RDH-1_BAA-RVKD-2014-0003.docx

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

BAA-RVKD-2014-0003

Air Force Research Laboratory/Directed Energy Directorate

ANNOUNCEMENT OVERVIEW

NAICS CODE: 541712

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL/RD)

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: High-Powered Electromagnetics (HPEM) Research Program (RDH-1)

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: This is the initial Announcement

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER(S): Not Applicable (N/A). No assistance instrument or CFDA opportunities exist under this announcement.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: This BAA will remain open for a period of 5 years from the date of publication. NO PROPOSALS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AGAINST THIS BASELINE BAA. Proposal due dates and times will be specified in each CALL. Proposals received after the due date and time specified in the CALL shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3). It should be noted that this installation observes strict security procedures to enter the facility. These security procedures are NOT considered an interruption of normal Government processes, and proposals received after the above stated date and time as a result of security delays will be considered “late”. Note: If offerors use commercial carriers in for delivery of proposals, carriers may not honor time-of-day delivery guarantees on military installations. Early proposal submission is encouraged.

BRIEF PROGRAM SUMMARY:

This is a 5 year closed Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) describing the research areas of interest for the High-Powered Electromagnetics Research program. This closed BAA approach allows for proposal submittals at a specified date and time which will be posted through the issuance of proposal call announcements (CALLs) at various times against this BAA. This BAA will be reviewed no less frequently than annually and updates will be published in FedBizOpps. Any changes or cancellation of the BAA will be posted as amendments to this BAA. The annual reviews and subsequent amendments to the BAA shall meet the requirement of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 35.016. As requirements within the technical topic areas are identified, CALLs will be issued in FedBizOpps to request proposals for specific research efforts. These subsequent CALLs will contain specific descriptions of the research effort to be addressed, anticipated period of performance, information pertaining to the specific research technical topic area, and the estimated funding profile for the CALL.

ESTIMATED PROGRAM COST: Anticipated funding for the program (not per CALL, contract, or award):

This funding profile is an estimate only and not a contractual obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and availability. Potential offerors should be aware that, due to unanticipated budget fluctuations, funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice.

GENERAL INFORMATION: This acquisition is unrestricted. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of the BAA CALLs. The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541712 (for Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology), and the small business size standard is 500 employees (1000 employees for Space Vehicles and Guided Missiles, their propulsion units, propulsion unit parts, and auxiliary equipment and parts). This BAA is issued under the provisions of FAR 6.102(d)(2) that provides for the competitive selection of research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to this BAA that are selected for award are considered to be the results of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provisions of Public Law 98-369, the Competition in Contracting Act of 1984. Offerors should be alert for any BAA amendments that may permit extensions to the proposal submission date or make other changes to the announcement. Offerors MUST monitor FedBizOpps http://www.fbo.gov in the event this announcement is amended and for the posting of CALLs.

TYPE OF CONTRACTS/INSTRUMENTS: The Air Force reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of research proposed. Accordingly, the Government may award any appropriate contract type under the FAR. It is anticipated that awards under this BAA will generally be Completion, Level-of-Effort (LOE), Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), and Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contracts. Cost reimbursement contracts require successful offerors to have an accounting system considered adequate for tracking costs applicable to the contract (DFARS 242.72).

SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM): Unless exempted by 2 CFR 25.110 all offerors must (1) Be registered in the the System for Award Management (SAM) prior to submitting an application (for an award) or proposal; (2) Maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which it has an active Federal award or an application or proposal under consideration by an agency; and (3) Provide its DUNS number in each application or proposal it submits to the agency. On-line registration instructions can be accessed from the SAM home page at www.sam.gov.

ON-LINE REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS (ORCA): Potential offerors are notified to be eligible for an award, they must submit annual Electronic Representations and Certifications, otherwise known as ORCA via the System for Award Management (SAM) website at www.sam.gov. These FAR and DFARS level representations and certifications are required in addition to the representations and certifications that will be attached to each CALL. Before submitting the Electronic Representations and Certifications, contractors must be registered in the Systems for Award Management (SAM) Database.

ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: The Air Force anticipates awarding a minimum of one contract per specific CALL. However, the Air Force does reserve the right to make multiple awards or no awards pursuant to a CALL.

Technical Point of Contact: The technical point of contact for this BAA is Mr. Tyrone Tran, AFRL/RDHA, Kirtland AFB, NM, Phone 505-846-0299; email: tyrone.tran@us.af.mil

Contracting Point of Contact:

1) Contract Specialist: Ms. Katy Florez, Det 8 AFRL/RVKDP, Kirtland AFB, NM, Phone 505-846-2037, Fax 505-853-3398, Email: katy.florez@us.af.mil

2) Contracting Officer: Ms. Pearl Solano, Det 8 AFRL/RVKDP, Kirtland AFB, NM, Phone 505-853-6494, Fax 505-853-3398, Email: Pearl.Solano@us.af.mil

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

BAA-RVKD-2014-0003

Air Force Research Laboratory/Directed Energy Directorate

FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT

NAICS CODE: 541712

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Air Force Research Laboratory Directed Energy Directorate (AFRL/RD)

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: High-Powered Electromagnetics (HPEM) Research Program (RDH-1)

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: This is the Initial Announcement

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER(S): Not Applicable (N/A). No assistance instrument or CFDA opportunities exist under this announcement.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: This BAA will remain open for a period of 5 years from the date of publication. NO PROPOSALS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AGAINST THIS BASELINE BAA. Proposal due dates and times will be specified in each CALL. Proposals received after the due date and time specified in the CALL shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3). It should be noted that this installation observes strict security procedures to enter the facility. These security procedures are NOT considered an interruption of normal Government processes, and proposals received after the above stated date and time as a result of security delays will be considered “late”. Note: If offerors use commercial carriers in for delivery of proposals, carriers may not honor time-of-day delivery guarantees on military installations. Early proposal submission is encouraged.

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Directed Energy Directorate’s (RD) High-Powered Electromagnetics Division (RDH) is interested in receiving proposals from all offerors to continue the advancement of HPEM technology and enhance the state-of-the-art and scientific knowledge in Directed Energy technology.

1. Statement of Objective/Needs: This is a 5 year closed Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) describing the research areas of interest for the High-Powered Electromagnetics Research program. This closed BAA approach allows for proposal submittals at a specified date and time which will be posted through the issuance of CALLs at various times against this BAA. Periodically over the 5-year period (calculated from the baseline BAA publication date), CALLs under the BAA will be issued in FedBizOpps to request proposals for specific research efforts as requirements within the technical topic areas are identified. These subsequent CALLs will contain specific descriptions of the research effort to be addressed, anticipated period of performance, information pertaining to the specific research technical topic area, and the estimated funding profile for the CALL. Each CALL will specify a proposal due date and time. Proposals received after the stated due date and time will be governed by FAR 52.215-1(c)(3). Multiple subsequent CALLs are anticipated and may be announced sequentially or concurrently in FedBizOpps. The Government reserves the right to re-issue a previously announced CALL area with a second, subsequent proposal period. The Government also reserves the right to issue no CALLs for any given technology area.

The RDH-1 Program encompasses six (6) specific technical areas:

a. Technical Area 1: “HPEM Transition”

The objectives of this Technical Area are to conduct studies, analyze, and develop concepts that support the transitional efforts of HPEM systems, components and information to the user community. This includes the feasibility of integration and development of HPEM technology into a platform. Conducts trade-space studies and demonstrates the proof of concept through analysis and testing.

b.Technical Area 2: “HPEM Cyber/Electronic Warfare (EW) Applications”

The objectives of this Technical Area are to identify and develop HPEM technologies with the potential to complement and enhance mission effectiveness of the cyber and electronic warfare communities. This includes the study, analysis, and formulation of scenarios in which HPEM can be used for cyber or EW applications, conduct experiments, and demonstrate innovative concepts.

c. Technical Area 3: “HPEM Effects”

The objectives of this Technical Area are to collect and analyze empirical effects data against a broad range of electronics, and to conduct basic research on the mechanisms of HPEM effects at the device, circuit, and system levels. Develop computational predictive tools based on qualitative effect mechanisms, collect empirical test data for validating predictive models, and further battle damage methodologies with respect to HPEM effects.

d. Technical Area 4: “Electromagnetics (EM) Weapons Technology”

The objectives of this Technical Area are to investigate, develop and ultimately transition new HPEM Weapon concepts, HPEM materials and components, and compact pulsed power topologies. Work in this area shall include, but is not limited to: 1) the development of compact repetitive pulsed power topologies complementary to HPEM source development, as well as the development and transition of new component and pulsed power technology with pervasive applications to a breadth of EM sources, 2) the investigation of the effects of high-energy particle beams and their associated radiation on electronic systems, 3) the development of new techniques and sources to create weak and strongly ionized plasmas using ultrashort pulse lasers (USPL), as well as demonstrating the generation of militarily relevant plasmas with USPL across a variety of wavelengths and 4) the examination of the physics of various types of plasmas generated by HPEM, the interaction of these plasmas with materials and the feasibility of generating relevant plasmas with compact systems, and 5) the development of advanced HPM materials for sources, such as anodes and cathodes, to be utilized in HPM relevant research.

e. Technical Area 5: “Numerical Simulation”

The objectives of this Technical Area are to develop and continuously improve the world-class simulation tools within RDH, which enable the effective development of modern HPEM systems, and the continuous development, maintenance, and interface expansion of the Improved Concurrent Electromagnetic Particle-in-Cell (ICEPIC) software. There are several other known areas of portfolio expansion. Work in this area shall include: 1) The development of next generation particle-in-cell tools, including the use of geometry confirming meshes and codes optimized for advanced, modern computer architectures, 2) the development and maintenance of frameworks, automatic optimization and uncertainty quantification (UQ) methods as well as tools for end to end simulation of all types of directed energy systems related to the directed energy high performance computing software applications institute (DE HSAI), 3) develop the capability to conduct first principles material modeling based on quantum mechanics and density functional theory (DFT) for improved component performance within HPEM systems, and 4) develop an automated, robust validation and verification program for all of the above software application areas.

f. Technical Area 6: “NextGen HPEM”

The objective of this Technical Area is to develop the source and antenna technologies capable of meeting the platform and capability constraints of potential HPEM capability concepts. Work in this area shall include the development of broadband high power amplifiers, tunable high power oscillators, and broadband antennas that can be used to develop empirical radio frequency (RF) effects over a broad range of frequencies, pulse lengths, pulse repetition frequencies, and power densities. Orchestrating the development of HPEM sources to meet Technical Performance Measures/Metrics leading to technology maturation from concept demonstration to laboratory demonstration is a key tenet of this Technical Area’s focus.

2. Deliverable Items: Hardware, software, or data will be identified at the CALL level. The following data deliverables are representative of the types of data that may be required: (a) Program Plan with updates as needed; (b) Test Plan; (c) Monthly Status/Financial Reports; (d) Technical Report, (e) Computer Program Documentation/Software User Manual, (f) Computer Program/Software source code with unlimited Government Distribution Rights; (g) Final Report, draft and final; (h) Presentation Materials, and (i) Patent Reports. Data deliverables are subject to negotiations on each individual CALL.

3. Schedule: The period of performance will be stated in the CALL.

4. Other Requirements:

a. Program security classification: “See DD Form254” if applicable will be specified in the individual CALL. If a DD254 is applicable, offerors must verify their Cognizant Security Office information is current with Defense Security Service (DSS) at www.dss.mil.

b. Export Control: Information involved in this research effort will be subject to Export Control (Inter- national Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) 22 CFR 120-130, or Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 15 CFR 730-774). If effort is subject to export control then a Certified DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, will be required to be submitted with proposal.

EXPORT-CONTROLLED ITEMS (JUN 2013)

(a) Definition. “Export-controlled items,” as used in this clause, means items subject to the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) (15 CFR Parts 730-774) or the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) (22 CFR Parts 120-130). The term includes:

(1) “Defense items,” defined in the Arms Export Control Act, 22 U.S.C. 2778(j)(4)(A), as defense articles, defense services, and related technical data, and further defined in the ITAR, 22 CFR Part 120.

(2) “Items,” defined in the EAR as “commodities”, “software”, and “technology,” terms that are also defined in the EAR, 15 CFR 772.1.

(b) The Contractor shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding export-controlled items, including, but not limited to, the requirement for contractors to register with the Department of State in accordance with the ITAR. The Contractor shall consult with the Department of State regarding any questions relating to compliance with the ITAR and shall consult with the Department of Commerce regarding any questions relating to compliance with the EAR.

(c) The Contractor's responsibility to comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding export-controlled items exists independent of, and is not established or limited by, the information provided by this clause.

(d) Nothing in the terms of this contract adds, changes, supersedes, or waives any of the requirements of applicable Federal laws, Executive orders, and regulations, including but not limited to—

(1) The Export Administration Act of 1979, as amended (50 U.S.C.

App.2401, et seq.);

(2) The Arms Export Control Act (22 U.S.C. 2751, et seq.);

(3) The International Emergency Economic Powers Act (50 U.S.C.

1701, et seq.);

(4) The Export Administration Regulations (15 CFR Parts 730-774);

(5) The International Traffic in Arms Regulations (22 CFR Parts 120-130); and

(6) Executive Order 13222, as extended;

(e) The Contractor shall include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (e), in all subcontracts.

(End of clause)

5. Other Information:

a. Government Furnished Property (GFP) availability: GFP, if applicable, will be identified at the CALL level.

If applicable, the contractor is responsible for all costs related to making the property available for use, such as payment of all transportation, installation or rehabilitation costs in accordance with FAR 45.201(b).

i. FAR 52.245-1 Government Property (APR 2012) or FAR 52.245-1, Alt II (APR 2012) if the resulting contract is for basic or applied research at a nonprofit institution of higher education or at a nonprofit whose primary purpose is the conduct of scientific research.

vi. DFARS 252.245-7003 Contractor Property Management System Administration (APR 2012)

vii. DFARS 252.245-7004 Reporting, Reutilization, and Disposal (MAY 2013).

i. Technical Data: Unlimited Rights or Government Purpose Rights

ii. Non-Commercial Software (NCS): Unlimited Rights or Government Purpose Rights

iii. NCS Documentation: Unlimited Rights or Government Purpose Rights

iv. Commercial Computer Software Rights: Customary License, etc.

The Air Force Research Laboratory is engaged in the discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace forces. As such, rights in technical data and NCS developed or delivered under this contract are of significant concern to the government. The Government will therefore carefully consider any restrictions on the use of technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation which could result in transition difficulty or less-than full and open competition for subsequent development of this technology.

In exchange for paying for development of the data, the Government expects technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation developed entirely at Government expense to be delivered with Unlimited Rights.

Technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation developed with mixed funding are expected to be delivered with at least Government Purpose Rights. Offers that propose delivery of technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation subject to Government Purpose Rights should fully explain what technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a Government contract will be incorporated, how the incorporation will benefit the program, and address whether those portions or processes are segregable. The Government expects that delivery of technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation subject to Government Purpose Rights will fully meet program needs.

Offers that propose delivery of technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation subject to Limited Rights, Restricted Rights, or Specifically Negotiated License Rights will be considered. Proposals should fully explain what technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a government contract will be incorporated and how the incorporation will benefit the program.

Offerors are reminded that the Identification and Assertion of Restrictions on the Government’s Use, Release, or Disclosure of Technical Data or Computer Software (the assertions list), required under DFARS 252.227-7013 and DFARS 252.227-7014, is included in Section K and due at time of proposals. Assertions must be completed with specificity with regard to each item, component, or process listed. Nonconforming assertions lists will be rejected.

Note that DFARS 252.227-7014(d) describes requirements for incorporation of third party computer software (commercial and noncommercial). Any commercial software to be incorporated into a deliverable must be clearly identified in the proposal. Because many commercial software licenses are not transferrable or may not be acceptable to the Government, commercial software licenses proposed for delivery to the Government must be approved by the contracting officer prior to award.

As used in this subparagraph, the terms Unlimited Rights, Government Purpose Rights, Specifically Negotiated License Rights, and Limited Rights in technical data are as defined in DFARS 252.227-7013. The terms Unlimited Rights, Government Purpose Rights, Specifically Negotiated License Rights, and Restricted Rights in noncommercial computer software and noncommercial software documentation are as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014. The term Commercial Computer Software is as defined in DFARS 252.227-7014.

II. AWARD INFORMATION

1. Anticipated Funding: Anticipated funding for the program (not per contract or award):

This funding profile is an estimate only and not a contractual obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and availability. Potential offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice.

2. Anticipated Number of Awards: The Air Force anticipates awarding a minimum of one contract per specific CALL. However, the Air Force does reserve the right to make multiple awards or no awards pursuant to a CALL.

3. Anticipated Award Date: It is anticipated that this BAA will remain open for a period of 5 years from the date of publication. This BAA will be reviewed annually. Any updates or possible cancellation will be issued as an amendment to the BAA. This annual review and subsequent amendment to the BAA shall meet the requirement of FAR 35.016 to publish the BAA no less frequently than annually.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. Eligible Offeror/Applicants: This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of the BAA CALLs.

2. Cost Sharing or Matching: The Government is not requiring a cost sharing arrangement.

3. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers: The following guidance is provided for Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) contemplating submitting a proposal, as either a prime or subcontractor, in response to a CALL 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.

4. Government Agencies: If a Government agency is interested in performing work please contact the Program Office identified in the CALL. If those discussions result in a mutual interest to pursue your agency's participation, the effort will be pursued independent of this broad agency announcement.

5. Other:

IV. PROPOSAL/APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

1. Application Package: NO PROPOSALS SHOULD BE SUBMITTED AGAINST THIS BASELINE BAA

Proposals submitted in response to future CALLs should be submitted in accordance with this BAA announcement. The Government intends to evaluate proposals and award some, all, or none of the proposals received without negotiation/discussion; however, the Government reserves to right to negotiate with those offeror(s) whose proposal is selected for funding.

Offerors should be alert for any BAA amendments that may permit extensions to the proposal submission date or make other changes. There is no additional information to be provided. For additional information, a copy of the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Guide for Industry is attached, Attachment 1.

DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN THE PROPOSAL

2. Content and Form of Submission for Full Proposals: The paragraphs below identify proposal format and content. Proposals should be addressed and delivered as specified in this announcement.

a. General Instructions:

Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in FAR 52.215-1(e) Instructions to Offerors—Competitive Acquisition. Offerors should consider proposal instructions contained in the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Guide for Industry, Attachment 1. This guide is specifically designed to assist the offeror in understanding the BAA proposal process. Technical/management and cost volumes should be submitted in separate volumes, and must be valid for 180 days. Proposals must reference the BAA announcement number BAA-RVDK-2014-0003, CALL number, and relevant research area(s). Offerors must submit one-original and 3 hard copies of their proposals. Offerors are advised that only contracting officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit the Government. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting or any other contract; however, it may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost as specified in FAR 31.205-18.

b. Technical/Management Proposal:

i. Page Limitation: The Proposal shall be limited to twenty-five (25) pages unless otherwise stated in the CALL, prepared and submitted in Microsoft Word format. Font shall be no smaller than standard 10-point font Arial. Character spacing must be “normal,” not condensed in any manner. Pages shall be double-spaced, double-sided (each side counts as one page), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least one-inch margins on all sides. Lines between text lines must also be 10-point. All text, including text in tables and charts, must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, and diagrams. These exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items. Pages shall be numbered starting with the cover page being Page 1. The page limitation covers all information including indices, photographs, foldouts (counted as 1 page for each 8.5 by 11 portion) tables, charts, appendices, attachments, resumes, etc. The proposal page limit does not include the offeror’s proposed Statement of Work (SOW); however, the same formatting rules apply to the SOW, which is limited to ten (10) pages. A CD with the Microsoft Word version of your Technical/Management Proposal and the SOW must be submitted with the hard copies of the proposal, and must match the hard copy. Please note: The Government will check the proposal and SOW for conformance to the stated requirements. Any pages in excess of the stated page limitation after the format check will not be considered.

ii. The proposal shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research and the technical approach. Additional information on prior work in this area, descriptions of available equipment, data and facilities and resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort should also be included as attachments to the technical proposal. This volume shall include a SOW detailing the technical tasks proposed to be accomplished under the proposed effort. The proposed SOW should be suitable for contract incorporation into a resulting contract, if any. Do not include any proprietary information in the SOW. Refer to the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) Guide for Industry referenced above to assist in SOW preparation. If Government Furnished Property is requested you are required to submit the following information with your offer—

a) A list or description of all Government property that the offeror or its subcontractors propose to use. The list shall identify the accountable contract under which the property is held and the authorization for its use (from the contracting officer having cognizance of the property);

iii. Any questions concerning the technical/management proposal or SOW preparation shall be referred to the Technical POC cited in Section VII.

c. Cost/Business Proposal:

d. Proposal Content Summary:

You may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this solicitation are not met on the proposal due date. Reference Section VIII for a checklist of the requirements.

3. Proposal Submission Dates and Times: Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with the announcement and any instructions in the individual CALL for proposals. Proposals received after the due date and time specified shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c) (3).

4. Funding Restrictions: The cost of preparing proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract, but may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18.

5. Other Submission Requirements: Proposals must be submitted to AFRL Det 8/RVKDP Attn: Contracting Officer identified in CALL, 3550 Aberdeen Ave SE, Bldg 499, Kirtland AFB NM 87117-5776.

V. PROPOSAL/APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION:

1. Evaluation Criteria: The following criteria, which are listed in order of importance, will be used to determine whether one or more sources will be selected for award. The Government reserves the right to select all, part, or none of the proposals received in response to a CALL, subject to the availability of funds.

a. Technical:

i. Overall scientific and technical merits of the proposal

ii. Importance to AFRL/RDH programs

iii. Funds availability

b. Proposal Risk Assessment:

Proposal risk for technical, cost, and schedule will be assessed as part of the evaluation of the above evaluation criteria. Proposal risk relates to the identification and assessment of the risks associated with an offeror's proposed approach as it relates to accomplishing the proposed effort. Tradeoffs of the assessed risk will be weighed against the potential payoff.

No further evaluation criteria will be used. Individual proposal evaluations will be performed using these evaluation criteria without regard to other proposals submitted under this BAA. Proposals submitted will be evaluated as they are received.

2. Review and Selection Process: The technical/management and cost/business proposals will be evaluated and categorized as follows:

a) Highly Recommended: Proposals are recommended for acceptance if sufficient funding is available, and normally are displaced only by other Highly Recommended proposals. These proposals may have overall scientific and technical merits that exceed the requirements. They also have a technology/development path that is directly applicable to AFRL/RDH programs and are highly important to those programs. The proposal is affordable based on available funds.

b) Selectable: Proposals are recommended for acceptance if sufficient funding is available, but at a lower priority than Highly Recommended proposals. May require additional development. To ensure a diversity of approaches, a Selectable proposal may be prioritized over a Highly Recommended proposal if the Selectable proposal presents a unique approach unlike any of the Highly Recommended proposals. Selectable proposals have overall scientific and technical merits that meet the requirements of the specific CALL. They have a technology/development path that is applicable to AFRL/RDH programs and are important to these programs. The proposal is affordable based on available funds.

c) Not Selectable: Even if sufficient funding existed, the proposals should not be funded.

Not selectable proposals have some or all of the following:

- Overall scientific and technical merits of the proposal do not meet the AFRL/RDH Requirements.

Note: When the Government elects to award only part of a proposal, the selected part may be categorized as Highly Recommended or Selectable, though the proposal as a whole may not merit such a categorization.

VI. AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION:

1. Award Notices: Offerors will be notified whether their proposal is recommended for award in writing by letter. The notification of recommendation for award is not to be construed to mean the award of a contract is assured, as availability of funds and successful negotiations are prerequisites to any award.

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS

1. Questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the technical point of contact, as specified below:

Name: Mr. Tyrone Tran Address: AFRL/RDHA, Kirtland AFB, NM Telephone: 505-846-0299 Email: tyrone.tran@us.af.mil

Each CALL will include a specific technical area point of contact.

2. Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed as specified below:

Name: Ms. Katy Florez, Contract Specialist Address: Det 8 AFRL/RVKDP 3550 Aberdeen Avenue Kirtland Air Force Base, NM 87117 Telephone: 505-846-2037 Email: Email: katy.florez@us.af.mil

FAX: 505-853-3398

Name: Ms. Pearl Solano, Contracting Officer Address: Det 8 AFRL/RVKDP 3550 Aberdeen Avenue Kirtland Air Force Base, NM 87117 Telephone: 505-853-6494 Email: Email: pearl.solano@us.af.mil

FAX: 505-853-3398

Each CALL will include a specific contracting point of contact.

Any correspondence must reference the BAA title and number.

3. Ombudsman: The Ombudsman clause, AFFARS 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman (APR 2014) will be contained in any contracts or agreements resulting from this Solicitation. The AFRL Ombudsman is Barbara G. Gehrs, Director of Contracting, AFRL/PK, (937) 904-4407, email: Barbara.Gehrs@wpafb.af.mil.

VIII. OTHER INFORMATION

1. Acquisition of Commercial Items: Based upon market research, the Government is not using the policies contained in FAR 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, in its solicitation for the described supplies or services. However, interested persons may identify to the contracting officer their interest and capability to satisfy the Government’s requirement with a commercial item within 15 days of this notice.

2. Support Contractors: Only Government employees will evaluate the proposals for selection. Offerors are advised that employees of commercial firms under contract to the Government may be used to administratively process proposals, monitor contract performance, or perform other administrative duties requiring access to other contractors' proprietary information. These support contracts include nondisclosure agreements prohibiting their contractor employees from disclosing any information submitted by other contractors or using such information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. Any objection to administrative access must be in writing to the Contracting Officer and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection.

3. Communication: Dialogue between prospective offerors and Government representatives is encouraged until submission of proposals. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government.

4. Debriefings: When requested, a debriefing will be provided. The debriefing process will follow the time guidelines set out in FAR 15.505 and 15.506, but the debriefing content may vary to be consistent with the procedures that govern BAAs (FAR 35.016).

5. Wide Area Work Flow Notice: Any contract award resulting from this announcement will contain the clause at DFARS 252.232-7003, Electronic Submission of Payment Requests and Receiving Reports (JUN 2012), which requires electronic submission of all payment requests. The clause cites three possible electronic formats through which to submit electronic payment requests. Effective 01 October 2006, the Department of Defense adopted Wide Area Work Flow-Receipt and Acceptance (WAWF-RA), as the electronic format for submission of electronic payment requests. Any contract resulting from this announcement will establish a requirement to use WAWF-RA for invoicing and receipt/acceptance, and provide coding instructions applicable to this contract. Contractors are encouraged to take advantage of available training (both web-based and through your cognizant DCMA office), and to register in the WAWF-RA system. Information regarding WAWF-RA, including the web-based training and registration, can be found at https://wawf.eb.mil/ . Note: WAWF-RA requirement does not apply to Universities that are audited by an agency other than DCAA.

6. Item Identification and Valuation: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at DFARS 252.211-7003, Item Unique Identification and Valuation, (Dec 2013) which requires unique item identification and valuation of any deliverable item for which the government’s unit acquisition cost is $5,000 or more; subassemblies, components, and parts embedded within an item valued at $5,000 or more; or items for which the government’s unit acquisition cost is less than $5,000 when determined necessary by the requiring activity for serially managed, mission essential, or controlled inventory. Also included are any DoD serially managed subassembly, component, or part embedded within a delivered item and the parent item that contains the embedded subassembly, component, or part. Per DFARS 211.274-3 Policy for Valuation, it is DoD policy that contractors shall be required to identify the government’s unit acquisition cost for all items delivered, even if none of the criteria for placing a unique item identification mark applies. Therefore, your proposal must clearly break out the unit acquisition cost for any deliverable items. Per DFARS 211.274-3 Policy for Valuation, “the government’s unit acquisition cost is the contractor’s estimated fully burdened unit cost at time of delivery to the government for cost type or undefinitized line, subline, or exhibit line items” (per DoD, “fully burdened unit costs” to the government would include all direct, indirect, G&A costs, and an appropriate portion of fee.). If you have questions regarding the unique item identification requirements, please contact the contracting point of contact listed above. For more information, see the following website: http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/uid/ . The contract will also include DFARS 252.211-7007, Reporting of Government-Furnished Property (AUG 2012) in the DoD Item Unique Identification (IUID) Registry IAW the clause. For more information, see the following website: http://www.acq.osd.mil/dpap/pdi/uid/data_submission_information.html

7. Forward Pricing Rate Agreements: Offerors who have forward pricing rate agreements (FPRA’s) and forward pricing rate recommendations (FPRR’s) should submit them with their proposal.

8. Pre-Award Clearance: Pursuant to FAR 22.805, a preaward clearance must be obtained from the U.S. Department Of Labor, Employment Standards Administration, Office Of Federal Contract Compliance Program’s (OFCCP) prior to award of a contract (or subcontract) of $10,000,000 or more unless the contractor is listed in OFCCP’s National Preaward Registry http://www.dol-esa.gov/preaward. This registry indicates that the contractor has been found to be “in compliance” within the past two years with The Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations that the OFCCP is mandated to enforce. The registry is updated nightly and facilities reviewed more than 2 years ago are removed and new ones are added. Award may be delayed if you are not currently listed in the registry and the contracting officer must request a preaward clearance from the OFCCP.

9. Limitations on Pass-Through Charges: As prescribed in FAR 15.408(n)(1) & 15.408(n)(2), provisions 52.215-22, “Limitations on Pass Through Charges – Identification of Subcontract Effort (Oct 2009),” and 52.215-23, “Limitations on Pass-Through Charges (Oct 2009),” are contained in this solicitation. Any contract valued greater than the threshold for cost or pricing data threshold, except fixed price contracts awarded on the basis of adequate price competition, resulting from this solicitation, shall contain the Clause at FAR 52.215-23 (or Alt I).

10. Associate Contractor Agreements: Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs) are agreements between contractors working on Government contracts that specify requirements for them to share information, data, technical knowledge, expertise, or resources. The contracting officer may require ACAs when contractors working on separate government contracts must cooperate, share resources or otherwise jointly participate in working on contracts or projects. Prime contractor to subcontractor relationships do not constitute ACAs. For each award, the contracting officer will identify associate contractors with whom agreements are required.

11. Post-Award Small Business Program Representation: As prescribed in FAR 19.308, FAR Clause 52.219-28, “Post-Award Small Business Program Representation (Jul 2013),” is incorporated by reference in this solicitation. This clause will be contained in any contracts resulting from this solicitation.

This clause requires a contractor to represent its size status when certain conditions apply. The clause provides detail on when the representation must be complete and what the contractor must do when a representation is required.

12. Employment Eligibility Verification: As prescribed by FAR 22.1803, FAR Clause 52.222-54, Employment Eligibility Verification (AUG 2013), is hereby incorporated by reference in this solicitation. Any contract awarded as a result of this BAA that is above the Simplified Acquisition Threshold, and contains a period of performance greater than 120 days, shall include this clause. This clause provides the requirement of contractors to enroll as a Federal Contractor in the E-Verify program within 30 days after contract award.

13. Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Sub-contract/Sub-recipient Awards: As prescribed by FAR 4.1403(a), FAR 52.204-10 Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (JUL 2013) is hereby incorporated by reference in this solicitation. Any contract valued at $25,000 or more, excluding classified contracts or contractors with individuals, must contain this clause. Any grant or agreement award resulting from this announcement may contain the award term set forth in 2 CFR, Appendix A to Part 25 http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=c55a4687d6faa13b137a26d0eb436edb&rgn=div5&view=text&node=2:1.1.1.4.1&idno=2#2:1.1.1.4.1.2.1.1.

14. Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters: Any contract award that exceeds $500,000.00; and when an offeror checked “has” in paragraph (b) of the provision FAR 52.209-7, shall contain the clause/article, FAR 52.209-9 Updates of Publicly Available Information Regarding Responsibility Matters (Jan 2013).

15. Contractor Business Systems: DFARS 252.242-7005, Contractor Business Systems (FEB 2012), is hereby incorporated by reference.