Questions and Answers Tactical Autonomy UARC BAA.docx

Questions and Answers Tactical Autonomy UARC Broad Agency Announcement#: FA9550-22-S-0001 Date: 28 September 2022

1. On page 4, questions are due on 21 Sept 2022, however on page 28, the date is stated as 16 Sept. Please clarify the last day to submit proposal questions.

The correct deadline for questions is September 21, 2022. Additionally, the proposal questions are estimated to be posted on September 28, 2022. Please see BAA revisions with Amendment 1.

2. Section C.1.d it states that … “… Collaborations with entities other than degree-granting IHEs should be explained in the project narrative, as well as, in the budget justification.” Please confirm that subcontracts to non-HBCU’s are allowed as long as they are appropriate and explained? If those subcontracts are allowed, is our interpretation correct that they can be to support the Consortium Coordination and STEM Education and not to perform the Technical research?

Subcontracts to non-HBCU’s, including subcontracts to large or small businesses are generally not allowed. The UARC should only fund HBCUs, however, if there is a circumstance where a HBCU is not available and/or capable to meet the needs of the research this should be explained in the proposal. This should be a rare circumstance and will be approved by the government on a case-by-case basis. Please see BAA revisions with Amendment 1.

3. On page 15 of the BAA, the maximum annual order amount is noted as $20M, while on page 24, “The budget may not exceed $18 million annually.” Further, the committed budget specified in the information sessions was $12M annually and the additional $6M was stated as possibility. Should we budget to the $12M? Please explain/clarify this apparent discrepancy.

The budget should not exceed $12,000,000 annually. The annual maximum amounts will be contingent upon the proposed budget. The maximum ceiling amount is estimated at $90,000,000. Please see BAA revisions with Amendment 1.

4. Per page 19 of the BAA, “All proposal documents should be in electronic file formats, specifically a Portable Document Format (PDF). The exception is budget, showing cost and pricing data, which should be provided in excel format with calculation formulas visible.” Does this mean you wish to receive proposals with all components except the budget as a single PDF file and the budget as a single Excel file, so that the emailed submission will constitute only two attachments?

Correct.

5. Do you have a preferred budget template that you wish proposers to use?

The budget may be submitted using the University’s preferred method. Using an Excel version of the OMB 4040-0001 R&R Federal/Non-Federal Budget is acceptable.

6. On page 22 and again on page 24 of the BAA, the R&R Senior/Key Person Profile (Expanded) form is referenced. Should proposers insert this form into the narrative, provide the information requested by the form in the narrative per the form’s format, or provide the information requested by the form in the narrative in sentences and paragraphs? If the form should be attached, where should it be attached in the application package?

The Research & Related Senior/Key Profile (Expanded) form OMB 4040-0001 must be filled out for each key person and should be attached. These forms will be attached as appendix A. Ensure sections D.2.b(4)(a) and (b) are addressed in the proposal narrative. Please see BAA revisions with Amendment 1.

7. Are letters of support or collaboration either required or expected?

Letters will not be rejected, but are not required.

8. Will the AF provide a description of all unmanned vehicles in the current inventory?

Vehicle information will be provided as necessary after award.

9. Are there unclassified ROS (Robot Operating Systems) descriptions of each platform/system?

Yes, however, that information will be provided as necessary after award.

10. Will the AF provide a current set of unclassified Operational Guidelines to the winning UARC?

All required operating guidelines will be provided as needed.

11. Will the AF provide insight into the environmental constraints facing UAS platforms?

UAS environmental constraints will be provided as needed to the consortium.

12. Can the UARC fund small businesses? (p17, Eligible Candidates d.)

Subcontracts to non-HBCU’s, including subcontracts to large or small businesses are generally not allowed. The UARC should only fund HBCUs, however, if there is a circumstance where a HBCU is not available and/or capable to meet the needs of the research this should be explained in the proposal. This should be a rare circumstance and will be approved by the government on a case-by-case basis. Please see BAA revisions with Amendment 1.

13. Will the AF provide access to a certified secure development/collaboration environment such as Cloud 1/ Platform 1 for the UARC to use or should we include the cost of these environments as part of the proposal? (You may not want to ask this but include it in our strategy and cost. It can easily be removed from our cost if the AF is providing for free.) These platforms will make-up the core to our tech transfer strategy as well as our cyber security solution.

The UARC should plan for and propose IT infrastructure, data storage, etc. within the consortium. Access to environments such as Cloud 1 and Platform 1 may be granted depending on the requirements of individual projects.

14. Would the AF provide a notional funding stream for the period of performance? Is there an expected cap/budgeted amount for this first task order?

Since the first task order will cover the management of the UARC including the consortium, the value may vary according to the number of consortium members and the lead institution's resources. We would like a realistic view of what will be needed to execute this task. As a result, please provide a reasonable estimate with justification. While a "cap" will not be provided, this task should only be a portion of each year's budget. In order to meet UARC requirements, all funds cannot be used solely for management.

15. Is 1.5-line spacing strictly enforced for the proposal?

Yes. To ensure all proposers have a fair opportunity to present their idea, 1.5 line spacing will be strictly enforced.

16. We know PI/Co-PI and students/postdocs/staff must be US Citizen or Green Card holders. Can senior personnel be included in the proposal without a US Citizen or Green Card?

For classified research, all assigned employees shall be US citizens; no foreign participation is authorized. Security requirements will be determined on each individual task order. At a minimum all employees must be eligible to work in the United States. FAR 52.222-54 will be included in the contract. Based on this clause the University (and subcontractors/consortium members) will be required to verify employees assigned to the contract/task order(s) are eligible to work in the United States through E-Verify https://www.e-verify.gov/.

Please see BAA revisions with Amendment 1.

17. Pg 17 of the BAA under Eligibility states the following: Participation by non-HBCU, including MSIs, and R1 institutions with recognized autonomy research excellence is welcomed, however, UARC funding will not be expended at such institutions. QUESTION: “Is this to imply that response to all task orders must be solely HBCU participants as the prime with or without the ability to have non-HBCUs as subcontracts, even when non-HBCU/MSIs/R1s might offer complementary or critical capabilities in tactical autonomy?”

Please see Q&A 2 and 12.

18. On page 21 under 3c, the implication is to describe how a consortium will be developed. However, throughout the BAA it is implied that the consortium should be established prior to submission in order to show the technical strengths and proposed budget for the consortium. Is it required to have the consortium developed prior to submission? What is the expectation as to the state of the consortium at time of submission?

The proposing college/university is not required to officially establish the consortium prior to the government identifying the lead-college/university and making a selection. The government does, however, expect proposers to complete initial coordination and discussion with potential consortium members.

There are approximately 30 days between notification to the lead-college/university and contract kickoff. The initial coordination and collaboration between the lead-college/university and the potential consortium members will be critical to reducing the time required to officially establish the consortium and initial operating capability.

The section referenced in the question, 2.b.(3)(c) on pg 21, pertains to the "Research Effort". This section requests your plan for how the consortium will be utilized to achieve the stated objectives of this research effort. Consortium specific requirements can be found on page 12, "Consortium Coordination Plan" of the BAA.

Q&As

BAA: FA9550-22-S-0001