FINAL 23 July 2008 det 8 baa call 5 HiOpTemp MWIR.doc

PRE-DECISIONAL: SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

BAA-VS-07-07

Air Force Research Laboratory/Space Vehicles Directorate

CALL ANNOUNCEMENT CALL 0005

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: Space-Based Advanced Sensing and Protection Branch 5 Year Broad Agency Announcement

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: BAA-VS-07-07

PROPOSAL CALL ANNOUCEMENT (CALL) TITLE: Medium Wavelength Infrared (MWIR) Sensors for Persistent Surveillance Applications

PROPOSAL CALL ANNOUNCEMENT (CALL) NUMBER: 0005

TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT:

Mr. Allan Hahn, AFRL/RVSS, Kirtland AFB, NM, Phone (505) 846-8180, Email: allan.hahn@kirtland.af.mil Alternate: Dr. Vaidya Nathan, AFRL/RVSS, (505) 846-4497, Email: vaidya.nathan@kirtland.af.mil CONTRACTING POINTS OF CONTACT: The contracting points of contact for this CALL are: Contract Specialist: Ms Sarah Hammond, Det 8 AFRL/RVKS, Kirtland AFB, NM, Phone 505-846-5012, Fax 505-846-6022, Email Sarah.Hammond@kirtland.af.mil or Contracting Officer: Mr Teofilo Bautista Jr., Det 8 AFRL/RVKS, Kirtland AFB, NM, Phone 505-846-1075, Fax 505-846-6022, Email Teofilo.Bautista@kirtland.af.mil

REQUIREMENT DESCRIPTION:

AFRL is soliciting proposals under SPACE FOCAL PLANE ARRAYS, Topic 1 of the Broad Agency Announcement VS-07-07, posted on 9 May 2007.

Under this call Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking to develop high performance, high functionality, large format, radiation hardened, high operating temperature medium wavelength infrared (MWIR) sensor chip assemblies (SCA) for Persistent Surveillance applications suitable for both air and space ISR. The objective is to demonstrate a higher operating temperature MWIR SCA technology, in 512 x 512 format if possible, that operates at 200 Kelvin or higher and efficiently detects moderate to high photon irradiances. Known performance limitations include detector noise, defects, background carrier concentration, passivation and processing. A dedicated ROIC design is expected to fully evaluate detector array performance, but leveraging existing ROICs may be possible. Due to known limitations in Mercury Cadmium Telluride performance in this waveband and mission set, AFRL believes that photovoltaic antimony based strained layer superlattices could approach the desired performance goals. Thermal detectors will not be considered.

Prospective offerors are encouraged to contact the Technical Point of Contact to verify interest in the effort to be proposed as well as obtain the specific ITAR restricted, unclassified goals of the call.

Successful offerors will completely address the perceived necessary WBS segments for success: modeling, materials research, detector architecture, ROIC architecture, design, fabrication, hybridization, packaging, and testing.

ANTICIPATED FUNDING: Anticipated funding for this CALL (not per contract or award) is: FY08: $1M; FY09: $1M; FY10: $1M. This funding profile is an estimate only and will not be a contractual obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change due to government discretion and availability.

PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: The anticipated period of performance for individual awards resulting from this CALL is between 33-36 months in duration. The period of performance is to be proposed in the format “includes 33 months for technical effort and 3 months for Final Report preparation.”

PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: The due date for proposals submitted in response to this CALL is no later than 12:00 p.m. MDT on 25 Aug 2008. Proposals for any other technology area identified in the baseline BAA will not be accepted at this time unless a CALL for proposals in that specific area is open. Proposals received after the due date and time shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3).

CALL AMENDMENTS: Offerors should monitor FedBizOps/EPS http://www.fbo.gov for any additional notices to this CALL that may permit extensions to the proposal submission date or otherwise modify this announcement.

ANTICIPATED TYPE OF CONTRACTS/INSTRUMENTS: The Air Force anticipates awarding a Cost Plus Fixed Fee type of Contract as a result of this CALL but reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of the research proposed. A model contract will be provided to each apparent successful offeror for review and comment as part of the BAA solicitation and award process. No grant or other assistance opportunities will result from this call.

ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: The Air Force anticipates possibly awarding one or more contracts. However, the Air Force reserves the right to make multiple awards or no awards to this CALL.

ANTICIPATED AWARD DATE: 19 Sept 2008 INTENT TO PROPOSE: Potential offerors are requested to advise the contracting point of contact if they intend to submit a proposal in response to this CALL. Such notification is merely a courtesy and is not a commitment by the offeror to submit a proposal.

DELIVERABLES ITEMS:

The Government requires the contractor to provide monthly Technical and Financial Status Reports and a Final Technical report in accordance with PRS 61-201, Preparation of Final Report. Regular technical interchange meetings are expected. In addition to the reports, the following data deliverable items are to be delivered: (1) Data: (a) Program Plan with updates as needed; (b) Presentation Material as needed in conjunction with technical interchange meetings; (2) Hardware: periodic process evaluation or test chips and ten (10) radiation hardened SCA’s with detailed information to operate them, during the program.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION:

1. Program security classification for resulting contracts is CLASSIFIED.

2. ITAR/Export Control: Status Reports, Presentation Materials, the Final Technical Report, and the detailed SCA operating reports are subject to ITAR restrictions.

3. Government furnished property, equipment, or facilities needed for this requirement should be specified in the proposal.

4. Other: All information associated with this effort shall be protected as Unclassified//FOUO. It is a material condition of this arrangement that the contractor shall not use, or allow to be used, any information concerning this effort for advertisement, publicity, reference, or any other public purpose without specific approval of the Government sponsor. This includes statements in marketing tools, literature, or personal resumes. The contractor must also gain approval from the Government COTR for any technical publications based on the research conducted under this contract.

5. USE OF NON GOVERNMENT ADVISORS: Offerors are advised that data included in the technical and cost/business proposals submitted to the Government in response to this BAA call may be released to Aerospace Corporation and Ball Aerospace advisors for review and analysis. Any Aerospace Corporation and Ball Aerospace advisor will strictly serve in an advisory capacity only to the Government evaluators. Aerospace and Ball advisors have appropriate Organizational Conflict of Interest clauses in their contracts with AFRL. It will be the proposer’s responsibility to initiate any required Non-Disclosure Agreements. CONTACT INFORMATION: All offerors must clearly indicate in their proposals if they have any objections or concerns regarding the use of Aerospace and Ball advisors. Resulting awardees may be required to sign Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) with other government contractors if resulting devices from this effort are chosen for integration into flight demonstration packages.

APPLICABILITY OF BASELINE BAA: All requirements of BAA-VS-07-07 apply unless specifically amended and addressed in this CALL. For complete information regarding BAA-VS-07-07, refer to the initial basic BAA as amended. It contains information applicable to all CALLS issued under the BAA and provides information on the overall program, proposal preparation and submission requirements, proposal review and evaluation criteria, award administration, agency contacts, etc. Direct questions to the points of contact identified above.

PRE-DECISIONAL: SOURCE SELECTION SENSITIVE