DARPA-PS-26-123.pdf

Office-Wide Solicitation

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)

Tactical Technology Office (TTO)

DARPA-PS-26-123

August 31, 2026

SOLICITATION OVERVIEW INFORMATION

• Federal Agency Name – Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Tactical Technology Office (TTO)

• Funding Opportunity Title – TTO Office-Wide (OW) Solicitation

• Announcement Type – Initial Announcement

• Funding Opportunity Number – DARPA-PS-26-123

• Product Service Code (PSC) – AC12

• North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) Code – 541715

• Dates/Times – All Times are Eastern Time Zone (ET)

Event Due Date and Time* Final Solicitation Posting Date August 31, 2026 Proposers Day Special Notice September 2026 Proposers Day October 26-28, 2026 Abstract Submissions April 16, 2027, at 4:00 p.m. ET Full Proposal Submissions June 17, 2027, at 4:00 p.m. ET

*The dates and times listed above are subject to change.

• Number of awards anticipated – Multiple

• Types of instruments that may be awarded – Award Agreements (10 U.S.C. § 4021, 10 U.S.C. § 4022, and 10 U.S.C. § 4023)

• Cost Sharing Requirements - In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 4021 and 10 U.S.C. § 4022, cost sharing is required if the proposer is a traditional defense contractor who is not working with a nontraditional defense contractor.

• Proposer requirements – o All proposers must comply with export control laws and International Traffic in

Arms Regulations (ITAR) and Export Administration Regulations (EAR) and be able to protect sensitive and controlled data, including critical technologies.

o Proposers are required to comply with regulations applicable to receiving and storing Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) material in accordance with Department of Defense (DoD) Instruction 5200.48, “Controlled Unclassified Information,” and the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Special Publication 800-171, “Protecting Controlled Unclassified Information in Nonfederal Systems and Organizations”. The required Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification (CMMC) level for this solicitation is: CMMC Level 2 (Self- Assessment). Level 2 focuses on the protection of CUI and incorporates the 110 security requirements specified in NIST SP 800-171 Rev 2.

https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/other-transaction-agreements https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/other-transaction-agreements

• Attachments – o Attachment A – Abstract Instructions o Attachment B – Full Proposal Instructions and Template o Attachment C – Classified Submission Instructions, Requirements, and Procedures

• Agency Contact o The OW Solicitation Coordinator for this effort can be reached at:

DARPA-PS-26-123@darpa.mil

DARPA/TTO

ATTN: DARPA-PS-26-123

675 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-2114

All technical, contractual, and administrative questions regarding this notice must be emailed to DARPA-PS-26-123@darpa.mil. All questions and/or correspondence must be in English and must include the name, email address, and telephone number of a Point of Contact (POC).

DARPA will attempt to answer all questions in a timely manner.

mailto:DARPA-PS-26-123@darpa.mil

1. TTO OW SOLICITATION AUTHORITY

The Government reserves the right to make an award under 10 U.S.C. § 4021, 10 U.S.C. § 4022, and 10 U.S.C. § 4023 make multiple awards, or make no award at all. In all cases, the Government Agreements Officer (AO) shall have sole discretion to negotiate all agreement terms and conditions with selected proposers.

Awards can include commercially available technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment, as well as concept demonstrations, pilots, and agile development activities that can transform commercial technologies, existing Government-owned capabilities, and/or concepts for broad defense and/or public application(s). The agreements only require cost sharing to the extent the statutes and statue provisions are applicable.

2. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The TTO OW Solicitation encourages solutions from all responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government’s needs, including large and small businesses and nontraditional defense contractors as defined in 10 U.S.C. § 3014.

To avoid submissions that duplicate existing activities or are responsive to other published TTO solicitations, potential proposers are highly encouraged to review current TTO programs and solicitations, respectively listed at https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/tto and https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/tto#opportunities. Contacting TTO program managers to discuss their research interests is also encouraged. A current list of program managers is available at https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/tto#pm.

Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

Solicitations for DARPA are posted on DARPA.mil and the System for Award Management (SAM.gov) websites.

2.1. Topics of Interest

TTO seeks to create decisive advantages across all warfighting domains. The portfolio includes, but is not constrained to, new naval and aerospace platforms, novel propulsion technologies, advanced autonomy, and advanced munitions, all designed to maximize impact on current and future battlefields.

2.2. Acquisition Strategy

2.2.1 Proposers Day (Optional)

The Government will hold the TTO OW Proposers Day (reference Solicitation Overview Information for date and time) to provide information to potential proposers on the objectives of the OW Solicitation. Participation in Proposers Day is optional for all proposers.

2.2.2 Abstract Submission (Required)

The Government will review the abstract to determine whether the proposed solution sufficiently meets the evaluation criteria in Section 4. If the Government selects the proposer’s abstract, an “Encourage Full Proposal” letter will be sent via email to the proposer https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/tto https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/tto#opportunities https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/tto#pm https://www.darpa.mil/ https://sam.gov/

2.2.3 Full Proposal Submission (Optional)

An “Encourage Full Proposal” letter is required to submit a full proposal. If the proposer’s full proposal is selected for funding, the proposer will receive an invitation from DARPA to negotiate an award. Proposer’s full proposal will not be made public nor provided to other proposers. The Government will review the submission to determine whether the proposed solution sufficiently meets the evaluation criteria in Section 5.

2.2.4 Pitch Day (Optional)

Periodically, DARPA may endeavor to hold “Pitch Day(s).” A Pitch Day entails DARPA to solicit proposals for a specific, targeted aspect under one or more of the TTO topics of interest as referenced in Section 2.1. Proposers ultimately pitch their proposals to DARPA via oral presentations. Any Pitch Day established under this TTO OW Solicitation, and its respective evaluation criteria, would be advertised via a separate Special Notice announcement linked to the TTO OW Solicitation and posted on the SAM website.

2.2.5 Workshops (Optional)

The Government may release separate Special Notices for TTO Workshops on a rolling basis.

Specific instructions, templates, and evaluation criteria for workshop-related proposals may be advertised via a separate Special Notice announcement linked to the TTO OW Solicitation and posted on the SAM website.

2.2.6 Award Negotiation

The Government may select proposers to enter negotiations for award of an Agreement. The negotiation phase will include both technical and contractual negotiations to determine the effort that provides the most advantageous solutions for both DARPA and individual proposers.

The Government will not pay proposers’ costs associated with preparing and submitting an abstract, full proposal, TTO Pitch Day submission, TTO Workshop submission, nor for costs associated with any travel for these pre-award events. The Government reserves the right to select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in accordance with this solicitation. DARPA reserves the right to accept proposals in their entirety or to select only portions for award. In the event that DARPA desires to award only portions of a proposal, negotiations may be opened with that proposer.

3. SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS

a. For abstract and full proposal submission due dates and times, reference Solicitation

Overview Information.

b. All submissions and associated discussions are anticipated to be no higher than the CUI level. See Attachment C – Classified Submission Instructions, Requirements, and Procedures for submissions intended to be higher than CUI.

c. Files containing CUI must be encrypted when sending over the Internet. Unclassified and CUI submissions sent in response to this solicitation shall be submitted via DARPA's Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT) Website (http://baa.darpa.mil).

NOTE: If an account has already been created for the DARPA BAA Website, this account may be reused. If no account currently exists for the DARPA BAA Website, visit the website to complete the two-step registration process. Proposers will need to register for an Extranet account (via the form at the URL listed above) and wait for two separate e-mails containing a http://baa.darpa.mil/ username and temporary password. After accessing the Extranet, proposers may then create an account for the DARPA BAA website (via the "Register your organization" link along the left side of the homepage), view submission instructions, and upload/finalize the proposal. Proposers using the DARPA BAA website may encounter heavy traffic on the submission deadline date;

proposers should start this process as early as possible.

d. All unclassified and CUI abstracts and full proposals submitted electronically through DARPA’s BAA Website must be uploaded as zip files (.zip or .zipx extension). The final zip file should be no greater than 100 MB in size. Only one zip file will be accepted per submission, and submissions not uploaded as zip files will be rejected by DARPA.

e. Technical support for DARPA's BAA Website may be reached at BAAT_Support@darpa.mil, and is available during regular business hours (9:00 a.m. ET

– 5:00 p.m. ET).

f. Submissions sent through other mediums, channels, or after the prescribed solicitation deadline will not be considered, reviewed, nor evaluated.

g. If proposers believe it is highly relevant to include classified responses, they may request instructions on how to do so from the TTO Office-Wide Coordinator via the DARPA-PS- 26-123@darpa.mil mailbox.

NOTE: Non-conforming submissions that do not follow the instructions herein may be rejected without further review. Submissions that are deemed technically identical, or nearly identical, to previous submissions may be rejected without further review. Submissions including profane, racially charged, or other similarly inappropriate language will not be reviewed.

4. GUIDELINES FOR ABSTRACTS

Proposers are allowed one (1) submission to the TTO OW Solicitation per business component to be reviewed at one (1) time. If a proposer makes multiple submissions while their existing submission is under review by DARPA, the subsequent submissions will be considered non-conforming and not reviewed.

4.1 Content

Instructions for abstract submissions are contained within:

• Attachment A – Abstract Instructions An abstract is required to provide potential proposers with a rapid response as to whether a full proposal will be encouraged.

4.2 Basis of Evaluation

Abstracts will be evaluated on Overall Scientific and Technical Merit and Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission. Abstracts will be evaluated by DARPA using the evaluation criteria listed, and not against other abstracts made in response to this solicitation.

a. Overall Scientific and Technical Merit: The proposed technical approach is innovative, feasible, achievable, and complete.

file:///C:/Users/bjmiller/Desktop/BAAT_Support@darpa.mil

b. Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission: The potential contributions of the proposed effort bolster the national security technology base and support DARPA’s mission to make pivotal early technology investments that create or prevent technological surprise.

4.3 Feedback

DARPA will attempt to reply to abstracts via e-mail to the Technical and/or Administrative POC identified in the submission with a goal of fifteen (15), but no later than forty-five (45), calendar days of receipt.

DARPA will provide a brief letter either encouraging or discouraging a full proposal. In keeping with the intent of the abstract, these responses will generally be limited to statements of interest (or lack thereof), rather than providing detailed feedback.

A favorable response to an abstract may result in receiving an “Encourage Full Proposal” letter;

it is not an assurance of commitment of any kind on behalf of the Government the proposal will ultimately be selected for award.

5. GUIDELINES FOR FULL PROPOSALS

5.1 Content

Proposers must possess a signed “Encourage Full Proposal” letter from DARPA to submit a full proposal for review and consideration for award. If a proposer submits a full proposal without a signed “Encourage Full Proposal” letter, that submission will be considered non-conforming.

A full proposal consists of the materials and content requirements, and complies with the formatting requirements, in the attachment below:

• Attachment B – Full Proposal Instructions and Template The Government reserves the right to remove a proposer from award consideration should the proposer and the Government fail to reach agreement on Agreement articles and associated documents.

Proposers are responsible for clearly identifying proprietary information. Proposals containing proprietary information must have the cover page and each page containing such information clearly marked with a label such as “Proprietary” or “Company Proprietary.”

NOTE: “Confidential” is a classification marking used to control the dissemination of U.S.

Government NSI as required by EO 13526, Classified National Security Information and should not be used to identify proprietary business information.

5.2 Basis of Evaluation

Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria listed in descending order of importance:

Overall Scientific and Technical Merit; Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission; and Cost Realism:

a. Overall Scientific and Technical Merit: The proposed technical approach is innovative, feasible, achievable, and complete. The proposed technical team has the expertise and experience to accomplish the proposed tasks. Task descriptions and associated technical elements provided are complete and in a logical sequence with all proposed deliverables clearly defined such that a final outcome that achieves the goal can be expected as a result of award. The proposal identifies major technical risks and planned mitigation efforts are clearly define and feasible.

b. Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission: The potential contributions of the proposed effort bolster the national security technology base and support DARPA’s mission to make pivotal early technology investments that create or prevent technological surprise. In addition, the evaluation will take into consideration the extent to which the proposed intellectual property (IP) rights will potentially impact the Government’s ability to use or further invest in the research and development of the technology.

c. Cost Realism: The proposed costs are realistic for the technical and management approach and accurately reflect the technical goals and objectives of the solicitation.

The proposed costs are consistent with the proposer's Task Description Document and reflect a sufficient understanding of the costs and level of effort needed to successfully accomplish the proposed technical approach. The costs for the prime proposer and proposed sub-awardees are substantiated by the details provided in the proposal (e.g., type and number of labor hours proposed per task, types and quantities of materials, equipment and fabrication, travel, other applicable costs and the basis for estimates). It is expected that the effort will leverage all available relevant prior research to obtain the maximum benefit from the available funding. DARPA recognizes that undue emphasis on cost may motivate proposers to offer low-risk ideas with minimum uncertainty and to staff the effort with junior personnel to be in a more competitive posture.

Full proposals will be evaluated by DARPA using the evaluation criteria listed above, and not against other submissions made in response to this solicitation. As stated above, proposers are required to submit an “Encourage Full Proposal” letter as part of their full proposal.

5.3 Feedback

DARPA will attempt to reply to full proposal submissions via e-mail to the Technical and/or Administrative POC identified with a goal of twenty (20), but no later than sixty (60), calendar days of receipt.

After completing the evaluation of a full proposal, DARPA will send one (1) of the following notices via e-mail: 1) the proposal has been selected, in whole or in part, for funding pending negotiations or 2) the proposal has not been selected.

6. AWARDS

6.1 General Guidelines

DARPA will review full proposals to determine which proposed solutions meet the evaluation criteria stated in Section 5.2. Upon favorable review, and subject to the availability of funding, the Government may award an award under this TTO OW Solicitation.

The AO reserves the right to negotiate directly with the proposer on the terms and conditions prior to execution of the resulting award, including payment terms, and will execute the agreement on behalf of the Government. Be advised only a Government AO has the authority to enter into, or modify, a binding agreement on behalf of the Government. It is the Government’s intention not to negotiate the terms of the agreement unless absolutely necessary.

In order to receive an award:

a. Proposers must register in the SAM and must have a SAM Unique Entity ID (UEI).

Proposers are advised to commence SAM registration upon notification of a potential award.

b. Proposers must register in the prescribed Government invoicing system (Wide Area Work Flow (WAWF): https://wawf.eb.mil/xhtml/unauth/registration/notice.xhtml).

DARPA Contracts Management Office (CMO) personnel will aid those proposers with WAWF after receiving an award.

c. Proposers must be determined to be responsible by the AO and must not be suspended or debarred from award by the Federal Government nor be prohibited by Presidential Executive Order (EO) and/or law from receiving an award.

d. Being asked to submit a proposal does not guarantee the proposer will receive an award.

The Government reserves the right not to make an award.

6.2 Representations and Certifications

All proposers are required to submit DARPA-specific representations and certifications for awards in order to be eligible to receive an award. See https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/other-transaction-agreements for further information on required representations and certifications for awards of Agreements.

6.3 Eligibility for Award

To be eligible for award under this solicitation, the CMMC Unique Identifier (UID) associated with the prime proposer must reflect a current CMMC status (representing either Final or Conditional status) posted in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) indicating compliance at the required level above. Additionally, the proposer must have a current annual CMMC affirmation, submitted by an authorized Affirming Official, posted in SPRS. Further, as some entities may have multiple business segments, multiple CAGE codes, etc., DARPA must reasonably be able to relate the CMMC UID in SPRS to the proposing entity.

NOTE: SPRS is housed within the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment https://piee.eb.mil; an additional resource on SPRS is located here:

https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/CMMC/CMMC-SPRS.pdf)

6.4 Subcontractor Flow-Down

Prime proposers are responsible for verifying subcontractor compliance. In the proposal, the prime proposer must attest that all subcontractors who will process, store, or transmit FCI or CUI under a resultant award will meet the applicable CMMC level required by 32 CFR § 170.23. The proposal must also describe the verification method the prime proposer will use to ensure subcontractors have the required CMMC status in SPRS prior to subcontract award.

https://wawf.eb.mil/xhtml/unauth/registration/notice.xhtml https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/other-transaction-agreements https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/other-transaction-agreements https://piee.eb.mil/ https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/CMMC/CMMC-SPRS.pdf

Specifically:

If the Subcontractor will process, store, or transmit... ...the Subcontractor's Minimum Required CMMC Level is:

Federal Contract Information (FCI) only CMMC Level 2 (Self-Assessment)

CUI The CMMC Level required by this solicitation

6.5 Competition Sensitive Information

DARPA policy is to treat all submissions as competition sensitive, and to disclose their contents only for the purpose of evaluation. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, during the evaluation process, submissions may be handled by support contractors for administrative purposes and/or to assist with technical evaluation. All DARPA support contractors performing this role are expressly prohibited from performing DARPA sponsored technical research and are bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements. Input on technical aspects of the proposals may be solicited by DARPA from non-Government consultants/experts who are strictly bound by the appropriate non-disclosure requirements.

6.6 International Traffic in Arms Compliance

All proposers must comply with export control laws and ITAR and be able to protect sensitive and controlled data, including critical technologies. DARPA suggests that appropriate teaming relationships be developed with industry-to-industry contracts, which are significantly simpler than Government-Industry relationships, particularly where foreign companies are concerned.

The following clause will be included in any executed agreement:

(a) Definition. “Export-controlled items,” as used in this clause, means items subject to the

EAR (15 CFR Parts 730-774) or the ITAR (22 CFR Parts 120-130). The term includes:

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

(b) The performer shall comply with all applicable laws and regulations regarding export-controlled items, including, but not limited to, the requirement for performers 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 performer'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 award adds, changes, supersedes, or waives any of the requirements of applicable Federal laws, EOs, 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); 15

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

(6) EO 13222, as extended;

(e) The performer shall include the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (e), in all subcontracts and teaming arrangements.

6.7 Data Integrity

Proposers should not manipulate, alter, or enhance technical, performance, cost, or other factual data using Artificial Intelligence tools or other automated methods in a manner that misrepresents the underlying results or capabilities. All data, analyses, and representations in submissions must accurately reflect the proposer’s actual work, methods, and outcomes.

7. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS

This solicitation, stated attachments, and websites incorporated by reference constitute the entire solicitation. In the event of a discrepancy between the announcement, attachments, or websites, this solicitation takes precedence.

7.1 Prohibition

DARPA encourages technical solutions from all responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government’s needs. To ensure fair competition across the ecosystem, DARPA prohibits contractors/performers from concurrently providing Systems Engineering Technical Assistance (SETA), Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS), or similar support services and being a technical performer, unless the DARPA Deputy Director grants a written waiver. DARPA extends this prohibition to University-Affiliated Research Centers (UARCs) and Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) including National Labs, who as a result of their specialized expertise and areas of competencies, are able to accomplish integral tasks that cannot be met by Government or contractor resources. Therefore, these entities are highly discouraged from proposing against this solicitation as award to a UARC or FFRDC will only be made by exception. UARCs and FFRDCs interested in this solicitation, either as a prime or a subcontractor, should contact the Agency POC listed in the Program Solicitation Overview Information section prior to the abstract or full proposal due date to discuss potential participation as part of the Government team or eligibility as a technical performer.

7.2 Cybersecurity Maturity Model Certification Requirements

As codified in 32 CFR Part 170, the CMMC Program is designed to ensure Department of War (DoW) performers are properly safeguarding FCI and CUI that is processed, stored, or transmitted on performer information systems. FCI and CUI must be protected to meet evolving threats and safeguard nonpublic, unclassified information that supports and enables the warfighter. The CMMC Program provides a consistent methodology to assess a defense contractor's implementation of required cybersecurity requirements. Proposers are encouraged to visit the DoW Chief Information Officer CMMC Resources & Documentation site for more information on CMMC: https://dodcio.defense.gov/cmmc/Resources-Documentation/.

This provision outlines the CMMC requirements pertaining to this solicitation, to include the required CMMC level and the corresponding proposal requirements. All DARPA efforts, including those involving Fundamental Research, at a minimum require prime performers and subcontractors to demonstrate compliance with CMMC Level 1, which focuses on the protection of FCI and consists of the security requirements that correspond to the 15 basic safeguarding requirements specified in 48 CFR 52.204-21.

7.3 Resources

DARPAConnect offers free resources to potential performers to help them navigate DARPA, including "Understanding DARPA Award Vehicles and Solicitations," "Making the Most of Proposers Days," and "Tips for DARPA Proposal Success." Join DARPAConnect at www.DARPAConnect.us to leverage on-demand learning and networking resources.

The APEX Accelerators program, formerly known as the Procurement Technical Assistance Program (PTAP), focuses on building strong, sustainable, and resilient U.S. supply chains by assisting a wide range of businesses that pursue and perform under contracts with the DoD, other federal agencies, state and local governments, and Government prime contractors. See www.apexaccelerators.us/ for more information.

APEX Accelerators helps businesses:

a. Complete registration with a wide range of databases necessary for them to participate in the Government marketplace (e.g., SAM).

b. Identify which agencies and offices may need their products or services and how to connect with buying agencies and offices.

c. Determine whether they are ready for Government opportunities and how to position themselves to succeed.

d. Navigate solicitations and potential funding opportunities.

e. Receive notifications of Government contract opportunities on a regular basis.

f. Network with buying officers, prime contractors, and other businesses.

g. Resolve performance issues and prepare for audit, only if the service is needed, after receiving an award.

Project Spectrum is a nonprofit effort funded by the DoD Office of Small Business Programs to help educate the Defense Industrial Base (DIB) on compliance. Project Spectrum is vendor-neutral and available to assist businesses with their cybersecurity and compliance needs. Their mission is to improve cybersecurity readiness, resilience, and compliance for small/medium-sized businesses and the federal manufacturing supply chain. Project Spectrum events and programs will enhance awareness of cybersecurity threats within the manufacturing, research and development, and knowledge-based services sectors of the industrial base. Project Spectrum will leverage strategic partnerships within and outside of the DoD to accelerate the overall cybersecurity compliance of the DIB.

https://dodcio.defense.gov/cmmc/Resources-Documentation/ http://www.darpaconnect.us/ http://www.apexaccelerators.us/

Project Spectrum’s web portal (www.projectspectrum.io) will provide resources such as individualized dashboards, a marketplace, and a Pilot Program to help accelerate cybersecurity compliance.

7.4 Set Asides

All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs, including both U.S. and non-U.S. sources, may submit a proposal that shall be considered by DARPA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses and Minority Institutions are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals; however, no portion of this announcement will be set aside for these organizations’ participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of this research for exclusive competition among these entities. Non-U.S. organizations and/or individuals may participate to the extent that such participants comply with any necessary nondisclosure agreements, security regulations, export control laws, and other governing statutes applicable under the circumstances.

7.5 Fundamental Research

As of the date of this solicitation, the Government cannot identify whether the work under this solicitation may be considered fundamental research and may award both fundamental and non-fundamental research. For additional information on fundamental research, please visit Proposer Instructions: General Terms and Conditions.

Proposers should indicate in their proposal whether they believe the scope of the research included in their proposal is fundamental or not. While proposers should clearly explain the intended results of their research, the Government shall have sole discretion to determine whether the proposed research shall be considered fundamental. Appropriate language will be included in resultant awards for nonfundamental research to prescribe publication requirements and other restrictions, as appropriate. This language can be found at http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/additional-baa.

For certain research projects, it may be possible that although the research to be performed by a potential awardee is non-fundamental research, its proposed sub-awardee’s effort may be fundamental research. It is also possible that the research performed by a potential awardee is fundamental research while its proposed sub-awardee’s effort may be nonfundamental research.

In all cases, it is the potential awardee’s responsibility to explain in its proposal which proposed efforts are fundamental research and why the proposed efforts should be considered such.

DARPA’s Fundamental Research Risk-Based Security Review Process (formerly CFIP) is an adaptive risk management security program designed to help protect the critical technology and performer intellectual property associated with DARPA’s research projects by identifying the possible vectors of undue foreign influence. DARPA will create risk assessments of all proposed senior/key personnel selected for negotiation of a fundamental research grant or cooperative agreement award. The DARPA risk assessment process will be conducted separately from the DARPA scientific review process and adjudicated prior to final award.

8. SOLICITATION DEFINITIONS

“Government Purpose” means any activity in which the United States Government is a party, including cooperative agreements with international or multi-national defense organizations or sales or transfers by the United States Government to foreign governments or international http://www.projectspectrum.io/ https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/contracts-management/proposer-general-terms/ https://www.darpa.mil/about/offices/contracts-management/proposer-general-terms/ http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/additional-baa http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/additional-baa organizations. Government purposes do not include the rights to use, modify, reproduce, release, perform, display, or disclose technical data for commercial purposes or authorize others to do so.

“Nontraditional Defense Contractor” is defined in 10 U.S.C. § 3014 as an entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least the one-year period preceding the solicitation of sources by the DoD for the procurement or transaction, any contract or subcontract for the DoD that is subject to full coverage under the cost accounting standards prescribed pursuant to 41 U.S.C. § 1502 and the regulations implementing such section. This includes all small business concerns under the criteria and size standards in 15 U.S.C. § 632 and 13 C.F.R. Part 121.

“Other Transaction” refers to the type of OT that may be awarded as a result of this PS. This type of OT is authorized by 10 U.S.C. § 4021, 10 U.S.C. § 4022, and 10 U.S.C. § 4023, and is directly relevant to enhancing the mission effectiveness of military personnel and the supporting platforms, systems, components, or materials proposed to be acquired or developed by the DoD, or for the improvement of platforms, systems, components, or materials in use by the armed forces.

“Procurement for Experimental Purposes” The definition of a “procurement for experimental purposes” in the context of an OT is a legal provision that allows the Department of Defense (including DARPA) to rapidly acquire prototypes, supplies, designs, and services for experimental or test purposes with minimal competition. The statute limits this fast-tracked procurement authority strictly to specific technical and operational classes to include: ordnance;

signal; chemical activity; transportation; energy; and medical “Prototype Project” The definition of a "prototype project" in the context of an OT is as follows:

(1) a prototype project addresses a proof of concept, model, (2) reverse engineering to address obsolescence, (3) a pilot or novel application of commercial technologies for defense purposes,

(4) agile development activity, (5) the creation, design, development, demonstration of technical or operational utility, or (6) combinations of the foregoing. A process, including a business process, may be the subject of a prototype project.

“Research Project” The definition of a “research project” in the context of an OT is a special legal agreement used by the DoD to carry out basic, applied, and advanced research projects.

These instruments are flexible alternatives to standard federal contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. These OTs are intended to spur dual-use research and development, taking advantage of economies of scale without burdening companies with Government regulatory overhead, which would make them non-competitive in the commercial (non-defense) sector.

“Small Business Concerns” is defined in the Small Business Act (15 U.S.C. § 632).