HPMTESLA PresolicitationNotice.pdf

Presolicitation/Advanced Notice for BAA 10-RD-03

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT IS A PRESOLICITATION/ADVANCE NOTICE

ONLY. THE SOLICITATION WILL BE ISSUED UNDER BAA 10-RD-03 ON OR

ABOUT 16 AUGUST 2010. DO NOT SEND PROPOSALS IN RESPONSE TO

THIS ANNOUNCEMENT.

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) High Power Microwave Division (RDH) is interested in receiving proposals from offerors to advance the state-of-the-art and scientific knowledge in Directed Energy technology. Specifically, RDH is seeking cost effective, innovative solutions for determining the susceptibility/vulnerability of U.S.

and foreign systems to high power electromagnetic (EM) environments with the High Power Microwave Technology and Electromagnetic Susceptibility with Laboratory Applications (HPMTESLA).

The HPMTESLA effort intends to develop new solutions, enhance present capabilities, and search for new opportunities in all aspects of high power EM lethality.

While innovative solutions are always a desirable end product, the overriding objectives of usefulness to the AFRL/RDH mission at hand, timeliness of the deliverables, and cost effectiveness may dictate the use of existing, adequate solutions, possibly with modifications and/or enhancements which may prove to be innovative. The intent is for the contractor to make optimum use of available AFRL/RDH capital assets and to augment or complement AFRL/RDH capabilities.

“Innovative" refers to a sound engineering solution that is new and like nothing conceived or tried before. "Mission at hand" refers to the mission or objective stated in the individual task orders. "Cost effectiveness" refers to the minimization of the costs associated with a solution or set of solutions used to arrive at the desired end-product and fulfill the stated mission or objective. In this scheme, an existing but unused solution can be said to be innovative based upon a cost/benefit analysis. "Existing solution" refers to a solution that is either presently known or has been known in the past. It may be a past known solution that has been proposed but not tested or utilized. "Adequate solution" refers to a sound engineering solution that satisfies, or helps to satisfy, the task order mission at hand or stated objective in the most timely and cost-effective manner possible.

The estimated total program ceiling for these efforts is approximately $37.0M over five years. This amount is subject to adjustments that may be appropriate for the Government to take full advantage of during the contract ordering period. The Government reserves the right to make one or more contract awards.

TECHNICAL AREAS: Offerors may submit proposals in response to one or more of the Technical Areas described below.

1. Technical Area 1, Susceptibility Experimentation: The objective of this

Technical Area is to conduct aircraft, ground-based electronic systems, sub-systems, and component susceptibility experimentation. The goal of these experiments is to provide the necessary data to allow for the prediction of HPM/HPEM (High Power Electromagnetics) effects on similar systems. The contractor will provide effective methods and approaches to quantifying the susceptibility effects of HPM/HPEM by applying and implementing susceptibility verification methods and techniques. The contractor will implement Design of Experiment methods to enhance the cost-effectiveness of effects experiments.

2. Technical Area 2, Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis: The objective of this

Technical Area is to develop theoretical techniques and computational tools related to HPM/HPEM effects testing. This Technical Area will make use of the developed tools to model HPM engagements and perform other modeling and simulation efforts. This Technical Area includes, but is not limited to, the development of techniques and tools for:

- Performing accurate and effective analysis of experimental effects data to identify effects on electronic subsystems and systems as functions of the waveform parameters: frequency, power density, pulse shape and pulse repetition frequency;

- Modeling the EM response of some portions of an electronic system in great detail to obtain an accurate description of the response and modeling other portions of an electronic system with approximate or statistical methods to obtain useable results at an affordable investment of resources;

- Predicting effects based on system components, geometries, and architecture.

3. Technical Area 3, Mitigation Technology Development: This Technical Area includes numerical and experimental analysis of electronic systems and subsystems that may be susceptible to high intensity EM fields. Major differences exist between the approaches used to determine possible system susceptibility and those used to determine possible lethality of an HPM weapon against the same system. The results sought by this Technical Area will look at the “tails” of the Probability of Effect distributions. Efforts will identify the type and level of mitigation (software or hardware) that would be most suited to provide the required additional protection. Efforts should also evaluate the risk trade-offs for mission accomplishment between retro-fit hardening and procedural (CONOPS) changes which allow for a system to be non-functional for a specified amount of time.

4. Technical Area 4, HPM/HPEM Laboratory Source and Technology

Development: The objective of this Technical Area is to design, fabricate and demonstrate more effective approaches for obtaining experimental measurements from the responses of electronic components, subsystems, and systems to incident HPM/HPEM fields. This Technical Area includes theoretical and experimental analysis on advanced concepts that will be used for improving the capabilities of HPM/HPEM sources. These sources cover the electromagnetic spectrum from radio-frequency waves to gamma rays, and their interactions with air, charged particles, and solid target materials. Additionally, as HPM/HPEM applications reach technology maturation, this Technical Area provides the ability to develop laboratory simulation capability, test environments, and laboratory sources necessary to meet the objectives of this Technical Area and accommodate future HPM/HPEM applications, sources and technology.

5. Technical Area 5, HPEM and Accelerated Particle Computational Physics &

Software Development: The objective of this Technical Area is to develop multiphysics models, supported through the development of cutting edge numerical capabilities, data analysis, optimization of computational processes, and user interface improvements to AFRL's large inventory of EM, PIC, and fluid dynamic codes. Solutions resulting from this Technical Area will: 1) enable the modeling and design of state-of-the-art sources and radiators, 2) provide an understanding of the physical processes involved, 3) support the high speed evolution and refinement of directed energy sources. The validation of results through baseline physics models used as comprehensive checks on code evolution or creation is important to this Technical Area.

GENERAL INFORMATION.

1. The Government anticipates awarding a minimum of one contract or assistance instrument per specific CALL. However, the Government does reserve the right to make multiple awards or no awards pursuant to a CALL. The Government also reserves the right to award a FAR procurement instrument or Assistance Instrument best suited to the nature of the research proposed. In the event the Government is unable to conclude negotiations with the apparent successful offeror, it reserves the right to conduct negotiations with another offeror.

2. If the offeror is a large business, any resultant contract will include a subcontracting plan, which must be submitted prior to award. In addition, Organizational Conflict of Interest may apply to resulting awards; however this cannot be determined prior to issuance of this announcement or subsequent CALLS. This issue and the need for applicable clauses will be resolved prior to the award of any instrument resulting from an offeror’s proposal.

3. It is anticipated that a DD Form 254, Contract Security Classification

Specification with a classification level up to Top Secret and/or Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) will be required during the performance of this contract. The successful contractor(s) will be required to obtain the appropriate facility clearances.

4. Research areas may involve technology that is subject to U.S. Export Control

Laws. Therefore, only offerors who are certified by the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) may submit proposals. For questions, contact DLIS on-line at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp or at DLIS, US/Canada Joint Certification Center, Federal Center, 74 North Washington, Battle Creek MI 49017-4312, (800) 352-3572. If a requirement is not subject to Export Control it will be stated in the CALL.

5. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal. Small Businesses, Historically Black Colleges (HBCU), Minority Institutions (MI), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman-Owned Businesses, and Service-http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp�

Disabled Veteran-Owned Businesses are encouraged to submit proposals; however no part of this announcement will be a set-aside. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors are advised that their participation is subject to foreign disclosure review procedures. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors should immediately contact the contracting office focal point identified in the CALL for information if they contemplate responding. All correspondence must reference the BAA number, the BAA title and the CALL number.

6. DoD-sponsored FFRDCs that function primarily as research laboratories (C3I

Laboratory operated by the Institute for Defense Analysis, Lincoln Laboratory operated by Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Software Engineering Institute operated by Carnegie Mellon) may respond to solicitations and announcements for programs which promote research, development, demonstration, or transfer of technology (Section 217, Pub. L. 103-337) (DFARS 235.017-1).

The following guidance is provided for Federally Funded Research and Development

Centers (FFRDCs) contemplating submitting a proposal, as either a prime or subcontractor, against this BAA. FAR 35.017-1(c)(4) prohibits an FFRDC from competing with any non-FFRDC concern in response to a Federal agency request for proposal for other than the operation of an FFRDC (with exceptions stated in DFARS 235.017-1(c)(4)). There is no regulation prohibiting an FFRDC from responding to a solicitation. However, the FFRDC’s sponsoring agency must first make a determination that the effort being proposed falls within the purpose, mission, general scope of effort, or special competency of the FFRDC, and that determination must be included in the FFRDC’s proposal. In addition, the non-sponsoring agency must make a determination that the work proposed would not place the FFRDC in direct competition with domestic private industry. Only after these determinations are made would a determination be made concerning the FFRDC’s eligibility to receive an award.

7. For the purposes of this acquisition, the NAICS Code is 541712 with a business size standard of 500 employees. The acquisition is unrestricted, full and open competition. All firms submitting responses must reference this announcement and indicate whether they are, or are not, a small business, a socially and economically disadvantaged business, an 8(a) firm, a woman-owned business, a HubZone certified small business, a historically black college or university, a minority institution, a veteran-owned small business or a service-disabled veteran-owned small business.

8. The technical point of contact for this acquisition is 1Lt Aaron Taylor, AFRL/RDHEE, 505-846-9905, aaron.taylor@kirtland.af.mil.

The contracting points of contact for this BAA are: Cale Reedy, Contract Specialist, AFRL/RDKP, 505-846-4585, cale.reedy@kirtland.af.mil and/or Deborah McGrath, Contracting Officer, AFRL/RDKP, 505-853-4338, deb.mcgrath@kirtland.af.mil.

mailto:aaron.taylor@kirtland.af.mil� mailto:cale.reedy@kirtland.af.mil� mailto:deb.mcgrath@kirtland.af.mil�