Additional_Questions_and_Answers_-_DARPA-BAA-15-26.pdf

DARPA-BAA-15-26

Squad X Core Technologies Program

Questions and Answers 30 March 2015

Q50: Would non-classified proposals be considered for TA2?

• A50: Yes, if they meet the goals and vision of the Squad X Core Technologies program as stated in DARPA-BAA-15-26 and its classified addendum. Please ensure that the proposed effort is in compliance with the Squad X Core Technologies Security Classification Guide.

Q51: Could you please clarify whether TA2 is looking to develop a 300 meter radius of protection around the squad such that any enemy within that radius will be denied of Comms, C2, and UAS assets?

• A51: Per DARPA-BAA-15-26, page 6, Technical Area 2 aims to “enable the rifle squad to disrupt enemy command and control, communications, and use of unmanned assets to ranges greater than 300 meters while maneuvering at a squad-relevant operational pace.”

Additional information on Technical Area 2 can be found in this BAA’s classified addendum.

Q52: Related to TA1, we would like further guidance on the organic rifle squad weapons that will be considered for compatibility. The BAA mentions the M203/320 as well as the Picatinny Rail, but are we limited to those? Are mortars, AT-4s, etc. considered as well?

• A52: Please refer to Question and Answer 44. Additionally, the organic weapons to the Army Rifle Squad are the M4 carbine, the M16 rifle, the M320 grenade launcher, and the M249 Squad Automatic Weapon. The organic weapons to the Marine Rifle Squad are the M4, the M16, the M230 grenade launcher, and the M27 Infantry Automatic Rifle. All of the squad organic weapons systems utilize the Picatinny Rail.

Q53: Is it permissible for the same company, but different PIs, to submit a proposal to the same Technical area and same sub-area?

• A53: Yes. However, each submitted proposal should be a stand-alone effort independent of any other proposal submission and should independently meet the goals and vision of the Squad X Core Technologies program as stated in DARPA-BAA-15-26.

Q54: Will other presentations from the Proposer’s Day be uploaded to the FBO site?

• A54: No. The SXCT Program Overview briefing and the consolidated Q&A document and its subsequent updates are the only Proposers’ Day materials that will be uploaded to FBO.

Q55: Will Mr. Peter Donaghue’s slides be uploaded to the FBO website – particularly the information regarding Other Transaction Agreements? Page 36 of the BAA states: “Additionally, if the proposer requests award of an 845 OT agreement, without the required one-third (1/3) cost share, information must be included in the cost proposal supporting that there is at least one non-traditional defense contractor or small business participating to a significant extent in the proposed prototype project.

For more information on 845 Other Transaction for Prototypes (OT) agreements, refer to http://www.darpa.mil/Opportunities/Contract_Management/Other_Transactions_and_Technology_I nvestment_Agreements.aspx. We have referred to the DARPA website and could not find the recent modification regarding small business exemption to the 1/3 cost-share requirement. Could you provide this reference?

• A55: No, Mr. Donaghue’s slides will not be posted. For information about the revisions to the statutory language for other transactions for prototypes DARPA suggests an online search for the following information: NDAA for FY 15, P.L. 113-291, Sec. 812.

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

Questions and Answers 30 March 2015

Q56: Per the Technical Area 3 metrics on Page 9 “Accuracy 0.9”. What are the units of the 0.9 metric (i.e. is it a confidence metric in % or is it in units of distance such as meters?)

• A56: See Slide 29 of the SXCT Proposers’ Day briefing slides. In this context, Accuracy is calculated by (TP+TN)/(P+N); where TP is the number of true positives, TN is the number of true negatives, P is the number of sensed positives, and N is the number of sensed negatives. It is intended as a measure of how many "targets" a sensor correctly identifies and rejects.

Q57: Is there a requirement on battery life for the sensors used in TA2 and TA3?

• A57: No. However, proposers are encouraged to consider the post-R&D implications of battery life to enable solutions that are operationally useful and logistically sustainable.

Q58: At the Proposers’ Day, it was mentioned that we can assume that each soldier has power, computing, and radio connectivity. That isn't explicitly mentioned in the BAA. What should we assume as the baseline equipment which Squad X can build upon?

• A58: See Question and Answer 38.

Q59: For Technical Area 4, what is included in the Soldier SWAP Mass/Volume program success metrics (<350 g and < 200 cm^3)?

• A59: See Question and Answer 48 regarding surrogate system SWaP. Any SWaP associated with new technologies or systems being developed within the proposed effort should be included in the SWaP metrics.

Q60: For TA2 and TA3, are batteries included in the SWaP requirements stated in the BAA? Are antennas included in the SWaP requirements stated in the BAA?

• A60: See Question and Answer 59.

Q61: Are IR beacons to aid in identifying squad locations considered "fully active sensor systems" which are in the NOT desired section of Technical Area 4?

• A61: Yes. See Question and Answer 47 regarding a potential developmental approach.

Q62: The BAA states, on page 31, section II, paragraph C... "This section shall provide cost, schedule, and measurable milestones for the proposed research, including brief estimates of cost for each task in each year of the effort delineated by the prime and major subcontractors, total cost and company cost share, if applicable." Does DARPA really want the bidders to include cost in the technical volume?

• A62: Yes. Cost provided in this section should be summarized at a high level and address the specific elements stated.

Q63: For Tech Areas 3 and 4, do we need to develop contingencies to operate in network denied/degraded environments?

• A63: Performance in a network denied/degraded environment is not a specific requirement under this BAA. The ability to function in an environment with degraded or denied communications could be of interest to the military when considering future system transition potential.

Questions and Answers 30 March 2015

Q64: Is DARPA providing a-priori 2D and 3D terrain data or is contractor responsible for this? Are there requirements on 2D/3D data resolution/format?

• A64: Proposers will be responsible for supplying their own a priori data for Phase I Concept Demonstrations. Government Furnished Information may be provided for the Phase II Evaluation Experiments, which will be defined at a later date. DARPA-BAA-15-26 has not identified any requirements related to 2D/3D data resolution or format. Proposers are encouraged to carefully manage their data volume and processing requirements, as proposed concepts must be demonstrable and eventually be hosted on tactical communications systems.

Q65: What TRL is expected for demo systems at end of Phase 1?

• A65: DARPA-BAA-15-26 does not define an expected TRL for Phase 1 demo systems. See DARPA-BAA-15-26, page 13-14, Section C.2 for further detail on DARPA’s expectations for Phase 1 demonstrations in each of the Technical Areas.

Q66: If we are proposing on TA4B, Robotic Behaviors, is it expected that we will purchase robotic platforms under this contract and deliver them at contract end? Or alternately, if we have surrogate robotic platforms already in house, can we use those for demonstration and deliver no platforms at contract end?

• A66: Proposers may propose in their cost proposal to purchase a robotic platform as equipment to which the Government may take title to upon contract completion. Proposers must include the cost of the robotic platform equipment in their cost proposal and provide supporting documentation validating the proposed cost. Proposers may also propose to use their own surrogate robotic platforms for demonstrations and deliver no platforms at the end of the contract. Proposers are reminded that platform development, beyond the integration of sensors and/or processing into an available platform, is out of scope for the Squad X Core Technologies program

Q67: May the contractor modify the cost summary sheet to reflect how their company allocates costs? For instance, can ROWs and columns be added/deleted to accommodate for how a contractor builds their costs?

• A67: Yes.

Q68: The BAA is requesting a summary of projected funding requirements by month, but have not included a template for this. Should the contractor insert an additional tab into the cost summary format to show this additional breakdown of costs?

• A68: Yes, a proposer may insert an additional tab into the cost proposal spreadsheet provided at fbo.gov or a proposer may provide a summary of projected funding requirements by month in a proposer’s selected format.

Q69: Could you provide list of standard firearms carried by riflemen/automatic riflemen within squad, in addition to variants of the M4?

• A69: Please refer to Question and Answer 44 and 52.

Questions and Answers 30 March 2015

Q70: On the Cost Volume, regarding the statement: “Provide (strongly encouraged) editable MS Excel Cost Proposal Spreadsheet”, are contractor formats acceptable?

• A70: Yes, proposer formats are acceptable.

Q71: On the Cost Volume, regarding the statement : “USG prefers receiving cost data as Excel files” , is it acceptable to submit the entire cost volume as a PDF with the working Excel files submitted separately on a disc?

• A71: Yes. Please note the updated Proposal Submission Information recently added on page 27 under Amendment 2 to BAA-15-26 which provides the following guidance: “Unclassified proposals sent in response to DARPA-BAA-15-26 should be submitted using DARPA’s BAA Website (https://baa.darpa.mil). Proposals may not be submitted by fax or e-mail;

any so sent will be disregarded. Note: If an account has already been created for the DARPA BAA Website, it may be reused. If no account currently exists for the DARPA BAA Website, visit the website to complete the two-step registration process. Submitters 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 username and temporary password. After accessing the Extranet, submitters 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 submission. Proposers using the DARPA BAA Website may encounter heavy traffic on the submission deadline date; it is highly advised that submission process be started as early as possible. All unclassified concepts submitted electronically through DARPA’s BAA website must be uploaded as zip files (.zip or .zipx extension). The final zip file should contain only one file (the final submission) and be no greater than 50 MB in size. Only one zip file will be accepted per submission and submissions not uploaded as zip files will be rejected by DARPA.”