FA8650-17-S-6001-RFI-Q&As-1.pdf

RFI – CONSORTIUM FOR AUTONOMY TECHNOLOGIES

QUESTION AND ANSWER

18 Jan 18

This is a reminder that the RFI is for informational purposes only. There will be no award as a result of this RFI.

Q&A’s posted 18 Jan 18

1. QUESTION: The RFI is silent on type of instrument contemplated. Please clarify the type of contract contemplated.

ANSWER: The purpose of this RFI is to gain feedback and ideas from industry as to how a

Consortium should be set up and run. There is no established process for how the Consortium should be set up and run. The Government is interested in industry’s perspective as to the best type of contractual vehicle to use for the Consortium.

2. QUESTION: RFI paragraph 1.9, Proposed Strategy, is silent on whether or not the

Government intends to issue a draft RFP for comment, or issue a final RFP. Also, the RFI doesn't request information helpful to the "The Government may also develop requirements, performance measures, inspection and acceptance procedures, taking into consideration the information provided in response to this announcement." Please clarify: is the government going to issue a draft RFP for industry comment? If so, we can provide inputs at that point?

Consortium should be set up and run. Per RFI Section1.4, There is no guarantee that any submission in response to this RFI will result in a Government program. This RFI is issued solely for information and planning purposes and does not constitute a solicitation. At this point, it is unknown if a solicitation will be issued, therefore, the government encourages responses to this RFI.

3. QUESTION: Does the Government envision using Other Transaction Authority in this effort?

should be set up and run. The Government is interested in industry’s perspective as to the best type of contractual vehicle to use for the Consortium.

4. QUESTION: Will the Consortium and associated contract vehicle/agreement be available for use by other Government sponsors with similar requirements?

Consortium should be set up and run. Since this RFI is for information purposes a firm requirement has not been established. It is expected that the requirement will only support the

Air Force Research Laboratory although this may change in a solicitation.

5. QUESTION: Does the Government have an approximate timeline for RFP release and eventual award?

Consortium should be set up and run. At this point, there is no schedule for a Consortium to be operational. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information only.

6. QUESTION: When does the Consortium need to be operational?

operational. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information only.

7. QUESTION: Has the USAF considered partnering with other Consortiums or establishing your own OTA contacting vehicle?

Consortium should be set up and run. At this point, no decisions have been made as to how to contract for a Consortium as the Government is in the information gathering stage. The

Government is interested in industry’s perspective as to the best type of contractual vehicle to use for the Consortium.

8. QUESTION: When do you anticipate opening up your BAA for dialog and white paper submissions?

operational so there is no schedule for any additional dialog or whitepaper submission. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information only.

Q&A’s posted 10 Jan 18

1. QUESTION: Given the oversight and reporting duties of the CA, would a company serving in this capacity be precluded from being a member of the Consortium and executing projects in the various thrust areas? Basically, are there any constraints placed upon the company that serves as the CA given their duties?

should be set up and run, as the Government is interested in industry’s perspective as to how this should be handled.

2. QUESTION: Am I correct to assume that the inclusion of Consortium Members on the ESC and TC, guarantees impartiality, ensures that all projects will be evaluated fairly and Consortium

Members will be awarded Tasks based upon the PEP (e.g., cost, schedule, technical merit and experience).

Consortium should be set up and run. There is no established process for how projects would be awarded at this point. The Government is interested in industry’s perspective on the membership and composition of the ESC and TC.

3. QUESTION: In the type 2 program scenario, should Consortium Member(s) bring a program to the TC that proposed to leverage Consortium Member Internal Investments combined with AF funding, I assume unlike an IDIQ, the Task would not be released to all of the Consortium

Members for bid?

Consortium should be set up and run. There is no established process for how projects would be awarded at this point. The Government is interested in industry’s perspective on how to handle consortium member’s internal investments and the solicitation of a task to other consortium members.

4. QUESTION: Are you looking for responses from any company interested in being a member of the Consortium or are you only looking for responses from organizations interested in leading the Consortium?

ANSWER: For the Consortium RFI, we are interested in all perspectives -- those interested in running the Consortium, ideas on how it should be structured, input on membership, etc. This

RFI is open to all feedback and ideas

5. QUESTION: Does inability to handle ITAR/EAR data may prevent a company from participating?

ANSWER: This RFI is for informational purposes only. The fact that a company does not handle ITAR/EAR information does not impact its ability to respond to the RFI. A company’s potential ability to submit a proposal and be evaluated for an award will be based on the

Government requirement at the time of solicitation. It is anticipated that the administrator would be subject to ITAR/EAR, however it may be possible that Consortium members may not have the same restrictions. This would be based on the Government requirement at time of solicitation.

6. QUESTION: If an industry team responds and is selected to lead the Consortium, does that prevent them from responding to particular technical calls put out by the Consortium?

should be set up and run, as the Government is interested in industry’s perspective as to structure, responsibilities and limits of the administrator and the ability to propose to technical calls.

7. QUESTION: Does the Consortium lead and administrator have to be a non-profit organization?

Consortium should be set up and run. This is not a solicitation. The Government is interested in industry feedback on running the Consortium, ideas on how it should be structured, input on membership, etc. At this time there is no requirement for the Consortium administrator to be a non-profit organization although this may change in a solicitation.

8. QUESTION: Is the intent of this specific RFI to request information about: Organizations who would be interested in potentially administering the Consortium? Organizations who are interested in potentially being members of the Consortium but not administering it? Both of the above?

ANSWER: For the Consortium RFI, we are interested in all perspectives -- those interested in running the Consortium, ideas on how it should be structured, input on membership, etc. This

RFI is open to all feedback and ideas.

9. QUESTION: Is the Coordinator precluded from subsequent technical calls (since they would administer them)?

should be set up and run, as the Government is interested in industry’s perspective as to

10. QUESTION: Does a company have to respond to this BAA to be considered for membership in the Consortium if one is established? If not, what will be the process for gaining admission to the Consortium? What is the schedule for the Consortium to be operational?

Consortium should be set up and run. This is not a solicitation. A process has not been established for gaining admission to the Consortium. At this point, there is no schedule for a

Consortium to be operational. The purpose of this RFI is to gather information only.

11. QUESTION: Are you interested in other ways of running a Consortium that differ than those in Attachment 2 of the RFI?

ANSWER: Yes. The purpose of this RFI is to gain feedback and ideas from industry as to how a Consortium should be set up and run. The Government is interested in all perspectives and ideas, as Attachment 2 was only provided to illustrate a potential structure.

12. QUESTION: Do you know if the party selected as the Consortium Administrator will also be permitted to be a member of the technology council and apply for funding under any funded projects which the Consortium pursues?

should be set up and run, as the Government is interested in industry’s perspective as to