The OTA holder is prohibited from—

(1) Providing any Kaspersky Lab covered article that the Government will use;

and

(2) Using any Kaspersky Lab covered article in the development of data or deliverables first produced in the performance of the agreement.

(c) Reporting requirement.

(1) In the event the Awardee identifies a Kaspersky Lab covered article provided to the Government during performance, or the Awardee r is notified of such by a subcontractor at any tier or any other source, the Awardee must report this in writing to the Contracting Officer. For indefinite delivery contracts, the Awardee must report this in writing to the Contracting Officer for the indefinite delivery contract and the Contracting Officer(s) for any affected order.

(2) The Awardee must report the following information pursuant to paragraph

(c) (1) of this clause:

(i) Within 3 business days from the date of such identification or notification: the OTA number; the order number(s), if applicable;

supplier name; brand; model number (Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) number, manufacturer part number, or wholesaler number); item description; and any readily available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended.

(ii) Within 10 business days of submitting the report pursuant to paragraph (c)(1) of this clause: any further available information about mitigation actions undertaken or recommended. In addition, the Awardee must describe the efforts it undertook to prevent use or submission of a Kaspersky Lab covered article, any reasons that led to the use or submission of the Kaspersky Lab covered article, and any additional efforts that will be incorporated to prevent future use or submission of Kaspersky Lab covered articles.

(d) Subcontracts. The Awardee must insert the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (d), in all subcontracts including subcontracts for the acquisition of commercial products or commercial services.

(End of clause)

20 APPENDIX B: SIR ACRONYMS

AMS Acquisition Management System BVLOS Beyond Visual Line of Sight CAASD Center for Advanced Aviation System Development CFI Certified Flight Instructor CO Contracting Officer COA Certificate of Authorization DAR Designated Airworthiness Representative DER Designated Engineering Representative EFT Electronic Funds Transfer ET Eastern Time eVTOL Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing FAA Federal Aviation Administration FFRDC Federally Funded Research and Development Center MB megabytes NAS National Airspace System OPA Optionally-Piloted Aircraft OTA Other Transaction Agreement PAO Public Aircraft Operations PDF Portable Document Format SAIC Science Applications International Corporation SAM System for Award Management SDO Standards Development Organization SDVOSB Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business SIR Screening Information Request SLTT State, local, Tribal, or territorial SRT Senior Review Team TET Technical Evaluation Team UAS Unmanned Aircraft Systems UASTS Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site UASTSS Unmanned Aircraft Systems Test Site Selection UEI Unique Entity Identifier