CHEERS Multiple Authority Announcement (MAA) Industry Guide

This document is an Industry Guide for the Continuing Human Enabling, Enhancing, Restoring, and Sustaining (CHEERS) Multiple Authority Announcement issued by the Air Force Research Laboratory Human Effectiveness Directorate and the United States Air Force School of Aerospace Medicine (AFRL/RH & USAFSAM). The MAA consolidates various solicitation authorities into a single announcement to provide a comprehensive acquisition strategy for science and technology (S&T) and studies and analysis (S&A) efforts, enabling progression from basic research through technology maturation and transition.

The CHEERS MAA utilizes Calls for Proposal and Open Period solicitations, available in one-step or two-step formats, to support research across multiple technical areas. Solicitations are posted on SAM.gov as Special Notices and on Grants.gov for assistance instrument awards. The guide specifies that white papers for two-step processes are limited to a specified number of pages (TBD in individual solicitations), formatted in 10-point Arial font, double-spaced, with sections covering solicitation identification, period of performance, technical summary, and rough order of magnitude cost. Full technical and cost proposals are subsequently requested from offerors with white papers deemed of further interest. Technical proposals are evaluated on innovation, scope understanding, technical soundness, and cost realism, with technical merit ranked as the primary criterion. The MAA authorizes multiple contract vehicles including Basic R&D (BAA authority under 10 USC §4001), Commercial Solutions Opening (10 USC §3458/DFARS 212.7002), Other Transactions for Research (10 USC §4021), Prototype (10 USC §4022), and Experimental Purposes (10 USC §4023), each with specific eligibility and structural requirements. Data rights are primarily sought as Unlimited Rights for government-funded R&D deliverables, with detailed provisions for commercial technical data, software, and third-party licensing. The guide establishes proposal submission requirements, cost element breakdowns, pre-award clearance procedures, and supplemental instructions for assistance instruments, including SF 424 forms, STEM demographic collection, and SAM/Grants.gov registration. Award notices will be issued upon completion of peer or scientific review, with selections based on technical merit and funding availability, and AFRL/RH or USAFSAM reserves the right to award zero, some, or all proposals.