FA8684-20-S-C001 Call 0007.pdf

RSO Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Call 0007

Federal Agency: Air Force Program Office: AFLCMC/RO “Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO)” Call Title: Innovative Additive Manufacturing Repair Technologies NAICS: 541330 – Engineering Services Call Type: Two-Step, Closed Call Call Number: FA8684-20-S-C001, Call 0007 Call Release Date: August 13, 2021 White Papers Due: September 17, 2021, at 5:00 PM ET

1.0 Introduction

The Rapid Sustainment Office (RSO) seeks to leverage technology advances to further its mission to reduce Air Force sustainment and operational cost and/or improve mission readiness. The RSO seeks to work with companies who can deliver innovative sustainment and operational advances to Air Force end users.

This announcement is for a Technology Focus Area (TFA)/Area of Interest (AoI) under the RSO Commercial Solutions Opening FA8684-20-S-C001. Interested parties are highly encouraged to visit the Government Point of Entry (www.beta.sam.gov) or the RSO website (www.AFRSO.com) to review the RSO CSO special posting in its entirety to obtain more information on the process for submission and evaluation of the CSO solution white papers and proposals.

This Call seeks to solicit innovative solutions that meet the objectives detailed in Section 2.0. The term innovative is defined as any technology, process, or method, including research and development that is new as of the date of proposal submission; or any new application of an existing technology, process or method as of the proposal date.

The RSO is not obligated to extend a request for proposal or make an award as a result of this Call; all awards are subject to the availability of funds and successful negotiations. This Call is not an authorization to begin performance, and in no way obligates the Government for any costs incurred by the Offeror associated with developing a White Paper. Prior to commencement of any activities associated with performance under this Call, the Government will issue a written directive or contractual document signed by the Contracting Officer with appropriate consideration established.

The RSO reserves the right to modify the requirements of this Call.

The authority to issue this Two-Step, Closed Call is derived from AFLCMC/RO Commercial Solutions Opening, FA8684-20-S-C001, dated 17-Jul-2020. The CSO authority is Section 879 of the National Defense Authorization Act for FY2017, Public Law 114-328, and Class Deviation 2018- O0016.

http://www.beta.sam.gov/ http://www.afrso.com/

2.0 Technology Focus Area (TFA)/Area of Interest (AoI):

Agile Manufacturing/Cold Spray – Directed Energy Deposition Agile Manufacturing/Directed Energy Deposition High Speed Cladding

As defined in the RSO CSO, the RSO publishes calls that seek to fund innovative technologies that propose new solutions to expand Air Force capabilities as it relates to the RSO TFA. Each TFA identifies an area where prospective Contractors can bring substantial value to meet the RSO’s mission.

The Agile Manufacturing TFA is described as: The RSO is working to identify, develop, transition, and scale AM technology for the advancement of the Sustainment enterprise. This will leverage mature, new, and emerging AM technology to reduce operation and sustainment costs and improve readiness.

This Call contains 2 separate and distinct AoIs that are attached immediately following Section 9.0.

Offerors may elect to submit an innovative solution in response to one, some, or all of the AoIs. While an Offeror may elect to respond to more than one AoI, an Offeror shall only be eligible to submit one solution (White Paper) for each AoI.

Refer to Sections 3.0 through 9.0 for detailed instructions as to White Paper submission(s).

3.0 Call Timeline and General Information

*The RSO reserves the right to alter or change any of the due dates listed above.

Two-Step, Closed Call Published: RSO publishes a Two-Step, Closed Call.

White Papers Due (Step-One): White Papers addressing the Area of Interest (AoI) defined in Section 2.0 are due no later than the RSO deadline listed in the table above. All White Papers submitted must adhere to instructions listed in Section 4.0 and Section 5.0 of this Call.

Request for Proposal (RFP) Issued: Offerors who submitted White Papers by the required due date and who have been favorably evaluated will be issued a Request for Proposal (RFP). The RFP will detail the requirements (e.g. required content and evaluation criteria) that prospective companies should tailor their proposal towards.

Proposals Due (Step-Two): Offerors who have received a RFP from the RSO are required to submit their proposals by the stated due date. More details and requirements that companies shall adhere to will be contained in the RFP.

Contract Award: The Government anticipates making one award, but reserves the right to award zero, one, or

Milestone Due Date Two-Step, Closed Call Published 13-AUG-21

White Papers Due (Step-One) 17-SEP-21 Request for Proposal (RFP) Issued or Non-Select Letter Issued 01-OCT-21

Proposals Due (Step-Two) 01-NOV-21 Target Selection Date/Contract Award 31-Dec-21 more Contracts for all, some, or none of the solicited effort. Details as to the negotiation and award process will be contained in the RFP.

4.0 White Paper Format Instructions

Each White Paper submitted shall be created using 8.5 x 11 inch portrait format pages with single spaced, Times New Roman 12 point font with 1” margins. White Papers shall not exceed the 5 pages, not including the cover page. The cover page shall be limited to and shall include the following:

Contractor Name, CAGE Code, Name of the Call and the Area of Interest, and date.

All text, including text in tables and charts, must adhere to all font sizes and line spacing requirements listed herein. Pages submitted in excess of these limits will not be read or considered in the Government’s evaluation of the White Paper.

Each White Paper must only address one AoI. As an example, if an Offeror elects to submit an innovative solution White Paper for AoI One and AoI Two, the Offeror shall submit two separate White Papers that EACH shall conform with the first paragraph of Section 4.0.

5.0 White Paper Contents

White Papers shall be valid for 180 days. All White Papers should include the following content:

• The White Paper shall address how the Offeror plans to provide an innovative approach to meet the objectives listed in Section 2.0.

• The White Paper shall address each of the listed objectives and should provide a brief description of how the Offeror will address the objectives.

• The White Paper shall include a rough-order-of-magnitude (ROM) price for a proposal.

Inclusion of the ROM does not imply or guarantee an RFP will be issued to the Offeror.

• The contents will be evaluated against the factors listed in Section 6.0. Offerors should strive to make clear connections between the proposed technical content and the evaluation factors.

• NOTE: Each White Paper shall only address a singular AoI and shall be formatted in accordance with Section 4.0.

6.0 White Paper Evaluation

Each White Paper shall be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation factors listed in the CSO.

The factors are as follows:

• Technical o The soundness and technical merit of the proposed solution to adequately address the AoI objectives in Section 2.0; and o The demonstrated feasibility of the proposed solution to address the AoI is mid-maturity.

Mid-maturity is defined as a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of at least 5 or greater and a Manufacturing Readiness Level (MRL) of at least 5 or greater. The Government is the final decision authority as to a technology’s stated TRL and MRL.

TRL assessment of at least five (5) or higher as detailed at:

https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/703694.pdf MRL assessment of at least five (5) or higher as detailed at:

www.dodmrl.com

• Importance to Agency Programs/Commercial Innovation: The degree to which the proposed concept provides an innovative, unique and/or previously under-utilized capability for government application.

https://www.gao.gov/assets/710/703694.pdf http://www.dodmrl.com/

• Availability of Funds: Any award shall be subject to the availability of funds.

• Price: Price shall be considered to the extent appropriate, but at a minimum to determine the price is fair and reasonable. For the purposes of the White Paper, the ROM shall be used to inform the availability of funds.

White Papers will be evaluated on the basis of the merit of the proposed concept in addressing the AoI and not against other White Papers submitted in response to the AoI.

7.0 White Paper Submission Instructions

Each White Paper shall be delivered electronically by the deadline stated in Section 3.0 of this Call to both the Contracting Officer and the Contracting Specialist listed in Section 9.0. Offerors may request the use of the DoD SAFE website to deliver each White Paper by notifying the Contracting Specialist and Contracting Officer no later than 24 hours before the deadline. If such a request is made the Contracting Specialist or Contracting Officer will provide a link for electronic delivery via DoD

SAFE.

Each White Paper submitted shall be delivered via separate electronic transmission. For example, an Offeror electing to respond to AoI One and AoI Two shall send two total e-mails, one with AoI One attached and one with AoI Two attached. Similarly, an Offeror under the same presumed facts shall request two DoD SAFE links, one for AoI One and one for AoI Two.

LATE WHITE PAPER SUBMISSIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. The RSO will not be responsible for any White Papers that are late due to issues with either the Offeror or Air Force email systems or the DoD SAFE. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to ensure the Air Force receives the email with all attachment(s) at the designated email address or the DoD SAFE website (if requested) by the specific due date and time.

A confirmation email will be provided by the Contracting Specialist promptly upon receipt; therefore, Offeror’s are urged to submit as early as practicable in order to receive confirmation of timely submission.

Only one White Paper submission per Offeror per AoI shall be accepted. If an Offeror submits more than one White Paper for any AoI, only the first submission shall be considered. The determination of first-received shall be based upon the electronic time/date stamp on the electronic submission.

8.0 Projected Acquisition Particulars

As previously stated, the submission of a White Paper does not imply or guarantee that an Offeror will receive an RFP after the White Paper is evaluated. The information contained in this solicitation is provided to allow Offerors the opportunity to make an informed business decision in determining whether to respond to this call. The Government reserves the right to change, add, remove, or modify this information in the RFP.

A. The Government anticipates making one award for each AoI (AoI One: Cold Spray and Directed Energy Deposition; and AoI Two: Directed Energy Deposition High Speed Cladding), but reserves the right to award zero, one, or more Contracts for all, some, or none of the solicited efforts. A Pitch Day will not be used for white paper evaluation, however the Government reserves the right to utilize a Pitch Day in conjunction with the proposal submission and evaluation.

B. The expected period of performance for the awarded contract(s) is 12 months after award. The period of performance ultimately requested in the RFP may also include an option for an additional 12 months of effort.

C. The resulting contract(s) may be a FAR Part 12, Fixed-Price effort or an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA). Should an OTA for prototype be utilized in the resulting RFP for this Call, the Government reserves the right to issue the solicitation and resulting agreement in a manner that allows for a future production follow-on agreement, without competition, with an Offeror whose initial solution demonstrates a successful prototype as defined in the agreement.

D. The successful Offeror(s) shall be an American entity with all work performed in the United States.

E. Should an award(s) be made, the resulting contract will include FAR 52-204-21. For this effort, an authorized user for the purposes of FAR 52.204-21 Basic Safeguarding of Covered Contractor Information Systems (Jun 2016) is limited to U.S. Citizens. Non-U.S. Citizens shall not be considered an authorized user for the purposes of this effort and under no circumstances will be considered authorized, without written permission from the Contracting Officer before the Non-U.S. Citizen begins work or receives any information related to this contract.

F. Use of Non-Government Advisors: Offerors are advised that technical and cost/price data submitted to the Government in response to this Call may be released to non-Government advisors for white paper review and analysis. All non-Government advisors have appropriate signed non-disclosure statements.

G. Deliverables expected under the contract may include equipment, site prep and installation plan/instructions, training materials, commercial manuals (installation, operation, and maintenance), software, support equipment, test plans/reports, third party material test data/reports, representative CS- and DED-repaired parts, CS and DED test samples, Quarterly and Final Reports, and Integrated Master Schedule.

H. The data rights for deliverables under the contract are expected to be provided in a manner that at a minimum allow for Government Purpose Rights. Refer to Section 9.8.1 of the Commercial Solutions Opening FA8684-20-S-C001 for additional FAR Part 12 data rights considerations.

9.0 Contact Information

The Point of Contact for this effort is the Contracting Specialist, Ms. Ashley Decker, or the Contracting Officer, Ms. Valerie Inman. The Offeror shall not contact any other Government personnel or offices regarding this Call.

Position: Name: Email:

Contracting Officer: Ms. Valerie Inman valerie.inman@us.af.mil

Contracting Specialist: Ms. Ashley Decker ashley.decker.5@us.af.mil mailto:valerie.inman@us.af.mil

ATTACHMENT ONE

AoI One: Cold Spray – Directed Energy Deposition Objectives:

A. Exhibit extensive knowledge in both CS and DED technology areas for commercial and military aircraft component repair applications. Demonstrate in-depth knowledge of aircraft components and their design, manufacturing method, cost, and failure modes to enable component repair via CS or DED technologies. Leverage use of commercial practices to repair Air Force aircraft components using CS or DED.

B. Demonstrate an ability to transition existing CS and DED technology methods to repair aerospace components such as slat tracks, propeller blades, and gearboxes. In addition, demonstrate an ability to utilize commercially pure and blended matrix powders, both traditional types containing aluminum, as well as less conventional powders such as copper or copper blends. This entails an understanding of component and fill materials, CS and DED process parameters, and approaches used to validate the efficacy of the technology.

C. Utilize traditional and develop non-traditional approaches to destructively test the CS and DED deposits on substrates. In addition, conduct secondary materials testing on CS and DED deposits and their representative substrates. Examples of secondary materials testing may include fatigue, fracture toughness, as well as resistance to wear, corrosion, and cavitation. All testing should yield quantitative results indicative of the deposit. Air Force engineers will utilize the compilation of the process and testing data to evaluate the applicability of the CS and DED processes for Air Force use.

D. Develop and demonstrate non-destructive testing methods that are cost effective, timely and relevant to the characterization of the deposits and their performance. These methods should provide data for method qualification/certification as well as support future quality assurance functions. These methods should be “governed by” or relatable to currently accepted industrial testing standards or practices (ASTM, ISO etc.).

E. Team with the RSO to provide live and/or virtual presentations of the innovative technology and its related data. Create a data-sharing approach that positions the Air Force to recommend application of the technology to Airworthiness Panels and cognizant Air Force program office engineers. This approach will also consider a plan for transitioning the innovation developed under this effort to the Air Force. All necessary data required for equipment installation, operation, maintenance, repair, calibration, packaging, and shipping and handling should be provided in the form of training materials and/or commercial manuals.

ATTACHMENT TWO

AoI Two: Directed Energy Deposition High Speed Cladding

Objectives:

A. Leverage use of commercial practices. Intimate knowledge of the components, their design, method of manufacture, cost and failure modes to enable repair of Air Force aircraft components using high speed DED technology.

B. Demonstrate an ability to transition existing high-speed DED technology methods to repair rotating aerospace components including, but not limited to, shafts and hubs. This entails an understanding of component and fill materials, DED process parameters, and approaches used to validate the efficacy of the technology.

C. Utilize traditional and develop non-traditional approaches to destructively test the DED deposits on substrates. In addition, conduct secondary materials testing on DED deposits and their representative substrates. Examples of secondary materials testing may include fatigue, fracture toughness, as well as resistance to wear, corrosion, and cavitation. All testing should yield quantitative results indicative of the deposit. Air Force engineers will use the compilation of the process and testing data to evaluate the applicability of the DED repair processes for Air Force use.

D. Develop and demonstrate non-destructive testing methods that are cost effective, timely and relevant to the characterization of the deposits and their performance. These methods should provide data for method qualification/certification as well as support future quality assurance functions. These methods should be “governed by” or relatable to currently accepted industrial testing standards or practices (ASTM, ISO etc.).

E. Team with the RSO to provide live and/or virtual presentations of the innovative technology and its related data. Create a data-sharing approach that positions the Air Force to recommend application of the technology to Airworthiness Panels and cognizant Air Force program office engineers. This approach will also consider a plan for transitioning the innovation developed under this effort to the Air Force. All necessary data required for equipment installation, operation, maintenance, repair, calibration, packaging, and shipping and handling should be provided in the form of training materials and/or commercial manuals.