Amendment 3 Questions - Answers.pdf

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

HDTRA-20-S-0002

AMENDMENT 03

Questions & Answers

1) Is this a rolling BAA whereby you will accept white papers at any time, or are white papers for this year’s contracts/grants due on April 4, 2020 as stated in the SAM.gov announcement or by some other date?

Answer: Yes, this is a rolling BAA but the first review will be April 4th.

2) Will you confirm whether individuals working these projects are required to hold a security clearance and, if so, at what level (e.g. Secret, Top Secret, etc.)

Answer: A security clearance is not required.

3) Are performers required to hold a valid facility security clearance and if so, at what level?

Answer: A facility security clearance is not required.

4) For the March 18 Research Topic Information Session, are attendees required to hold a security clearance and, if so, at what level?

Answer: A security clearance is not required. The Research Topic Information Session was cancelled due to the current public health emergency. Those who registered were notified of the cancellation. If the situation permits, we are planning to hold this type of information session on a quarterly basis.

5) Request for more info about the grant and whether the funds can be used for enrollment into PSD training for overseas contracts?

Answer: No, that is not the intention of the grant. The successful grant applicant will conduct research on one of the 7 Thrust Areas and provide useful information in the required deliverables.

6) Do you have a sense of the anticipated funding level/scope per project?

Answer: Within the annual anticipated funding level, each project funded would depend on the level of benefit that the Agency would receive from the proposed research. This would include the Thrust Area(s) chosen, depth of research, and approach.

7) DTRA's recent BAA notes that USG schools are eligible to submit proposals under a separate government call.

Answer: The separate call went out, but that referred all interested parties to the BAA details listed on beta.SAM.gov or grants.gov.

8) Per the application instructions for BAA HDTRA1-20-S-0002, there is mention of mandatory use of an Excel Budget template for the Cost Proposal (Attachment 2). There is no reference to where the template may be obtained, neither in the application instructions themselves nor DTRA’s website. Please advise.

Answer: The excel spreadsheet and Scope of Research Work (SoRW) template will be attached to the email inviting offers with Category 1 White Papers to submit a Proposal.

9) If there is an idea which combines three of the Thrust Areas in the BAA [with each feeding into the other]. Each stage would provide unique insights relevant to that particular Thrust. The question is whether to a) submit three different proposals to the three different thrust areas or b) to submit one proposal that discusses (separately but in an integrated manner) all three components. This is especially relevant since doing the three proposals together has scale effects that make it more cost effective than if we do them separately.

Answer: Submit one proposal that discusses all three components in a separate, but integrated manner to each of the relevant Thrust Areas.

10) Can one organization/institution submit more than one White Paper and/or Proposal?

Answer: Yes, multiple White Papers and Proposals are acceptable.

11) Do you have an example or specific guidelines that spell out the difference between the White Paper and a proposal? Any advice or samples you might be able to share would be really helpful.

Answer: In section IV, White Paper Submission Information, you will find guidelines for the White Paper. The White Paper is intended to limit the work of the applicant. The referenced 3-5 page technical concept section should encompass a statement of why the research is needed and the associated benefit to DTRA and then a summary of the elements in the Scope of Research Work (SoRW). The SoRW template is included in the BAA as a reference (See Attachment 4).

The Proposal will describe the fully developed idea, research methodology, and tasks using the Scope of Research Work (SoRW) and related cost spreadsheet that will be attached to the email invitation to submit a Proposal.

12) Please clarify whether there would be any restrictions preventing non-US citizens or LPRs from working on projects potentially funded through this BAA. The Principal Investigator and majority of research team would be US citizens, but we were wondering whether research staff could be foreign nations with valid US visas and work permits.

Answer: Principal Investigators are limited to US personnel only. Research teams may include foreign nationals from allied nations. Please keep in mind that foreign nationals’ access may be restricted for Government meetings and briefings.