E01.02 W913E523C0004.pdf

05/02/2023

MELODIE Y FISHER

601-634-4687 melodie.y.fisher@usace.army.mil 05-May-2023

W913E523C0004

Section A - Solicitation/Contract Form

POINTS OF CONTACT

CONTRACTOR POC: Jennifer Jacobs, Principal Investigator

(603) 862-0635 jennifer.jacobs@unh.edu

Lisa Scigliano, Senior Grant and Contract Administrator

(603) 862-0529 lisa.scigliano@unh.edu

TPOCs: Eli Deeb, Primary TPOC

(603) 646-4725 elias.j.deeb@usace.army.mil

Bert Davis, Alternate TPOC

(603) 646-4219 robert.e.davis@usace.army.mil

Shad O’Neel, Alternate TPOC

(907) 529-4010 shad.o’neel@usace.army.mil

COR: Dave Finnegan, COR

(603) 646-4106 david.finnegan@usace.army.mil

CONTRACTING POCs: Will McFarland, Contract Specialist

(603) 646-4119 william.a.mcfarland@usace.army.mil

Melodie Fisher, Contracting Officer

(601) 634-4687 melodie.y.fisher@usace.army.mil

Section B - Supplies or Services and Prices

ITEM NO SUPPLIES/SERVICES QUANTITY UNIT UNIT PRICE AMOUNT

0001 1 Job $448,026.00 $448,026.00 R&D Services - Base Year

FFP

BAA Proposal 22-0005 titled, "Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility" Funding for Tasks 1A and 2A.

FOB: Destination

PURCHASE REQUEST NUMBER: W81EWF23398313

PSC CD: AJ11

NET AMT $448,026.00

ACRN AA

CIN: W81EWF233983130001

$448,026.00

0002 1 Job $689,740.00 $689,740.00 R&D Services - Base Year

FFP

BAA Proposal 22-0005 titled, "Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility". Funding for Tasks 1B and 3A.

FOB: Destination

PURCHASE REQUEST NUMBER: W81EWF23398313

NET AMT $689,740.00

ACRN AA

CIN: W81EWF233983130002

$689,740.00

1001 1 Job $329,713.00 $329,713.00 OPTION R&D Services - Option Period 1

FFP

BAA Proposal 22-0005 titled, "Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility". Tasks 2B and 4A.

FOB: Destination

NET AMT $329,713.00

2001 1 Job $1,129,935.00 $1,129,935.00 OPTION R&D Services - Option Period 2

FFP

BAA Proposal 22-0005 titled, "Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility". Tasks 1C, 2C, 3B, 4B, and 5A.

NET AMT $1,129,935.00

3001 1 Job $700,157.00 $700,157.00 OPTION R&D Services - Option Period 3

FFP

BAA Proposal 22-0005 titled, "Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility". Tasks 3C, 4C, and 5B.

NET AMT $700,157.00

Section C - Descriptions and Specifications

PERFORMANCE WORK STATEMENT

Title: “Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility”

C.1. INTRODUCTION: This contract is the result of a successful proposal received under the Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) W912HZ-22-BAA-01, Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory (CRREL) CRREL-2 and CRREL-6 research areas. The proposal (BAA 22- 0005) is entitled “Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility” and was submitted by the University of New Hampshire.

C.1.a. Scope of Contract Work. This project will advance successful UAV sensing platforms and techniques in real world applications to support winter mobility. This project proposes to prototype systems and applications that take advantage of observations from recent advances in snow characterization including sensors and Unpiloted Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) technologies to advance cold weather military applications in support of the Army’s warfighting mobility mission. This work will focus on estimating environmental conditions during the winter’s shoulder or transition seasons. Surface conditions, which impact the movement of vehicles and equipment, are proposed to be characterized in real-time or to support short-term forecasts using recently developed sensing technology deployed on UAVs. The selected approaches have demonstrated their potential to provide near real-time observations of snow, roadway, and airfield conditions at soldier spatial scales from 10 m to 1 km and are ready for further development. The project outcomes will provide a broadly relevant suite of winter landscape mobility indicators and prototypes of best practices for application of UAV platforms and instrumentation to provide high-resolution assessments of winter conditions in northern regions.

C.2. CONTRACTOR’S TECHNICAL PROPOSAL: The Contractor’s technical proposal entitled “Cold Region Science & Technology: Snow Properties to Support Mobility”, is incorporated herein by reference and made a part thereof. In the event of any discrepancies between the Contractor’s proposal and this Performance Work Statement, this Performance Work Statement shall govern.

C.3. PROPOSAL REVISIONS: See Sections C.9. “Meetings and Reviews”, Paragraph C.10. “Reports and Deliverables”, and Paragraph C.11 “Performance Requirements Summary”.

C.4. NON-PERSONAL SERVICES: The Government and the Contractor hereby understand and agree that the services to be delivered under this contract by the Contractor to the Government are non-personal services, and the parties recognize and agree that no employer-employee or master-servant relationships exist or will exist under this contract between the Government and the Contractor's employees.

C.5. GOVERNMENT-FURNISHED EQUIPMENT, INFORMATION, SUPPORT, APPROVALS:

C.5.a. Government-Owned Computers or IT Equipment: n/a

C.5.b. CAC Cards: n/a

C.5.c. Access to ERDC or DOD IT Systems: n/a

C.5.d. Access to Government Installations: The contractor may visit ERDC properties for short 1-to-2-day project meetings with ERDC scientists and engineers. However, the contractor is not expected to be performing work on ERDC campus under extended visits.

C.5.e. Government Information: UNH has requested various kinds of subject matter expertise from CRREL, example data, and sources of guidance regarding government mobility systems. To the extent possible permitted by security protocols, CRREL will provide the requested expertise and information. Some data may be sensitive thus requiring require limited distribution statements making some material unsuitable for open publication. This will be determined on a case-by-case basis varying with how the material is presented. The following information has been requested by UNH:

subject matter expertise on snow and mobility to assist the UNH team to gain insights to snow mobility metrics and thresholds relevant to project tasks current “general” vehicle speed models, and input on using the UAS observations to inform the NATO reference mobility model, whose measures only apply to the current fleet when available and to the extent possible, information about Next Generation Combat Vehicle (NGCV) requirements for snow mobility metrics and workflows that use those metrics identification of projects complementary to this proposed project, within and outside CRREL

C.5.f. Protected Information. If limited, sensitive, or CUI data are provided, then provision of such data may require that the contractor develop an OPSEC plan outlining data storage, backup, and usage policies and procedures. Whenever the Army provides CUI to, or CUI is generated by, Contractors, protective measures, and dissemination controls, including those directed by a Law, Regulation, or Government-wide Policy (LRGWP), will be articulated in the contract, grant, or other legal agreement, as appropriate. CUI will be identified in all Army contracts to include the applicable security clauses and security standards associated with the CUI in accordance with DoDI 5200.48. Army contracts must require contractors to monitor CUI for aggregation and compilation based on the potential to generate classified information pursuant to security classification guidance addressing the accumulation of unclassified data or information. Army contracts will outline the requirements contractors have to report the potential classification of aggregated or compiled CUI to the Army requiring activity.

C.5.g. Testing at Government Installations or Major Range and Test Facility Bases (MRTFB): The contractor may visit to federal properties to conduct testing. The contractor is authorized to obtain test support/services from Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB) installations as Government furnished services at the DoD customer rate for the duration of this contract throughout the contract period of performance. The contractor shall coordinate with the Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR) while issuing requests for DoD customer rates with Major Range and Test Facility Base (MRTFB) installations for work under this contract.

C.5.h. Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Technology on ERDC Contracts: The contractor is advised that ERDC’s unmanned aerial system (UAS) policies and guidance are derived from ERDC’s DOD chain of command (DOD, Army, and USACE). Policies regarding UAS purchase and use on ERDC contracts are occasionally updated and may change over time. Regardless of what is listed in the Contractor’s proposal scope and budget, the contractor shall not purchase or deploy UAS technology of any kind (a.k.a., drones, UAVs, etc.) on this contract without first consulting with the COR who will confirm plans are still compliant with current USACE policies.

Contract modifications may be required if USACE polices change significantly. The COR shall work with the CRREL’s UAS leads in charge of UAS activity for contracts to confirm updated guidance. The contractor shall coordinate with the COR regarding UAS flight plans in the field with ample advanced notice to allow for planning.

C.5.i. Field Locations: The contractor’s scope identifies several field sites for collection of data required for this project. Based on experience, ERDC is aware that occasionally intended field sites become unexpectedly unavailable due to security issues or other reasons that limit contractor access. For this reason, any specifically stated field location in the contractor’s scope may be changed to another geologically comparable location upon request of the contractor and approval of the COR and TPOC. The COR will record this change in the contract file via an email Memorandum For Record with all parties copied.

C.6. CONTRACTING OFFICER'S REPRESENTATIVE (COR): The identification of duties and limitations of the COR are specified in the COR appointment letter, which will be provided to the contractor at or shortly after the time of award. No Government employee, other than the Contracting Officer, shall have the authority to do other than clarify technical points or supply relevant information to the Contractor regarding this contract. Specifically, no requirement in these specifications may be altered through verbal clarification. Only a warranted Contracting Officer, acting within their delegated limits, has the authority to issue modifications or otherwise change the terms and conditions of this contract. If an individual other than the Contracting Officer attempts to make changes to the terms and conditions of this contract, the contractor shall not proceed with the change and shall immediately notify the Contracting Officer.

Contracting Officer’s Representative (COR)

David Finnegan 603-646-4106 david.finnegan@usace.army.mil

C.7. TECHNICAL POINT OF CONTACT (TPOC): TPOCs offer technical backgrounds as subject matter experts (SMEs) in areas relevant to the contract. TPOCs provide value added technical feedback to the vendor and contractor performance feedback to the COR. TPOCs may coordinate with the contractor to consult, support execution, assist with access to necessary government data, hardware, or supplies, review monthly progress reports, review deliverables, and act as the government sponsor where engagement with other government entities is required (e.g., site access, product transition). TPOCs shall always include the COR on correspondences, telecons, and communications with the contractor so the COR can document exchanges. Likewise, the vendor shall always include the COR on correspondences, telecons, and communications with all government employees regarding this contract. Other TPOCs may engage as work evolves and will be formally introduced to the contractor by the COR and Lead TPOC. TPOCs for this contract include:

Technical Points of Contact (TPOCs)

Elias J. Deeb, Ph.D. (Primary TPOC) Email: elias.j.deeb@usace.army.mil Office: 603-646-4725

Shad O’Neel PhD (Alternate TPOC) 907.529.4010 Shad.r.oneel@erdc.dren.mil

Robert (Bert) E. Davis, PhD. (Alternate TPOC) Office: 603-646-4219 CorpsNet: robert.e.davis@usace.army.mil DREN: bert.davis@erdc.dren.mil

C.8 SCHEDULE AND TASKS. The below table outlines the tasks and subtasks in the contract, the POPs for each, as well as milestones, and deliverables. Each subtask is separately budgeted. Subsequent subtasks may build on prior subtasks, however, each subtask concludes with a complete, useable, standalone deliverable. Scopes of these tasks are described in detail in the Offeror’s proposal (thus not elaborated in this PWS). Deliverables are listed in Section C.10 Deliverables and government expectations are elaborated in Section C.11 Performance Requirements Summary (PRS).

Year Sub-Tasks POP for

Subtask

Milestones Deliverables

Year

Task 1a. UAS Snow Observations to Inform Regional Snow Products (Jacobs)

Year 1 • Mapped snow units and summary of distribution

• Snow condition classification

• UAS mapping status of snow units and snow conditions

• Baseline UAV flights at high priority snow units

• Technical Report with snow units and images, snow condition classification, and

• Mapping Dataset

Task 2a. UAS Derived Winter Season Terrain Datasets (Jacobs)

Year 1 • Revised snow units and snow condition classification to support mobility requirements

• Technical Report on Year 1 outcomes

Year

Task 1b. UAS Snow Observations to Inform Regional Snow Products (Jacobs)

Year 2 • Model validation

• Updated model snow units and snow condition classifications

• UAV flights at high priority snow units

• Plan to collect model training datasets

• Technical Brief with model performance and update snow units, snow condition classification, and table of sensor performance and operational guidelines by snow units and snow condition for Task 1b

Task 2b. UAS Derived Winter Season Terrain Datasets (Jacobs)

Year 2 • Preliminary real-time and model application using existing datasets

• Status of UAS snow observations to provide local area information and regional scale information

• Technical Report: UAV snow sensing methods to support mobility requirements workflows, performance, and recommendation

Task 3a. Operational UAS Local and Regional Snow Products (Jacobs)

Year 2 • Gathering of training data-sets

• Targeted UAS hyperspectral flights

• Hyperspectral analyses without ground calibration

• Hyperspectral analyses without coincident lidar terrain

• Updated hyperspectral workflow

• Preliminary lidar snow depth workflow without baseline

• Technical Brief documenting the hyperspectral workflow

• Technical Briefs documenting the lidar workflow

Task 4a. Infrastructure Monitoring and Assessment (Dave)

Year 2 • Identification of paved and unpaved road sites for field testing

• Construction of lab scale samples of paved and unpaved surfaces

• Baseline UAS flights at a field site ensure sensor performances and to refine flight parameters.

• Technical Report and Data Set for Task 4a

Year

Task 1c. UAS Snow Observations to Inform Regional Snow Products (Jacobs)

Year 3 • Collection of training datasets

• Model validation and updates

• Refereed journal article describing the model, mapped snow units, and demonstration using local scale UAV snow condition observations to resolve larger scale snow products.

• Training dataset for Task 1c

Task 2c. UAS Derived Winter Season Terrain Datasets (Jacobs)

Year 3 • Journal Article Submission • Refereed journal article:

Results of winter mobility mapping workflows and results.

Task 3b. Operational UAS Local and Regional Snow Products (Jacobs)

Year 3 • Gathering of past training datasets

• UAS hyperspectral flights under a range of lighting conditions

• Preliminary recommendations for hyperspectral observations

• Preliminary maps of liquid water content

• Technical Brief documenting the hyperspectral recommendation

• Liquid water content maps

Task 4b. Infrastructure Monitoring and Assessment (Dave)

Year 3 • UAV flights at three field sites in different seasons

• Gathering of training datasets using laboratory scale samples

• Preliminary algorithms for troop mobility decision support with respect to paved and unpaved

• Preliminary protocol for sensing of pavement condition to provide troop movement decision support.

• Technical Report and Data Set for Task 4b

• Conference abstract and Presentation: A conference presentation discussing sensing protocols that utilize multi-sensor UAV system to provide pavement condition measures.

Task 5a. Snow Condition Transitions in Seasonal Snow Classes (Jacobs)

Year 3 • Review existing climatologies and GCMs

• Global maps of historical, GCM baseline and GCM future ephemeral and seasonal regimes

Technical Report on Task

Year

Task 3c. Operational UAS Local and Regional Snow Products (Jacobs)

Year 4 • Review and selection of navigation and/or path planning technology

• Laboratory implementation and testing of navigation and/or path planning technology

• Combined maps of liquid water content and shading and microtopography

• Snow condition determination for snow wetness

• Updated regional snow wetness and mobility maps

• Updates to Task 1 Technical Brief for a model to resolving larger scale snow products.

• Updates to Task 2 Technical Brief for mobility requirements

• Refereed journal article:

UAS mapping of snow wetness and their application to constrain the larger scale products

Task 4c. Infrastructure Monitoring and Assessment (Dave)

Year 4 • UAV flights at the three benchmarking field sites

• Standard sensing protocols and performance benchmarks for a multisensory UAV and terrestrial sensing systems designed to provide cold climate region cross-country troop mobility planning support

• Refereed journal article:

Results of field experimentation and learning algorithm to improve efficiency of UAV multi-sensor condition assessment protocol.

• Data Set for Task 4c

• Trained algorithm to use multi-sensor data inputs and provide pavement surface condition information to support troop mobility decisions

Task 5b. Snow Condition Transitions in Seasonal Snow Classes (Jacobs)

Year 4 Same as above • Data Set for Task 5. The historical and future transitions status maps and/or datasets in a GIS or comparable format.

• Refereed journal article Results of historical and future seasonal snow transitions showing regions of anticipated change in snow regime

Full Contract Year 4 Technical Report (Final)

C.9. MEETINGS AND REVIEWS: In addition to the meetings listed in the Offeror’s proposal, the Contractor shall support the meetings listed below. Section C.11 of the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) lists the standards and expectations for some key meetings. Any formally scheduled meeting listed in the contract may be waived upon mutual agreement of ERDC and the contractor recoded via email with the COR and TPOC. Additional adhoc meetings may be requested during the course of this contract to enable adequate contract monitoring.

Augmenting remote electronic meeting connections shall be used to the maximum extent possible for meetings to maximize broad team attendance and focus travel costs on key personnel.

Meeting Timeline Contract Kick Off Meeting Month of Contract Award Quarterly Technical Meetings Quarterly Final Contract Close-out Meeting Final Month of POP

C.10. REPORTS AND DELIVERABLES: In addition to the deliverables listed in the Offeror’s proposal, the Contractor shall submit the following to the COR and TPOC. A detailed description of each deliverable and associated performance standards are provided in the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) under Section C.11.

Table of Contract Deliverables

ID Description Task Proposal Year Due

A001 Contract Kick-off Meeting Brief Contract Year 1 Month 1 A002 Quarterly Progress Reports and Invoices Contract Year 1 Quarterly A003 Training Certificates (as required)

Contract Year 1 See Section C.13

A004 OPSEC Plan (as required) Contract Year 1

See Section C.13

A005 Technical Report with snow units and images, snow condition classification, and Mapping Dataset

Task 1a Year 1 Year 1, Q4

A006 Technical Report on Year 1 Outcomes Task 2a Year 1 Year 1, Q4

A007 Technical Report with model performance and update snow units, snow condition classification, and table of sensor performance and operational guidelines by snow units and snow condition for Task 1b

Task 1b Year 2 Year 2, Q4

A008 Technical Report: UAV snow sensing methods to support mobility requirements workflows, performance, and recommendation

Task 2b Year 2 Year 2, Q2

A009 Technical Brief documenting the hyperspectral workflow; and Technical Brief documenting the lidar workflow

Task 3a Year 2 Year 2, Q4

A010 Technical Report and Data Set for Task 4a Task 4a Year 2 End Year 2

A011 Refereed journal article describing the model, mapped snow units, and demonstration using local scale UAV snow condition observations to resolve larger scale snow products, with Training dataset for Task 1c

Task 1c. Year 3 Year 3, Q4

A012 Refereed journal article - Results of winter mobility mapping workflows

Task 2c Year 3 Year 3, Q4

A013 Technical Brief documenting the hyperspectral recommendation; Liquid water content maps

Task 3b Year 3 Year 3, Q4

A014 Technical Report and Data Set for Task 4b;

Conference abstract and Presentation: A conference presentation discussing sensing protocols that utilize multi-sensor UAV system to provide pavement condition measures.

Task 4b Year 3 Year 3, Q4

A015 Technical Progress Report on Task 5 Task 5 Year 3 Year 3, Q4 A016 Updates to Task 1 Technical Report for a model to resolving larger scale snow products; Updates to Task 2 Technical Report for mobility requirements

Task 3c Year 4 Year 4, Q4

A017 Refereed journal article: UAS mapping of snow wetness and their application to constrain the larger scale products Task 3c Year 4 Year 4, Q4

A018 Refereed journal article: Results of field experimentation and learning algorithm to improve efficiency of UAV multi-sensor condition assessment protocol; Data Set for Task 4c

Task 4c Year 4 Year 4, Q4

A019 Data Set for Task 5. The historical and future transitions status maps and/or datasets in a GIS or comparable format

Task 5b Year 4 Year 4, Q2

A020 Refereed journal article: Results of historical and future seasonal snow transitions showing regions of anticipated change in snow regime

Task 5b Year 4 Year 4, Q4

A021 Final Digital Database Transfer All Tasks Final Year 4, Q4

A022 Final Contract Close-out Meeting Contract Year 4, Q4

A023 DD Form 882 Patents – Reporting of Subject Inventions

Contract Each 12 months from award

C.10.a. Deliverable Review Process. All products (e.g., written material, presentations, abstracts, etc.) generated under this contract must be reviewed by ERDC prior to public release (to include release to a journal for editorial review). The process is outlined as follows:

1. Contractor Submits Final Draft. The contractor shall submit a final draft of the product for review to the COR and TPOC via email.

2. COR and TPOC Review Product. ERDC will review the product from a (1) technical vantage per the contract, and (2) a security vantage to determine appropriate Distribution Statement. The COR will organize feedback from the TPOC(s) and the Security Office. ERDC makes every effort possible to provide feedback promptly. However, the contractor is advised to allow at least 14 days for review if public release is desired. Generally, 14 days is sufficient, however longer review windows may be required for unusually large or complex products. The contractor is advised to coordinate in advance with the COR to arrange sufficient review time if products have time-sensitive deadlines for submission to journals.

3. ERDC Provides Feedback. The COR will provide feedback to the contractor via an email which will include the form ERD92E with a Distribution Statement and possible technical feedback. The feedback will be provided under two categories:

Required Revisions: Some feedback from ERDC may include requests for revisions that are necessary (1) for security reasons to achieve a Distribution A (public release), or (2) to address technical deficiencies which prevent a product from meeting the minimum contract standard (e.g., errors, or quality, quantity, scope issues, etc.).

Optional Technical Suggestions: On the other hand, as technical experts in fields related to the contract scope, ERDC scientists and engineers may also desire to offer helpful technical comments which will be indicated as ‘optional suggestions’ intended for consideration (i.e., not necessary to accept the product per the contract).

4. Contractor Revises and Submits Final Product. The contractor is required to make any mandatory edits requested and send the final version of the product back to the COR and TPOC. The contractor is encouraged to discuss feedback whenever desired.

5. COR Issues Written Acceptance / Approval. Upon receipt of the final edited version, the COR will review the product and (as appropriate) provide the contractor with written acceptance of the deliverable.

6. Sending Products to ERDC. Products will be delivered to ERDC in the manner described in the PRS or as agreed with the COR.

Email: Products appropriate for email delivery shall be emailed to the COR and TPOCs, using the labeling convention. When delivering a contract product, be sure that both the email subject line and the product include the: Product Title, Contract Number, deliverable ID number, and task (e.g., Weaponizing Snowflakes, W913E5-25-C-0007, A004, Task 2B)

Large Electronic Products: Larger products shall be posted for ERDC review using DODSafe, or another large electronic file exchange format agreed with the COR. DODSafe links to upload materials can be requested through the COR.

Other: The PRS description for certain deliverables may also require that certain products are provided via an organized hard drive delivery, and/or are posted to GitLab.

C.10.b. Government Support and Disclaimer Statements. Technical products may need to include the acknowledgment of necessary support and disclaimer statements (IAW Clause 252.235-7010), as appropriate per the guidance below:

1. Acknowledgment. The Contractor shall include an acknowledgment of the Government's support in the publication of any material based on or developed under this contract, stated in the following terms: This material is based upon work supported by the Broad Agency Announcement Program and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC) under Contract No.___________.

2. Disclaimers. All material, except scientific articles or papers published in scientific journals, must, in addition to any notices or disclaimers by the Contractor, also contain the following disclaimer: Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Broad Agency Announcement Program and the U.S. Army Engineer Research and Development Center (ERDC).

C.10.c. ERDC Contract Reports. All products generated under this contract become the property of the US Government. ERDC may choose to convert higher-quality, potentially impactful work into to official ERDC Contract Publications (with official ERDC publication numbers) to ensure longevity of and accessibility to the material. If ERDC decides to convert a contract product into an ERDC Publication, the COR and TPOC will include the contractor in the ERDC editorial process. The contractor is advised that, in some cases, the COR and TPOC may request that the contractor use an ERDC Report Template for certain Task Reports and/or Final Reports listed in this contract in order to facilitate publication of the subject material as an ERDC Report.

C.10.d. Distribution Statements. All products generated under this contract (reports, manuscripts, abstracts, presentations, poster, data, code, prototypes, etc.) require a security review to determine if the content is suitable for public distribution. Many, though possibly not all, technical documents resulting from this contracted research are expected to be appropriate for Distribution Statement A (unlimited public release). It is possible, in rare and exceptional circumstances, that an aspect of the material may present a likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or technologies that are unique and critical to defense, thus may require Distribution Statements B through F. In many cases where sensitive content is identified, ERDC is able to recommend a minor revision thereby rendering the document Distribution A. ERDC seeks to maximize the use of Distribution A for materials generated under this contract. Public release of all material generated under this contact must first be approved by the COR and TPOC via a Form ERD92E with a Distribution Statement signed by the COR and Security Officer. Refer to Section C.13 for additional details.

C.10.e. Consideration for the Value of Contractor Equipment. The contractor proposes purchasing $ $136,173 in equipment under this contract. The Government shall leave the equipment in the custody of the contractor. The CRREL shall receive consideration for said equipment through agreement by the contactor, via acceptance of this contract, that CRREL retains the right to use the equipment for research upon request, so long as scheduled use of said equipment does not conflict with use the contractor. Use of equipment may include partnered future collaborative research projects. This consideration creates significant research and development benefit to CRREL and relieves the government from managing the burden of disposition.

Item Description E001 UTV ($25,699) A UTV will be purchased to transport equipment and personnel to remote areas not accessible by automobile. Proposal field work will be conducted in various remote locations. Equipment to be transported includes the UAV, lidar, hyperspectral sensors and in situ validation instruments that weigh over 100 lbs.

The UAV and hyperspectral sensors are transported in large hard cases.

E002 Utility Trailer ($7,999) Trailer will be purchased to transport UTV to study sites

E003 Resonon Pika IR-L+ (925 - 1700 nm) ($52,609) A new light weight IR hyperspectral sensor will be purchased to upgrade our hyperspectral suite of sensors an enable hyperspectral data collection on more compact platforms.

E004 Airborne Resonon Pika L VNIR (400 - 1000nm) ($35,076) An additional hyperspectral sensor will be purchased to upgrade our hyperspectral suite of sensors to include VNIR data collection.

E005 UAV power tether ($14,790) A UAV power tether will be purchased to extend flight durations, enabling dense data collection over forested regions for sub canopy navigation

C.10.f. Data Rights. The Government has unlimited rights to all documents/material produced under this contract.

All documents and materials, to include the source codes of any software, produced under this contract shall be Government owned and are the property of the Government with all rights and privileges of ownership/copyright assigned to the Government. All materials supplied to the Government shall be the property of the Government. This right does not abrogate any other Government rights.

C.11. PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS SUMMARY (PRS): The Government’s COR will track and monitor progress using a Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan (QASP). The contractor is responsible for developing their own tools and processes for internal monitoring of quality and progress consistent with standard project management. The critical element of the QASP that must be understood by the contractor is the Performance Requirements Summary (PRS) which is outlined here under Section C.11. The PRS is a list of performance objectives and surveillance standards for each of the contract deliverables.

C.11.a. Surveillance Standards. The COR will draw from performance ratings and criteria including those in FAR 42.1503 Table 42-1 and in the updated DOD Surveillance and Performance Monitoring (SPM) standards when evaluating and reporting contractor performance to the KO via the official Contract File.

Rating Criteria Exceptional

Performance meets contractual requirements and exceeds many to the government's benefits. The contractual performance of the element or sub-element being assessed was accomplished with no problems and contractor actions were highly effective.

Very Good Performance meets contractual requirements and exceeds some to the government benefits. The contractual performance was accomplished with few minor problems for which corrective actions taken by the contractor were effective

Satisfactory Performance meets contractual requirements. The contractual performance contains some minor problems for which corrective actions taken by the contractor were satisfactory.

Marginal Performance does not meet some contractual requirements. The contractual performance reflects a serious problem for which the contractor has not yet identified corrective actions. The contractor's proposed actions appear marginally effective or were not fully implemented.

Unsatisfactory Performance does not meet contractual requirements and recovery is not likely in a timely manner. The contractual performance contains serious problem(s) for which the contractor's corrective actions appear or were ineffective.

C.11.b. Performance Requirements Summary (PRS). The following list comprises the Performance Requirements Summary for this contract and includes the performance objectives and surveillance standards for each of the contract deliverables. The below performance thresholds briefly describe the minimum acceptable standards for each requirement.

[A001] KICK-OFF: Contract Kick-off Meeting Brief. Standard: The contractor shall attend the meeting, present on the topics as described in the standard via a PowerPoint briefing, and deliver briefing materials as specified. The purpose of this meeting is for the Government to review the contract and associated documentation with the Offeror, TPOCs, and any other personnel to ensure all parties understand the contract and the processes necessary to follow for proper execution of the contract IAW polices, procedures, and laws.

The meeting will be held via electronic means (telecon, etc.) with representatives from the contractor’s office, government representatives, TPOCs, and other stakeholders as appropriate. It may be possible for members of the contractor’s office to attend at ERDC in person if they desire, pending site access limitations.

This meeting should occur very soon after contract award, consistent with the delivery schedule established in Contract Performance Work Statement (PWS) Paragraph C.10. The COR will deliver a briefing on the contract, processes, and government’s performance expectations; the COR will open the floor to questions to ensure clear understanding by both the government and contractor on these matters. The Contractor will participate in the meeting and also present a PowerPoint overview of their project to include: team members with roles, technical approach, schedule – milestone – deliverable review covering the full contract POP, discussion of risks (schedule, cost, performance/product), and any other topics the contractor wishes to discuss. For the kickoff, the contractor is requested to present a list of all deliverables and meetings outlined in the contract baselined to calendar dates.

Delivery schedule is established in Section C.10. When delivering a contract product, be sure that both the email subject line and the product include the: Product Title, Contract Number, deliverable ID number, and task (e.g., Weaponizing Snowflakes, W913E5-25-C-0007, A004, Task 2B).

Surveillance & Inspection:

Surveillance Method: 100% Inspection; Periodic Inspection; Random Sampling Who: The COR will determine the final assessment of performance, with input from the others to include the TPOC(s) and other stakeholders as appropriate.

Incentive: Reschedule missed meeting at no additional cost to the government; invoices will not be paid until the Government’s kickoff meeting has taken place Inspection: Inspection applies to all standards.

[A002] Progress Reports and Invoices. Standard: The contractor shall deliver reports describing contract progress to the COR and TPOC via email during the month following the reporting period following the format and content specified below (“Template for Progress Report”). The report shall summarize work executed during the reporting period with each of the tasks and sub-tasks clearly labeled. The contractor shall also include a copy of the invoice for that reporting period with the progress report so the COR and TPOCs can review the invoice that the vendor intends to submit to the billing office for payment (see Official Billing Instructions in Section G and guidance under Paragraph 14).

The below listed material provides the framework of minimum required elements for a contractor’s progress report.

The contractor is welcome to include additional material and/or to shape the format of the report to align with styles preferred by their own organization, so long as the elements requested by the government remain included and easy to locate. Upon request, an electronic word document template of the progress report is available from the COR.

All documentation, datasets, and associated products shall be delivered error-free, on time, and in complete fulfillment the requirements and intent of the product per the contract.

Delivery schedule is established in Section C.10. When delivering a contract product, be sure that both the email subject line and the product include the: Product Title, Contract Number, deliverable ID number, and task (e.g., Weaponizing Snowflakes, W913E5-25-C-0007, A004, Task 2B).

Surveillance & Inspection:

Surveillance Method: 100% Inspection; Periodic Inspection; Random Sampling Who: The COR will determine the final assessment of performance, with input from the others to include the TPOC(s) and other stakeholders as appropriate.

Incentive: Rework/replacement required due to negligent mistakes will be accomplished at no additional cost to the government; invoices will not be paid unless progress reports and invoices are submitted IAW the contract

------- Template for Progress Report (start) -------

PROGRESS REPORT

Contract Title: ________________________ Contract No. ________________________ Progress Report #______ Associated Invoice # _______ Period Covered in this Report: day-month-yyyy to day-month-yyyy

Progress Report Emailed To:

Contracting Officer Representative o Sarah Kopczynski, 603-646-4761, sarah.e.kopczynski@usace.army.mil

Technical Points of Contact o Insert names as appropriate from the contract PWS

Progress Report Prepared By:

Contractor Principle Investigator Name, Institution, Address, Email & Phone Number

RISK SUMMARY. Instructions: discuss any currently identified or anticipated risks that may impact project completion. Early identification of possible risks helps the government assist to find mitigations.

Schedule Risk Budget Risk Technical / Product risk Other Risks

OUTSTANDING ACTION ITEMS. Instructions: highlight any outstanding actions items that ERDC owes you or that you owe to ERDC.

ERDC needs to provide approval for MRID data access by end of month We still needs to schedule the first IPR for year one of the contract.

CONTRACT DELIVERABLES STATUS. Instructions: Using the table below as a template, list your contract deliverables and your understanding of the status of any submitted or late deliverables. Due Date should indicate the calendar month and year for which the deliverable is due. Current Percent Complete indicates the status as of the period for which the progress report is submitted. Status should indicate when submitted, when accepted, and if late – when the product will be delivered. The table has been populated with examples for illustration purposes.

Inventory and Status of Deliverables ID Deliverable Title /

Description Task TRL Date Due Current

Percent Complete

Status Update

A001 Contract Kick-off Meeting Brief n/a n/a JUL 2025 100% Delivered July 2023;

Accepted by ERDC Aug 2023

A002 Progress Reports and Invoices n/a n/a OCT 2025 75% Late; expect to deliver Nov 2023

A003 Observational Dataset Task 1 TRL3 DEC 2025 25% A004 Technical Findings Report Task 2 TRL5 APR 2026 20% A005 Journal Publication Task 3 TRL6 JUN 2026 10% A006 Final Report n/a TRL6 JUL 2026 0%

The COR will send you definitions of TRLs

Titles of Submitted Deliverables ID Deliverable Title /

Description Task Title Distribution

Statement A001 Contract Kick-off

Meeting Brief n/a Project Overview for Kickoff Meeting Distribution D

A002 Progress Reports and Invoices n/a Monthly Progress Report Distribution D

A003 Observational Dataset Task 1 High Arctic Snow Crystal Inventory Distribution A

A004 Technical Findings Report

Task 2 Interim Report of Synthetic Snow Crystal Genesis: Benchtop and High Altitude Testing

Distribution D

A005 Journal Publication Task 3 A novel approach to mass producing artificial snow crystals at high altitudes using UAV swarms. Submitted to Science. Jun

Distribution A

A006 Final Report n/a Weaponizing Snowflakes Distribution D

TASK UPDATE. Instructions: discuss each of the Tasks and/or Sub-Tasks as they are listed in the PWS using the template below. The intent is to provide sufficient information so the government can see measured progress on your work and understand any current or emerging problems. Include accomplishments, work in progress, problems encountered, and any other important information. Figures and tables are welcome as they augment the discussion.

This section comprises the bulk of your monthly progress reporting.

Task 1. “Title of this Task.” The goal of this task is to _________. This task is approximately ___% technically completed. Provide your technical summary of progress here…

Task 2. “Title of this Task.” The goal of this task is to _________. This task is approximately ___% technically completed. Provide your technical summary of progress here…

PERSONAL SERVICES & OUT OF SCOPE WORK CONFIRMATION. Instructions: Indicate whether any of the following situations occurred in this reporting period.. State “no” below each of the situations or if your answer is “yes’ then describe what occurred, the date of the occurrence, and other pertinent facts.

Did a government employee ask the contractor to hire or fire a particular employee, reassign or discipline an employee, grant or deny leave to an employee, change a contractor's personnel duty hours, or engage with a contractor in a manner suggestive providing relatively continuous supervision and control by a Government employee?

Did a government employee ask the contractor to perform work outside the scope of the current contract without an official modification or direction by the Contracting Officer (KO)?

GOVERNMENT FURNISHED SUPPORT. Instructions: In the space below please indicate a list of all Government Furnished Equipment, Property, Information or Data, and any persons on your team who have CAC cards issued to them through ERDC and need them for this contract. Please indicate n/a as appropriate.

Government Furnished Equipment: item, still required?, bar code, any issues with item Government Furnished Property: item, still required?, bar code, any issues with item Government Furnished Information or Data: access still required?, any issues CAC Cards Status: names, still required?, when expiring, is the employee still employed?

------- Template for Progress Report (end) -------

[A003] Training Certificates. Standard: The Contractor complete the training requested (as applicable) under Section C.13 and submit the necessary training documentation to the COR. The contractor shall submit training certificates, absent errors or omissions, in accordance with the schedule and standards outlined in the contract.

Surveillance & Inspection:

How: 100% inspection Who: The COR will determine the final assessment of performance by evaluation of material presented to the COR by the vendor.

Incentive: Rework/replacement required due to negligent mistakes will be accomplished at no additional cost to the government

[A004] OPSEC Plan. Standard: The Contractor shall develop and submit to the COR an OPSEC Plan covering the technical work outlined in this contract in accordance with the guidance provided under Section C.13. For those developing OPSEC plans for the first time, the COR can provide support to assist developing the necessary table of contents and (in some cases) suggestions of content that may be appropriate to consider for a specific contract scope.

The contractor shall submit OPSEC plan with complete components, absent errors or omissions, in accordance with the schedule and standards outlined in the contract Paragraph 11 and 13.

Delivery schedule is established in Section C.10. When delivering a contract product, be sure that both the email subject line and the product include the: Product Title, Contract Number, deliverable ID number, and task (e.g., Weaponizing Snowflakes, W913E5-25-C-0007, A004, Task 2B).

Surveillance & Inspection:

Surveillance Method: 100% Inspection; Periodic Inspection; Random Sampling Who: The COR will determine the final assessment of performance by evaluation of material presented to the COR by the contractor.

Incentive: Rework/replacement required due to negligent mistakes will be accomplished at no

[A005] Subtask 1A (Year 1): Technical Report with snow units and images, snow condition classification, and Mapping Dataset. Standard: The contractor will deliver a report with accompanying digital data sets covering the work conducted under the scope of this task as described in the proposal. The technical focus of this task is:

UAS Snow Observations to Inform Regional Snow Products.

The written component should minimally include, as appropriate, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion, with supporting figures, tables, and data appendices as appropriate. ERDC will also accept a mature (near-submission ready) journal manuscript draft in lieu of a report if the manuscript sufficiently addresses the scope of work (i.e., the journal paper shall not be a niche paper addressing only a minor aspect of the subtask scope). To fulfill this deliverable requirement, the manuscript must be of sufficient quality and completeness to be acceptable for submission to a journal. Regardless of when publication occurs, final versions of all journal articles shall be provided to the COR and TPOC for posting to the permanent DOD online performance file for this contract.

Otherwise, a synoptic subtask report shall be provided.

Digital accompanying material (such as data, maps, code, etc.) shall be provided, as appropriate. Digital material larger than 10mb shall be provided via a hard-drive, coordinated with the COR.

The government will review and provide feedback prior to accepting the deliverable. In addition to technical feedback ERDC will also review the deliverable for Security and OPSEC issues in accordance with Sections C.13 and C.10, and provide an appropriate Distribution Statement via a signed ERD92E.

All documentation, datasets, and associated products shall be delivered error-free, on time, and in complete fulfillment the requirements and intent of the product per the contract scope.

Delivery schedule is established in Section C.10. When delivering a contract product, be sure that both the email subject line and the product include the: Product Title, Contract Number, deliverable ID number, and task name (e.g., Weaponizing Snowflakes, W913E5-25-C-0007, A004, Task 2B).

Surveillance & Inspection:

Surveillance Method: 100% Inspection; Periodic Inspection; Random Sampling

Who: The COR will determine the final assessment of performance, with input from the others to include the TPOC(s) and other stakeholders as appropriate.

Incentive: Rework/replacement required due to negligent mistakes will be accomplished at no

[A006] Task 2 (Year 1): Technical Report on Year 1 Outcomes. Standard: The contractor will deliver a report with accompanying digital data sets covering the work conducted under the scope of this task as described in the proposal. The technical focus of this task is: UAS Derived Winter Season Terrain Datasets.

The written component should minimally include, as appropriate, introduction, methods, results, discussion, and conclusion, with supporting figures, tables, and data appendices as appropriate. ERDC will also accept a mature (near-submission ready) journal manuscript draft in lieu of a report if the manuscript sufficiently addresses the scope of work (i.e., the journal paper shall not be a niche paper addressing only a minor aspect of the subtask scope). To fulfill this deliverable requirement, the manuscript must be of sufficient quality and completeness to be acceptable for submission to a journal. Regardless of when publication occurs, final versions of all journal articles shall be provided to the COR and TPOC for posting to the permanent DOD online performance file for this contract.

Otherwise, a synoptic subtask report shall be provided.

Digital accompanying material (such as data, maps, code, etc.) shall be provided, as appropriate. Digital material larger than 10mb shall be provided via a hard-drive, coordinated with the COR.

The government will review and provide feedback prior to accepting the deliverable. In addition to technical feedback ERDC will also review the deliverable for Security and OPSEC issues in accordance with Sections C.13 and C.10, and provide an appropriate Distribution Statement via a signed ERD92E.

All documentation, datasets, and associated products shall be delivered error-free, on time, and in complete fulfillment the requirements and intent of the product per the contract scope.

Delivery schedule is established in Section C.10. When delivering a contract product, be sure that both the email subject line and the product…