FA702218BAA02_FINAL.pdf

AIR FORCE TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS CENTER

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

FA7022-18-BAA-02

NEW INITIATIVES FOR

AIR FORCE TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS CENTER (AFTAC)

NUCLEAR TREATY MONITORING DIRECTORATE (AFTAC/TT)

1 March 2018

Table of Contents

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

2. PURPOSE

3. BAA APPROACH AND OVERVIEW

4. GENERAL INFORMATION

5. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. INTRODUCTION AND BACKGROUND

1.1 The Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) provides the U.S Department of Defense’s (DoD) time dominant scientific and technical information to the right person for decision advantage supporting international nuclear treaty compliance and strategic, operational, and tactical warfighters. AFTAC provides national authorities quality technical measurements to monitor nuclear treaty compliance and develops advanced proliferation monitoring technologies to preserve our nation’s security. AFTAC also performs research and development of new proliferation detection technologies to enhance or assist treaty verification to limit the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

1.1.1 The Nuclear Treaty Monitoring Directorate (AFTAC/TT) within AFTAC plans, manages, and coordinates research and development and sustainment for all subsurface, near-surface, surface, atmospheric and exo-atmospheric areas of the United States Atomic Energy Detection System (USAEDS), United States NUDET Detection System (USNDS), and US National Data Center (USNDC) used in monitoring nuclear test ban treaties. The Directorate also plans, organizes, coordinates, and directs mission-area research, design, and development.

1.1.2 Materials Technology Directorate (AFTAC/TM) plans, manages, and coordinates research and development and sustainment for materials characterization of nuclear events worldwide. TM mission is to deliver time dominant scientific and technical materials information to the right person for decision advantage supporting international nuclear treaty compliance and strategic, operational, and tactical warfighters.

1.2 AFTAC manages research, development, test and evaluation (RDT&E) efforts to advance state of the art technical capabilities in nuclear treaty monitoring, advanced detection technologies to support the counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and other applied technologies.

2. PURPOSE

2.1 This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), as contemplated in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016, is a competitive solicitation of proposals focused on research and development of technologies to meet the missions of AFTAC’s Nuclear Treaty Monitoring Directorate (AFTAC/TT) and the Materials Technology Directorate (AFTAC/TM). AFTAC seeks the best approaches to meet the technology objectives within the capability areas listed below. Detailed topics associated with each capability area appear in Attachment 6.

3. BAA APPROACH AND OVERVIEW

3.1 This BAA seeks the best RDT&E approaches to meet various technology objectives of AFTAC. The Government encourages proposals that span a wide spectrum of possible technical and business solutions in response to the specific technology topics stated in Attachment 6. The Government reserves the right to award funding to any combination of proposals which offer the best overall value to the Government, and to oversee any and all processes and approaches once initiated.

Awards of efforts as a result of this announcement will be in the form of contracts or other transactions (OT) as codified in 10 U.S.C. §2371b (section 2371b).

3.2 Funding for participation in this program is highly competitive and the cost of proposed technologies should be considered. Awards resulting from this BAA will be made based on the evaluation results of a two-phased proposal process described in Section 5. The Government reserves the right to fund all, some, one, or none of the proposals submitted; may elect to fund only part of a submitted proposal; and may incrementally fund any or all awards under this BAA. All awards are subject to the availability of funds.

3.3 All coordination and communication between Offerors and the Government will be conducted using the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website and the points of contact associated with this BAA, as specified in Section 4.

4. GENERAL INFORMATION

4.1 POINT OF CONTACTS. Questions regarding the administrative content of this BAA must be addressed to the Contracting Office below. Questions regarding the technical content of this BAA must be addressed to the Technical Point of Contact (POC) below.

Contracting Office POC:

Primary: Ms. Michelle Riisma, Phone: 321-494-9018, email:

michelle.riisma@us.af.mil Alternate: Ms. Joyce Hongell, Phone: 321-494-5206, email:

joyce.hongell.1@us.af.mil

Technical POC:

Primary: Maj. Kelly Greiner, Phone: 321-494-6361, email:

kelly.greiner@us.af.mil Alternate: Mr. Kyle Roberts, Phone: 321-494-9472, email: kyle.roberts@us.af.mil mailto:michelle.riisma@us.af.mil mailto:joyce.hongell.1@us.af.mil mailto:kelly.greiner@us.af.mil mailto:kyle.roberts@us.af.mil

4.2 CLASSIFIED INFORMATION. Offerors are encouraged to submit unclassified white papers to simplify and expedite reviews and response by the Government. If an Offeror deems that a white paper contains classified information then the Offeror is instructed to contact the technical POC identified above for submission instructions of classified white papers. Classified submissions must be handled, labeled, and stored in accordance with the National Industrial Security Program (NISP) Operating Manual.

Offerors must possess all required personnel security clearances, facility clearances, and other infrastructure requirements necessary to perform any proposed classified work in accordance with the Contract Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254) without reliance on Government resources.

5. SUBMISSION INFORMATION

5.1 SUBMISSION OVERVIEW. Phase I submissions shall include both the Quad Charts and White Papers prepared in accordance with the formats at Attachments 1 and 2 respectively. Phase I submissions can be submitted at any time but offerors are encouraged to monitor FBO for any specific calls or amendments to the BAA that may have updated information. AFTAC will invite select Offerors to submit full proposals based on favorable evaluation results of Phase I submissions. Phase II submissions will be requested ONLY by the Contracting Officer and will contain separate submission instructions and timelines within the Request for Proposal (RFP) letter.

5.2 TWO-PHASED SUBMISSION. This BAA will be conducted in two phases as follows:

5.2.1 Phase I. Interested offerors must submit Quad Charts and White Papers in accordance with instructions provided in this BAA. Phase I submissions will be evaluated against criteria as described in Attachment 7 of this BAA.

5.2.1.1 All Quad Charts should include the information indicated on the sample template in Attachment 1.

5.2.1.2 The White Paper narrative expands on the Quad Chart presentation.

Instructions for format and content are located in Attachment 2. Each offeror shall include in the white paper a preliminary Technology Readiness Level (TRL) assessment of the proposed technology that conforms to the technology objectives and an expected TRL at the conclusion of the effort. The offeror shall perform a TRL assessment according to the Department of Defense Technology Readiness Assessment Guidance.

5.2.1.3 White paper and quad chart submissions shall be sent to aftac.ttx.baa@us.af.mil for review. If there is a need for a classified white mailto:aftac.ttx.baa@us.af.mil paper/quad chart submission, send an email to aftac.ttx.baa@us.af.mil to receive instructions for classified submissions.

5.2.2 Notification of Selection. All offerors providing Phase I submissions will be contacted by the Government, either with an email letter informing them that the effort proposed is not of interest to the Government at this time or with a request for a formal cost and technical proposal by a specific date.

5.2.3 Phase II. Phase II proposals will only be accepted from Offerors who upon review of Phase I submissions, are invited by the Contracting Officer to submit a full proposal. In order to be considered for award under Phase II, offerors must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) at www.sam.gov, be considered responsible within the meaning of FAR Part 9.1, Responsible Prospective Contractors, have a satisfactory performance record, and otherwise be eligible for award based on federal law and regulation.

5.2.3.1 Proposal Submission. Upon notification for a proposal by the

Contracting Officer, offerors have 30 calendar days to prepare and submit a proposal in accordance with the format and instructions at Attachments 3-5. Each proposal shall include a Statement of Work (SOW) and detailed costs. All pages shall be numbered.

5.2.3.2 Proposal Review, Evaluation and Selection Process. Each proposal will be evaluated by the Government and the proposal must stand on its own technical merit. Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria and process specified in Attachment 7. Pursuant to FAR 35.016(e), the primary basis for selecting proposals for acceptance shall be technical, importance to agency programs, and fund availability. In order to provide the desired evaluation, qualified Government personnel will conduct reviews and (if necessary) convene panels of experts in the appropriate areas.

5.3 Rights in Technical Data, Computer Software and Computer Software Documentation.

Offerors shall mark each page of its white paper that contains proprietary information.

It is the Government’s intention to acquire only that necessary to satisfy agency needs and this will be negotiated on a case-by-case basis. An offeror may provide with its white paper assertions to restrict, use, release or disclosure of data and/or computer software and computer software documentation that will be provided in the course of contract performance. Rules governing these assertions are prescribed in DFARS clauses 252.227-7013, 7014, and 7017 and may be accessed at http://farsite.hill.af.mil http://www.sam.gov/ http://farsite.hill.af.mil/

ATTACHMENT 1: QUAD CHART FORMAT

The following information must be included in the Phase I Quad Chart. Quad Charts shall not exceed 1-page in landscape view. Quad Charts must follow the formatting guidelines on the slide template below.

ATTACHMENT 2: PHASE I WHITE PAPER FORMAT

The White Paper narrative expands on the Quad Chart presentation, and must be 8.5 x 11 inches with one-inch margins, no longer than two pages, single-spaced, with text in Times New Roman, no smaller than 12 point font. All white papers must specify a project title, the Offeror’s organization, and the specific topic number associated with the proposal (see Attachment 6).

Pages in excess of the page limitation will not be read or evaluated. White Papers must not exceed a file size of 10 MB.

The White Paper must be limited only to further explanation of the information conveyed in the Quad Chart, as deemed necessary by the Offeror. The information should provide sufficient information on the research being proposed (e.g. the hypothesis, theories, concept, approaches, data measurements, and analysis, etc.) to allow for an assessment by a technical expert. Expand as deemed necessary on the following sections of the Quad Chart: Objective; Description of the Effort; Benefits of the Proposed Technology; Technical Challenges; Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology at project start and planned TRL at project completion; Major Goals/Milestones by Government fiscal year. Do not include corporate or personnel qualification, past experience or any supplemental information not requested in the Quad Chart.

White paper and quad charts shall be sent to aftac.ttx.baa@us.af.mil for review. If there is a need for a classified white paper/quad chart submission, send an email to aftac.ttx.baa@us.af.mil to receive instructions for classified submissions.

ATTACHMENT 3: PHASE II TECHNICAL PROPOSAL FORMAT

The Technical Proposal portion of the Phase II submission shall not exceed 25 pages, excluding cover page and table of contents. Any pages submitted in excess of the 25-page limit will not be considered or evaluated.

Suggested page limitations for individual sections are listed below; however, these are guidelines not strict limits.

I. ABSTRACT. [1 page suggested.]

II. SCOPE. This proposal is submitted in response to the Air Force Technical Applications Center (AFTAC) Nuclear Treaty Monitoring Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) on….. [Cite the Project Title. 8 pages suggested.]

a. Objective. [A clear and concise description of the objective of the proposed project.]

b. Background. [Provide the necessary technical and scientific background to support the scientific and technical merits of the proposed project.]

c. Programmatics. This effort will support the AFTAC Nuclear Treaty

Monitoring initiative [topic number] aimed at developing [capability area or topic title] technologies or methodologies. [Describe the Offeror’s management plan for the proposed project; list supporting and collaborating organizations and subcontractors; clearly identify roles and responsibilities of each organization and subcontractor supporting the project].

d. Relevance. [Describe the relevance of the proposed project in terms of AFTAC mission, end-user needs and the technology maturity of the proposed project.]

III. CREDENTIALS. [Describe the Offeror’s qualifications to perform the proposed work. Summarize the relevant credentials of the primary performing center, and supporting academic and industrial partners. Describe specific examples of similar work performed, and equipment and/or facilities available to perform the proposed work. List summary qualifications of the Key Personnel. Focus on information directly relevant to the proposed work. 4 pages suggested.]

a. Summary of Credentials.

b. Summary of Qualifications for Key Personnel.

c. Summary of Facilities to Perform the Proposed Work.

IV. WORK TO BE PERFORMED. [Provide details of the work to be performed by task and subtask. 9 pages suggested.]

a. General. [Provide an overview.]

b. Detailed Tasks. [Describe the details of all tasks needed to perform the proposed work. Clearly distinguish base period tasks and option tasks as appropriate.]

i. BASE PERIOD (YEAR 1)

1. Task 1: Task Title 1 [Describe what will be accomplished, how the task will be performed, the resources allocated to the task (personnel, hours, materials, etc.), appropriate metrics to measure progress, and deliverables from the task. Describe applicable subtasks. Ensure task description clearly identifies why the task is necessary to accomplish project objectives. Do not include cost details here.]

2. Task 2: Task Title 2

3. Task N: Task Title N [Define as many tasks as necessary to achieve the stated objective(s).]

ii. OPTION 1 (YEAR 2) [Define as many Option Periods as necessary to achieve the state objective(s). Proposed work shall not exceed 5 years.]

1. Task N+1: Task Title N+1

2. Task N+2: Task Title N+2

3. Task N+M: Task Title N+M

V. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE. [Depict the tasks and sub-tasks and the duration of performance of each in a Gantt chart or other suitable chart. Briefly describe the proposed period of performance. 2 pages suggested.]

VI. REFERENCES. [List any relevant documents used to develop the technical approach. 1 page suggested]

ATTACHMENT 4: PHASE II COST PROPOSAL FORMAT

The cost proposal must include cost estimates sufficiently detailed for meaningful evaluation of the cost proposal. The Offeror must include a Cost Breakdown detailing all cost elements, and a Cost Narrative to support the requirements of each cost element. In addition, the Offeror must provide separate cost proposal(s), in the same level of detail as the prime contractor, for each subcontractor or consultant. For pricing purposes, Offerors should assume a contract or agreement start date of approximately ninety (90) days after submission of the proposal.

All proposals are subject to the requirements of the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA). Any proposal exceeding the threshold listed in Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) 15.403- 4(a)(1) must submit a certificate of current cost and pricing data in the format described in FAR 15.406-2. The certificate of current cost and pricing data is required with proposal submission, however, after negotiations Offerors may be asked to re-submit an updated certificate.

The responsibility for providing adequate supporting data and attachments lies solely with the Offeror. Further, the Offeror must also bear the burden of proof in establishing reasonableness of proposed costs; therefore, it is in the Offeror’s best interest to submit a fully supportable and well-prepared cost proposal. The basis and rationale for all proposed costs should be provided as part of the proposal so that Government personnel can place reliance on the information as current, complete, and accurate.

The Offeror shall prepare the Cost Proposal (with the exception of the narrative information described below) using Microsoft Excel format, but shall merge all Cost Proposal documents into one Adobe PDF file for ultimate proposal submission. Include the Topic Number and the Project Title on all pages. The Offeror shall retain the Excel version of all Cost Proposal documents for subsequent submission to the Government should the Offeror’s proposal be selected for award.

a. Format. Cost proposals shall be formatted as follows.

(1) Paper Size – 8.5 X 11-inch paper

(2) Margins 1-inch

(3) Spacing – single

(4) Font – Times New Roman, 12 Point

(5) Electronic Software: Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe Acrobat

b. Additional Information: The following information should be contained in a cover sheet attached to the cost proposal:

(1) Full company name and address

(2) BAA number submitting proposal against

(3) Point of contact, name, title, and phone and fax number

(4) CAGE code

(5) DUNS number

(6) Type of contract/agreement proposed (i.e. FFP, CPFF)

(7) Name, address, and telephone number of the Offeror’s cognizant Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) administration office.

(8) Name, address, and telephone number of the Offeror’s cognizant Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) audit office.

(9) Will you require the use of any Government property in the performance of this work? If yes, identify.

(10) Is this proposal consistent with your established estimating and accounting practices and procedures and FAR Part 31 cost principles? If no, explain.

c. Cost Element Breakdown: Clear, concise and accurate cost proposals reflect the Offeror's financial plan for accomplishing the effort contained in the technical proposal. All direct costs (e.g., labor, material, travel, and computer) as well as labor and overhead rates should be provided by contractor fiscal year (CFY) unless otherwise specified in the BAA. The cost element breakdown(s) may include the following.

(1) Direct Labor: Direct labor should be detailed by number of labor hours, category, and rates in burdened costs.

(2) Labor and Overhead Rates: Direct labor hours, with their applicable rates, must be broken out by CFY and the bases used clearly identified. The source of labor and overhead rates and all pricing factors should be identified. For instance, if a Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA) is in existence, that should be noted, along with the Administrative Contracting Officer’s (ACO's) name and telephone number. If the rates are based on current experience in your organization, provide the history base used and clearly identify all escalation, by year, applied to derive the proposed rates. If computer usage is determined by a rate, identify the basis used and rationale used to derive the rate.

(3) Material/Equipment: List all material/equipment items by type and kind with associated costs and advise if the costs are based on vendor quotes, data, and/or engineering estimates; provide copies of vendor quotes and/or catalog pricing data.

(4) Subcontractor Costs: Offerors must submit all subcontractor proposals and analyses with the cost proposal (See FAR 15.404-3(b)). If the subcontractor will not submit cost and pricing information to the Offeror, this information must be submitted directly to the Government for analysis. On all subcontracts and interdivisional transfers, provide the method of selection used to determine the subcontractor and the proposed contract type of each subcontract. An explanation shall be provided if the Offeror proposes a different amount than that quoted by the subcontractor. The Offeror’s proposal must:

(a) Identify principal items/services to be subcontracted.

(b) Identify prospective subcontractors and the basis on which they were selected. If non-competitive, provide selected source justification.

(c) Identify the type of contractual business arrangement contemplated for the subcontract and provide a rationale for same.

(d) Identify the basis for the subcontract costs (e.g., firm quote or engineering estimate, etc.).

(e) Identify the cost or pricing data or information other than cost or pricing data submitted by the subcontractor.

(f) Provide an analysis of the proposed subcontract in accordance with FAR 15.404- 3(b). Provide an analysis concerning the reasonableness, realism and completeness of each subcontractor’s proposal. If the analysis is based on comparison with prior prices, identify the basis on which the prior prices were determined to be reasonable. The analysis should include, but not be limited to, an analysis of materials, labor, travel, other direct costs, and proposed profit or fee rates.

(5) Special Tooling or Test Equipment: When special tooling and/or test equipment is proposed, attach a brief description of said items and indicate if they are solely for the performance of this particular contract or project and if they are or are not already available in the Offeror's existing facilities. Indicate quantities, unit prices, whether items are to be purchased or fabricated, whether items are of a severable nature and the basis of the price.

These items may be included under direct material in the summary format.

(6) Consultants: When consultants are proposed to be used in the performance of the contract, indicate the specific project or area in which such services are to be used. Identify each consultant, number of hours or days to be used and the consultant's rate per hour or day.

State the basis of said rate and give your analysis of the acceptability of the consultant's rate.

(7) Travel: Travel costs must be justified and related to the needs of the project.

Identify the number of trips, the destination, and purpose. Travel costs should be broken out by trip with number of travelers, airfare, per diem, lodging, etc.

NOTE: If an Offeror takes exceptions to the requirements called out in the announcement, the exceptions should be clearly stated in the cost proposal.

ATTACHMENT 5: PHASE II STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW) FORMAT

A SOW must be included in with the full proposal as part of the Phase II submission. The SOW does not have a page limit, but should be approximately 3–5 pages in length and must be a separate and distinct document suitable for incorporation into the procurement instrument. Do not include proprietary data or markings in the SOW. Pages should be numbered and the initial page should have a date (document date) shown under the title.

The proposed SOW must accurately describe the work to be performed. The proposed SOW must also contain a summary description of the technical methodology as well as the task description, but not in so much detail as to make the SOW inflexible. The SOW template should include the following sections and specifically respond to the Statement of Objectives (SOO) the Government provided with the Request for Proposal (RFP):

1. OBJECTIVE. This section is intended to give a brief overview of the project and should describe why the work is being pursued and what the Offeror intends to accomplish.

2. SCOPE. This section includes a statement of what the SOW covers. This should describe the capability area (Broad Agency Announcement topic) to be investigated, goals, and milestones for the effort.

3. BACKGROUND. The Offeror must identify appropriate documents that are applicable to the effort to be performed. This section includes any information, explanations, or constraints that are necessary to understand the project tasks and requirements. This section should describe the effort’s relationship to previous and ongoing efforts.

4. TASKS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS. This section contains the detailed description of tasks that are necessary to perform the proposed work. These tasks will represent the work to be performed in any potential contract award, and, thus, shall be considered contractually binding. This section should be developed in an orderly progression and presented in sufficient detail to establish the feasibility of accomplishing the overall program goals. This section should clearly distinguish base period tasks from option tasks. The sequence of performance must be presented by fiscal year and task order, as in Section IV of the Technical Proposal. The SOW must contain every task to be accomplished. Note that the Government reserves the right to modify and negotiate the language in the SOW prior to any potential contract award.

4.1. Task descriptions must be definite, realistic, and clearly stated. Use the phrase “the contractor shall” whenever the work statement expresses a provision that is binding. Use “should” or “may” whenever it is necessary to express a declaration of purpose. Use “will” in cases where no Offeror requirement is involved (e.g., power will be supplied by the Government. Use active voice in describing work to be performed.

4.2. Do not use acronyms or abbreviations without first defining them. Place abbreviations and acronyms in parentheses following the first usage of the spelled-out phrase.

4.3. If presentations and meetings are identified in the Offeror’s schedule, the Offeror must include the following statement in the SOW: “Conduct presentations and meetings at times and places specified in the contract schedule.”

4.4. The desired project structure consists of base period tasks, focused on demonstrating the feasibility of the technology, and option tasks, which cover design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation of the final product. Execution of option tasks will be dependent upon and determined by the contractor’s performance during and the results produced from the base period tasks.

ATTACHMENT 6: SOLICITATION TOPICS

The AFTAC Nuclear Treaty Monitoring Directorate (AFTAC/TT) and Materials Technology Directorate (AFTAC/TM) are interested in soliciting proposals for the following topics. These topics are intended to identify technologies that fill capability needs related to nuclear treaty monitoring, advanced detection technologies to support the counter-proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD), and other applied technologies. The level of detail provided for each topic or the order in which they appear is not intended to convey any information regarding relative priority.

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is limited to projects that meet Technology Readiness Level (TRL) definitions in the TRL range 3-6. Upon completion of proposed developmental efforts, solutions should strive to meet a TRL in the range 4-6.

AFTAC intends to fund successful efforts in Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) with periods of performance in the range of 1-5 years. Exceptions may be considered for projects that merit extensive test and evaluation. Individual contracts are expected to be funded in the range of $150,000-$5,000,000 over the full period of performance, yet these numbers should not be considered strict limits. Proposals aimed at the higher end of this funding range will only be accepted if they demonstrate the ability to deliver capable, innovative technologies that directly impact the AFTAC mission and offer cost savings or reductions in current processes or procedures. The Government reserves the right to fund all, some, one or none of the proposals submitted; may elect to fund only part of a submitted proposal; and may incrementally fund any or all awards under this BAA. All awards are subject to the availability of funds.

Topics for each capability area are detailed below. In addition, there is a classified addendum which provides further information on the topic areas up to the SECRET//REL TO USA, FVEY level. To receive the classified addendum, Offerors will contact the Contracting Officer and Technical POCs.

TOPIC: AFTAC-001

GEOPHYSICS AND SEISMOLOGY

AFTAC seeks innovative solutions for analytical techniques in seismology, hydro acoustics, and infrasonic phenomenology. This topic includes:

• Research into the application of the use of lidar, digital imagery and cartographic products, such as geology maps, into event analysis.

• Research into the use of infrasound data for treaty monitoring purposes.

• Modeling signal propagation through realistic atmospheres

• Event location estimation with low uncertainty

• Yield estimation with low uncertainty

• Event discrimination

• Evaluation of techniques for wind noise suppression with existing and experimental sensor technologies

• Modelling of seismic, infrasound and hydroacoustic signal-source scaling for a variety of explosion source conditions.

• Fully contained explosions, underground or underwater

• Partially contained explosions, underground or underwater

• Surface explosions, over ground or water

• Atmospheric explosions, over ground or water

• Wave propagation and attenuation modeling with Full Waveform Earth Models

• Improve the prediction of waveforms and amplitudes at local and regional distances

• Investigate use of cepstral analysis for event depth, multiple event identification

• Managing ingestion and flow of multiple data sources for increased capabilities

• Handle secure ingestion of data from multiple external sources

• Handle movement of data across a guard to higher level networks

• Including auditing of data flows

• Data conversion between data formats

• Development of new innovation sensors, develop/improve qualification methods for new and existing sensors

TOPIC: AFTAC-002

AIR AND SPACE

AFTAC seeks innovative and novel solutions for the collection and analysis of signal observables from space, atmospheric and surface nuclear detonations (NUDET) that directly leads to operational technology. This topic includes:

• Modeling of any and all phenomenologies and processes between and including the NUDET or surrogate source and the recorded signal produced by the sensor detecting front end.

• Modeling of the NUDET or surrogate signal generation, including interaction with its environment that results in a transmitted and detectable signal. Any and all phenomenologies are of interest (e.g., optical, RF, neutron, gamma-ray, x-ray).

• Signal transport from the transmitted signal(s) to the signal arrival at the detecting sensor element. All intervening media are of interest (e.g., atmosphere, clouds, ionosphere, and space environment).

• Conversion of the detectable signal at the sensor’s front end into a data signal that can be processed (e.g., sensing element design, physics and engineering).

• Development and demonstration of computing environments and computational techniques for optimal NUDET signal analysis that are or can be used in an operational environment (e.g., High Performance Computing (HPC) applications, physics based algorithms, and artificial intelligence (AI) tools to assist operational analysis).

• Translation of analysis algorithms and techniques into executable code.

• Implementation of sustainable, common ground architecture to rapidly integrate new detection platforms.

TOPIC: AFTAC-003

DIRECTED ENEGRY WEAPON (DEW)

AFTAC seeks innovative solutions for emerging DEW technologies in all domains. This topic includes:

• Advanced imaging and sensing, pointing and tracking systems, data collection and analysis, and modeling and simulation of optical and laser technologies.

• Develop methods and tools to enable and improve the analysis of multi-phenomena data sets.

• Enhanced tools and methods for clutter suppression, coherent processing and for extracting low level signals of interest.

* See the classified addendum for further details

TOPIC: AFTAC-004

NUCLEAR AND NUCLEAR-RELATED MATERIALS ANALYSIS

AFTAC seeks innovative solutions to support trace-level to high-activity analyses of environmental samples for radionuclides. This topic includes:

• Operational laboratory and field methods to monitor potential radionuclide releases of “zero yield” events in order to confirm that nuclear fission did not occur during a foreign weapon test

• Detection of lower concentrations of radionuclides

• Nuclear debris collection

TOPIC: AFTAC-005

MATERIALS MODELING AND ANALYSIS

AFTAC seeks innovative solutions to support advanced meteorological and environmental modeling efforts. This topic includes:

• Advanced meteorological modeling tools and techniques, transport and dispersion modeling techniques, uncertainty estimation, and high performance computing

• Meteorological model development, advanced weather data assimilation techniques, ensemble modeling and uncertainty estimation techniques, transport and dispersion modeling, and high-performance computational techniques

• Advanced simulation and modeling techniques, environmental fate of compounds of interest, the identification of environmental constituents that may have an impact on US personnel or the performance of equipment and issues related to homeland defense

• Transport and dispersion modeling, computational chemistry, and process engineering

ATTACHMENT 7: EVALUATION CRITERIA AND SELECTION PROCESS

The Government will review each Quad Chart/White Paper (Phase I) and select the offerors that have the greatest potential to meet the needs of AFTAC technology requirements based on the topic areas stated in Attachment 6. Initially, a determination will be made if each offeror is technically qualified and has a comprehensive understanding to undertake the development of the technology based on the information stated in the Quad Chart/White Paper. The Government will determine the most technically competent and capable of the qualified offerors using the criteria below.

• Criteria (Factors) for Selecting Quad Chart/White Paper for Full Proposal Submission:

o Technical merit/applicability, o Importance to agency programs, and o Fund availability

• Relative Importance: All Factors are of equal importance

• Method of Evaluation: Peer or scientific review