DARPA-SN-18-19.pdf

DARPA-SN-18-19

Notice of Intent to Award a Sole Source Contract to Data Machines Corporation

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contracts Management Office (CMO), on behalf of the Defense Sciences Office (DSO), intends to award a sole source contract to Data Machines Corp., 21860 Regents Park Circle, Sterling, Virginia 20166, under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2304(c)(1) and FAR 6.302-1, "Only One Responsible Source and No Other Supplies or Services Will Satisfy Agency Requirements."

This is a sole source synopsis for the acquisition of an elastic complex systems research computing infrastructure capability in support of DARPA’s CASCADE and PROTEUS programs. The CASCADE program Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), DARPA-BAA-16- 11, described a common cloud-based, collaborative unified test and evaluation (T&E) environment for performers and the Government challenge/IV&V partners. These teams are currently developing distributed, scalable complex systems analysis tools, including data science research. Data Machines Corp. was selected to develop this environment for CASCADE, and a pre-existing body of software, models and data has been developed within their computing infrastructure. A similar computing research environment is required for the PROTEUS program

(BAA HR001117S0037).

Specifically, Data Machines Corp. has demonstrated a unique elastic computing research capability and has simultaneously shown: (1) a complex system science research architecture, including a self-service research and development platform with access control, security, user management, auditing, and encryption built-in that allows a wide pool of developers and statistical researchers to safely iterate on sensitive data sets to derive and develop novel methods, code, and technologies accessing and modifying or replacing the entire stack of platform, infrastructure and software as a service; (2) procurement of and dynamic and predictive scheduling for heterogeneous hardware such as GPUs/ASICs; (3) dynamic switching between cost efficient multi-tenant environments to performance-controlled uniform benchmark environments; (4) interfaces which allow access to prototype solutions for research transition partners (DoD analysts, military planners, training facilities) with reporting, metrics, auditing, access control, and management interfaces; (5) a unique library of code and techniques for scalable model development and data enrichment, transformation, and analysis (filters, tagging, tokenization, summarization, matrix completion, missing value inference, principal component analysis, prediction); (6) DMC-Intents, a user-intent based application mapping framework and API which is compatible with any REST based suite of tools without modification (e.g., all modern software); and (7) DMC-UIExp-Planner, a research experiment scheduling, and automated access control tool which allows user interface developers and transition partners to coordinate user interface challenge problem focused usability experiments.

Under the sole source contract, Data Machines Corp. will be required to build upon their unique capabilities to further support the CASCADE program and now PROTEUS program by: (1) continued optimization of system architecture for high performance with minimal operation and maintenance costs; (2) expanding current hardware and software capabilities to allow deployment of multiple cross-stack software architectures at scale; (3) extend a pre-existing suite of tools and techniques for managing streaming data, including utilities for securely managing

Internet of Things Devices, to support execution of research software capabilities at scale on multiple devices (e.g., tablet or Augmented Reality devices); (4) support deployment of research capabilities in potentially austere Marine Corps or Army test range facilities for program demonstrations; (5) extension of capabilities to support classified data, models and execution; (6) extension of current load balancing and dynamic scheduling capabilities to ensure graceful degradation of services in austere conditions; and (6) support of PROTEUS operations in less than 14 days from start of contract. Over the expected thirty seven (37) month period of performance, Data Machines Corp. will be required to deliver usage statistics, research capability updates, quarterly financial and field support reports, and a final report beginning March 7, 2018.

This announcement constitutes the only synopsis for this requirement and is issued for notification purposes only. It is not a request for competitive proposals and no solicitation is currently available. Interested parties may identify their interest and capability to meet the requirements of this effort by submitting a white paper and past performance data no later than 4:00 p.m. (ET), January 4, 2018 to the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Attn: Mr.

Peter Donaghue, Contracts Management Office (CMO), 675 N. Randolph Street, Arlington, VA 22203 or via email to desmond.donaghue@darpa.mil. Questions shall be submitted to the above email address. Companies interested in subcontracting opportunities should contact Data Machines Corp., directly.

The Government will consider all information received before 4:00 p.m. (ET), January 4, 2018.

Information received will be considered by the Government solely for the purpose of determining whether to conduct a competitive procurement. A determination by the Government not to compete this proposed effort on a full and open basis is solely within the discretion of the Government.

Those interested in working with DARPA/DSO on projects outside of the scope of this notice should monitor the DARPA website (http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities) and Federal Business Opportunities (www.fbo.gov) to view current opportunities with DARPA including solicitations, requests for information, and proposers days. DSO maintains an annual Office-Wide Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeking revolutionary research under several technical areas. Parties whose research aligns with those technical areas are invited to submit an executive summary in response to the Office-Wide BAA (HR001117S0040).

http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities http://www.fbo.gov/