DARPA-PS-26-141_APM_Attachment_C_Proposal_Instructions_and_Volume_I_Template_Technical.docx

Attachment C: DARPA-PS-26-141 Volume I: Technical and Management Proposal Template Competition Sensitive Information – Distribution with Agreements Officer’s authorization only

DARPA-PS-26-141: APM

Proposal Instructions and Volume I Template Use of this template is mandatory for all proposal submissions to this PS. Proposers must include Attachments C, D, E, F, G, and H and oral presentation slides to constitute a full proposal submission. This document must include all components described herein and must be submitted in PDF or Microsoft Word formats. All submissions must be written in English, and all pages shall be formatted for printing on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins and font size no smaller than 12 points. Font sizes of 8 or 10 points may be used for figures, tables, and charts. The written content and oral presentation slides must provide a complete understanding of the approach to meet program metrics.

Full proposals will consist of the following:

All submissions must be in English. The Government will not consider slides/pages in excess of the page count limitations, as described herein. Proposals with fewer than the maximum number of pages will not be penalized. Additional information not explicitly called for in the Technical and Management Volume must not be submitted with the proposal but may be included as links in the bibliography. Such materials will be considered for the reviewers’ convenience only and not evaluated as part of the proposal. Proposals not meeting the format prescribed herein may not be reviewed.

Volume 1: Oral Presentations Oral presentations will be held via Microsoft Teams on the dates outlined in the APM Program Specification (PS), DARPA-PS-26-141. DARPA will notify proposers of their scheduled time via email. Slides cannot be modified between proposal due date and oral presentation.

· The oral presentation shall not exceed 20 slides with fonts no smaller than 12-point and must be submitted in PDF or Microsoft PowerPoint formats. Proposers will be allotted 30 minutes for presentations. Pre-recorded presentations, videos, voice recordings, narrated slide decks, or other prerecorded media are not permitted.

· The oral presentation content should focus primarily on technical discussion and leave programatic details for the written component (see Volume 1: Written content below). A presentation template is not provided, but a strong emphasis on the technical approach, justification of proposed approach, and discussion of the technical risks and mitigation strategies is encouraged. A section on providing justification for proposer defined metrics and how the proposed solution will achieve ALL program metrics is required. All claims should be justified using quantitative analysis and supporting evidence derived from modeling, simulation, and/or prior experimental work.

· Immediately following the oral presentation, there will be a 45-minute interactive Q&A Session to address questions from a Government evaluation panel. The Government panel may ask questions on any aspect of the proposal during the Q&A session. Answers to questions from the panel cannot be deferred to a later time, and proposers cannot modify their proposals in response to the Q&A session.

· The Government will not review or evaluate any information that is contained within the notes section of the PDF or PowerPoint slides. All pertinent information must be included in the main body of the presentation slides, and the content presented orally will be the basis for evaluation.

· The Government intends to record the oral presentation for internal documentation purposes. The recordings will not be provided to proposers.

Volume 1: Written content The written content shall not exceed 25 pages; while page counts are provided as guidelines for certain individual sections, proposers have flexibility in allocating pages across sections. This document must be submitted in PDF or Microsoft Word formats. The written content pages shall be formatted for printing on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins and font size no smaller than 12-point. Font sizes of 8 or 10-point may be used for figures, tables, and charts. The submission of other supporting materials along with the proposals will not be considered for review.

Bibliography with links to relevant papers, references, reports (Optional)

Resumes (Optional)

Proposals, including both oral presentation slides and written content, must be submitted per the instructions outlined herein and received by DARPA no later than the due date and time listed in the Overview Information section. Proposals received after this time and date will not be reviewed. Please visit Proposer Instructions and General Terms and Conditions for instructions on how to submit your proposal through the Broad Agency Announcement Tool (BAAT).

COVER SHEET

[PRIME ORGANIZATION LOGO]

Proposal Title

Proposer Organization

Proposer Reference Number, if any

Address:

Telephone:

Email:

Address:

Telephone:

Email:

Place(s) of Performance

Period(s) of Performance

Months

Organization:

Organization Type:

Total Proposed Price *Note: If required, Phase 1 Optional CMMC Milestone should be included at no more than $25,000.

Phase 1 (Optional CMMC Milestone)*: $ Phase 1: $ Phase 2: $ Total: $

SAM.gov Unique Entity ID (UEI)[endnoteRef:2] [2: The SAM-generated UEI becomes the official identifier for doing business with the U.S. Government. This replaces DUNS.]

Taxpayer identification number (TIN)[endnoteRef:3] [3: See https://www.irs.gov/individuals/international-taxpayers/taxpayer-identification-numbers-tin for information on requesting a TIN. Note, requests may take from 1 business day to 1 month depending on the method (online, fax, mail).]

Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code[endnoteRef:4] [4: A CAGE Code identifies companies doing or wishing to do business with the Federal Government. ]

Administration Office POC at Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA)[endnoteRef:5] or Office of Naval Research (ONR)[endnoteRef:6], if known [5: https://pubapp.dcma.mil/CASD/CasdSearch.do.] [6: http://www.onr.navy.mil/Contracts-Grants/Regional-Contacts.aspx.]

Name:

Address:

Telephone:

Audit Office POC at Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)[endnoteRef:7], if known [7: http://www.dcaa.mil/Home/Locator?title=Locator]

Name:

Address:

Telephone:

Date Proposal was Prepared

Proposal Validity Period (minimum 120 days)

Table of Contents

Official Transmittal Letter (does not count toward page limit) Attach the official transmittal letter from the prime proposer organization.

Executive Summary (1 page) Provide a top-level synopsis of the proposed project. The summary should include a description of what the proposed work is attempting to accomplish, the key technical challenges, a concise review of the technologies proposed to overcome these challenges and achieve the project’s goal, and a clear statement of the novelty and uniqueness of the proposed work.

Technical Approach This section is the centerpiece of the proposal. Based on the direction provided in the program announcement (repeated below for convenience), provide a thorough discussion of the proposed technical approach, including credible (even if risky) plans to achieve the program’s goals and metrics.

Describe the technical approach the team is taking to achieve the metrics of APM within the program’s timeline. Key elements in this section include:

· Outline the main goals of the proposed project. Clearly describe the program outcome and capabilities that will be established by the end of the APM program.

· Provide a detailed description of the proposed technical solution. Discuss how the proposed concept addresses the key technical challenges outlined in the PS. Provide supporting evidence for all assertions, based on analytical and/or experimental work.

· Provide a detailed review of the synthesis approach, including the chemical mechanisms that result in sequence, orientation, and compositional control, and quantifiable evidence (e.g., modeling/simulation, preliminary experimental results) that the approach can meet overall phase and program goals.

· Provide a detailed description on the approach to selection of monomers and subsequent polymers that will be pursued for materials with NLO applications. Include a description of the current state of the art and potential performance gains for the types of molecules to be pursued. Include a description of how the proposed polymers are not readily accessible using current synthesis approaches but could be achieved by the proposed technical approach.

· Provide a detailed description of the analytical methods that will be employed to determine quality and performance metrics of the synthesis approach, proposed polymers, and optical properties described in the proposal, along with relevant amounts and purities.

· Describe how computational approaches will be used to enhance material development. Include a description of how computational methods (e.g., DFT, molecular dynamics, field-theoretic models) will be used to 1) develop and optimize the synthesis approach, 2) constrain the design space of possible materials (e.g., limit monomer and synthesis choices to those most applicable to achieving the NLO properties in the metrics table), 3) simulate multi-body interactions between molecules (e.g., packing, orientation, self-assembly, etc.) in the material, and 4) how these interactions lead to the desired material properties (e.g., electrooptic coefficient, optical losses) and device properties (e.g., VπL, bandwidth)

· Discuss technology transition and/or commercialization-activities in the context of the overall scope of the effort, understanding that DARPA may not fund such activities. Describe the vision for scaling material production to relevant levels and describe the attributes of the synthesis approach that supports this vision. This vision must also include the path to material integration in foundry processes that result in fully packaged devices, and the proposal must discuss the attributes of the synthesis approach/material properties/device integration that support this path.

· Identify appropriate quantitative metrics for each demonstration that facilitate tracking of the research progress towards the overall phase and program goals as described above. Proposers should also include a comparison against the SoA for each metric selected. A successful proposal will thoroughly discuss all details for meeting the metrics set forth for the program as well as the associated risks and risk-mitigation strategies to achieve those metrics and related milestones. Proposers should provide detailed technical rationale supporting the ability to achieve each milestone and plan for the testing and evaluation of their tools, capabilities, materials, and/or devices at each milestone.

· Outline and address technical challenges inherent in the approach and possible solutions for overcoming potential problems.

· Provide appropriate measurable milestones (quantitative if possible) at intermediate stages of the project to demonstrate progress and a plan for achieving the milestones.

· Provide justification that the technical approach will meet the program metrics and is capable of scaling beyond the required metrics through advanced development.

· List Government-furnished materials or data assumed to be available.

Identify the technical risks of the approach. Outline a strategy and a technical plan to systematically mitigate these risks.

Management Plan (1 page) Provide a summary of the proposed team, including any subawardees/consultants and key personnel who will be executing the work (please use the table below). Identify a principal investigator (PI) for the project. Provide a clear description of the team’s organization, including an organization chart that illustrates, as applicable, the relationship of team members, unique capabilities of team members, task responsibilities of team members, teaming strategy among the team members, and key personnel with the amount of effort to be expended by each person during the project, and information sharing details regarding how CUI information will be managed. Provide a detailed plan for coordination, including explicit guidelines for interaction among collaborators/subawardees of the proposed project. Include risk management approaches. Describe any formal teaming agreements that are required to execute this project.

Prime

Subawardees/Consultants

Schedule and Milestones (1 page) Utilizing Attachments G and H, provide a detailed schedule in a Gantt-chart form showing tasks, milestones, and the interrelationships among tasks. Discuss how the schedule and technical risks can be managed or mitigated through the program lifecycle. Provide appropriate performer-defined milestones at intermediate stages of the project that will help the program manager assess progress against the final goals.

Personnel, Qualifications, and Commitments (1 page) List key personnel, showing a concise summary of their qualifications, discussion of previous accomplishments, and work in this or closely related research areas. Indicate the level of effort in terms of hours to be expended by each person during each contract year and other (current and proposed) major sources of support for them and/or commitments of their efforts. DARPA expects all key personnel associated with a proposal to make substantial time commitment to the proposed activity, and the proposal will be evaluated accordingly. It is DARPA’s intention to put key personnel conditions into the awards, so proposers should not propose personnel that are not anticipated to execute the work. Describe the approach to team integration and how collaboration will be managed.

Capabilities (0.5 page) Describe the organizational experience in the relevant subject area(s), existing intellectual property, or specialized facilities. Discuss any work in closely related research areas and previous accomplishments. Identify other Government solicitation(s) to which this concept has been proposed. If applicable, state whether funding or a positive funding decision has already been received and from which agency.

Sections below must be included (unless otherwise stated) but do not count towards the page limit:

Intellectual Property (IP) As noted in DARPA-PS-26-141, the Government will require Government purpose rights (GPR) to IP developed and delivered under this program. Please distinctly identify any IP that will be (1) utilized during program activities (but not delivered); and (2) delivered to the Government under the APM effort. This should include any underlying IP required to fully operate the deliverable prototypes. Proposers should include the following information:

For program deliverables:

· Specify whether other performers can modify or create derivative works based on the deliverable. If modifications are allowed, ensure the Government retains rights to those derivative works.

· Communicate whether the performer retains any commercialization rights or whether the Government has the ability to sublicense the deliverables to third parties.

· Identify and disclose any pre-existing IP developed at private expense intended to be incorporated into the deliverables. This includes:

· Patents, copyrights, or trade secrets; and

· Technical data, software, or designs developed prior to or outside the scope of the program.

· Document any pre-existing IP developed at private expense, including:

· A description of the IP;

· Ownership details (e.g., performer-owned, third-party licensed);

· Evidence of development at private expense (if applicable); and

· Identification of any items that would prohibit GPR, including but not limited to anticipated license restrictions, patents, etc.

Organizational Conflict of Interest Affirmations and Disclosure In accordance with the requirements of the PS, provide the following information.

a. Are any of the proposed individual team members or their respective organizations (whether prime or subawardee or consultant) currently providing SETA, A&AS or similar support to DARPA?

¨ No ¨ Yes

b. Did any of the proposed individual team members or their respective organizations (whether prime or subawardee or consultant) provide SETA, A&AS or similar support to DARPA within one calendar year of this proposal submission?

¨ No ¨ Yes If yes to a OR b, provide the following information for each applicable team member:

· The name of the DARPA office receiving the support

· The prime contract number

· Identification of proposed team member (subawardee, consultant) providing the support

· An OCI mitigation plan in accordance with FAR 9.5

c. Are there any other potential Organizational Conflicts of Interest involving any of the proposed individual team members or their respective organizations (whether prime or subawardee or consultant)?

¨ No ¨ Yes If yes to c, provide the following information for each applicable team member:

· Identification of applicable team member; and

· An OCI mitigation plan in accordance with FAR 9.5.

Optional Phase 1 CMMC Milestone (Does Not Count Toward Page Limit) Proposers who have evidence of a current, active CMMC Level 2 (Self-Assessment) posting in the Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS) reflecting a score of 110 for the applicable Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code(s) proposing are not required to submit the information below and awards will not include the optional Phase 1 CMMC Milestone.

All others should submit the following with their proposal:

Required Security Artifacts

Proposers shall provide the following, as applicable:

1. System Security Plan (SSP): Current draft or baseline SSP defining the system boundary, network architecture, cloud services, and CUI data flows.

2. Current SPRS Baseline: Most recent SPRS score, assessment date, and covered CAGE code.

3. NIST SP 800-171 Self-Assessment Matrix: A detailed control-by-control mapping showing current status against all 110 requirements.

4. Remediation Roadmap & Feasibility Analysis (POA&M):

· An itemized Plan of Action and Milestones (POA&M) explicitly detailing every unmet control, current deficiency, and planned remediation task.

· A detailed, task-level remediation schedule and resource plan demonstrating how all gaps will be closed within the proposed Phase 1 CMMC Milestone period of performance.

5. CUI Environment Asset Inventory: Hardware, software, virtual platforms, cloud service providers (including FedRAMP status), and External Service Providers (ESPs/MSPs/MSSPs).

6. Existing Policies and Technical Evidence: Existing security policies and technical evidence of already-implemented controls (e.g., MFA, encryption, audit logs, backup procedures).

7. Signed Commitment Statement: A letter signed by an authorized corporate officer attesting that all submitted data is accurate and committing the organization to achieving 100% compliance within the proposed Phase 1 CMMC Milestone time frame

Novelty of Proposed Work Has the proposed work been submitted to any other Government solicitation?

¨ No ¨ Yes If yes, provide the following information:

· Solicitation number ________________________

· Agency _________________________

· Proposed work has already received funding or a positive funding decision.

¨ No ¨ Yes ¨ Decision pending Bibliography (Optional) A brief (1-2 pages) bibliography may be provided with links to relevant papers, references, reports, etc.