DETER DEMSAW Call 0007 - Edit 22 DEC 21.pdf

CALL 0007 entitled “Directed Energy Modeling, Simulation, Analysis, and Wargaming (DEMSAW)”

Issued Under

Directed Energy Technology Experimentation Research (DETER) Advanced Research Announcement (ARA)

FA9451-21-S-0001

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

NAICS Code & Small Business Size: The NAICS Code for this acquisition is 541715 Research and Technology in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Nanotechnology and Biotechnology). The small business size standard is 1,000 employees.

Federal Agency Name: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Directed Energy Directorate, Wargaming and Simulation, AFRL/RDM

ARA Title: Directed Energy Technology Experimentation Research (DETER)

ARA Number: FA9451-21-S-0001

Call Title: Directed Energy Modeling, Simulation, Analysis, and Wargaming (“DEMSAW”)

Call Announcement Number: Initial Call 0007 Announcement

Call Type: Closed Call where white papers and proposal submittals shall be due within specified periods.

DETER Topic Areas: V. Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (MS&A)

VI. Wargaming

Purpose of Issuing Call: The Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate Wargaming and Simulation (AFRL/RDM) and Directed Energy Military Utility (DEMU) Program is seeking white papers which could potentially result in award(s) of “Arrangements” under 10 U.S.C. § 2373 to fulfill some of the Wargaming and Simulation needs.

CALL SPECIFIC INFORMATION: Unless otherwise stated in this call, all requirements listed within the basic ARA announcement are considered applicable. Offerors should monitor the SAM.gov website at https://sam.gov/content/home / for amendments to thiscall or the DETER

ARA.

II. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

A. Overview The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) Wargaming and Simulation Branch (RDM) overarching objectives include accelerating the advancement of Directed Energy (DE) modeling, simulation, analysis and wargaming knowledge and technical capabilities to support protection of strategic United States (US) interests. The technology that is being sought by RDM is in the covered area of Modeling, Simulation, and Analysis (MS&A) and wargaming capabilities. The program is necessary for experimental or test purposes (simulations) in the development of the best supplies for national defense by using mission-level modeling and simulation of experimental systems to complete military utility assessments that help determine the effectiveness of proposed directed energy technologies. For the purpose of this acquisition, DEMSAW scope is organized into interdependent Technical Areas, to include:

• DE concept models, mission level scenario development, simulations, analyses, https://sam.gov/content/home/ and military utility assessments

• Wargaming and DE concept development

• Developing and integrating concepts into a virtual range to determine military utility in a system of systems environment.

• Integrating software into other users’ environments for successful experimentation and evaluation of DE concepts.

B. Statement of Objective/Needs The AFRL Wargaming and Simulation Branch (RDMW), within the RDM Division, contains the Directed Energy Military Utility (DEMU) Program. The DEMU Program performs Military Utility Assessments (MUA) of DE concepts through the use of wargaming modeling, simulation, analysis and assessment knowledge and technical capabilities to support protection of strategic military utility.

Key DEMU goals will be realized through Directed Energy Modeling, Simulation, Analysis and Wargaming (DEMSAW) program. DEMSAW program will develop a credible virtual range where warfighters can experience the future scenarios using future weapon concepts against future threats.

The virtual range scenarios will need to represent the full battlespace of systems of systems, utilizing Advanced Framework for Simulation Integration and Modeling (AFSIM), currently AF's primary MS&A tool for mission-level modeling. The full kill chain of sensors (radars, electrooptical, infared, etc.), effectors (Directed Energy, Kinetic Energy, Electronic Warfare and Cyber Weapons), blue systems, red systems, and red threats need to be operationally realistically represented in our simulated environment.

For the purposes of this acquisition, DEMSAW will utilize MS&A and Wargaming as organized into interdependent Technical Areas, to include:

1. DE concept models, mission level scenario development, simulations, analyses, and military utility assessments.

2. Wargaming and DE concept development

3. Developing and integrating concepts into a virtual range to determine military utility in a system of systems environment

4. Integrating software into other users' environments for successful experimentation and evaluation of DE concepts.

The awardee shall be able to complete the Technical Objectives defined in Section 4, Technical Objectives.

III. AWARD INFORMATION

A. Anticipated Arrangement(s) Award Date: 11 Feb 2022

B. Funding

1. Anticipated Funding

This funding profile is only an estimate and is not an obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change at the Government’s discretion and/or by the availability of funds. DEMSAW is expected to be funded mostly by core funding.

As such, there is some uncertainty surrounding the amount of funding that will be obligated at award or throughout the duration of the program(s). The “Core Funds Anticipated” have been assured in accordance with AFFARS MP5332.7(b) whereas the “External Customer Funds Anticipated (based on historicals)” have not been formally assured. The “External Customer Funds Anticipated (based on historicals)” were formed through a historical analysis of customer funding received by AFRL/RDM to fulfill DEMU requirements. Nonetheless, awards of Arrangements or under Arrangements will not be made in the absence of appropriate available funding or assurances thereto. Additionally, Offerors will not be requested to work in the absence of funding. Offerors that submit white papers or proposals in response to this announcement do so at their own risk; please see item 2. “Availability of Funds” Notice below.

The estimated funding for this requirement is identified in the charts below.

Anticipated funding for the entire program (not per arrangement or award) is estimated as follows:

DEMSAW Estimated Total Program Values and External Funding

(All values in Millions)

Fiscal Year of Funds

Core Funds Anticipated

External Customer Funds Anticipated (Based on

Historicals) Total 2022 $1.5 $2.64 $4.14 2023 $3.5 $2.64 $6.14 2024 $4.1 $3.64 $7.74 2025 $4.4 $3.64 $8.04 2026 $4.6 $3.64 $8.24 2027 $4.9 $3.64 $8.54 2028 $5.2 $3.64 $8.84 2029 $5.5 $3.64 $9.14 2030 $5.8 $3.64 $9.44 2031 $6.1 $3.64 $9.74

FY22-31 $45.6 $34.40 $80.00

The above funding profiles are estimates only and will not be a contractual obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and availability.

The Government reserves the right to cancel this solicitation, either before or after the closing date. In the event the Government cancels this solicitation, the Government has no obligation to reimburse an offeror for any costs, including bid preparation costs.

C. Anticipated Type of Contract/Instrument/Agreement/Arrangement The Government reserves the right to award any appropriate contract instrument; this includes, but is not limited to, any contract type under the FAR, grant, cooperative agreement, or Other Transaction (OT) for Prototype, or OT for Research, or “Arrangement”or other instrument pursuant to 10 U.S.C § 2373.

1. Arrangement/Ordering The Government intends to award an Indefinite-Delivery/Indefinite-Quantity contract for this effort Task Order (TO) under this call for DEMSAW. Future task orders may be contemplated by the Government within the basic (ten-year) IDIQ contract ordering period and will be subject to FAR 16.5 Indefinite-Delivery Contract and as provided for in the contract. The overall ceiling is $80M.

2. Anticipated Order Period of Performance (PoP):

The IDIQ contract has a minimum base period of 5 years from the date of award and has the potential for up to an additional 5 years of performance, a total of up to 10 years combined. Task Orders may be issued at any point during the contract, but performance shall not extend beyond 10 years from the date of contract award. Offerors shall propose to the 5 year base period in their white paper submission. Note: All Task Orders will include a standard 3 month period for final reporting.

D. Anticipated Number of Awards The Government anticipates awarding one, single-award IDIQ contract/arrangement as a result of this Call. However, the Government does reserve the right to make multiple awards or no awards pursuant to this Call.

IV. OTHER INFORMATION

A. Communication

1. During White Paper Process

The acquisition team intends to manage communications facilitating the submission of optimal proposals without creating unfair competitive advantages.

Dialogue between prospective Offerors and Government representatives listed below, under Government Points of Contact (POCs), is encouraged until the Request for Proposal is issued. No guidance related to technical approach will be given. However, questions related to the objectives of the effort or prior similar efforts may be answered. If there is any doubt as to whether a response provides a competitive advantage, the answer will be posted publicly via an amendment to this call on https://sam.gov/content/home / for all Offerors to review.

2. During Proposal Process After the Request for Proposals has been issued to Prospective Offerors, all exchanges shall be in writing and submitted via email to the Agreements Officer

(AO).

3. Notice to Offerors Regarding Communications with the Government Only Contracting/Agreement Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. Communications with any points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund and/or award any proposed effort.

4. Government Points of Contact – TECHNICAL Primary: Teresa LeGalley, Program Manager, AFRL/RDMW

(505) 846-5119, teresa.legalley@us.af.mil

5. Government Points of Contact – CONTRACTING Primary: Danita Urioste, Agreements/Contracting Officer, AFRL/RDKL

(505) 846-6865, danita.urioste@us.af.mil

b) Jennifer Inman, Contract Specialist, AFRL/RDKL

(505) 853-7656, jennifer.inman.4@us.af.mil

c) Donovan Lucero, Contract Specialist, AFRL/RDKL https://sam.gov/content/home/ mailto:teresa.legalley@us.af.mil mailto:danita.urioste@us.af.mil mailto:jennifer.inman.4@us.af.mil

(505) 846-5160, donovan.lucero.1@us.af.mil

B. White Paper and Proposal Preparation Costs The costs of preparing white papers and/or proposals in response to this Call is not considered an allowable direct cost to a resulting arrangement. The Government will not reimburse Offerors/Awardees for direct costs relating to the submission of white papers and/or proposals submitted in response to this Call. However, the costs may be allowable as indirect expenses in resulting awards provided those costs are allocable and reasonable.

C. Organizational Conflict of Interest (OCI):

No potential OCI issues have been identified prior to release the Call. All OCI issues will be resolved prior to award

D. Critical Program Information (CPI)/Program Protection Plan (PPP) Awardees that require access to Critical Program Information (CPI) will receive training on the Program Protection Plan (PPP). Copies of the PPP will be provided to the Awardee when deemed necessary by the AFRL Technical Directorate (TD). In the event the Awardee’s role does not require access to the complete PPP, a tailored version will beprovided to ensure distribution restrictions are enforced.

All Offerors (including subcontractors/subawardees) shall supplement their current security practices by requiring any personnel involved in executing this arrangement where critical program information (CPI) has been identified to protect the CPI to the standards articulated in the Program Protection Plan and in accordance with DoDI 5200.39. Upon award, all identified DoD Awardees (including subcontractors/subawardees) shall acknowledge and meet the requirements stated by the Program Manager for the protection of CPI. The DoD Awardee must immediately notify the U.S. Government upon the discovery of any nonconformance with CPI protections.

E. Access to Government Installations, Base Support, Network The Government will provide the Awardee with access to facilities on an as-needed basis, inclusive of items incidental to the place of performance such as office space, office supplies, personal computers, telephones for Awardees on-site personnel, and other equipment as necessary.

F. Government Furnished Property (GFP) Availability GFP is not anticipated. Any requests for GFP items required to perform the proposed effort must be separately identified in the Offeror’s response. The terms and conditions regarding the GFP, if any, will be negotiated and otherwise established in accordance with all applicable statutes, rules, regulations, and DoD/Air Force mandatory policies.

G. Government Furnished Information (GFI) Availability.

The Government will provide the Awardee with access to information as necessary. The Awardee shall treat technical data in its possession as Government sensitive information.

Any arrangement that results in an award will have terms and conditions that will address restrictions on use, modification, reproduction, release, performance, display, or further disclosure of the GFI.

H. Data Rights AFRL 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 Non-Commercial Software (NCS) developed or delivered under award(s) resulting from this call 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.

At a minimum, the Government will likely require Government Purpose Rights. This is largely a result of the Government’s previous funding, in whole or in part; of many if not mailto:donovan.lucero.1@us.af.mil all of the items identified or otherwise implied in the attached SOOs and/or other attached documents. Data rights will be negotiated before award.

Offerors that propose delivery of noncommercial technical data, NCS, NCS documentation, or otherwise and that seek to provide the Government anything less than unlimited data rights should fully explain how a portion of the data was developed at private expense. Specifically, Offerors must explain what noncommercial technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a Government contract will be incorporated, how the incorporation will benefit the program, and address whether those portions or processes are segregable.

Offerors shall include data rights assertions in the Proposal’s Technical Content section.

Assertions must be completed with specificity. Each assertion must identify the technical data or computer software to be delivered and the associated item, component, or process developed exclusively or partially at private expense to which it pertains. Nonconforming data rights assertion lists may not be accepted until submitted in accordance with applicable statutes, rules, regulations, and policies.

1. Government Purpose Rights The Government shall receive Government Purpose Rights in all noncommercial technical data, noncommercial computer software, and noncommercial computer software documentation developed with mixed funding. “Developed with mixed funding” means development was accomplished partially with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a Government contract, and partially with costs charged directly to a Government contract.

2. Unlimited Data Rights The Government shall receive unlimited rights in all noncommercial technical data, noncommercial computer software, and noncommercial computer software documentation developed exclusively with Government funds.

The Government shall have unlimited data rights for the following:

a) Form, fit, and function data;

b) Corrections or changes to data furnished to the Awardee by the

Government;

c) Data otherwise publicly available or that has been released or disclosed by the Awardee or subcontractor without restrictions on further use, release or disclosure, other than a release or disclosure resulting from the sale, transfer, or other assignment of interest in the data to another party or the sale or transfer of some or all of a business entity or its assets to another party;

d) Studies, analyses, test data, or similar data produced for this Arrangement, when the study, analysis, test, or similar work was specified as an element of performance,

e) Data necessary for operation, maintenance, installation, or training;

f) Computer software documentation required to be delivered under this

Arrangement;

g) Data that will be delivered, furnished, or otherwise provided to the

Government under this Arrangement, in which the Government has previously obtained rights, shall be delivered, furnished, or provided with the pre-existing rights, unless the parties have agreed otherwise, or any restrictions on the Governments rights to use, modify, reproduce, display, or disclose the data have expired or no longer apply.

I. Deliverables The anticipated deliverable items are subject to negotiation. The anticipated Government deliverables are included in Attachment 1 – DEMSAW Statement of Objectives.

J. Associate Contractor/Awardee Agreements

1. The Awardee should enter into Agreements commonly referred to as Associate

Contractor Agreements (ACA) for any portion of the contract requiring joint participation in the accomplishment of the Government's requirement. The agreements shall include the basis for sharing information, data, technical knowledge, expertise, and/or resources essential to the Directed Energy Military Utility (DEMU) Program, which shall ensure the greatest degree of cooperation for the development of the program to meet the terms of the contract.

2. Those Agreements shall include the following general information:

a) Identify the associate contractors/awardees and their relationships.

b) Identify the program involved and relevant Government contracts of associate contractors/awardees.

c) Describe the associate contractor/awardee interfaces by general subject matter.

d) Specify the categories of information to be exchanged or support to be provided.

e) Include the expiration date (or event) of the ACA.

f) Identify potential conflicts between relevant Government contracts and the

ACA; include agreements on protection of proprietary data and restrictions on employees.

g) A copy of such agreement shall be provided to the Agreements Office for review before execution of the document by the cooperating contractors/awardees.

h) Nothing in the foregoing shall affect compliance with rules, regulations, or associated terms and conditions herein relating to Organizational Conflict of Interest.

i) The Awardee is not relieved of any program requirements or entitled to any adjustments to the terms because of a failure to resolve a disagreement with an associate contractor/awardee.

j) Liability for the improper disclosure of any proprietary data contained in or referenced by any agreement shall rest with the parties to the agreement, and not the Government.

3. All costs associated with the agreements shall be included in the negotiated cost of this arrangement. Agreements may be amended during the performance of this effort.

V. ELIGIBILITY

A. Overview Failure to meet eligibility information and submit a complete package in response to the announcement may make an Offeror ineligible for award.

B. System for Award Management Before the Government can issue an award, an Offeror must be registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) https://sam.gov/content/home.

C. Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment Before the Government can issue an award, an Offeror must be registered in the Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) https://piee.eb.mil/.

D. Export Control This announcement involves data that is subject to subject to Export Control and/or International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) 22 CFR § 120 et. seq., and/or Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 15 CFR § 730 et. seq. Only Offerors who are registered and certified in the Joint Certification Program (JCP) with the Defense Logistics Services Center (DLSC) and have a legitimate business purpose may participate in this call. Contact the Defense Logistics Services Center, 74 Washington Avenue N., Battle Creek, Michigan 49037-3084 (877-352-2255 or JCP-Admin@dla.mil) for further information on the certification process. More current contact information for DLSC may be available at https://www.dla.mil/HQ/LogisticsOperations/Services/JCP/ContactUs.aspx. You must submit a copy of your approved DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with your proposal or a statement that the organization has already been certified and register in the JCP with DLSC.

E. Offeror Foreign Participation Foreign Participation is not anticipated due to the sensitive nature of the technology, its level of classification, and location of performance, in part, at a US Government installation.

AFRL is authorized to exclude all foreign participation for the subject procurement at the prime contractor level. US-based offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals (FNs), their country (ies) of origin, the type of visa or work permit possessed, and the statement of work (SOW) tasks intended for accomplishment by the FN(s). Offerors are advised FNs proposed to perform may be restricted under U.S. Export Control Laws due to the nature of the technical data.

RESTRICTION ON NON-U.S. CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is “Export-controlled.” The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the ITAR, 22 C.F.R. Parts 120 – 130 or the EAR, 15 C.F.R. Parts 710 – 774. Non-U.S. Citizens may perform work under an unclassified award resulting from this topic only if they are designated as a U.S. Person, as defined by 22 CFR § 120.15 or if bidder/awardee is able to obtain an export license through the Department of State or Department of Commerce. Non-U.S. Citizens designated, as U.S. Persons are not permitted to perform work under a classified award. Non-U.S. citizens will at no time be allowed to work on Air Force installations. The technical information that will have to be provided to contractors could contain classified data and export controlled material. The loss of classified AF technical/military information would constitute an extreme danger to US National Security and would be very useful to an adversary and detrimental to the USAF development of next generation and legacy weapon systems.

F. Security Requirements

1. Security Classification The anticipated security classification for this effort is up to and including Top Secret (TS) for facility and Secret for safeguarding with access to both Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and Non-SCI. Please review the draft DD Form 254 included as Attachment 2 for more information. If applicable, a final DD 254 and related statutory authority will be incorporated into awards resulting from this Call. The Government will provide the Awardee with system security classification guidance and instructions as required. There may be a potential for Special Access Programs (SAP) clearance requirement.

2. Schedule and Clearances Offerors may submit white papers without having the appropriate clearance(s); however, Offerors shall have the ability to process TS cleared personnel to perform work required on this contract, which must be maintained through the entire period of performance. The Awardee personnel shall be TS cleared during the phase-in period, and capable of starting classified work on the first day following the start of the phase-in period.

3. Cognizant Security Office (CSO) Offerors must verify their Cognizant Security Office information is current with Defense Security Service (DSS) at www.dss.mil.

4. National Agency Check (NAC) All Awardee personnel who require access to PRS unclassified C4 systems are required to http://www.dla.mil/HQ/LogisticsOperations/Services/JCP/ContactUs.aspx https://www.dla.mil/HQ/LogisticsOperations/Services/JCP/ContactUs.aspx http://www.dss.mil/ obtain a T1 investigation consistent with Public Trust Positions (OPM Standard Form 85P).

The Awardee may submit a request to the PM that the Government grant Awardee employee(s) interim access to the PRS unclassified C4 network while awaiting the results of a T1. Interim access to the PRS unclassified C4 network will only be granted after the Awardee employees obtain at least a local background file check and have submitted the appropriate documentation to obtain a T1.

VI. WHITE PAPER

A. Due Date and Time

1. White Paper must be submitted in response to this Call no later than 5:00 PM, Mountain Standard Time (MST) on Monday, 3 January 2022.

2. The Government exercises the right to not accept White Papers after the due date and time.

3. The Government retains the right to collapse the white paper/Two-Step process into a

One-Step process and to make an award directly from white paper(s) received if the situation warrants, and the white paper(s) contain sufficient technical detail to do a full technical proposal evaluation.

4. Provide three (3) Government Technical Points of Contacts (POCs) for previous efforts of the same or similar nature.

5. Draft copy of SOW must be provided with White Paper submission.

6. NOTE: Offerors may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this announcement are not met by the due date and time.

B. Intent to Respond Potential Offerors are requested to advise the Contracting POCs identified in the Submission Instructions if they intend to submit a White Paper in response to this call. Such notification is merely a courtesy and is not a commitment by the Offeror to submit a White Paper.

Although failure to give notice of intent to respond with a White Paper will not make an Offeror ineligible for award, it is respectfully requested for Government planning purposes.

C. Amendments Offerors should monitor https://sam.gov/content/home for any additional notices and/or amendments to this Call.

D. Submission Process and Format Requirements Below are specifics regarding the white paper submission, format, and content. White Paper submissions must follow the format and content criteria in this Call.

1. Submission Instructions

a) DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.

b) White Papers must be timely submitted to the all the Contracting POCs in accordance with the instructions below.

c) The Government requests electronic proposals to be submitted using DoD

SAFE (primary method) with notification sent to the following email addresses:

Danita.urioste@us.af.mil Jennifer.inman.4@us.af.mil Donovan.lucero.1@us.af.mil

d) The maximum email file size the Government can currently receive is 20MB.

Multiple submissions may be needed to facilitate delivery of the entire proposal. Contractors should request a DoD SAFE drop-off from the Government. Currently the request for drop-off is valid for fourteen (14) days on DoD SAFE. Given the responses expected to be submitted, the requests for http://www.dss.mil/ https://sam.gov/content/home mailto:Danita.urioste@us.af.mil mailto:Jennifer.inman.4@us.af.mil mailto:Donovan.lucero.1@us.af.mil drop-off (or drop-offs) should be submitted thirteen (13) days prior to the due date for submission. Please send this request to all Contracting POCs listed above.

Note that currently on DoD SAFE, after seven (7) days after delivery of the documents, the codes are no longer valid for Government retrieval. Therefore, it is encouraged to contact the aforementioned persons identified in section C of White Paper submission instructions to verify that the documents were submitted and retrieved on time. If multiple drop-offs are necessary for the delivery, please request several drop-offs and label them accordingly such as transmission 1 of 3, transmission 2 of 3, etc.

e) If attempted DoD SAFE delivery is not possible for any reason, and DoD SAFE is confirmed as not possible by the Contracting POCs listed above, encrypted email delivery will be considered an acceptable backup method.

Please confirm encryption method to the Contracting POCs in writing prior to delivery.

f) There are no limits to the number of white papers an Offeror may submit.

Multiple white papers may be submitted by each Offeror; however, the white papers must be stand-alone.

g) White papers that include data restricted from public disclosure or used by the Government for any purpose should be marked with the proper disclosure and use of data restrictions. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to mark the relevant portions of their paper appropriately if they elect to submit proprietary information. Please be advised that documentation with the proper markings likely fall under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Exemption 4. White papers and documentation without the proper markings are subject to Freedom of Information Act Requests and potential disclosure to the public.

2. White Paper Format

a) Page Size: 8 ½ inches x 11 inches

b) Single Portable Document Format (PDF) with no internal links. Files shall be free of virus and must be unlocked and not password protected.

c) Margins: 1 inch on each side

d) Font: Arial 11+ point

e) Spacing: Single

f) Page Limit: Seven (7) pages maximum (one-side only), excluding cover page, draft SOW and Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) page. Nine (9) pages maximum when including the one-page cover page and one page ROM. No page limitation for the draft SOW.

g) Page Numbers: Include page numbers on each page in the following format:

Page of . For example, Page 1 of 9, Page 2 of 9, etc.

h) All text, including text in tables, diagrams, and charts, must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. No hard copies of the white papers are requested.

3. Required White Paper Content

a) Cover Page

Offerors are not required to utilize the DETER White Paper Cover Sheet Template, and may submit the cover page in a format of their choosing. The white paper cover page shall not exceed one page in length, and shall include at a minimum:

(1) ARA number (FA9451-21-S-0001)

(2) Call number i.e. Call 0007 and title

(3) DETER Topic Area(s)

(4) Title of the white paper

(5) Offeror organization name

(6) Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code (if applicable)

(7) Organization/Business size

(8) Technical and contracting points of contact to include telephone number and email.

(9) Classified level at which the Offeror organization is cleared

(10) Period of Performance

(11) Validity Statement: White paper shall include a statement that paper is valid for a minimum of 180 days

b) Task Objectives

This portion of the white paper shall include a brief overview of the objectives sought to be accomplished.

4. Technical Content and Proposed Deliverables The technical portion of the white paper should include the following information:

a) Discussion of the nature and scope of the research; the problem statement; the

Offeror’s proposed objectives and technical approach/solution; all relevant assumptions; an overview of tasks and methods to achieve each objective; and expected results

b) Description of state-of-the-art knowledge or methods to be employed, along with a clear strategy, resources and schedule for maturing the technology.

c) Description of final product(s) to be delivered (demos, reports, software, etc.)

d) Mapping of effort to specific need(s) outlined in the topic area(s) description, with a strategy for transition of deliverables to a Government acquisition program. Transitions can be specific to an existing/future system or have broad application to several existing/future systems.

e) Explanation of how the proposed effort provides benefits to the national defense and a strategy for verifying those intended benefits.

f) Any restrictions on Government use, release of disclosure of technical data.

g) Key personnel, consultants or subcontractors to support the effort and evidence of expertise and experience to accomplish the proposed task.

5. Draft Statement of Work (SOW) The content in the Draft SOW shall be consistent with the objectives, task descriptions and approaches as identified in the white paper. This is considered a draft only for evaluation purposes and may be revised prior to award, if selected.

The Draft SOW shall contain a sufficient level of detail for the Government to evaluate the technical merit and soundness of the approach.

6. List of Government Technical POCs Provide a list of a minimum of (3) Government Technical POCs for previous work that is the same or similar in nature to the DEMSAW effort. Listing shall include names, organizations, and up-to-date contact information.

7. Cost Estimate/Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) The cost portion of the white paper shall include a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate. No detailed price or cost support information should be included/forwarded. This should include top-level details on major cost items such as labor, special equipment that must be purchased, materials, and any subcontracts or other organizational costs (to include Government furnished facilities, equipment, or personnel) for the proposed effort. The ROM cost consists of the total cost plus any profit or fee, if any. It is a best guess of the anticipated cost of the effort. The ROM should be consistent with any dollar value or ranges, if any, specified in the announcement, as well as the level of work being proposal. The ROM cost section shall not exceed one page.

E. White Paper Review

1. After the review of white papers, the Government will determine whether a formal proposal will be requested based on the evaluation criteria provided in this call.

2. The Government will provide written notification to offerors who have submitted white papers.

3. The notification will state one of the following:

a. Highly recommended

b. Selectable

c. Not selectable

4. Offerors of those white papers evaluated as satisfying the technical merit factor and relevance factor for which sufficient funding is determined available, will be sent a Request for Proposal (RFP) letter to submit a formal technical and cost/business proposal and a draft SOW to the contracting point of contact. Also, there is an option to award off of white paper and if chosen, Offeror will be required to provide a full cost proposal.

5. A RFP does not assure an Offeror of a subsequent award.

6. White papers not selected for full proposal submission or proposals not selected for immediate funding will be timely disposed of/destroyed.

F. White Paper Evaluation Criteria Evaluations for white papers submitted will be conducted by a peer or scientific review process. The following criteria will be used to determine if a formal proposal will later be requested. The Offeror’s white paper must satisfactorily address the Technical Merit factor and Relevance factor identified below in order for the ROM to be evaluated for affordability. Only white papers satisfying Technical Merit, Relevance, and Affordability factors will result in a Request for Proposal.

1. Technical Merit Technical Merit is first in order of priority (more important than Relevance to DEMU Programs or Affordability) and shall be evaluated based on the following criteria, which are of equal importance.

Overall Technical Merit

(1) Is the described effort technically feasible? Is the technical description sufficient to explain underlying principles?

(2) Are any enabling technologies introducing risk? Are mature or proven technologies being utilized for effort?

(3) How does this compare to other available technologies

(4) What parts of this effort are innovative and add to the government’s capabilities?

*Criteria in this section are of equal importance.

Soundness of Offeror’s Technical Approach

(1) Do planned team members have sufficient background, experience, and/or capabilities to complete the efforts?

(2) How will the effort be shown to be successful

(3) How appropriate are the proposed measurements to the effort?

(4) How well does the proposed schedule of efforts compare to the work involved? Is it realistic and does it match with the efforts listed in the

Statement of Objectives (Attachment 1)

*Criteria in this section are of equal importance.

2. Relevance to DEMU Program Relevance to DEMU Program is second in order of priority (less important than Technical Merit), but more important than Affordability. It shall be evaluated based on the following criteria, which are of equal importance.

a) Proposed effort is logically mapped to one or more topic area need(s)

b) Proposed effort provides valuable contribution to meeting one or more topic area need(s) and provides benefits to important national defense objectives

c) Benefits appropriately off-set identified risks

3. Affordability The ROM will be evaluated to determine if sufficient funding is available.

White Papers satisfying the technical merit factor and Relevance Factor, and for which sufficient funding is determined to be available, will be evaluated as affordable.

VII. PROPOSAL

Below are specifics regarding proposal format, content, submission, evaluation, review and selection, and award notices. Additional information will be provided in the RFP.

Proposal submissions must follow all format and content criteria provided in both this call and the RFP.

A. Due Date and Time The Proposal due date and time will be specified within the individual RFP letters.

NOTE: Offerors may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this announcement are not met by the due date and time.

B. Amendments Offerors should monitor https://sam.gov/content/home / for any additional notices and/or amendments to this Call. This will likely include, at a minimum, a copy of the draft Arrangement as an attachment.

C. Submission Process and Format Requirements

1. Submission Instructions

a) DO NOT SUBMIT CLASSIFIED INFORMATION.

b) Proposals must be timely submitted to the Contracting POCs listed in accordance with the instructions below.

c) The Government requests electronic proposals to be submitted using DoD

SAFE (primary method) with notification sent to the following email addresses:

Jennifer.inman.4@us.af.mil

d) The maximum email file size the Government can currently receive is 20MB.

Multiple submissions may be needed to facilitate delivery of the entire proposal. Contractors should request a DoD SAFE drop-off from the Government. Currently the request for drop-off is valid for fourteen (14) days on DoD SAFE. The requests for drop-off (or drop-offs) should be submitted thirteen (13) days prior to the due date for submission. Please send this request to all Contracting POCs listed above.

https://sam.gov/content/home/ mailto:Jennifer.inman.4@us.af.mil

Note that currently on DoD SAFE, after seven (7) days after delivery of the documents, the codes are no longer valid for Government retrieval. Therefore, it is encouraged to contact the aforementioned persons to verify that the documents were submitted and retrieved on time. If multiple drop-offs are necessary for the delivery, please request several drop-offs and label them accordingly such as transmission 1 of 3, transmission 2 of 3, etc.

e) If attempted DoD SAFE delivery is not possible for any reason, and DoD SAFE is confirmed as not possible by the Contracting POCs listed above, encrypted email delivery will be considered an acceptable backup method.

Please confirm encryption method to the Contracting POCs in writing prior to delivery.

f) Proposals that include data restricted from public disclosure or used by the Government for any purpose should be marked with the proper disclosure and use of data restrictions. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to mark the relevant portions of their proposal appropriately if they elect to submit proprietary information. Please be advised that documentation with the proper markings likely fall under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Exemptions 3 or 4.

Proposals and documentation without the proper markings are subject to Freedom of Information Act Requests and potential disclosure to the public.

2. Proposal Format

a) Paper Size: 8 ½ inches x 11 inches

b) Files shall be free of virus an must be unlocked and not password protected

c) Margins: 1 inch on each side

d) Font & Spacing. Font: Arial 11+ point font on all text except as otherwise provided. Spacing: Single-spaced.

(1) Exceptions: Line spacing and font requirements do not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, and diagrams. These exceptions shall not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items.

e) Page Numbers: Include page numbers on each page in the following format:

Page of . For example, Page 1 of 7, Page 2 of 7, etc.

f) Any other information (e.g. captions, restrictive markings) shall not be smaller than Arial 10 point font or equivalent.

(1) Technical Volume Page Limit: Shall be limited to 30 pages and shall be prepared and submitted in PDF format. Please note that the technical proposal page limit does not include the Offeror’s proposed Statement of Work (SOW), Cover Page, table of contents, Executive Summary, and Schedule.

(2) Offeror’s Statement of Work Page Limit: Shall be limited to no more than 30 pages and submitted in Microsoft Word format.

g) Cost/Business Volume Page Limit: No page limitations; however, Offerors are requested to keep cost proposals under 100 pages. Cost breakouts shall be submitted in Microsoft Excel with the formulas included and unlocked, all other information should be provided in Microsoft Word.

D. Technical Proposal Content

1. Cover Page

The cover page shall include at a minimum:

a) ARA number (FA9451-21-S-0001)

b) Call number i.e. Call 0007 and title

c) DETER Topic Area(s)

d) Title of the proposal

e) Offeror organization name

f) Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code (if applicable)

g) Organization/Business size

h) Technical and contracting points of contact to include telephone number(s) and email.

i) Classified level at which the Offeror organization is cleared

j) Periods of Performance

k) Identify any technical data that will be delivered with less than unlimited rights

l) Any exceptions to terms and conditions along with the rationale

m) Validity Statement: Proposal shall include a statement that proposal is valid for a minimum of 180 days

n) The cover page is exclusive of the page number limit.

2. Table of Contents The Offeror shall include a table of contents with the proposal to include appendix (ces). The table of contents is exclusive of the page number limit.

3. Executive Summary The Executive Summary allows Offerors to concisely present the important aspects of their proposals to key management personnel. The summary should present an organized progression of the work to be accomplished, without the technical details, so that the reader can grasp the core issues of the proposed program. The Executive Summary shall not exceed two (2) pages. The table of contents is exclusive of the page number limit.

4. Technical Approach In this section, the Offeror should provide as much technical detail and analysis as is necessary or useful to support the proposed technical approach. It is not effective to address a variety of possible solutions to the technology problems.

Technical Discussion No technical approach is without its limitations or shortcomings. Every issue should be identified and compared with the successes/failures of previous approaches. A tradeoff analysis is a good way to make this comparison and should be supported by theory, simulation, modeling, experimental data, or other sound engineering and scientific practices.

Except for cost, the technical proposal content should cover the items listed in the proposal evaluation criteria.

Technical Program Summary This section summarizes the above technical discussion in an orderly progression through the program, emphasizing the strong points of the proposed technical approach to include a narrative description clearly defining the technical approach (or method) including tools, standards, and procedures to be used by the Awardee to accomplish the tasks to complete deliverables.

Risk Analysis and Alternatives Every technology has limitations and shortcomings. The proposal evaluator(s) will formulate a risk assessment; therefore, it is in the best interest of the Offerors to have their own understanding of the risk factors presented. Critical technologies should be identified along with their impact on the overall program, as well as fallback positions that could still improve on existing approaches.

References Any good technology discussion must present the basis for, and reference, the findings cited in the literature.

Capabilities and Relevant Experience In this section, the Offeror should describe any capabilities the Offeror has that are uniquely supportive of the technology to be pursued. The proposal must include any information on prior work in the technical areas, descriptions of available equipment, data, and facilities as attachments to the technical proposal. This information will be used in the proposal evaluation to help determine the soundness of the technical approach.

(1) Capabilities and Relevant Experience

(2) Previous and/or current modeling, simulation, analysis, wargaming, and software development Experience

(3) Experience Points of Contact

(4) Facilities/Resources

(5) Resumes/Position Descriptions (No names on resumes)

5. Program Organization In this section, the Offerors should present their organization’s ability to oversee difficult technical programs. Any pertinent or useful information may be included in this section, but a minimum recommended response should address the following elements:

Organization Structure & Personnel

(1) Chart(s) with Personnel: Include prime Offeror and subcontractor/sub-awardee organization charts to include the management and technical team members

(2) Include a description the program's organizational structure to include subcontractors/sub-Awardees

Management and Technical Team

(1) Description on procedures, policies, and reporting requirements established to initiate, monitor, control, complete, and report on activities/tasks/deliverables

(3) List job title/Labor Category, assignment of functions, duties, responsibilities, and associated task

(4) Identify roles of personnel assigned to accomplish tasks/complete deliverables

(5) Identify the tasks to be performed by each party and the criteria used to select each sub-offeror/sub-awardee/sub-contractor, if any, to perform its task(s).

• Offeror Responsibilities

• Sub-offeror/sub-awardee/sub-contractor Responsibilities

• Consultant(s) Responsibilities

(6) Show how the combination of people assigned to each task provides a sufficient knowledge or experience base for that task/deliverable

(7) Identify any special education, training, experience, or skills of these individuals. Also, any special administrative support requirements shall be identified.

6. Schedule

The schedule represents the Offeror’s commitment to perform the program tasks in an orderly, timely manner. Each major task identified in the SOW should appear as a separate line on a Timeline Chart by Task. Planned meetings, such as kick-off, presentations (including final presentation on the effort), Technical Interchange Meetings, etc., should be included in the timeline. The Timeline should also indicate the anticipated meeting site. Key deliverables, such as software and data items, should be included in the schedule. The Schedule is exclusive of the page limit.

7. Technical Data Identify any technical data that will be delivered with less than unlimited rights.

8. Cost/Pricing Proposal Content Cost and Business Section Volumes

Separate the volume into a cost section and business section. The business section should contain all business aspects of the proposed arrangement such as: resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort; Cost proposals have no page limitations; however, as a goal, Offerors are requested to keep cost proposals under 100 pages. The proposal shall be furnished with supporting schedules and shall contain a labor hour breakdown per task. Submit fully disclosed electronic cost spreadsheets in Microsoft Excel with formulas. Include rate table for all direct and indirect rates that feed into the cost element summaries.

Accounting System Successful Offerors must have an accounting system considered adequate by the Agreements Officer for tracking costs applicable to the award.

Cost Proposal Instructions Please see Attachment 3 - Cost Proposal Instructions Non-FAR Other Transactions 2373 Non-APC for instructions to complete the cost/ pricing volume. These are draft instructions that are subject to change and are for informational purposes only. Final instructions will be provided later.

9. Offeror’s Statement of Work (SOW) General:

The SOW developed by the Awardee and included in the proposal may be incorporated into a resulting, binding contract/agreement/arrangement. Do not put proprietary data or restrictive markings in the Statement of Work (SOW). An Offeror’s developed SOW is required to accurately describe the work to be performed, is enforceable, and must be void of inconsistencies. If, in the Government’s opinion, the SOW does not reflect these requirements, changes or adjustments may be required which could delay or preclude the award. The SOW must be a separate and distinct part of the proposal.