FA805122S0001 Full Text Announcement Rev 1 FY23.docx

PART II – FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) TITLE: Research, Development, Test and Evaluation (RDT&E) for Air Force Airfield Damage Recovery Material Applications

BAA NUMBER: BAA FA8051-22-S-0001

I. TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS:

A. Mission Statement. The AFCEC Requirements and Acquisition Division (AFCEC/CXA) supports all phases of the civil engineer research, development and acquisition process. It plans and executes programs for acquiring systems, equipment and technology to fulfill civil engineering needs for in-garrison, expeditionary, and contingency installations and air bases.

B. Topic Areas. AFCEC seeks to develop technologies that address the full spectrum of AF Installation lifecycle needs from establishment of the Airbase through sustainment, recovery, and shutdown. This includes but is not limited to conducting research, development, testing and evaluation of advanced technologies, prototypes, and systems for use in high-threat areas, agile combat support (ACS), expeditionary and in-garrison airbase support, and force protection applications.

The US Air Force has a need for robust, high performance airfield pavements and asphalts. A wide range of carbon materials are promising to increase the performance airfield pavements. This BAA seeks white papers to identify and optimize carbon materials for airfield pavements and composites. The carbon materials will primarily be high performance, advanced materials like carbon nanostructures, carbon nanotubes and graphene to upgrade pavements and asphalts including but not limited to:

· Materials of interest include but are not limited to: carbonaceous materials such as multi- and single walled carbon nanotubes, graphene and graphene oxides, graphitic boron and carbon nitrides, nano-diamond, metal oxides, etc

· Identify new and existing polymer additives that will increase the compressive, tensile, and flexural strength of target cementitious, bituminous, and other polymers of interest, by >30% at loadings of <3%.

· Utilizing carbon materials produced through the electrolysis and chemical vapor deposition method to develop enhanced pavements and asphalts.

· Development and experimentation of graphene and carbon nanostructure asphalt additives produced through electrolysis and chemical vapor deposition

· Carbon nanostructure heat inducing additives for asphalt airfield sustainment and Airfield Damage Repair (ADR)

· Carbon nano-material heat induction compounds for rapid asphalt preparation

· Domestically sourced carbon nanotube additives for conductivity and pavement sensor interface

· Accelerating production techniques to manufacture low-cost, domestically sourced, carbon nanostructure materials through electrolysis and chemical vapor deposition.

· Feedstock optimization of bituminous carbon resources for graphene, carbon nanotube, and carbon material production

· In situ and laboratory testing and evaluation of carbon nanostructure materials

· Testing carbon nanostructure-based pavement additives in surfaces and ADR applications to optimize airfield performance

· Testing and evaluation of heat-optimized asphalts utilizing carbon material additives.

The US Air Force has a need for airfield sustainment and damage recovery technologies. This BAA seeks white papers to research & develop materials, equipment, processes and procedures to provide minimum airfield operating surfaces, repair airfield damage, and extend the life of airfield surfaces including but not limited to:

· Utilizing carbon nanomaterial as functional additives for composite concretes in airfield sustainment and damage recovery (ADR)

· Carbon material derived from low-cost, bituminous carbon feedstock and synthesized into high performance carbon nano-material through electrolysis and chemical vapor deposition

· Develop, and test optimized composite concretes (utilizing carbon material as a functional additive) used in runways and other airfield surfaces and structures to improve the performance, durability, and lifespan of infrastructure

· Optimize technologies that will enable asphalt to set at cooler temperatures which will reduce energy consumption at forward bases

· Carbon material enhanced concrete and pavement blends for ADR, including low resource settings

· Carbon material enhanced pavement blends and composition for traditional airfields

· In situ testing of composite concrete and pavement blends at active Air Force installations

· Carbon nano-material sensor enabled pavements utilizing electrolysis and chemical vapor deposition production methods

· Pilot scale modeling and assessment of carbon nano-material production using electrolysis and chemical vapor deposition production methods

· Additive construction systems for carbon-enhanced composite concretes

· Development and testing of additive construction systems designed to use carbon enhanced concretes utilizing carbon nano-materials produced through electrolysis and chemical vapor deposition production

· Carbon enhanced three-dimensional structure printing

· Carbon enhanced flat surface printing for airfield applications

· Testing and evaluation of systems, compounds, and printed structures

· Development of automation technologies to enable autonomous additive construction in ADR

U.S. military personnel deployed to high threat areas urgently need protective structure innovations and recent advancements related to timber construction show promise to meet this need. Proposed efforts related to timber products should include planed analysis, how prototypes would be obtained, and testing methodology. This BAA seeks white papers to develop and evaluate novel construction techniques using timber structural products in an expeditionary environment including but not limited to:

· Extreme Cold Weather Personnel Protective Shelters

· Hybrid Timber/Soil Personnel Protective Shelters

· Timber Membranes Used for Roof Systems Used for Standoff Protection

· Timber Hybrid Panels for Protection Applications.

· Layer (Layup) Optimization of Composite CLT Panels for Blast and Impact Resistance

· Mass Timber for Construction of Expedient Barracks and Shelters

· Thermal Efficiency Improvements for Structural Components using Modern Timber Panels in an Expeditionary Environment

· Glue Laminated Timber Elements for Anti-Terrorism Protective Barriers

· Deployable CLT and Glulam Fabrication Equipment for On-site Production

· Modular Treated Glue Laminated Timber Foundations for Both Deep and Shallow Elements

· Treated Glue Laminated Timber Elements for Reinforcement of Buried Protective Structures

· Impact Resistance of Engineered Timber Panels

· Timber Construction Connections for High Loading Rates

· Constitutive Material Models for Wood Variations in High-Strain Rate Computational Analyses

· Timber Panels to resist Fire and Elevated Temperature Hazards

· Shock Response using Resonant Plate Testing and Hydraulic Blast Load Simulator Actuator Testing of Timber Panels

IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING:

FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH. It is DoD policy that the publication of products of fundamental research will remain unrestricted to the maximum extent possible. National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 189 defines fundamental research as follows:

‘Fundamental research’ means basic and applied research in science and engineering, the results of which ordinarily are published and shared broadly within the scientific community, as distinguished from proprietary research and from industrial development, design, production, and product utilization, the results of which ordinarily are restricted for proprietary or national security reasons.

As of the date of publication of this BAA, the Government cannot identify whether work proposed under this BAA may be considered fundamental research and may award both fundamental and non-fundamental research. Proposers should indicate in their proposal whether they believe the scope of the research included in their proposal is fundamental or not. While proposers should clearly explain the intended results of their research, the Government shall have sole discretion to select award instrument type and to negotiate all instrument terms and conditions with selectees. Appropriate clauses will be included in resultant awards for non-fundamental research to prescribe publication requirements and other restrictions, as appropriate.

For certain research projects, it may be possible that although the research being performed by the awardee is restricted research, a sub-awardee may be conducting fundamental research. In those cases, it is the awardee’s responsibility to explain in their proposal why its sub-awardee’s effort is fundamental research.

CLOUD COMPUTING. In accordance with DFARS Clause 252.239-7010, if the development proposed requires storage of Government, or Government-related data on the cloud, offerors need to ensure that the cloud service provider proposed has been granted Provisional Authorization by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) at the level appropriate to the requirement.

II. AWARD INFORMATION:

1. FUNDING: The approved ceiling for this BAA is approximately $9.99M. Remaining ceiling for Fiscal Year ’23 is as follows:

FY23 - $1.99M

a. Individual awards will not normally exceed 24 months with dollar values normally ranging from $250K to $1.99M. There is also the potential to make awards up to any dollar value as long as the value does not exceed the available BAA ceiling amount of $1.99M.

b. The Government reserves the right to select all, part, or none of the proposals received, subject to the availability of funds. All potential Offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations, funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice.

2. FORM: Awards of efforts as a result of this announcement will typically be in the form of “C” type contracts.

3. BAA TYPE: This is a two-step open broad agency announcement. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation.

STEP ONE – The Government is only soliciting white papers at this time. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL. Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. See Section VI of this announcement for further details regarding the proposal.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:

1. ELIGIBILITY: All qualified offerors who meet the requirements of this BAA may apply.

2. FOREIGN PARTICIPATION/ACCESS:

a. This BAA is closed to foreign participation. This includes both foreign ownership and foreign nationals as employees or subcontractors.

b. Exceptions.

1. Fundamental Research. If the work to be performed is unclassified, fundamental research, this must be clearly identified in the white paper and/or proposal. See Part II, Section I for more details regarding Fundamental Research. Offerors should still identify any performance by foreign nationals at any level (prime contractor or subcontractor) in their proposals. Please specify the nationals’ country of origin, the type of visa or work permit under which they are performing and an explanation of their anticipated level of involvement. You may be asked to provide additional information during negotiations in order to verify the foreign citizen’s eligibility to participate on any contract or assistance agreement issued as a result of this announcement

2. Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) companies who have mitigation plans/paperwork in place. Proof of approved mitigation documentation must be provided to the contracting office focal point, For information on FOCI mitigation, contact the contact the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). Additional details can be found at: https://www.dcsa.mil/mc/ctp/foci/

3. Foreign Nationals as Employees or Subcontractors. Applicable to any effort not considered Fundamental Research. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that all employees and/or subcontractors who will work on a resulting contract are eligible to do so. Any employee who is not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident will be restricted from working on any resultant contract unless prior approval of the Department of State or the Department of Commerce is obtained via a technical assistance agreement or an export license. Violations of these regulations can result in criminal or civil penalties.

c. Information Regarding Non-US Citizens Assigned to this Project

1. Contractor employees requiring access to USAF bases, AFCEC facilities, and/or access to U.S. Government Information Technology (IT) networks in connection with the work on contracts, assistance instruments or other transactions awarded under this BAA must be U.S. citizens. For the purpose of base and network access, possession of a permanent resident card ("Green Card") does not equate to U.S. citizenship. This requirement does not apply to foreign nationals approved by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. State Department under international personnel exchange agreements with foreign governments. It also does not apply to dual citizens who possess US citizenship, to include Naturalized citizens. Any waivers to this requirement must be granted in writing by the Contracting Officer prior to providing access. Specific format for waiver request will be provided upon request to the Contracting Officer. The above requirements are in addition to any other contract requirements related to obtaining a Common Access Card (CAC).

2. For the purposes of Paragraph 1, it an IT network/system does not require AFCEC to endorse a contractor's application to said network/system in order to gain access, the organization operating the IT network/system is responsible for controlling access to its system. If an IT network/system requires a U.S. Government sponsor to endorse the application in order for access to the IT network/system, AFCEC will only endorse the following types of applications, consistent with the requirements above:

a) Contractor employees who are U.S. citizens performing work under contracts, assistance instruments or other transactions awarded under this BAA.

b) Contractor employees who are non-U.S. citizens and who have been granted a waiver.

Any additional access restrictions established by the IT network/system owner apply.

3. FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES: Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government entities (e.g., Government/National laboratories, military educational institutions, etc.) are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot propose to this BAA in any capacity unless they meet the following conditions:

1. FFRDCs: FFRDCs must clearly demonstrate that the proposed work is not otherwise available from the private sector; and FFRDCs must provide a letter on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization citing the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry, and their compliance with the associated FFRDC sponsor agreement’s terms and conditions. This information is required for FFRDCs proposing to be prime contractors or sub-awardees.

1. Government Entities: Government entities must clearly demonstrate that the work is not otherwise available from the private sector and provide written documentation citing the specific statutory authority and contractual authority, if relevant, establishing their ability to propose to Government solicitations. While 10 U.S.C.§ 2539b may be the appropriate statutory starting point for some entities, specific supporting regulatory guidance, together with evidence of agency approval, will still be required to fully establish eligibility.

FFRDC and Government entity eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis; however, the burden to prove eligibility for all team members rests solely with the proposer.

Government agencies interested in performing work related to this announcement should contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC). If resulting discussions reveal a mutual interest, cooperation may be pursued via other vehicles.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

All responses to this announcement must be addressed to the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) and Contracting Officer (CO)

1. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES: It is recommended that white papers be received by 3 PM Central Time (CT) on the following date to maximize the possibility of award:

30 Apr 2023

White papers will be accepted until 3 PM CT on, but it is less likely that funding will be available in each respective fiscal year after the dates cited. The closing date for this BAA is 30 Sep 2023.

All offerors submitting white papers will receive notification of their evaluation results within 45 days of submission. Offerors should email the TPOC and the Contracting Officer listed in Section VII, for status of their white paper(s) after 45 days, if no such correspondence has been received.

2. CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit three copies of a 3 to 5 page white paper summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government.

The white paper will be formatted as follows:

i. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, topic area under which the proposal is submitted, Name and address of the company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contacts (POCs) (phone and e-mail).

ii. Section B: Task Objectives – Description and duration of work to be performed.

iii. Section C: Technical Summary - White paper's technical portion shall include the research nature and scope discussion and Offeror's proposed technical approach/solution. It may include proposed deliverables. Resumes/curriculum vitae (CV), facility/equipment descriptions, and proposed Statements of Work (SOW) are not required.

iv. Section D: Estimated Cost (Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)) - Cost portion shall include a ROM. The ROM cost consists of the total cost plus profit/fee, if any. It is a best guess of the anticipated cost of the effort. The ROM should be consistent with the level of work being proposed. No detailed price or cost support information is required; provide only time-phased (yearly) bottom line figures.

All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, their unique entity identifier and electronic funds transfer (EFT) indicator (if applicable), an e-mail address and reference BAA FA8051-22-S-0001 with their submission.

Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b).

3. HANDLING AND MAILING INSTRUCTIONS:

a. CLASSIFICATION GUIDANCE. All Proposers should review the NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY PROGRAM OPERATING MANUAL (NISPOM), 32 CFR Part 117, as it provides baseline standards for the protection of classified information and prescribes the requirements concerning Contractor Developed Information under paragraph §117.13. Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) Site for the NISPOM is: http://www.dcsa.mil/.

b. CLASSIFIED SUBMISSIONS. AFCEC/CXA will accept classified responses to this BAA when the classification is mandated by classification guidance provided by an Original Classification Authority of the U.S. Government, or when the offeror believes the work, if successful, would merit classification.

Security classification guidance in the form of a DD Form 254 (DoD Contract Security Classification Specification) will not be provided at this time since AFCEC is soliciting ideas only.

Offerors that intend to include classified information or data in their white paper submission or who are unsure about the appropriate classification of their white papers should contact the technical point of contact listed in Section VII for guidance and direction in advance of preparation.

Email Unclassified electronic submission to the TPOC’s identified in Section VII. Encrypt or password-protect all proprietary information prior to sending. Offerors are responsible to confirm receipt with the TPOC. AFCEC/CXA is not responsible for undelivered documents. If electronic submission is used, only one copy of the documentation is required.

4. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS/CONSIDERATIONS:

a. COST SHARING OR MATCHING: Cost sharing is not a requirement. Cost sharing may be proposed and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Cost share will not be a factor in selection for award.

b. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM). Offerors must be registered in the SAM database to receive a contract award, and remain registered during performance and through final payment of any contract or agreement. Processing time for registration in SAM, which normally takes forty-eight hours, should be taken into consideration when registering. Offerors who are not already registered should consider applying for registration before submitting a proposal. The provision at FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2018) applies.

c. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND FIRST-TIER SUBCONTRACT/ SUBRECIPIENT AWARDS: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at FAR 52.204-10 - Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Jun 2020). Any grant or agreement award resulting from this announcement may contain the award term set forth in 2 CFR, Appendix A to Part 25 which can be viewed at: https://www.govinfo.gov/app/details/CFR-2012-title2-vol1/CFR-2012-title2-vol1-part25-appA.

d. ALLOWABLE CHARGES: The cost of preparing white papers/proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract, but may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18.

e. GOVERNMENT APPROVED ACCOUNTING SYSTEM: An offeror must have a government approved accounting system prior to award of a cost-reimbursement contract per limitations set forth in FAR 16.301-3(a) to ensure the system is adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract. The acceptability of an accounting system is determined based upon an audit performed by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). In order to avoid potential contracting delays, it is required that companies interested in pursuing cost reimbursement type contracts under have an adequate accounting system in place per Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Generally Accepted Government Auditing Standards (GAGAS), the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and Cost Accounting Standards (CAS). Therefore if you have not already had a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) review of your accounting system, it is necessary for DCAA to perform an audit to confirm that an adequate system is in place. See Attachment #1 for further instructions.

f. HUMAN USE: All research involving human subjects, to include the use of human biological specimens and human data, selected for funding must comply with Federal regulations for human subject protection. Further, research involving human subjects that is conducted or supported by the DoD must comply with 32 CFR 219, “Protection of Human Subjects” found at: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_07/32cfr219_07.html, and DoD Instruction 3216.02, “Protection of Human Subjects and Adherence to Ethical Standards in DoD-Supported Research” found at: http://www.dtic.mil/whs/directives/corres/pdf/321602p.pdf.

1. Institutions awarded funding for research involving human subjects must provide documentation of a current Assurance of Compliance with Federal regulations for human subject protection, for example a Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Human Research Protection Federal Wide Assurance found at: http://www.hhs.gov/ohrp.

2. All institutions engaged in human subject research, to include subcontractors, must have a valid assurance. In addition, personnel involved in human subject research must document the completion of appropriate training for the protection of human subjects.

3. For all research that will involve human subjects in the first year or phase of the project, the institution must submit evidence of a plan for review by an institutional review board (IRB) as part of the proposal. The IRB conducting the review must be the IRB identified on the institution’s Assurance of Compliance. The protocol, separate from the proposal, must include a detailed description of the research plan, study population, risks and benefits of study participation, recruitment and consent process, data collection, and data analysis. The designated IRB should be consulted for guidance on writing the protocol. The informed consent document must comply with 32 CFR 219.116. A valid Assurance of Compliance and evidence of appropriate training by all investigators should accompany the protocol for review by the IRB.

4. In addition to a local IRB approval, an ACEC-level human subject regulatory review and approval is required for all research conducted or supported by the DoD. The Air Force office responsible for managing the award can provide guidance and information about the AFCEC-level review process. Confirmation of a current Assurance of Compliance and appropriate human subjects protection training is required before AFCEC-level approval can be issued.

5. The time required to complete the IRB review/approval process will vary depending on the complexity of the research and/or the level of risk to study participants; ample time should be allotted to complete the approval process. The IRB approval process can last between 1 to 3 months, followed by a DoD review that could last 3 to 6 months. No funding may be used toward human subject research until all approvals are granted. Therefore, in their cost proposals offerors should separate human use into a separate option.

g) SUPPLIER PERFORMANCE RISK SYSTEM (SPRS). Offerors should have a BASIC NIST SP 800 171 DoD Assessment in the SPRS (https://www.sprs.csd.disa.mil/). Basic assessment is to be conducted by the offeror.

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION:

1. CRITERIA: The following criteria, which are descending order of importance and will be used to determine whether white papers and proposals submitted are consistent with the intent of this BAA and of interest to the Government:

a. Overall Scientific and Technical Merit - The extent to which the offeror demonstrates the detailed approach, development, and testing of the proposed new technology to achieve relevant new capabilities or enhancements

b. Related Experience - The extent to which the offeror demonstrates relevant technology and domain knowledge

c. Openness, Maturity and Assurance of Solution -The extent to which existing capabilities and standards are leveraged and the relative maturity of the proposed technology, and

d. Reasonableness and Realism of Proposed Costs and Fees (if any)

No further evaluation criteria will be used to select white papers for proposal invitation. Proposals will be evaluated IAW this evaluation criteria only and categorized/selected for award as detailed in Section V.2.b.2. White papers and proposals submitted will be evaluated as they are received.

2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS:

1. Only Government employees will evaluate the white papers/proposals for selection. AFCEC/CXA has contracted for various business and staff support services, some of which require contractors to obtain administrative access to proprietary information submitted by other contractors. Administrative access is defined as "handling or having physical control over information for the sole purpose of accomplishing the administrative functions specified in the administrative support contract, which do not require the review, reading, and comprehension of the content of the information on the part of non-technical professionals assigned to accomplish the specified administrative tasks." These contractors have signed general non-disclosure agreements and organizational conflict of interest statements. The required administrative access will be granted to non-technical professionals. Examples of the administrative tasks performed include: a. Assembling and organizing information for R&D case files; b. Accessing library files for use by government personnel; and c. Handling and administration of proposals, contracts, contract funding and queries. Any objection to administrative access must be in writing to the Contracting Officer and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection.

1. Organizational Conflicts of Interest will be resolved prior to the award of any instrument resulting from an Offeror’s proposal.

1. WHITE PAPER/PROPOSAL REVIEW PROCESS:

2. FIRST STEP – White Paper Reviews: The Government will review White Papers to identify those with the greatest potential to meet the Air Force’s needs based on the criteria above. If funding is available for an identified white paper, AFCEC/CXA will request a formal technical and cost proposal from the Offeror. For white papers not of interest to the Government, or for which funding is not available, those Offerors will receive letters from the Government indicating the basis for non-selection.

2. SECOND STEP – Proposal Review and Selection Process

a) Categories: Based on the evaluation, proposals will be categorized as Selectable or Not Selectable (see definitions below). The selection of one or more offerors for award will be based on the evaluation, as well as importance to agency programs and funding availability.

1. Selectable: Proposals are recommended for acceptance, if sufficient funding* is available.

2. Not Selectable: Even if sufficient funding existed, the proposal should not be funded.

* Selectable proposals will be designated as funded or unfunded. Letters will be sent to the unfunded offerors. These proposals may be funded at a later date without reevaluation, if funding becomes available.

b) The Government reserves the right to award some, all, or none of the proposals. When the Government elects to award only a part of a proposal, the selected part may be categorized as Selectable, though the proposal as a whole may not merit such a categorization.

c) Proposal Risk Assessment: Proposals’ technical, cost, and schedule risk will be assessed as part of the above evaluation criteria’s application. Proposal risk relates to the identification and assessment of the risks associated with an offeror's proposed approach as it relates to accomplishing the proposed effort. Tradeoffs of the assessed risk will be weighed against the potential scientific benefit. Proposal risk for schedule relates to an assessment of the risks associated with the offeror's proposed number of hours, labor categories, materials, or other cost elements as it relates to meeting the proposed period of performance.

d) Prior to award of a potentially successful offer, the Contracting Officer will make a determination regarding price reasonableness and realism.

3. FEDERAL AWARDEE PERFORMANCE AND INTEGRITY INFORMATION SYSTEM (FAPIIS) PUBLIC ACCESS: The Government is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the FAPIIS before making any award in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $250,000) over the period of performance. An applicant may review and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding agency previously entered. The Government will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR § 200.205 Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants and per FAR 9.104-6.

4. ADEQUATE PRICE COMPETITION: As this BAA is an Open BAA, adequate price competition is not anticipated since there is no set response time, and proposals are evaluated at the time of receipt. Offerors whose proposals are selected for award will be expected to submit certified cost and pricing data on contracts exceeding $2M.

VI. STEP TWO INFORMATION – REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL & AWARD:

1. PROPOSAL FORMATING: See Attachment #2 for further instructions.

Please note that less than 12 point font is acceptable for graphics and illustrations (as in labels and short descriptions) as long as it is readable when printed out on standard 8x11 paper.

2. AWARD NOTICES: Those white papers found to be consistent with the research areas of interest and expected results within the broad topic areas as described in the Technology Requirements section of this BAA and of interest to the Government may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. Notification by email or letter will be sent by the TPOC. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a contract. Those white papers not selected to submit a proposal will be notified in the same manner. Prospective offerors are advised that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. All offerors submitting proposals will receive notification of their evaluation results within 45 days of submission. Offerors should email the TPOC and the Contracting Officer listed in Section VII, for status of their proposal after 45 days, if no such correspondence has been received.

3. DEBRIEFINGS: If a debriefing is requested in accordance with the time guidelines set out in FAR 15.505 and 15.506, a debriefing will be provided, but the debriefing content may vary to be consistent with the procedures that govern BAAs (FAR 35.016). Debriefings will not be provided for white papers.

4. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS:

a. FACILITY CLEARANCE. Depending on the work to be performed, the offeror may require a TOP SECRET/SCI facility clearance and safeguarding capability; therefore, personnel identified for assignment to a classified effort must be cleared for access to TOP SECRET/SCI information at the time of award. In addition, the offeror may be required to have, or have access to, a certified and Government-approved facility to support work under this BAA.

b. EXPORT CONTROL LAWS. Awards under this solicitation may require access to, or generation of, data subject to export control laws and regulations. Only contractors who are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) and have a legitimate business purpose may participate in this solicitation. For questions, contact DLIS on-line at http://www.dla.mil/HQ/InformationOperations/LogisticsInformationServices.aspx or at the DLA Logistics Information Service, 74 Washington Avenue North, Battle Creek, Michigan 49037-3084, and telephone number 1-800-352-2255 (24/7). You must submit a copy of your approved DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with your white paper/proposal.

c. SMALL BUSINESS PARTICIPATION. The Government encourages the best sources from the scientific and industrial communities to propose, including small business concerns, large businesses, academia and non-profit entities. Non-small businesses are encouraged to team with small business concerns to come up with the best technical solutions and obtain the best mix of cost, performance and schedule.

5. DATA RIGHTS:

a. SBIR RIGHTS. The potential for inclusion of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or data rights other than unlimited on awards is recognized. In accordance with (IAW) the Small Business Administration (SBA) SBIR Policy Directive, Section 8(b), SBIR data rights clauses are non-negotiable and must not be the subject of negotiations pertaining to an award, or diminished or removed during award administration. Issuance of an award will not be made conditional based on forfeit of data rights. If the SBIR awardee wishes to transfer its SBIR data rights to the Air Force or to a third party, it must do so in writing under a separate agreement. A decision by the awardee to relinquish, transfer, or modify in any way its SBIR data rights must be made without pressure or coercion by the agency or any other party.

b. NON-SBIR RIGHTS.

1. Non-SBIR data rights less than unlimited will be evaluated and negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Government Purpose Rights are anticipated for data developed with DoD–reimbursed Independent Research and Development (IR&D) funding.

2. The Air Force Research Laboratory is engaged in the discovery, development, and integration of warfighting technologies for our air, space, and cyberspace forces. As such, rights in technical data and noncommercial computer software (NCS) developed or delivered under this contract are of significant concern to the Government. The Government will therefore carefully consider any restrictions on the use of technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation which could result in transition difficulty or less-than full and open competition for subsequent development of this technology.

3. Third Party Software. DFARS 252.227-7014(d) describes requirements for incorporation of third party computer software. Any third party software (commercial and noncommercial) to be incorporated into a deliverable must be clearly identified in the proposal. Prior to delivery of any third party software, the contractor will obtain an appropriate license for the Government, and the written approval of the contracting officer.

c. IDENTIFICATION & ASSERTION. IAW DFARS 252.227-7017, the Identification and Assertion of Use, Release, or Disclosure Restriction provision applies.

6. REPORTING:

a. Contract Applicable: Once a proposal has been selected for award, offerors will be given complete instructions on the submission process for the reports.

b. FAPIIS Applicable: As required by 2 CFR 200 Appendix XII of the Uniform Guidance and FAR 9.104-6, non-federal entities (NFEs) are required to disclose in FAPIIS any information about criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings, and/or affirm that there is no new information to provide. This applies to NFEs that receive federal awards (currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts) greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of an award/project.

7. NOTICE: The following provisions* apply:

a. FAR 52.204-24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment (OCT 2020)

b. DFARS 252.204-7008, Compliance with Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Controls

c. DFARS 252.204-7017, Prohibition on the Acquisition of Covered Defense Telecommunications Equipment or Services-Representation (applies unless the Offeror has represented in DFARS 252.204-7016 in BetaSAM that it does not provide that equipment or services to the Government under a contractual instrument)

d. DFARS 252.215-7009, Proposal Adequacy Checklist

e. DFARS 252.215-7013, Supplies and Services Provided by Nontraditional Defense Contractors

f. DFARS 252.225-7973, Prohibition on the Procurement of Foreign-Made Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Representation (DEVIATION 2020-O0015) (MAY 2020)

g. DFARS 252.225-7974, Representation Regarding Business Operations with the Maduro Regime (DEVIATION 2020-O0005)(FEB 2020)

h. DFARS 252.239-7009, Representation of Use of Cloud Computing

i. DFARS 252.239-7017, Notice of Supply Chain Risk

j. DFARS 252.239-7098, Prohibition on Contracting to Maintain or Establish a Computer Network Unless Such Network is Designed to Block Access to Certain Websites-Representation (Deviation 2021-O0003)(APR 2021)

* Please note that the current versions or deviations of the related clauses will be included in any resulting contract. Additional provisions may be included in any resultant contract, dependent upon each individual effort.

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS:

All white paper and proposal submissions and any questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the cognizant TPOC as specified below.

TECHNICAL POINTS OF CONTACT:

Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant contracting officer, as specified below:

Bryant Soule

Email: Bryant.Soule@us.af.mil

Emails must reference the solicitation (BAA) number and title of the acquisition.

In accordance with AFFARS 5301.91, an Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition announcement. Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer for resolution. AFFARS Clause 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman (Oct 2019) will be incorporated into all contracts awarded under this BAA.

The AFICC Ombudsman is as follows:

Lt Col William Hill, Air Force Installation Contracting Center, Acting AFICC KP Director, 1940 Allbrook Drive, Building 1, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, Phone: (937) 257- 6673, Fax: (937) 656-0919, william.hill.10@us.af.mil.