FY25 DAF Mentor Protege OPEN CALL Announcement 22Nov24_F.pdf

Department of the Air Force Mentor-Protégé Program

Secretary of the Air Force Small Business Programs

OPEN CALL

Fiscal Year 2025

22 NOVEMBER 2024

Announcement Number: FY25_SAF/SB_Mentor_Protege_OPEN_CALL Announcement

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: United States Air Force

OPEN CALL FOR: Fiscal Year (FY) 25 Department of the Air Force Mentor Protégé Program

(MPP), the Secretary of the Air Force, Office of Small Business Programs (SAF/SB)

TWO (2) STEP OPEN CALL PROCESS:

This will be a two-step process.

Step 1: A firm responds to this Open Call request by submitting a Tentative Agreement Package, including:

1. Executive Overview (MS Word narrative of whole agreement).

2. DAF MPP Proposed Agreement Information (Attachment 1). Includes:

a. A Comprehensive Needs Assessment (Attachment 2).

b. Developmental Assistance Approach with Work Breakdown Structure (Attachment 3 for example)

c. Key Personnel Addendum (Attachment 4).

d. Rough Order of Magnitude (details below).

3. Letters of Endorsement and Commitment (one from Mentor and one from Protégé)

4. DAF MPP Executive Quad Chart (Attachment 5)

5. Protégé Pilot Initiative Application, if applicable. Includes:

a. DoD Protégé Pilot Initiative (PPI) Application (Attachment 6)

b. DoD Protégé Pilot Cost spreadsheet (Attachment 7)

c. Key Personnel Addendum (Attachment 4)

Step 2: The Government will notify the organization if they are selected for a mentor protégé agreement via phone call and emailed letter, requesting from the successful offeror the following:

1. Volume I - Mentor Protégé Agreement (MPA): A completed and fully executed MPA

(includes signatures from Mentor & Protégé).

2. Volume II - Technical Proposal: Includes finalized Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and needs assessment. At award, Volumes I and II will be incorporated into the contract, and will thus serve as the Statement of Work and Technical Plan and include the performance plan

(unique Quality Assurance Surveillance Plan).

3. Volume III - Cost Proposal: Includes Other than Certified Cost and Pricing Data for a cost reimbursement type contract. The cost proposal will be reviewed for allowability, allocability and reasonableness.

There will be no formal solicitation. The Director of Small Business Programs will make recommendations for reimbursement under the MPP to the Contracting Officer who will then request proposals from those offerors (details below). The number of recommendations is subject to the availability of funds and satisfaction of Government criteria and requirements. For those Offerors who submit a proposal, the Government may need to confirm some cost information, and after negotiations

(if any) are finalized, a contract award will be made.

I. Mentor-Protégé Program Overview

1. Introduction: The Department of the Air Force (DAF) Mentor Protégé Program (MPP)

Office is seeking eligible Mentor Firms for participation in the Department of Defense

Mentor Protégé Program (DoD MPP) Call for FY25, in accordance with Sec. 856 of

FY2023 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Public Law 117-263; Defense

Federal Acquisition Regulations Supplement (DFARS) 219.71, Mentor-Protégé Program;

and DFARS’ Appendix I, Policy and Procedures for the DoD Pilot Mentor-I Program. The

DAF MPP supports both the United States Air Force (USAF) and United States Space

Force (USSF). Those Mentor Firms whose Tentative Agreement Package are consistent with the intent of this Call (see evaluation criteria below) may be told they were selected for a SAF/SB MPP award.

2. Program Purpose: The DoD MPP provides incentives for major DoD contractors, as further described below and hereby referred to as Mentor Firms, to furnish small business concerns, hereby referred to as Protégé Firms, with assistance designed to:

a. Enhance the capabilities of Protégé Firms to perform as subcontractors and suppliers under DoD contracts and other contracts and subcontracts;

b. Increase participation of Protégé Firms as subcontractors and suppliers under DoD contracts, other Federal Government contracts, and commercial contracts; and

c. Under this program, approved Mentor Firms will enter into MPAs with eligible Protégé

Firms and provide technical and business developmental assistance to the Protégé.

DoD may provide the Mentor Firm with either cost reimbursement or credit against applicable subcontracting goals established under contracts with DoD or other Federal

Agencies.

d. The DAF MPP provides an additional benefit for MPA participants where both the

Mentor Firm and the Protégé Firm are small businesses; they have the ability to form

Small Business Teaming Arrangements (SBTAs) as defined in Federal Acquisition

Regulations (FAR) 2.101 and 52.207-6. Pursuant to FAR 19.503(b)(2), SBTAs composed of DAF MPP small business participants may be eligible for reserves of awards of multiple-award contracts for bundled requirements. Interested prospective

Mentor Firms are encouraged to identify any plans for Mentor-Protégé participation in

Small Business Teaming Arrangements as part of their proposals.

e. Section 856(d) of FY2023 NDAA required the establishment of a pilot program under which Protégé Firms may be eligible to receive up to 25 percent of reimbursement for which Mentor is eligible for a covered activity, i.e., an engineering, software development, or manufacturing customization, that the protégé firm implements in order to ensure that a technology developed by the protégé firm will be ready for integration with a program or system of the Department of Defense. This Open Call package contains the necessary instructions to apply for this program. Prospective

Mentor Firms are encouraged to identify any plans for reimbursements to their prospective Proteges pursuant to this Pilot.

f. For questions concerning implementation and applicability of FY2023 NDAA Section

856, please see Sec. 856(f) and (g). Prospective Mentor Firms should identify any aspects of their Tentative Agreement Package which they believe would be conditioned on applicability of Sec. 856.

3. Mentor and Protégé Firm Eligibility:

a. DFARS Appendix I paragraph I-102(a) details Mentor Firm eligibility. Universities are eligible to be Mentor Firms in the DAF MPP. Any Mentor Firm approved by the DoD

MPP is eligible to apply to the DAF MPP.

b. DFARS Appendix I paragraph I-102(b) details Protégé Firm eligibility. Additional definitions are found in FY2023 NDAA Sec. 856.

c. Protests concerning selection and eligibility of Proteges Firms are handled in accordance with DFARS Appendix I, Sec. I-104(c). Protests may be filed electronically with the Director, DoD Office of Small Business Programs (OSBP), via:

osd.business.defense@mail.mil or with the Director, SAF/SB, via:

SAF.SB.workflow@us.af.mil.

4. Allowable Developmental Assistance: See DFARS Appendix I Section I-106 and FY2023

NDAA Sec. 856 for details on allowable developmental assistance. Please note that mailto:osd.business.defense@mail.mil mailto:SAF.SB.workflow@us.af.mil

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Serving Institutions

(MSIs) may also be utilized to incorporate the use of interns in support of the MPAs. MSIs include Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs), Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs), Tribal Colleges or Universities (TCUs), Native American Serving Non-Tribal Institutions

(NASNTIs), Alaskan Native and Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions (ANNHIs), and

Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions (AANAPISIs).

5. Goals and Objectives: The goal for the DAF MPP is to engage industry to shape and expand the small business industrial base to support the DoD or DAF mission. The DAF

MPP is soliciting for MPAs that:

a. Align with a DoD or DAF strategic plan (reference list of document links in Section 7);

b. Enhance or accelerate development of a DAF capability;

c. Directly support a DoD or DAF Acquisition Program of Record (typically, a program funded or intended to be funded by Congress, e.g., with a validated requirement and a line item “record” in the Future Years Defense Program budget submission per 10

U.S.C. 221), to include but not limited to, reducing development costs and/or sustainment costs of fielded systems; or

d. Increase the likelihood of success in transition and/or commercialization efforts of a

DoD or DAF developed and licensed technology under a Patent Licensing Agreement

(PLA), a technology co-developed under a Cooperative Research and Development

Agreement (CRADA), or a technology funded under the Small Business Innovation

Research (SBIR), Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR), Rapid Integrated

Scalable Enterprise (RISE) (formerly the Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF) program), or the

Pilot Program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative Technologies

(APFIT) programs.

e. Other success metrics set forth in DFARS Appendix I, Section I-100(c).

All MPAs shall include a minimum of 50% Engineering and Technical Assistance (also referred to as Technology Transfer) from the Mentor Firm to the Protégé Firm.

6. Reference Documents: Interested Mentor Firms and Protégé Firms are invited to review the following resources to learn more about the DoD / DAF initiatives and focus areas.

This list is not inclusive and is in no priority order.

National Security Strategy of the United States of America (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf)

National Strategy for the Arctic Region (https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/National-Strategy-for-the-Arctic-Region.pdf)

2022 National Defense Strategy including the 2022 Nuclear Posture Review and the 2022 Missile Defense Review (https://media.defense.gov/2022/Oct/27/2003103845/-1/-1/1/2022-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY-

NPR-MDR.PDF)

Department of Defense Strategic Management Plan for Fiscal Years 2022-2026 (https://media.defense.gov/2023/Mar/13/2003178168/-1/-1/1/DOD-STRATEGIC-MGMT-PLAN-2023.PDF)

National Defense Science and Technology Strategy 2023 (https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-NDSTS.pdf)

Department of Defense Cyber Strategy Summary (https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/12/2003299076/-1/-1/1/2023_DOD_Cyber_Strategy_Summary.PDF)

Department of Defense Strategy for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/28/2003310413/-1/-

1/1/2023_STRATEGY_FOR_COUNTERING_WEAPONS_OF_MASS_DESTRUCTION.PDF)

Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering Technology Vision for an Era of Competition (https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/usdre_strategic_vision_critical_tech_areas.pdf)

Department of Defense Software Modernization Strategy (https://media.defense.gov/2022/Feb/03/2002932833/-1/-1/1/DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE-SOFTWARE-

MODERNIZATION-STRATEGY.PDF)

Department of Defense Zero Trust Strategy (https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/DoD-ZTStrategy.pdf)

Department of Defense Small Business Strategy (https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/26/2003150429/-1/-1/0/SMALL-BUSINESS-STRATEGY.PDF)

Department of Defense Additive Manufacturing Strategy (https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/dod-additive-manufacturing-strategy.pdf)

Department of the Air Force Posture Statement Fiscal Year 2025 (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/FY25_Posture_Statement.pdf) https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/Biden-Harris-Administrations-National-Security-Strategy-10.2022.pdf https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/National-Strategy-for-the-Arctic-Region.pdf https://media.defense.gov/2022/Oct/27/2003103845/-1/-1/1/2022-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY-NPR-MDR.PDF https://media.defense.gov/2022/Oct/27/2003103845/-1/-1/1/2022-NATIONAL-DEFENSE-STRATEGY-NPR-MDR.PDF https://media.defense.gov/2023/Mar/13/2003178168/-1/-1/1/DOD-STRATEGIC-MGMT-PLAN-2023.PDF https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/2023-NDSTS.pdf https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/12/2003299076/-1/-1/1/2023_DOD_Cyber_Strategy_Summary.PDF https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/28/2003310413/-1/-1/1/2023_STRATEGY_FOR_COUNTERING_WEAPONS_OF_MASS_DESTRUCTION.PDF https://media.defense.gov/2023/Sep/28/2003310413/-1/-1/1/2023_STRATEGY_FOR_COUNTERING_WEAPONS_OF_MASS_DESTRUCTION.PDF https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/usdre_strategic_vision_critical_tech_areas.pdf https://media.defense.gov/2022/Feb/03/2002932833/-1/-1/1/DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE-SOFTWARE-MODERNIZATION-STRATEGY.PDF https://media.defense.gov/2022/Feb/03/2002932833/-1/-1/1/DEPARTMENT-OF-DEFENSE-SOFTWARE-MODERNIZATION-STRATEGY.PDF https://dodcio.defense.gov/Portals/0/Documents/Library/DoD-ZTStrategy.pdf https://media.defense.gov/2023/Jan/26/2003150429/-1/-1/0/SMALL-BUSINESS-STRATEGY.PDF https://www.cto.mil/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/dod-additive-manufacturing-strategy.pdf https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/FY25_Posture_Statement.pdf

Department of the Air Force Reoptimizing for Great Power Competition (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/GPC/GPC_Key_Decisions.pdf)

Department of the Air Force USAF Case for Change (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/GPC/The_Case_for_Change.pdf)

Department of the Air Force USSF Case for Change (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/GPC/USSF_Case_for_Change.pdf)

Department of the Air Force Operational Imperatives (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2023SAF/OPERATIONAL_IMPARITIVES_INFOGRAPHIC.pdf)

Department of the Air Force Comprehensive Strategy for the Space Force (https://www.spaceforce.mil/Portals/2/Documents/Space%20Policy/CRR-FY23-Comprehensive-Strategy- Space%20Force-15-Aug-23.pdf)

USAF Science and Technology Strategy (https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2019%20SAF%20story%20attachments/Air%20Force%20Science% 20and%20Technology%20Strategy.pdf)

7. Approach: The DAF MPP is funded by the DoD MPP and awards Cost Reimbursable contracts. Subcontracting Credit and/or Hybrid MPAs will also be considered. All MPAs shall be invoiced and paid monthly and must include a Monthly Status Report (MSR) as a deliverable. The total Period of Performance (PoP) for any proposal cannot exceed three years (36 months). Standard agreements consist of a 12-month base year contract with up to two one-year (12 months) options, which may be executed at the discretion of the

Director, SAF/SB. For Hybrid agreements, the first year shall be credit only followed by a one- or two-year reimbursable options. The amount provided for individual contract awards will vary depending on the complexity of the proposal, but shall not exceed the regulatory amount set forth in DFARS, Appendix I (details below).

https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/GPC/GPC_Key_Decisions.pdf https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/GPC/The_Case_for_Change.pdf https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2024SAF/GPC/USSF_Case_for_Change.pdf https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2023SAF/OPERATIONAL_IMPARITIVES_INFOGRAPHIC.pdf https://www.spaceforce.mil/Portals/2/Documents/Space%20Policy/CRR-FY23-Comprehensive-Strategy-Space%20Force-15-Aug-23.pdf https://www.spaceforce.mil/Portals/2/Documents/Space%20Policy/CRR-FY23-Comprehensive-Strategy-Space%20Force-15-Aug-23.pdf https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2019%20SAF%20story%20attachments/Air%20Force%20Science%20and%20Technology%20Strategy.pdf https://www.af.mil/Portals/1/documents/2019%20SAF%20story%20attachments/Air%20Force%20Science%20and%20Technology%20Strategy.pdf

II. The Tentative Agreement Package

Step 1: Tentative Agreement Package Submission: Tentative Agreement Package may be submitted for consideration from the time of SAM.GOV posting through January 31, 2025.

Since this Open Call will be open continuously, SAF/SB intends to review Step 1 (Tentative

Agreement Package) submissions and make reimbursement decisions to the Contracting Office

(AFDW/PK) after this period. For Step 2, the contracts office will review cost proposals and if chosen mentor firms are responsive to cost questions, awards should be completed within approximately, 40-60 days after receipt of proposals, subject to the availability of funding. There may be some delays regarding Step 2.

1) Submission of Tentative Agreement Package:

a. Prospective Mentor Firms shall contact Moira McLaughlin at

Moira.McLaughlin.1@us.af.mil to get a DoD Secure Access File Exchange (SAFE) link to send DAF Tentative Agreement Package (Step 1) and, if requested by the

Government, Step 2 documents and the process will date stamp the incoming Tentative

Agreement Package. Offerors should allow up to 4 hours for SAFE to receive their

Step 1 or 2 items. Call Moira McLaughlin at 703-304-8961 if there is a problem with uploading. Items left on this website are automatically deleted after 7 days. Items will only be protected to the Controlled Unclassified level. Drop-off Requests remain active for 14 days, after requesting from the Contract Specialist. Ms. McLaughlin, or another AFDW/PK staff member, will confirm receipt of the package after it has been fully downloaded (received).

b. The entire Tentative Agreement Package submission shall not exceed fifty-five (55) pages, except as noted in section 2 below, for all parts. Pages shall be with no font smaller than 12-point (unless the Government has formatted differently in provided templates). Legible tables, charts, graphs and figures may be used to depict organizations, systems and layout, implementation schedules, plans, etc. Less than 12-point font is allowable for diagrams or the DAF MPP Executive Quad Chart. Movie and sound file attachments, uniform resource locator (URL) Links, or other additional files, will not be accepted.

mailto:Moira.McLaughlin.1@us.af.mil

c. The purpose of the Tentative Agreement Package is to preclude proposed developmental assistance that is not consistent with the Air Force’s program objectives and prevent unnecessary proposal development costs on behalf of the Mentor.

d. The Government will issue a request to the Offeror (Mentor) whose Tentative

Agreement Package is selected by the Director of Small Business Programs, Department of the Air Force (SAF/SB).

e. The Tentative Agreement Package’s Rough Order of Magnitude pricing should be good for 180 calendar days.

f. The entire Tentative Agreement Package submission shall not exceed DoD SAFE file size limits (currently 8 Gigabytes per transaction and can include up to 25 files) unless pre-approved by AFDW/PK (Moira McLaughlin at Moira.McLaughlin.1@us.af.mil).

There are no restrictions on file types. If having issues sending a specific file type, try compressing the file (e.g., zip, 7z, or tar.gz) and then sending it. The sender receives a notification email when the Drop-off is picked up by each recipient. Drop-offs remain active for 7 days. Drop-off Requests remain active for 14 days.

g. Notification to Prospective Mentors: All Prospective Mentors will receive an automated acknowledgment of receipt of their Tentative Agreement Package via DoD SAFE for

Step 1. Debriefings for Tentative Agreement Package submissions will not be provided.

h. At the time of Tentative Agreement Package submission, all vendors, mentors, proteges and subcontractors must be registered in SAM.GOV.

2) Structure of Tentative Agreement Packages:

a. The Tentative Agreement Package submission shall be in five individual parts. Each part and subpart shall be submitted individually with the below labels for easy identification:

1. Part 1 - The Executive Overview

2. Part 2 - The Proposed Mentor Protégé Agreement Information

A. DAF MPP Proposed Agreement Information Template

B. Comprehensive Needs Assessment

C. Developmental Assistance Approach with Work Breakdown Structure

D. Key Personnel Addendum

E. DoD Mentor Approval Letter, if available

3. Part 3 - The Letters of Endorsement and Commitment

A. Mentor

B. Protégé

4. Part 4 - The DAF Mentor Protégé Program Executive Quad Chart, and

5. Part 5 - If applicable, the DoD Protégé Pilot Initiative Application

A. DoD Protégé Pilot Initiative Application

B. DoD Protégé Pilot Cost Spreadsheet

C. DAF MPP Key Personnel Addendum

b. The Tentative Agreement Package shall describe how the proposed MPA is in alignment with the information provided in the Goals and Objectives section of this

Open Call (Section I. Mentor-Protégé Program Overview, paragraph 5 Goals and

Objectives).

c. The following file formats are required:

1. Part 1 - Executive Overview – Microsoft Word

2. Part 2 - Proposed/Tentative Agreement Information

A. Attachment 1, “DAF MPP Proposed Agreement Information Template” -

Microsoft Word

B. Comprehensive Needs Assessment - Microsoft Word and/or Excel

C. Developmental Assistance Approach with Work Breakdown Structure -

Microsoft Word and/or Excel

D. Attachment 4, “DAF MPP Key Personnel Addendum Template” - Microsoft

Excel

E. DoD Mentor Approval Letter, if available – Adobe Acrobat (pdf)

3. Part 3 - Letters of Endorsement and Commitment

A. Mentor - Adobe Acrobat (pdf) or Microsoft Word

B. Protégé - Adobe Acrobat (pdf) or Microsoft Word

4. Part 4 - Executive Quad Chart – Must use Attachment 5, “DAF MPP Executive

Quad Chart Template” - Microsoft Power Point

5. Part 5 – If applicable, DoD Protégé Pilot Initiative Application

A. Attachment 6, “DoD Protégé Pilot Initiative Application Template” - Microsoft

Word

B. Attachment 7, “DoD Protégé Pilot Cost spreadsheet” - Microsoft Excel

C. Attachment 4, “DAF MPP Key Personnel Addendum Template” - Microsoft

Excel

d. Failure to comply may result in the rejection of the Tentative Agreement Package during administrative review at the Government’s discretion.

e. Tentative Agreement Packages shall follow the structure as presented in all Parts of this

Open Call. Deviations in format will be considered non-responsive.

3) The DAF MPP Tentative Agreement Package submission shall be completed as follows:

Part 1 Executive Overview: Shall be limited to no more than one (1) page. Provide a narrative overview of the proposed agreement to include the following information:

problem statement (overview of the problem that the proposed agreement is addressing), mentoring activities (overview of the major mentoring tasks being proposed), and anticipated benefits (identify the DoD/DAF mission capability impact, any potential commercial impact, benefit to the Protégé, and benefit to the Mentor).

Part 2 Proposed Agreement Information: Shall be limited to thirty (35) pages, not including the Comprehensive Needs Assessment (See Attachment 2 – Comprehensive

Needs Assessment), Key Personnel Addendum (See Attachment 4 – DAF MPP Key

Personnel Addendum), and a copy of the DoD Mentor Approval Letter, if available.

Include the following information:

Section A: Notice information: Include the official Open Call Title: FY25 DAF Mentor

Protégé Program Open Call, and a title for the proposed effort.

Section B: Proposed agreement information: Proposed duration of effort and recommended instrument: Indicate the type of MPA that is preferred:

Reimbursable (Cost Reimbursement), Credit or Hybrid type agreement. A reimbursable agreement will be cost reimbursable for up to three years

(administered by the DAF). A credit agreement will be for subcontracting credit only and administered by the Defense Contract Management Agency

(DCMA). A hybrid agreement will be a credit agreement for year one

(administered by DCMA) and cost reimbursement for any additional option years (administered by the DAF).

Section C: Cost Estimate: Provide two rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost estimates for 1) Overall Cost Estimate by Year and 2) Cost Estimate by Developmental

Assistance Type and by Task Performer (prime, or an Authorized

Subcontractor). Both estimates shall identify the corresponding period of performance for the proposed developmental assistance for each MPA year.

The Cost Estimate by Developmental Assistance Type shall include a breakout by both engineering and technical assistance and general business development assistance for each proposed MPA year. Both cost estimates shall include:

1) Labor cost rolled up (all cost elements without fee/profit);

2) Travel/Other Direct Costs (ODCs), including an estimate for hosting one

Mentor Protégé workshop per agreement; and

3) Authorized subcontractor(s) totals (reference Section Q below for more information on Authorized Subcontractors).

Developmental assistance provided under an approved Mentor-Protégé

Agreement is distinct from, and must not duplicate, any effort that is the normal and expected product of the award and administration of the Mentor firm’s subcontracts. Mentor firm costs that are eligible for reimbursement are set forth in DFARS Appendix I.

The minimum amount of engineering and technical assistance is 50%.

The Air Force estimates the maximum annual cost reimbursement per contract under the Mentor Protégé Agreement to be $500,000. Tentative

Agreement Packages and proposals more than $500,000 per year are required to submit significant justification and demonstrate that the return on investment and value-added comparably benefits the DAF, Mentor, and

Protege. The monetary value of individual awards will vary according to the complexity of the effort proposed and cannot exceed the regulatory yearly amount as set forth in the DFARS Appendix I.

Section D: Mentor Firm Eligibility: Statement (be sure to include the date of approval) that the Mentor Firm has been previously approved under the DoD MPP

(please provide a copy of the DoD Mentor approval letter, if available, as a separate attachment (not included in total page count)) and is still eligible to participate as a Mentor Firm per the requirements set by DFARS Appendix I-

102, Participant eligibility, or provide evidence that a Mentor application has been successfully submitted to the DoD Office of Small Business Programs

(OSBP). Mentor approval will need to be completed before Step 2.

Section E: Mentor Firm Information: Firm name, mailing address, contact information, Unique Entity Identifier Number (UEI#), Commercial and

Government Entity (CAGE) code, primary North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) and Product or Service Code (PSC) codes.

Section F: Mentor Firm Background: Provide a short summary about the Mentor Firm including a company profile, volume of DoD/DAF contracts, and accomplishments under their Small Business programs. Indicate whether the

Mentor Firm has one or more DoD contracts with an active small business subcontracting plan.

Section G: Mentor Firm Capacity and Capability: Identify and describe the Mentor

Firm's qualifications, capabilities, experience with small business assistance, expertise in related technical areas, proposed facilities and equipment, and capacity for achieving the proposed agreement objectives. Please be specific to this proposed project and avoid generalities.

Section H: Mentor Firm Past Performance Summary: Identify and summarily describe the Mentor Firm’s past performance, if any, in the DoD or DAF

MPPs. Include all past and active MPAs and proposed agreements currently being considered (indicate agency). Identify any past Nunn-Perry awards and/or any significant mentoring accomplishments.

Section I: Protégé Firm Eligibility: Provide a statement that the Protégé Firm is currently eligible to participate in the DoD MPP.

Section J: Protégé Firm Information: Firm name, mailing address, contact information, Industry/Business Type, year established, number of full-time employees, annual revenue for the past three years, Unique Entity Identifier

Number (UEI#), CAGE code, primary and additional NAICS, PSC codes, and participation in the 8(a)-business development program.

Section K: Protégé Firm Historical Background: Provide a short summary about the company, including the company profile, and historical and recent activities and accomplishments. Include a description of the company’s ability to participate in the DoD MPP without impairing the company’s day-to-day operations (i.e., business management, revenue stream). Please be specific to this proposed project and avoid generalities.

Section L: Protégé Firm Business Information: Identify a) Protégé Firm-obtained DoD

Prime contract awards, b) Protégé Firm-obtained Other Federal Prime contract awards, c) Protégé Firm-obtained DoD subcontract awards, d) Protégé Firm-obtained DoD subcontract awards from sources other than the proposed

Mentor Firm, e) Protégé Firm-obtained Other Federal subcontract awards from sources other than the proposed Mentor Firm, f) Protégé Firm DoD subcontract awards to Other than the proposed Mentor Firm, and g) Protégé

Firm Other Federal subcontract awards to Other than the proposed Mentor

Firm for the two preceding fiscal years.

Section M: Mentor Firm – Protégé Firm Relationship: Indicate if the Mentor Firm and

Protégé Firm have or had a previous relationship. If applicable, provide description of Mentor Firm’s current/past relationship with the Protégé Firm including, if any, subcontracting history. Identify a) Mentor Firm DoD subcontracting awards to the Protégé Firm, b) Mentor Firm Other Federal subcontract awards to the Protégé Firm, c) Protégé Firm DoD subcontract awards to the proposed Mentor, and d) Protégé Firm Other Federal subcontract awards to the proposed Mentor Firm.

Section N: Protégé Firm Past Participation in the DoD Mentor-Protégé Program:

Describe whether this MPA has been proposed to or funded by the DoD or another Federal Agency. If previously proposed or funded, identify the agency, solicitation, and contract/grant number. IAW DFARS Appendix I-

104(e), a Protégé firm may have only one active DoD MPA at a time. If a

MPA is approved at another federal agency or DoD Department, for the same project as this Tentative Agreement Package, please alert the Contracting

Officer and Contract Specialist immediately to withdraw your response to this

Tentative Agreement Package.

Section O: Potential Future Mentor Firm Subcontracting Opportunities to the

Protégé: If applicable, identify anticipated Mentor subcontracting to the

Protégé on both a competitive and non-competitive basis, to include program and estimated value by each year. Provide the name of the programs of which the Protégé will be a supplier and where the Protégé’s increased participation in contracts will be. If no subcontracting is anticipated or applicable, provide explanation why not.

Section P: Developmental Assistance Approach (See Attachment 3): Between an addendum to the Proposed Agreement Information and narrative under this section, provide a thorough description of the specific approach to address the developmental assistance areas identified in the Comprehensive Needs

Assessment (Section X). Describe the what, when, where, and how all the developmental assistance will be provided and by whom. Identify and describe how this approach will address and enhance Protégé’s ability to perform successfully under contracts or subcontracts for DoD and other

Federal agencies.

If proposed, identify, and describe the involvement of any Authorized

Subcontractor(s) (e.g. facilities, faculty, and use of interns). Identify how use of the Authorized Subcontractor(s) will be accomplished. The description should clearly identify whether the tasks are engineering and technical assistance (technology transfer) or general business development assistance.

Include a detailed program Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) down to the 3rd level, delineating the proposed tasks for each proposed year. All tasks should be clearly identified as either engineering and technical assistance (technology transfer) or general business development assistance.

Engineering and Technical (Technology Transfer) Assistance Approach:

Identify and describe the approach and timeline of the engineering and technical assistance (technology transfer) to be provided to the Protégé Firm.

Refer to Attachment 8 for examples of Engineering and technical assistance

(technology transfer). Information shall include identification and detailed description of the major tasks planned to be accomplished. If relevant, provide the current TRL and/or MRL of the Protégé in the areas developmental assistance that is being provided and the anticipated TRL and/or MRL at completion. Technology transfer to the Protégé Firm must equate to at least 50% of the total proposed effort.

General Business Development Assistance Approach: Identify and describe the planned approach and timeline of the business development assistance to be provided to the Protégé Firm. Refer to Attachment 9 for examples of General Business Development. Mentors shall include an assessment and identify the approach if the Protégé needs training in understanding federal contract language, including understanding contract regulations of the Federal Government and the DoD (including the FAR, DFARS, and Department of the Air Force Federal Acquisition Regulations

Supplement (DAFFARS)), as this is required by statute. It is possible that a firm may not require additional FAR, DFARS, and/or DAFFARS training. If none, indicate that the Protégé has sufficient understanding of understanding contract regulations of the Federal Government and the

DoD. Information shall include identification and detailed description of the major tasks anticipated to be accomplished. There is no minimum amount of General Business Development required.

If Cyber Security assistance is contemplated, please note prospective Protégés, after acceptance into the DoD MPP, will be provided the opportunity to voluntarily elect to participate in Project Spectrum. Please visit https://www.projectspectrum.io/#!/pilotProgram for more information.

Section Q: Authorized Subcontractor(s) for providing assistance to the Protégé

Firm: An Authorized Subcontractor for providing assistance to the Protégé

Firm may be one of the following: a HBCU, MSI, Apex Accelerator (formerly

Procurement Technical Assistance Center (PTAC)), Small Business

Development Center (SBDC), Women’s Business Center (WBC), Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP), or a Manufacturing Innovation https://www.projectspectrum.io/#!/pilotProgram

Institute (MII). As defined in DFARS, Appendix I, I-106 (d)(6). Identify any

Authorized Subcontractors to be utilized for this agreement. Provide Point of

Contact (POC) name, address, phone number and e-mail. If there will be multiple authorized subcontractors, identify the individual estimated percentage of the Protégé’s developmental assistance to be performed by the authorized subcontractor(s) and provide a description of the required capabilities and planned activities of the authorized subcontractor(s) in this agreement. Note that more than one of these organizations may be used.

Where applicable, major tasks anticipated to be accomplished by an

Authorized Subcontractor(s) shall be identified and specifically called out in the information provided under Section P, and in the ROMs.

Section R: Anticipated Benefits: Identify and describe how the overall anticipated developmental assistance (engineering and technical assistance (technology transfer) and general business development assistance) to the Protégé Firm will:

1) Enhance the capabilities of the Protégé Firm to perform as a subcontractor and supplier under DoD, Federal, and/or commercial contracts and subcontracts;

2) Increase small business subcontracting opportunities in industry categories where eligible Protégé Firms or other small business firms are not dominant in the Mentor Firm’s vendor base; and

3) Identify and describe how the developmental assistance provided in

Section P will benefit the DoD/DAF as well as other Government and

Commercial sectors, the Mentor Firm, and the Protégé Firm. Provide how and to what degree the mentoring of the Protégé Firm contributes to and is relevant to DAF mission requirements (identify any direct relation to specific programs, systems, and/or organizations).

If applicable, provide the current TRL and/or MRL of the Protégé in the developmental assistance areas and indicate the anticipated TRL and/or MRL at completion of the agreement.

Section S: Agreement Alignment: Identify and describe how the anticipated developmental assistance approach (identified above in Section P) is in alignment with current DoD and/or DAF requirements as identified in Section

I Mentor-Protégé Program, Paragraph 5, Goals and Objectives, of this Open

Call (page 6). If citing a document identified in Paragraph 6, Reference

Documents in Section I Mentor-Protégé Program of this Open Call (page 7), identify specific source document used and the corresponding section and page number.

Section T: Protégé Development Progress: Identify and describe factors that will be used to assess the Protégé firm’s developmental progress under the agreement.

Section U: Mentor Protégé Workshop: Identify and describe anticipated plans for execution of at least one small business workshop over the life of the contract.

The Workshop should be a minimum of (4) hours focusing on topics relevant to small businesses working in, or wanting to be part of, the Defense Industrial

Base (DIB). For estimating purposes, a minimum of 50 attendees may be planned for. An overview of the Mentor Protégé program and how to engage with the Mentor must be presented.

Section V: Other Agreement Information: Identify if the proposed Mentor-Protégé relationship is to assist in the transition of technology and innovations, e.g., those developed under the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Small

Business Technology Transfer (STTR), Rapid Innovation Fund (RIF), or the

Pilot Program to Accelerate the Procurement and Fielding of Innovative

Technologies (APFIT) Programs, technology licensed under a Patent License

Agreement (PLA), or operating under a Cooperative Research and

Development Agreement (CRADA).

Section W: Contact Information:

Mentor

a. Mentor Firm’s Program Manager’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address,

b. Mentor Technical Effort Lead’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address,

c. Mentor Contracting Lead’s name, title (person authorized to negotiate), mailing address, phone number and e-mail address,

d. Mentor Small Business Representative’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and email address, and

e. Mentor Endorsement and Commitment Letter signatory’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address.

Protege

a. Protégé Firm’s Chief Executive Officer’s (CEO)/President’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address and

b. Protégé Technical Effort Lead’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and email address.

Authorized Subcontractor(s) – Replicate for every additional Authorized

Subcontractor

a. Authorized Subcontractor’s Organization’s Name, Program Manager’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and e-mail address and

b. Authorized Subcontractor’s Technical Effort Lead’s name, title, mailing address, phone number and email address.

Section X: Comprehensive Needs Assessment (See Attachment 2): Between an addendum to the Proposed Agreement Information and narrative under this section, demonstrate that a comprehensive needs assessment and plan was performed for the selected Protégé. Provide a narrative summary of the results of the needs assessment and include the completed Comprehensive Needs

Assessment template. The needs assessment should focus on the engineering and technical capabilities (technology transfer) and general business management capabilities needed to support the identified DoD and/or DAF requirements as described in Section S. Color coding, numeric ranking or similar means of prioritization of the needs assessment results by the Offeror is highly recommended.

Section Y: Key Personnel Addendum Template (See Attachment 4): As an addendum to the Proposed Agreement Information, include overviews of the key personnel who will perform the work, highlighting their qualifications and experience. If specific personnel are unidentified, at a minimum must identify anticipated specific labor category.

Part 3 - Letters of Endorsement and Commitment: Provide two Letters of Endorsement and Commitment from 1) a Senior Executive of the Prospective Mentor Firm demonstrating their commitment to the DAF MPP and direct subcontracting opportunities for the Protégé and from 2) a Senior Executive of the prospective Protégé Firm demonstrating their commitment to the DAF MPP. Letters must be dated within (60) days of the Tentative

Agreement Package submission date. Letters shall be limited to one (1) page each.

Part 4 - DAF MPP Executive Quad Chart: Complete in accordance with the MPP

Executive Quad Chart (See Attachment 5) instructions and submit with Tentative

Agreement Package parts 1, 2, 3, and 4. This part shall be limited to one (1) page. Include the Total ROM cost of the project.

Part 5 - Protégé Pilot Initiative Application: Shall be limited to fifteen (15) pages, not including the Key Personnel Addendum (See Attachment 4 – DAF MPP Key Personnel

Addendum) or Cost Spreadsheet (See Attachment 6 – DoD Protégé Pilot Cost Spreadsheet).

The DoD Pilot Protégé Initiative (PPI) was established under Pub. L. 117-63, div. A, title

VIII, §856 (d), Dec. 23, 2022, 136 Stat, 2726. The PPI provides Proteges in DoD reimbursable agreements as of July 1, 2023, an opportunity to propose projects supporting the advancement of engineering, software development, or manufacturing customization in support of the War Fighter. Proposals are limited to a maximum of up to 25% of the annual budget of the respective reimbursable agreement. Successful applications will result in a

Not to Exceed, Zero Fee, separate Contract Line Item No. added to the Mentor’s

Agreement. The proposed amount will be used exclusively by the Protégé for the project.

Refer to Attachment 10 for full program guidance. Include the following information:

Section 1: Mentor-Protégé Agreement Information: Identify if it is a reimbursable agreement, proposed agreement duration in months, anticipated award date, and proposed agreement funding levels for all contract years.

Section 2: Executive Summary – Protégé Pilot Research/Development Project:

Provide a brief one to two paragraph Executive Summary of your proposed pilot Project.

Section 3: Pilot Project Description: Provide a detailed description of the proposed pilot project. Include: A description of the problem or shortfall this pilot program would address; the current state; and the end goal for the project.

(Remember the project must address support advancement of engineering, software development, or manufacturing customization in support of the War

Fighter.)

Section 4: Milestone Schedule: Provide a Major Milestone Chart for the project in

Gantt Chart or similar format. Include all lead times for items such as sub-contractor lead time, equipment delivery if applicable, and equipment installation if applicable.

Section 5: Key Personnel: Provide a list of the Key Personnel (Attachment 4) who will be responsible for this project (i.e., Program Manager, Principal Investigator, Engineers, Contractors, etc.). Ensure that their experience and education are included, as well as what their role in the project and organization will be.

Section 6: Proposed Cost: Provide detailed descriptions of the estimated investment/project and the major elements of the project including: Facility upgrade; equipment to be procured; acquired labor or bonus by type;

materials; other direct costs (ODC) including travel, outside testing, certifications, etc.; and incidental costs. Provide completed Attachment 7

“DoD Pilot Cost Spreadsheet.”

Section 7: Protégé Firm Information: Firm name, mailing address, contact information, Industry/Business Type, year established, number of full-time employees, annual revenue for the past three years, Unique Entity Identifier

Number (UEI#), CAGE code, primary and additional NAICS, PSC codes, participation in the 8(a)-business development program, and socio-economic status.

Section 8: Protégé Firm Point of Contact (POC): Protégé’s agreement lead’s name, title, phone number and email address.

Section 9: Mentor Firm Information: Firm name, mailing address, contact information, Unique Entity Identifier number (UEI#), Commercial and

Government Entity (CAGE) code, primary North American Industry

Classification System (NAICS) and Product or Service Code (PSC) codes.

Section 10: Mentor Firm Point of Contact (POC): Mentor lead’s name, title, phone number and email address.

Section 11: Mentor Firm’s Cognizant Administrative Contracting Officer Point of

Contact (POC): Mentor cognizant Administrative Contracting Officer’s name, title, phone number and email address.

Section 12: Protégé Cost Share: As applicable, add the estimated value of any expenses that will be funded by the Protégé (self-funded), that directly relate to your

(the Protege’s) proposal, and indicate the percent of the overall project funded by this proposal, and percent share of the overall project funded by the Protégé

(if the Protégé provides some cost sharing/self-funded). Note that Protégé share is not required. The percent share will be used to assure that all aspects required for successful completion of the Research/Development project are accounted for.

Section 13: Return on Investment (ROI): Provide both a qualitative and quantitative description of the potential ROI for this project. Qualitative to include impacts to the Protégé, the Industrial Base and the War Fighter. Quantitative to include projected benefits gained (i.e., percent increase in capacity, schedule improvement, efficiency gained, quality improvement, system effectivity improvements, and/or any projected quantifiable War Fighter benefits).

Section 14: Signatures: Protégé, Mentor, and Sponsoring Agency signatures.

4) Restrictive Markings on Tentative Agreement Packages: Mentors that include in their

Tentative Agreement Package data that they do not want disclosed to the public for any purpose, or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes shall 1) Mark the title page with the following legend “This Tentative Agreement Package includes information or data that shall not be disclosed outside of the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed-in whole or in-part for any purpose other than to evaluate this Tentative

Agreement Package. If, however, a MPA is awarded to this Mentor, as a result of, or in connection with, the submission of this information or data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the information or data to the extent provided in the resulting MPA or as otherwise authorized by applicable laws, rules, and regulations. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]” and; 2) Mark each sheet of data it wishes to restrict with the following legend: “Use or disclosure of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this Tentative

Agreement Package.”

5) Evaluation of Tentative Agreement Packages: The following information will be used to determine whether the Tentative Agreement Package is consistent with the intent of this

Open Call, the MPP, and of interest to the DAF. It will be based on an evaluation of each

Mentor’s Executive Overview (Part 1), Proposed Agreement Information (Part 2), Letters of Endorsement and Commitment (Part 3), and DAF MPP Executive Quad Chart (Part 4).

All will be evaluated by a DAF Small Business Programs panel and will be evaluated based on the following technical criteria.

a. In the first evaluation step (in a pass/fail format), the Government will evaluate the first five technical criteria (technical criterion 1-5). A Tentative Agreement Package submission must receive an evaluation of “pass” for all five criteria to be considered for the second evaluation step.

b. In the second evaluation step, the Government will then evaluate the next four technical criteria (technical criterion 6-9) using the Technical Rating Method A (Table 1). The

Government will the evaluate the next two technical criteria (technical criterion 10-11) using the Technical Rating Method B (Table 2). Note: The technical criteria 6 and 11 are considered by the Government to be in descending order of importance. Then, for each Tentative Agreement Package submission, the Government will roll up into one summary Technical Rating all the technical ratings for technical criteria 6 – 11. A

Tentative Agreement Package submission must pass technical criteria 6-9 by a rating of

“Acceptable” or higher to be considered for the third and final evaluation step.

c. In the third evaluation step, using the evaluation of all the technical criteria 1-11, the

Government will decide (in a pass/fail format) if the agreement is of appropriate value.

In the event of limited funding, the Government will rank the Tentative Agreement

Packages from the highest to the lowest. Then the Government will ask for proposals for the number of Tentative Agreement Packages that it has the funding for, starting with the most highly evaluated Tentative Agreement Package first, then the next most highly rated Tentative Agreement Package, etc.

1) Technical Criterion 1: Executive Overview (Part 1)

Provide a narrative overview of the proposed agreement to include the following information: problem statement (overview of the problem that the proposed agreement is addressing), mentoring activities (overview of the major mentoring tasks being proposed), and anticipated benefits (identify the DoD/AF mission capability impact, any potential commercial impact, benefit to the Protégé, and benefit to the Mentor).

2) Technical Criterion 2: Amount of Engineering and Technical (Technology

Transfer) Assistance (Part 2)

Must identify that the percent of engineering and technical assistance (technology transfer) from the Mentor and an authorized subcontractor(s) must be equal to at least

50% of the total proposed effort. If a Tentative Agreement Package does not identify the percent of engineering and technical assistance, equal…