DARPA-BAA-15-16.pdf

Broad Agency Announcement Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA)

Defense Sciences Office

DARPA-BAA-15-16

December 22, 2014

DARPA-BAA-15-16 FLA 2

Table of Contents

PART I: OVERVIEW INFORMATION

PART II: FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description II. Award Information

A. Awards B. Fundamental Research

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants B. Procurement Integrity, Standards of Conduct, Ethical Considerations, and Organizational Conflicts of Interest C. Cost Sharing/Matching

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission C. Submission Dates and Times D. Funding Restrictions E. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information A. Evaluation Criteria B. Review and Selection Process

VI. Award Administration Information A. Selection Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements C. Reporting

VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

A. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) B. Collaborative Efforts/Teaming C. Proposers’ Day Webcast

ATTACHMENT 1: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY SLIDE TEMPLATE

ATTACHMENT 2: COST VOLUME CHECKLIST

ATTACHMENT 3: CONTRACTS COST ELEMENT SUMMARY SHEET

ATTACHMENT 4: GRANT AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS COST ELEMENT

SUMMARY SHEET

ATTACHMENT 5: GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT PLATFORM

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PART I: OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Federal Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office (DSO)

Funding Opportunity Title: Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA)

Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number: DARPA-BAA-15-16

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s):

12.910 Research and Technology Development

Dates (All times listed herein are Eastern Time.)

o Posting Date: December 22, 2014 o Proposers’ Day Webcast: January 6, 2015. See Section VIII.C.

o FAQ Submission Deadline: January 22, 2015, 4:00 p.m.

o Full Proposal Due Date: February 5, 2015, 4:00 p.m.

Anticipated Individual Awards: DARPA anticipates multiple awards not to exceed $5.5M apiece.

Types of Instruments that May be Awarded: Procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements or other transactions

Agency contacts o Technical POC: Dr. Mark Micire, Program Manager, DARPA/DSO o Solicitation Email: FLA@darpa.mil o Solicitation Mailing Address:

DARPA/DSO

ATTN: DARPA-BAA-15-16

675 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-2114 o DSO Solicitation Website:

http://www.darpa.mil/Opportunities/Solicitations/DSO_Solicitations.aspx

Teaming Information: See Section VIII.B for further information.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): FAQs for this solicitation may be viewed on the DSO Solicitation Website. See Section VIII.A for further information.

mailto:FLA@darpa.mil http://www.darpa.mil/Opportunities/Solicitations/DSO_Solicitations.aspx

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PART II: FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of minimalistic high-speed aerial navigation in cluttered environments.

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

This solicitation is being issued, and any resultant selection will be made, using procedures under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 35.016. Any negotiations and/or awards will use procedures under FAR 15.4 (or 32 CFR 22 for grants and cooperative agreements). Proposals received as a result of this solicitation shall be evaluated in accordance with evaluation criteria specified herein through a scientific review process.

DARPA solicitations are posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website (http://www.fbo.gov/) and, as applicable, the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov/).

The following information is for those wishing to respond to this solicitation.

A. Program Description

The Fast Lightweight Autonomy (FLA) program will explore non-traditional perception and autonomy methods that enable new classes of minimalistic algorithms for high-speed aerial navigation in cluttered environments. Through this exploration, the program will develop and demonstrate the capability for small and fast unmanned air vehicles (UAVs) to fly autonomously through complex, cluttered environments. The FLA program focuses on autonomy algorithms and software—specifically on sensing, perception, planning, and control—rather than on the flight hardware platform.

A traditional approach to operating small UAVs uses a human operator as the pilot. The air vehicles are typically remotely controlled with the operator watching the vehicle or teleoperated with the operator watching data from on-board sensors. These techniques work only when a highly skilled operator is coupled with a communications channel having high availability and manageable latency. However, the approach breaks down when obstacles are added to the environment, as communications degrade, and as vehicle speed increases. Birds and flying insects maneuver easily at high speeds near obstacles. The FLA program asks the question “How can autonomous flying robotic systems achieve similar high-speed performance?”

Another traditional approach to controlling small, unmanned air vehicles uses Global Positioning System (GPS) coordinates to specify a flight path as a series of predetermined waypoints. This method for navigation has proven effective only in situations where GPS is available. It fails when GPS is lost due to interference such as jamming or poor reception indoors; as well as in settings in which GPS bounds on accuracy are not adequate for the size and speed of the platform. Birds and flying insects are able to perform well without using predetermined waypoints or an external position reference system.

http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

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If successful, the algorithms developed under this program could impact a wide range of unmanned systems by reducing the amount of processing power, communications, and human intervention needed for low-level tasks such as navigation through a cluttered environment.

Furthermore, small, fast, autonomous UAVs could enable missions that are not otherwise possible, such as reconnaissance in denied areas (for example, in a protected or structurally damaged building).

B. FLA Program Performance Goals

Attribute Performance Goal

Speed 20 m/s (45 mph)

Autonomy Power 20 W computing + TBD sensing

Terrain Complex, urban, cluttered

Prior Knowledge Enough to indicate goals, but low-resolution and stale

Range 1 km

Duration 10 min

Communications Zero

GPS Not available or Denied Table 1. FLA Performance Goals

Speed: DARPA determined the speed goal of 20 m/s based on the performance of existing animals (e.g., birds) and on the need for enabling UAVs to “keep up” with tactical operations.

This speed goal is not achievable by any known teleoperated approach and, thus, requires the development of new autonomous flight mechanisms.

Autonomy Power: The autonomy power goal of 20 W is based on the power consumption of existing commercial systems. Enforcing “lightweight” (that is, using minimal size, weight, power, and cost) approaches creates systems designs appropriate for tactical and field operations.

Terrain: The FLA program will test and evaluate fast, lightweight, autonomous flight in cluttered, urban terrain that is consistent with the complex environments encountered by tactical units and first responders. For this program, it does not suffice for the UAVs to fly high above the scene looking down. Instead, the UAVs must fly into and through the confined terrain.

Prior Knowledge: For the outdoor portions of FLA program testing, mission objectives will be designated using overhead imagery provided to performers in advance. The imagery will vary in resolution and may not reflect very recent changes. Teams will be permitted to use landmark recognition to navigate based on the provided imagery to accomplish the outdoor tests.

Duration: DARPA determined the range goal of 1 km and the duration goal of 10 minutes

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based on the capabilities of the Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) Platform that will be provided to each team, and commercial batteries.

Communications: To enforce autonomous operation, the FLA tests will prohibit communications between operators and the vehicle after an initial “Go” command.

GPS: To encourage operation indoors and in GPS-denied conditions, the GFE Platform will not be equipped with a GPS receiver during FLA tests.

C. Program Structure

The FLA program is structured as a two phase program, with the first phase focused on navigation through moderate clutter environments and the second phase on high clutter environments. Figure 1 shows the program structure.

Figure 1. FLA Program Structure

A separate effort will develop and provide maintenance support for a small UAV platform as the Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) Platform. All teams funded under this solicitation will use the GFE Platform. This arrangement is structured to allow teams to focus exclusively on autonomy (algorithms and software) and not on mobility (hardware). See Section I.J for additional information on the GFE Platform. DARPA will separately procure the GFE Platform, so this element is not within the scope of this solicitation.

The Test and Evaluation activities will determine the completion of Technical Milestones for the autonomous flight software being developed. See Section I.G for additional information on the Technical Milestones. DARPA will separately procure Test and Evaluation services, including identification of test facilities and coordination of all authorities for flight testing. Only participation in the test and evaluation activities (travel, equipment shipping, time) is within the

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scope of this solicitation.

The results of test and evaluation relative to FLA performance goals (Table 1) and performance metrics (Section E) will be relied upon in part to determine which performers advance from Phase I to Phase II of the program.

D. Program Scope

The FLA program seeks to develop the autonomy algorithms and software that enable the GFE Platform to fly in moderate-clutter environments in Phase 1 and in high-clutter environments in Phase 2. The autonomy development effort should concentrate on software “brains” that focus on the core competencies of obstacle avoidance, GPS-denied navigation, and rapid in-flight contingency maneuvering.

Research and development on the following topics are within the scope of this solicitation:

Behaviors that tightly couple sensing and decision-making for high maneuverability and high agility.

Behaviors that combine obstacle detection and obstacle avoidance to enable extreme maneuverability as required to fly through windows, doors, and confined spaces.

Spatial representations including time-to-contact and topological connectivity.

Perception approaches including rapid evaluation and recognition of previously visited areas using landmark recognition to answer, “Have I been here before?”

Algorithms to localize and navigate relative to landmarks or other visually distinctive room features.

Existing sensors, including but not limited to cameras, laser rangefinders, and sonar rangefinders. Teams may add these sensors to the GFE Platform. (Only onboard sensing is permitted.)

Minor adaptations of existing sensors. Teams may add these sensors to the GFE Platform.

Minor adaptations of existing processors. Teams may add these processors to the GFE Platform.

Research and development on the following topics fall outside the scope of this solicitation and will not be funded:

Mobility, including improvements to the GFE Platform airframe and supplied autopilot firmware.

Energy sources, including batteries.

GPS-based navigation.

Novel sensors. The program will not fund efforts to invent or develop new sensors.

Novel processors. The program will not fund efforts to invent or develop new processors.

Mapping and related efforts directed at creating or maintaining maps of spatial layout, including simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM).

Data storage devices.

Human robot interfaces.

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E. Technical Milestones

In Phase 1, performers will test and demonstrate the software by running it on the GFE Platform in progressively more challenging tasks with a relatively moderate density of clutter. As an example (subject to change), the initial evaluation might include navigation of an outdoor slalom course. Later evaluations may include a warehouse interior and indoor offices.

In Phase 2, performers will test and demonstrate the software by running it on the GFE Platform in tasks with a relatively high density of clutter. As an example (subject to change), the initial evaluation may begin with navigation through doors and windows. A final evaluation would combine all of the previous tests (e.g., outdoor slalom, warehouse interior, indoor offices, doors, windows) into a single mission.

After proving readiness for flight-testing, teams will conduct each technical milestone task in a test administered by the Government at a DARPA-defined location. Table 2 summarizes the planned FLA technical milestone schedule and locations while Figure 1 above shows the milestones in the context of the overall schedule.

Technical Milestone (specific tasks are subject to change)

Planned Date

Planned Location

Outdoor slalom course Q1 FY2016 29 Palms, CA Indoor—warehouse Q4 FY2016 Adelphi, MD Indoor—offices Q3 FY2017 Adelphi, MD Door, window Q1 FY2018 Boston, MA Mission (all components) Q3 FY2018 Adelphi, MD

Table 2. FLA Technical Milestones

F. Performance Metrics

Two criteria will be used to evaluate autonomous flight performance during technical milestone tests: mission completion and mission completion time.

Mission completion is defined as the degree of completion of a technical milestone test (“the mission”), expressed as a percentage. Larger values of mission completion are considered more favorable, thus rewarding safe and effective travel.

Mission completion time is defined as the time required to complete a technical milestone test.

Smaller values of mission completion time are considered more favorable, thus rewarding high travel speed.

Each FLA team will perform multiple times and be evaluated during a single technical milestone testing session. Scores from these evaluations will be combined to achieve a single, composite score for mission completion and mission completion time for team ranking purposes. The poorest test performance for each team will not be included in the final composite score. Teams will be first ranked by mission completion, with larger values ranked higher. Teams with equal

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mission completion values will be ranked by mission completion time, with lower values ranked higher.

Overall team rankings will be based on test and evaluation results relative to the performance goals and metrics outlined herein. During Phase 1, this ranking will be used to assist the DARPA Program Manager in determining which performer teams, if any, will be funded to participate in Phase 2.

G. Programmatic Milestones

The program will conduct Technical Interchange Meetings (TIMs) every six months. These meetings will feature all program participants presenting their latest results and progress toward program goals. The meetings will include Government participation from program agents, DoD laboratories, and potential transition partners.

The program may hold teleconferences or conduct site visits with each team at the Program Manager’s discretion to provide individual feedback to the performers and to ensure progress toward meeting program goals.

For the purpose of estimating travel costs, proposers should assume alternating East and West Coast locations for the TIMs.

H. Planned Funding

DARPA anticipates that the FLA program will provide up to two (2) years of funding for Phase 1 efforts, and up to one (1) year of funding for Phase 2 efforts. Phase 1 elements should be proposed as the base effort and Phase 2 as an option. Proposals must clearly allocate the statements of work, deliverables and costs to either the base or the optional effort.

Although DARPA will consider proposals of any scale, team efforts are not envisioned to exceed $5.5 million in total cost or three (3) years in duration.

I. Deliverables

FLA program deliverables include the following:

Software for each Technical Milestone (Table 2) to include source code and binary executables and libraries used in the accomplishment of the Technical Milestone, modifications to or use of existing commercial software, and detailed documentation

Technical reports for each Technical Milestone Technical presentations at each TIM or other program meeting Progress reports (quarterly, however, the frequency is subject to change) Final report

J. Government Furnished Equipment (GFE) Platform

The Government will develop and provide small UAV platforms to be used by all autonomy

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developers. The program will rely on this approach because it forces the teams to focus on the core activity of developing autonomy. In addition, it allows the program to evaluate performer team progress based on autonomy alone, factoring out mobility.

The GFE Platform will include the airframe, a suite of commercially available sensors, commercially available processors, and an Application Programmer Interface (API) to the on-board autopilot flight controller. The design is modular to easily accommodate the addition of alternative sensors and processors. The document provided as Attachment 5 to the BAA (posted at www.fbo.gov) describes the GFE Platform in detail, and includes a link to a video of the platform in flight.

The GFE Platform and all related equipment will be provided at the Kickoff meeting. DARPA plans to provide each team with at least two GFE Platforms. However, these plans are subject to change based on the number of funded teams and program resources available.

After delivering the initial GFE Platforms, the platform developer will maintain and support the equipment. In addition, the platform developer will assist in integrating sensors, processors, and other devices from the autonomy developers.

K. Intellectual Property

The FLA program will emphasize creating and leveraging open source technology and architecture. Intellectual property rights asserted by proposers are strongly encouraged to be aligned with open source regimes. See Section VI.B.1 for more details on intellectual property.

II. Award Information A. Awards

Multiple awards are anticipated. The level of funding for individual awards made under this solicitation has not been predetermined and will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. Awards under this solicitation will be made to proposers whose proposals are determined to be the most advantageous and provide best value to the Government, all factors considered, including the potential contributions of the proposed work, overall funding strategy, and availability of funding. See Section V for further information.

The Government reserves the right to:

select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this solicitation;

make awards without discussions with proposers;

conduct discussions with proposers if it is later determined to be necessary;

segregate portions of resulting awards into pre-priced options;

accept proposals in their entirety or to select only portions of proposals for award;

fund proposals in increments with options for continued work at the end of one or more phases;

request additional documentation once the award instrument has been determined (e.g., file:///C:/Users/emitchell/Downloads/www.fbo.gov

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representations and certifications); and remove proposers from award consideration should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms within a reasonable time or the proposer fails to provide requested additional information in a timely manner.

Proposals identified for negotiation may result in a procurement contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other transaction (OT), depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between parties, and other factors.

In all cases, the Government contracting officer shall have sole discretion to select award instrument type and to negotiate all instrument terms and conditions with selectees. Proposers are advised that if they propose grants or cooperative agreements, DARPA may select other award instruments, as it deems appropriate. DARPA will apply publication or other restrictions, as necessary, if it determines that the research resulting from the proposed effort will present a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense. Any award resulting from such a determination will include a requirement for DARPA permission before publishing any information or results on the program. For more information on publication restrictions, see the section below on Fundamental Research.

B. Fundamental Research It is DoD policy that the publication of products of fundamental research will remain unrestricted to the maximum extent possible. National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 189 established the national policy for controlling the flow of scientific, technical, and engineering information produced in federally funded fundamental research at colleges, universities, and laboratories. The Directive defines fundamental research as follows:

'Fundamental research' means basic and applied research in science and engineering, the results of which ordinarily are published and shared broadly within the scientific community, as distinguished from proprietary research and from industrial development, design, production, and product utilization, the results of which ordinarily are restricted for proprietary or national security reasons.

As of the date of publication of this BAA, the Government expects that program goals as described herein may be met by proposers intending to perform fundamental research. The Government does not anticipate applying publication restrictions of any kind to individual awards for fundamental research that may result from this BAA. Notwithstanding this statement of expectation, the Government is not prohibited from considering and selecting research proposals that, while perhaps not qualifying as fundamental research under the foregoing definition, still meet the BAA criteria for submissions. If proposals are selected for award that offer other than a fundamental research solution, the Government will either work with the proposer to modify the proposed statement of work to bring the research back into line with fundamental research or else the proposer will agree to restrictions in order to receive an award.

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

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intended results of their research, the Government shall have sole discretion to select award instrument type and to negotiate all instrument terms and conditions with selectees. Appropriate clauses will be included in resultant awards for non-fundamental research to prescribe publication requirements and other restrictions, as appropriate.

For certain research projects, it may be possible that although the research being performed by the prime contractor is restricted research, a subawardee may be conducting contracted fundamental research. In those cases, it is the prime contractor’s responsibility to explain in its proposal why its subawardee’s effort is contracted fundamental research.

The following statement or similar provision will be incorporated into any resultant non-fundamental research procurement contract or other transaction:

“There shall be no dissemination or publication, except within and between the contractor and any subawardees, of information developed under this contract or contained in the reports to be furnished pursuant to this contract without prior written approval of DARPA’s Public Release Center (DARPA/PRC). All technical reports will be given proper review by appropriate authority to determine which Distribution Statement is to be applied prior to the initial distribution of these reports by the contractor. With regard to subawardee proposals for Contracted Fundamental Research, papers resulting from unclassified contracted fundamental research are exempt from prepublication controls and this review requirement, pursuant to DoD Instruction 5230.27 dated October 6, 1987.

When submitting material for written approval for open publication, the contractor/awardee must submit a request for public release to the DARPA/PRC and include the following information: (1) Document Information: document title, document author, short plain-language description of technology discussed in the material (approx.

30 words), number of pages (or minutes of video) and document type (e.g., briefing, report, abstract, article, or paper); (2) Event Information: event type (conference, principal investigator meeting, article or paper), event date, desired date for DARPA's approval; (3) DARPA Sponsor: DARPA Program Manager, DARPA office, and contract number; and (4) Contractor/Awardee's Information: POC name, email and phone. Allow four weeks for processing; due dates under four weeks require a justification. Unusual electronic file formats may require additional processing time. Requests may be sent either via email to prc@darpa.mil or by mail at 675 North Randolph Street, Arlington VA 22203-2114, telephone (571) 218-4235. Refer to the following for link for information about DARPA’s public release process:

http://www.darpa.mil/NewsEvents/Public_Release_Center/Public_Release_Center.aspx.”

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants

All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal that shall be considered by DARPA.

mailto:prc@darpa.mil

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1. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government Entities

Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government entities (e.g., Government/National laboratories, military educational institutions, etc.) are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot propose to this BAA in any capacity unless they meet the following conditions: (1) FFRDCs must clearly demonstrate that the proposed work is not otherwise available from the private sector; and (2) FFRDCs must provide a letter on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization citing the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry, and their compliance with the associated FFRDC sponsor agreement and terms and conditions. This information is required for FFRDCs proposing to be prime contractors or subawardees. Government entities must clearly demonstrate that the work is not otherwise available from the private sector and provide written documentation citing the specific statutory authority and contractual authority, if relevant, establishing their ability to propose to Government solicitations. At the present time, DARPA does not consider 15 U.S.C. § 3710a to be sufficient legal authority to show eligibility. While 10 U.S.C.§ 2539b may be the appropriate statutory starting point for some entities, specific supporting regulatory guidance, together with evidence of agency approval, will still be required to fully establish eligibility. DARPA will consider FFRDC eligibility submissions on a case-by-case basis; however, the burden to prove eligibility for all team members rests solely with the proposer.

2. Foreign Participation 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.

B. Procurement Integrity, Standards of Conduct, Ethical Considerations, and Organizational Conflicts of Interest

Current federal employees are prohibited from participating in particular matters involving conflicting financial, employment, and representational interests (18 U.S.C. §§ 203, 205, and 208). Once the proposals have been received, and prior to the start of proposal evaluations, the Government will assess potential conflicts of interest and will promptly notify the proposer if any appear to exist. The Government assessment does NOT affect, offset, or mitigate the proposer’s responsibility to give full notice and planned mitigation for all potential organizational conflicts, as discussed below.

Without prior approval or a waiver from the DARPA Director, in accordance with FAR 9.503, a contractor cannot simultaneously provide scientific, engineering, technical assistance (SETA) or similar support and also be a technical performer. As part of the proposal submission, all members of the proposed team (prime proposers, proposed subawardees, and consultants) must affirm whether they (their organizations and individual team members) are providing SETA or similar support to any DARPA technical office(s) through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the proposer, subawardees, consultant, or individual

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supports and identify the prime contract number(s). All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest (FAR 9.5) must be disclosed. The disclosure must include a description of the action the proposer has taken or proposes to take to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate such conflict. If in the sole opinion of the Government after full consideration of the circumstances, a proposal fails to fully disclose potential conflicts of interest and/or any identified conflict situation cannot be effectively mitigated, the proposal will be rejected without technical evaluation and withdrawn from further consideration for award.

If a prospective proposer believes a conflict of interest exists or may exist (whether organizational or otherwise) or has questions on what constitutes a conflict of interest, the proposer should send his/her contact information and a summary of the potential conflict via email to the BAA email address before time and effort are expended in preparing a proposal and mitigation plan.

C. Cost Sharing/Matching Cost sharing is not required; however, it will be carefully considered where there is an applicable statutory condition relating to the selected funding instrument (e.g., OTs under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2371).

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package

This document contains all information required to submit a response to this solicitation. No additional forms, kits, or other materials are needed except as referenced herein. No request for proposal or additional solicitation regarding this opportunity will be issued, nor is additional information available except as provided at the Federal Business Opportunities website (http://www.fbo.gov), the Grants.gov website (http://www.grants.gov/), or referenced herein.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

1. Full Proposal Information

Proposals consist of Volume 1: Technical and Management Proposal (including mandatory subsection xiii (Administrative and National Policy Requirements) and Volume 2: Cost Proposal.

Proposers are encouraged to submit concise, but descriptive, proposals. Specific examples of problems, approaches, or goals are preferred to qualitative generalities. The Government will not consider pages in excess of the page count limitation, as described herein. Proposals with fewer than the maximum number of pages will not be penalized. Information incorporated into Volume 2: Cost Proposal which is not related to cost will not be considered.

All pages in both the Technical and Management Proposal and the Cost Proposal shall be formatted for printing on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins, single-line spacing, and a font size not smaller than 12 point. Font sizes of 8 or 10 point may only be used for figures, http://www.fbo.gov/ http://www.grants.gov/

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tables, and charts in Volume 1: Technical and Management Proposal. Document files must be in .pdf, .odx, .ppt, .pptx, .doc, .docx, .xls, or .xlsx formats. Submissions must be written in English.

Proposals not meeting the format prescribed herein may not be reviewed.

a. Volume 1: Technical and Management Proposal Volume 1 shall not exceed a maximum of 30 pages. The page limit includes all figures, tables, charts, and resumes. Since resumes count against the proposal page limit, proposers may wish to include them as links in subsection viii. Personnel, Qualifications, and Commitments.

The page limit does NOT include the following subsections:

i. Cover Sheet

ii. Official transmittal letter

iii. Table of Contents

iv. Executive summary slide

xiii. Administrative and National Policy Requirements (mandatory)

Volume 1 must include the following components:

i. Cover Sheet: Include the following information.

(1) Label: “Proposal: Volume 1”

(2) BAA number (DARPA-BAA-15-16)

(3) Proposal title

(4) Proposer’s reference number, if any

(5) Lead organization (prime contractor) name

(6) Type of organization, selected from the following categories: Large

Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Other Small Business, HBCU, MI, Other Educational, or Other Nonprofit

(7) Technical point of contact (POC) including name, mailing address, telephone, and email address

(8) Administrative POC including name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address

(9) Total proposed cost separated by base award and any proposed option(s)

(10) Award instrument requested: procurement contract (specify type), grant, cooperative agreement or OT.1

(11) Place(s) and period(s) of performance

(12) List all other team members (subcontractors and consultants, including

Technical POC name, organization and organization type

(13) Date proposal was prepared

(14) Proposal validity period

1 Information on award instruments can be found at http://www.darpa.mil/Opportunities/Contract_Management/Contract_Management.aspx.

http://www.darpa.mil/Opportunities/Contract_Management/Contract_Management.aspx

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ii. Official Transmittal Letter

iii. Table of Contents

iv. Executive Summary Slide: Provide a one slide summary in PowerPoint that effectively and succinctly conveys the main objective, key innovations, expected impact, and other unique aspects of the proposed project. A slide template is provided as Attachment 1 to the BAA posted at www.fbo.gov. Teams may use the slide template, or they may use their own format.

v. Goals and Impact: Describe what the proposed team is trying to achieve and the difference it will make (qualitatively and quantitatively) if successful. Describe the innovative aspects of the project in the context of existing capabilities and approaches, clearly delineating the uniqueness and benefits of this project in the context of the state of the art, alternative approaches, and other projects from the past and present. Describe how the proposed project is revolutionary and how it significantly rises above the current state of the art.

Describe the deliverables associated with the proposed project and any plans to commercialize the technology, transition it to a customer, or further the work. Discuss the mitigation of any issues related to sustainment of the technology over its entire lifecycle, assuming the technology transition plan is successful.

vi. Technical Plan: Outline and address technical challenges inherent in the approach and possible solutions for overcoming potential problems. Demonstrate a deep understanding of the technical challenges and present a credible (even if risky) plan to achieve the project’s goal. Discuss mitigation of technical risk. Provide appropriate measurable milestones (quantitative if possible) at intermediate stages of the project to demonstrate progress, and a plan for achieving the milestones.

vii. Management Plan: Provide a summary of expertise of the proposed team, including any subcontractors/consultants and key personnel who will be executing the work.

Identify a principal investigator (PI) for the project. Provide a clear description of the team’s organization including an organization chart that includes, 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. Provide a detailed plan for coordination including explicit guidelines for interaction among collaborators/subcontractors of the proposed project. Include risk management approaches. Describe any formal teaming agreements that are required to execute this project. List Government-furnished materials or data assumed to be available.

viii. Personnel, Qualifications, and Commitments: List key personnel (no more than one page per person), 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 file:///C:/Users/emitchell/Downloads/www.fbo.gov

DARPA-BAA-15-16 FLA 17

year. 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 award.

ix. Capabilities: Describe organizational experience in relevant subject area(s), existing intellectual property, or specialized facilities. Discuss any work in closely related research areas and previous accomplishments.

x. Statement of Work (SOW): The SOW must provide a detailed task breakdown, citing specific tasks and their connection to the interim milestones and metrics, as applicable. Each year of the project should be separately defined. The SOW must not include proprietary information. For each defined task/subtask, provide:

A general description of the objective.

A detailed description of the approach to be taken to accomplish each defined task/subtask.

Identification of the primary organization responsible for task execution (prime contractor, subcontractor(s), consultant(s)), by name.

A measurable milestone, (e.g., a deliverable, demonstration, or other event/activity that marks task completion).

A definition of all deliverables (e.g., data, reports, software) to be provided to the

Government in support of the proposed tasks/subtasks.

xi. Schedule and Milestones: Provide a detailed schedule showing tasks (task name, duration, work breakdown structure element as applicable, performing organization), milestones, and the interrelationships among tasks. The task structure must be consistent with that in the SOW. Measurable milestones should be clearly articulated and defined in time relative to the start of the project.

xii. Cost Summary: Provide the cost summary as described in Section IV.B.1.b.ii.

xiii. Administrative and National Policy Requirements: This section is mandatory and must include ALL of the following components. If a particular subsection is not applicable, state “NONE” (i.e., do not just delete the subsection or leave it blank).

(1). Team Member Identification: Provide a list of all team members including the prime, subcontractor(s), and consultant(s), as applicable. Identify specifically whether any are a non-US organization or individual, FFRDC and/or Government entity. Use the following format for this list:

Non-US?

Individual Name

Role (Prime, Subcontractor or

Consultant) Organization Org. Ind.

FFRDC

or Govt?

DARPA-BAA-15-16 FLA 18

(2). Government or FFRDC Team Member Proof of Eligibility to Propose: If none of the team member organizations (prime or subcontractor) are a Government entity or FFRDC, state “NONE.”

If any of the team member organizations are a Government entity or FFRDC, provide documentation (per Section III.A.1) citing the specific authority that establishes the applicable team member’s eligibility to propose to Government solicitations to include: (1) statutory authority; (2) contractual authority; (3) supporting regulatory guidance; and (4) evidence of agency approval for applicable team member participation.

(3). Government or FFRDC Team Member Statement of Unique Capability: If none of the team member organizations (prime or subcontractor) are a Government entity or FFRDC, state “NONE.”

If any of the team member organizations are a Government entity or FFRDC, provide a statement (per Section III.A.1) that demonstrates the work to be performed by the Government entity or FFRDC team member is not otherwise available from the private sector.

(4). Organizational Conflict of Interest Affirmations and Disclosure: If none of the proposed team members is currently providing SETA or similar support as described in Section III.B, state “NONE.”

If any of the proposed team members (individual or organization) is currently performing SETA or similar support, provide the following information:

Prime Contract Number

DARPA Technical Office supported

A description of the action the proposer has taken or proposes to take to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate the conflict

(5). Intellectual Property (IP): If no IP restrictions are intended, state “NONE.”

The Government will assume unlimited rights to all IP not explicitly identified as restricted in the proposal.

For all technical data or computer software that will be delivered to the Government with other than unlimited rights, provide (per Section VI.B.1) a list describing all proprietary claims to results, prototypes, deliverables or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research, results, prototypes and/or deliverables. Provide documentation proving ownership or possession of appropriate licensing rights to all patented inventions (or inventions for which a patent application has been filed) to be used for the proposed project.

Use the following format for these lists:

DARPA-BAA-15-16 FLA 19

NONCOMMERCIAL

Technical Data and/or Computer Software To be Delivered With Restrictions

Summary of Intended Use in the Conduct of the Research

Basis for Assertion

Asserted Rights

Category

Name of Person Asserting Restrictions

(List) (Narrative) (List) (List) (List) (List) (Narrative) (List) (List) (List)

COMMERCIAL

Technical Data and/or Computer Software To be Delivered With Restrictions

Summary of Intended Use in the Conduct of the Research

Basis for Assertion

Asserted Rights

Category

Name of Person Asserting Restrictions

(List) (Narrative) (List) (List) (List) (List) (Narrative) (List) (List) (List)

(6). Human Subjects Research (HSR): If HSR is not a factor in the proposal, state

“NONE.”

If the proposed work will involve human subjects, provide evidence of or a plan for review by an institutional review board (IRB). For further information on this subject, see Section VI.B.2.

(7). Animal Use: If animal use is not a factor in the proposal, state “NONE.”

If the proposed research will involve animal use, provide a brief description of the plan for Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) review and approval. For further information on this subject, see Section VI.B.3.

(8). Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Notices and Certification: Per Section VI.B.10, any proposer who submits a proposal which, if accepted, will result in a CAS-compliant contract, must include a Disclosure Statement as required by 48 CFR 9903.202. The disclosure forms may be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement_casb.

If this section is not applicable, state “NONE.”

(9). Representations Regarding Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under Any Federal Law: Per Section VI.B.10, complete the following statements.

(a) The proposer represents that it is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability.

(b) The proposer represents that it is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that was http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement_casb

DARPA-BAA-15-16 FLA 20

convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

b. Volume 2 - Cost Proposal This volume is mandatory and must include all the listed components.2 No page limit is specified for this volume. The Cost Proposal shall be formatted for printing on 8-1/2 by 11-inch paper with 1-inch margins, single-line spacing, and a font size not smaller than 12 point for all document files. Submissions must be written in English.

Costs must be traceable between the prime and subcontractors/consultants, as well as between the cost proposal and the SOW. Cost information must be provided in sufficient detail to substantiate the proposed prices.

i. Cover Sheet:

(1) Label: “Proposal: Volume 2”

(2) BAA number (DARPA-BAA-15-16)

(3) Proposal title

(4) Proposer’s reference number, if applicable

(5) Lead organization (prime proposer) name

(6) Type of organization, selected from the following categories: Large Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Other Small Business, HBCU, MI, Other Educational, or Other Nonprofit

(7) Technical point of contact (POC) including name, mailing address, telephone, and email address

(8) Administrative POC including name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address

(9) Total proposed cost separated by base award and any proposed option(s)

(10) Award instrument3 requested: procurement contract (specify type), grant, cooperative agreement, other transaction

(11) Place(s) and period(s) of performance

(12) List all other team member(s) (subcontractors and consultants), if applicable;

for each, provide the Technical POC name and organization

(13) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number4

(14) Taxpayer identification number (TIN)5

(15) Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code6

2 To assist in Cost Proposal development, various templates are provided along with the BAA posted at www.fbo.gov: Attachment 2- Cost Volume Checklist, Attachment 3-Contract Cost Element Summary, Attachment 4-Grant & Cooperative Agreement Cost Element Summary. Use of these templates is not required; proposers may use their own formats.

3 Information on award instruments can be found at http://www.darpa.mil/Opportunities/Contract_Management/Contract_Management.aspx.

4 The DUNS number is used as the Government's contractor identification code for all procurement-related activities. Go to http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/index.jsp to request a DUNS number (may take at least one business day). See Section VI.B.7. for further information.

5 See http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96696,00.html for information on requesting a TIN. Note, requests may take from 1 business day to 1 month depending on the method (online, fax, mail).

6 A CAGE Code identifies companies doing or wishing to do business with the Federal Government. See Section file:///C:/Users/emitchell/Downloads/www.fbo.gov http://www.darpa.mil/Opportunities/Contract_Management/Contract_Management.aspx http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/index.jsp http://www.irs.gov/businesses/small/international/article/0,,id=96696,00.html

DARPA-BAA-15-16 FLA 21

(16) Name, address, and telephone number of the proposer’s cognizant Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) administration office or Office of Naval Research (ONR) administration office, if known

(17) Name, address, and telephone number of the proposer’s cognizant Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) audit office, if known

(18) Date proposal was prepared

(19) Proposal validity period

ii. Cost Summaries

(1) Cost Summary by Phase: Provide total program cost by phase broken down by major cost items to include: labor costs, materials, travel, consultants, subcontracts, other direct charges (ODCs), indirect costs (overhead, fringe, general and administrative (G&A)), and any proposed fee for the project.

(2) Cost Summary by Task: Provide a summary of total program costs by task.

(3) Cost Summary by Month: Provide a summary of projected funding requirements by month.

iii. Cost Details: Provide the following cost details broken down by each phase and by Government Fiscal Year (GFY). Include supporting documentation describing the method used to estimate costs.

(1) Direct Labor: Provide individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours and direct labor rates.

(2) Indirect Costs: Identify all indirect cost rates (Fringe Benefits, Overhead, G&A, Facilities Cost of Money, etc.) and the basis for each.

(3) Materials: Provide an itemized list of all proposed materials including quantities, unit prices, proposed vendors (if known), and the basis of estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists, etc.). Any item that exceeds $5,000 must be supported with back-up documentation such as a copy of catalog price lists or quotes prior to purchase.

(4) Equipment Purchases: Provide an itemized list of all proposed equipment including quantities, unit prices, proposed vendors (if known) and the basis of estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists, etc.). Any item that exceeds $5,000 must be supported with back-up documentation such as a copy of catalog price lists or quotes prior to purchase.