BlueWolf_Q_and_A_DARPA-BAA-14-28.pdf

DARPA-BAA-14-28

Blue Wolf

Questions and Answers – Round 1 29 July 2014

Blue Wolf BAA-14-28 Questions & Answers – Round 1

IN THE EVENT OF ANY INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN THE ANSWERS PROVIDED

HEREIN AND THE BAA, THE BAA SHALL TAKE PRECEDENCE

Q1. Are there materials available from the Proposers’ Day? If so, how can I gain access to them? Is there an attendee list from the Proposers’ Day available?

o A1. Requests for Proposers’ Day materials can be sent to DARPA-BAA-14- 28@darpa.mil. Redacted briefing information and an attendee list will be sent with the classified addendum. Per the BAA, requests for the classified addendum should include, at a minimum, the company name, technical POC name and phone number, Facility Security Officer (FSO) name and phone number, CAGE code, statement of facility clearance and safeguarding capability, and a valid U.S. Postal Service address for receiving classified material at the Secret level. DARPA will verify the facility clearance and the clearance of the recipient before mailing the classified material.

Q2. My business does not have Facility Clearance (FCL), but I would like to receive the Blue Wolf Classified Addendum so that we can submit a high-quality proposal. Please submit a request to clear my company to the Facility Clearance Branch at the Defense Security Service (DSS).

o A2. Per pages 11 and 14 of the BAA, “…access to the addendum is not required to submit a proposal” and “Unclassified abstracts are encouraged in advance of full proposals in order to provide potential proposers with a rapid response to minimize unnecessary effort.” Please see the BAA for details on how to submit an abstract.

Q3. Can an organization submit more than one abstract for each task area to address unrelated technologies or concepts?

o A3. Yes.

Q4. The principals at my company are U.S. Citizens, but we do not have a current security clearance. How do we address that issue in order to bid most effectively?

o A4. Per pages 11 and 14 of the BAA, “…access to the addendum is not required to submit a proposal” and “Unclassified abstracts are encouraged in advance of full proposals in order to provide potential proposers with a rapid response to minimize unnecessary effort.” Please see the BAA for details on how to submit an abstract.

Q5. Page 6 of the BAA refers to the “right circular cylinder” used for housing components.

Of what material is this cylinder constructed? Is the outside of the cylinder exposed to ocean water?

o A5. The material has not been specified. The outside of the cylinder will be exposed to ocean water.

Q6. Since we have not yet received the classified addendum, is it possible that the timeframe for asking questions be extended a few days after receipt of these materials?

o A6. The Government does not intend to extend due dates.

Q7. Per page 3 of the BAA, “Total amount of money to be awarded – Up to $17M.” Is this funding for the Base only (12 months) or does it include the entire 30-month effort with Options 1 and 2?

o A7. This funding is for the base and options.

Q8. Page 6 of the subject solicitation requests all proposals to have a 12-month base and two 12-month priced option phases consisting of design, development and demonstration phases. We assume the options will be exercised after the 12-month base phase. Can DARPA confirm that, if options are to be exercised, the efforts will be performed in series after the base contract has been completed (i.e., not overlap with the base period of performance)?

o A8. The intent is not to overlap. The Government reserves the right to fund proposals in phases with options for continued work at the end of one or more of the phases. The Government reserves the right to award all, some, one, or none of the options on the proposals selected for award.

Q9. It is unclear whether DARPA plans to exercise Option 1 and Option 2, or if it will be either Option 1 or Option 2. Is DARPA’s intent to exercise Option 1 followed by Option 2 and have the efforts’ periods of performance overlap? Or will the options be exercised and awarded in series (i.e., upon completion of base, Option 1 would be exercised and completed followed by exercise of Option 2)?

o A9. Option 1 is a 12-month development phase and Option 2 is a 12-month demonstration phase. The intent is to exercise the base and options in series. DARPA reserves the right to exercise options as necessary to achieve program objectives. The Government reserves the right to fund proposals in phases with options for continued work at the end of one or more of the phases. The Government reserves the right to award all, some, one, or none of the options on the proposals selected for award.

Q10. Based on these questions of award for the base and options, is the Program a 12-month period of performance (POP), 24-month POP, or 36-month POP?

o A10. The base and each option should be planned for 12 months. The total POP should be 36 months.

Q11. Is it DARPA’s intent to award the base and options at the time of initial award, or will the options be exercised based on the performance results of the base award?

o A11. The intent is to award options based on performance, quality of proposals received, and the availability of funds. The Government reserves the right to fund proposals in phases with options for continued work at the end of one or more of the phases. The Government reserves the right to award all, some, one, or none of the options on the proposals selected for award.

Q12. To establish baseline system performance characteristics such as fuel usage, efficiency, range, speed, etc., detailed information on the existing solution is required to enable a comparison of today’s system to a proposed alternate solution. Two of the entities that have this background are on the evaluation team and therefore pose a conflict of interest if contacted for this program. Having the detailed information on space envelope, size, footprint, etc. will enable trade-off studies that will dictate whether alternate solutions are better than the existing solution. The specific information on existing engines and its applications is not readily available in open literature beyond basic Rankine system.

Therefore, will DARPA provide this detailed information to proposers prior to full proposal submission?

o A12. System-level information for the current reference vehicle and explored options will be provided with the classified addendum.