STAR-White-Paper-Template-Amendment-4.pdf

Space Technology Advanced Research (STAR) White Paper Template

Instructions

• Entries that do not comply with these instructions will not be accepted. Please read carefully!

• Complete this entire template using an 11-point font size. Do not change this document’s margins or alter its format.

• Your completed document must be no more than six total pages: the following coversheet page, plus five pages of content beginning on page two (this limit applies to your written prose and any desired images, charts or figures. Use the embedded prompts to guide you. The prompts precisely track the evaluation criteria used by the evaluators, so it is in your interest to organize your document using these prompts.

• Parts 1 - 3 below must be contained on a maximum of five pages. You may change the relative lengths of the sections on pages 2 through 6: Each company’s story is different and you may need more space than others for certain sections below.

• Delete this Instructions page and Save this file as a searchable PDF document.

• To submit: Please submit through the DoD SAFE website at https://safe.apps.mil/. In order to submit through the DoD SAFE website, you must first email the two STAR Contracting Officer POC’s, Mr. Daniel Alvarado (daniel.alvarado.12@spaceforce.mil) and Ms. Stephanie Harris (stephanie.harris.12@spaceforce.mil) requesting a DoD SAFE Drop-Off Request. We will then send the requested link to your company via the email address of the POC who emailed.

• This form will be scored by Government evaluators.

• Any white paper that does not have a complete coversheet will not be accepted. The information required on the coversheet is specified on the next page.

https://safe.apps.mil/ mailto:daniel.alvarado.12@spaceforce.mil mailto:stephanie.harris.12@spaceforce.mil

Coversheet for Space Technology Advanced Research (STAR)

Advance Research Announcement FA9453-19-S-0002

White Paper Title

Name of Company

Mailing Address

Business Size to NAICS 541715

Company's Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number

Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number

Contracting and Technical POC (names, telephone/fax numbers, and email addresses )

Classified level at which company is cleared

Cognizant security office (name, address, zip code), and Offeror's security officer's name and telephone number

Proposed Period of Performance (allow 90 days for drafting final report)

ROM cost estimate

Proposed Contract/Agreement/OTA Type

Proposed Government Furnished Property or Base Support

Proposed Data Rights

Date through which white paper is valid

Teaming Arrangement or Subcontractors/consultants, including Cage codes

As you can see, the STAR team has provided prompts in-line for you in this template. The prompts map to each of the lines in the evaluation rubric. The best white papers will: (1) stick to the order laid out here to make the evaluation experience efficient and linear for the evaluators, and (2) address each of the topics as thoroughly as the page limit allows.

Please be empowered to add graphics, photos or charts to this document. Any included images are still subject to the overall page limit. You may elect to include images in-line or append them at the end. It’s up to you. Please know that all images must be placed within the margins initially set in the template: 0.5 inches for top, left and right, and 0.65” on the bottom.

All of the purple text should be DELETED prior to you saving your final PDF: the evaluators won’t benefit from seeing these instructions and prompts. In addition to weighted scores on Part 1 and Part 2, you will be scored on the overall quality of this document. Below are the two overarching metrics for the quality of this document.

Quality of prose. Prove you write clearly and argue convincingly.

Data quality & attribution. Support your arguments with relevant, properly attributed data to enhance your credibility.

Part 1: PROBLEM DEFINITION

Problem Being Solved. What is the operational problem being solved for the Air Force with this innovation? Clearly define the problem you address. Demonstrate the depth of your understanding of the problem's components and stakeholders.

Product Summary. Write a clear, concise description of your product or solution. Without getting into all of the details, explain what your product is and how it addresses the problem you detailed above. The reviewer should have a very clear sense of the solution you are proposing after reading this section, and should be excited to learn more in the rest of your white paper.

Part 2: RELEVANCE TO AFRL NEEDS

Problem Alignment. How well does your Problem Statement map to our published Topic Areas? Argue the problem you've chosen is a perfect fit with the problems for this Challenge.

Problem Magnitude. Look specifically at the problem to which this solution maps. Is this a big problem today? How "painful" is today's status quo for the Air Force? Make your best case that the problem(s) you solve are important for the Air Force.

Operational Impact. Looking only at the airmen who will be impacted by your solution, argue that their jobs or lives will be significantly improved if your solution is adopted. What is the impact of your solution for an airman vs. today's solutions?

Scale. Look into the future to a time when your solution is both technically mature and fully "transitioned" (actively in use by airmen.) Describe the scale of your impact within the context of the Air Force.

Degree of Innovation. Describe what's innovative about your approach? How big a departure from existing clinical / technical approaches is your solution?

Part 3: SCIENTIFIC AND ENGINEERING VIABILITY

Scientific Feasibility. Is the science behind the solution sound? Convince readers who don't have deep expertise in your field that your innovation is built atop sound scientific and engineering principles. Point to the foundational and proven technologies that you rely on to deliver your solution.

Enabling Technologies. Do the required enabling technologies introduce added risk? Using mature or proven underlying technologies and techniques helps to lower technical risk.

Alternative Technical Approaches. Convince a skeptical audience that yours is the best from a technical perspective.

Your case is strongest when you convincingly refute the alternatives.

Technical Personnel. Briefly list and describe your core scientific and technical team. Do you have the people and technical capabilities you need to successfully complete your proposed project? If not, convince the reader you have a credible recruiting plan and can fill personnel gaps.

Part 4: PROJECT PLAN

Project schedule. Provide a schedule for your proposed project. Your projected milestones should be realistic and thoughtful.

ROM Cost Estimate. Provide a rough order of magnitude (ROM) budget for your proposed project. Your projected costs should be realistic and thoughtful.

Hypothesis, Testing, Measurement. Succinctly and convincingly outline the “what” your project will prove, and “how” you will go about proving it.

Appropriateness of Measurement. List the key performance indicators (KPIs) that are most appropriate to measure your progress with this project. Prove these KPIs are the most appropriate possible measurements of success for a project such as this one.

Part 5: VALUE / COST

Benefit to the Air Force. Describe how the Air Force will benefit if you’re successful and make the case that your approach represents a best value solution (expected pay-off out-weighs the cost).

Funding Availability. If your proposal is of sufficiently high quality, our team will have to determine if it can realistically be funded with our available budget. If your proposal is on the high end of the budget guidelines, please do your best to identify partners from whom additional funding may be available.