G03 NFO CTMA.pdf

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

FEDERAL AWARDING AGENCY: Washington Headquarters Services Acquisition Directorate

(WHS/AD)

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY TITLE: Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities V

ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial Announcement

NOTICE OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

(NFO) NUMBER:

HQ003422NFOEASD06

ASSISTANCE LISTING: 12.225 Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Activities

KEY DATES: Stage One Submissions: see grants.gov.

Stage Two Submissions: see grants.gov.

AGENCY CONTACT:

Michael Fanizzo Grants Officer, WHS/AD E-mail: michael.j.fanizzo@gmail.com

SECTION A: PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

1. SHORT DESCRIPTION OF FUNDING OPPORTUNITY

The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) is interested in receiving proposals for the Commercial Technologies for Maintenance Technologies (CTMA) program. The mission of the CTMA program is to advance the state of maintenance and sustainment to the benefit of the U.S. industry and public and to provide technology development and insertion in support of the availability and sustainment of ships, submarines, aircraft, land vehicles, non-traditional weapons systems and warfighter support systems.

2. BACKGROUND OF THE CTMA

The Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense-Materiel Readiness (ODASD-MR) established the CTMA program for the research, development, evaluation and deployment of technologies to support weapon system and component sustainment, maintenance, obsolescence management, and other relevant technologies that ultimately support the warfighter and weapon system performance for the DoD. The mission of the CTMA program is to advance the state of maintenance and sustainment of equipment to the benefit of the U.S. industry and public and to provide technology development and insertion in support of the reliability and sustainment of ships, submarines, aircraft, land vehicles, non-traditional weapons systems and warfighter support systems.

3. AGENCY TECHNICAL PRIORITIES

This recipient(s) will develop and manage collaborative project teams from private industry, research organizations, government and academia with the intent of improving processes and technologies for the primary benefit of the U.S. industry and public by using DoD as a test bed for a broad range of sustainment, performance and operational needs. The recipient(s) sought for this NFO will provide leadership to improve technology innovations in a broad variety of DoD needs for research, development, and deployment of technology. Funds provided will be based on the ability of the recipient(s) to identify customer needs, develop collaborative initiatives and teams from DoD and industry, and obtain the necessary resources from DoD and industry resource sponsors.

4. HISTORY OF THE PROGRAM

The CTMA program was authorized under a Congressional mandate in 1994. Since its inception, the Program has partnered with a managing partner through a cooperative agreement to find new innovations in the areas of maintenance and sustainment. This field is constantly evolving, and in times of both fiscal constraints and increased military requirements, more research is needed to find continued innovations and efficiencies.

5. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION/OBJECTIVE

The CTMA program is designed to stimulate research, development, evaluation and deployment of maintenance and sustainment of equipment for the primary benefit of the public using a broad range of DoD sustainment and warfighter support operations as the test bed. The goal of the CTMA program is to leverage and advance commercial developments in maintenance and sustainment technology for the primary benefit of U.S. industry and the public applying the research, development, evaluation, and deployment to DoD issues – to reduce costs, improve system/platform operational availabilities, increase systems reliability, improve logistical support efficiency and effectiveness, improve maintainer proficiency, improve environmental compliance and increase sustainment personnel safety.

6. PAST PROJECT EXAMPLES

Samples of past CTMA projects conducted via the cooperative agreement include the following:

• Joint Maintenance Data Enterprise Interoperability: This initiative developed a joint concept of operations (CONOPS) for sharing logistics information across a coalition enterprise in a secured cloud-enabled environment and demonstrated the capability to transmit, receive and manipulate this information between a minimum of two separate maintenance organizations in a logistics exercise that simulated operational conditions.

• Expeditionary Fluid Analysis Capability: This initiative complemented and leveraged the efforts of the Expeditionary Fluid Assessment Support Team to develop and identify the specifications and requirement for expeditionary fluid analysis.

• Test and Evaluation of the Industrial Human Augmentation System (iHAS) for Corrosion Control Application: The focus of this effort was to enable the heavy maintenance community to adopt iHAS-like capabilities to the benefit of their maintainers and business enterprise.

7. SCOPE OF THE COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT

The purpose of this NFO is to provide an assistance mechanism for the CTMA program to stimulate research, development, evaluation, integration, and deployment of maintenance and sustainment capabilities for the primary benefit of the public using a broad range of DoD sustainment and warfighter support operations as the test bed. Thus, the goal of this NFO is to leverage and advance commercial developments in maintenance and sustainment technologies and processes for the primary benefit of U.S.

industry and the public applying the research, development, evaluation, integration, and deployment to DoD issues – to reduce costs, improve system/platform operational availabilities, increase systems reliability, improve logistical support efficiency and effectiveness, increase the resiliency of the sustainment industrial base, improve environmental compliance and increase sustainment personnel competency and safety.

A key goal within the Defense Sustainment Technology Research, Development, and Deployment Program is the establishment of a robust collaborative environment with private industry participants to perform DoD-relevant research, development, evaluation and deployment. To accomplish these objectives, ODASD-MR is seeking a recipient(s) with broad, cross-industry experience, specifically in manufacturing, advanced maintenance concepts, tools, technologies and manufacturing performance technologies. The recipient(s) must also possess a depth of experience working with DoD related maintenance and sustainment activities and supporting organizations. This recipient will develop and manage collaborative project teams from private industry, research organizations, government and academia with the intent of improving processes and technologies used by the public and DoD for a broad range of sustainment, performance and operational needs. The recipient(s) sought for this NFO will provide leadership to improve technology innovations in a broad variety of industry and DoD needs for research, development, and deployment of technology. Since no funding is provided to support this NFO, it is the recipient(s)’s responsibility to coordinate funding commitments from Government sponsors and cost share from industry/academia in support of proposed CTMA initiatives. Based on prior similar CTMA agreements, a recipient that excels in forming collaborative projects can achieve $50M per year or greater in Government sponsorship and an additional substantial percentage of that in industry cost share.

a. PLACE OF PERFORMANCE

Performance is not limited to the United States and its territories.

b. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE This award made as a result of this NFO will provide potential funding for up to five (5) years. The Government will review the award, or awards, annually to assess the degree to which the recipient or recipients, is making progress towards meeting the objectives of the agreement.

8. GENERAL PROGRAM MANAGEMENT/GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT

This NFO encompasses a broad research, development, evaluation, integration, and deployment program which will include a number of individual research projects which are executed by forming team collaborations between the recipient(s), private industry/academia participants and the appropriate government representatives.

9. PROJECT IDENTIFICATION/SELECTION

On an ongoing basis, the recipient(s) shall work with the appropriate government personnel to perform analysis of potential sustainment improvement projects. The purpose of this analysis is to make a determination on which projects to undertake based upon: (1) perceived benefit to industry, public, and DoD; (2) confidence level in success of research activities; and (3) available funding. Throughout each year, CTMA shall solicit potential projects from the DoD community. Based upon this input, the recipient(s) shall develop an individual project concept for selected candidate efforts. Each project concept shall contain:

o Overview of the proposed project: The technology gap and the public purpose o Background information relevant to the proposed project o Purpose of the project (which includes a statement of the problem and broad description of the solution being undertaken) o Relation to the sustainment community’s need to improve operations to meet readiness, cost, schedule or safety goals o Scope (includes a more detailed statement on the solution) o Project deliverables o Project budget based on sponsor commitments from DoD/government and cost share from industry/academia (adequate break down to determine fair and reasonable) o Period of performance o Expected benefits to DoD o Expected benefits To Industry and the public (how is public/industry primary beneficiary) o Project participants and roles and rationale for final sub awardee participants selection (subject to

Government approval)

10. SUB-AWARDEES

The recipient(s) will ensure that sub-awardees are selected competitively and that their technologies, processes and capabilities represent best value to the sponsoring Government activity. Evaluation criteria and competition parameters used for selection of sub-awardees for each project will be pre-approved by the Government and must at least include a price factor. Final sub-awardee selection and corresponding rationale for the choice must be reviewed and approved by the Government. Additionally, the recipient(s) may not require industry partners pay a consortium fee or dues in order to participate on a collaborative CTMA initiative. Lastly, the recipient(s) will ensure there is a process in place for non-successful sub-awardees to resolve disputes on not being selected as a project participant.

11. INTEGRATED PROCESS TEAM

On an ongoing basis, the selection of a project shall be made by the Integrated Process Team (IPT) consisting of representatives from ODASD-MR and other relevant members of the DoD community as necessary. Decisions on project selections will be based upon the project concept produced by the recipient(s) as well as the funding available. The recipient(s) will only undertake projects selected by the

IPT.

12. PROJECT EXECUTION

Upon IPT approval of project plans, the recipient(s) shall form individual collaborative focus teams to perform the work for each project. The recipient(s) shall independently sub-award to each participant within the limits of the available project funding following the aforementioned process. The recipient(s) shall perform all project management functions and provide all project resources to ensure all project efforts meet cost, schedule and deliverables, outlined in the project concept. The recipient(s) will use a ODASD-MR approved data system to manage each project. The recipient(s) shall also manage subawards with the project team as well as manage the accounting of all efforts in support of the Cooperative Agreement. The recipient(s) shall include appropriate government personnel at project meetings and provide quarterly project progress updates to the IPT. Upon completion of projects, the recipient shall provide a comprehensive final report detailing the outcome of the project and all deliverables.

SECTION B: FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION

1. ESTIMATED TOTAL AWARD AMOUNT

This NFO intends to fund at least one cooperative award recipient with a five-year period of performance.

The total amount awarded from this NFO for all recipients will not exceed $10,000,000,000. These funding amounts include both direct and indirect costs. Applicants are reminded that this request is subject to Federal funding appropriations and Departmental approval.

2. ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF AWARDS

At least one (1) and not more than three (3) cooperative agreement awards, with in-scope post-award modifications to add new projects, are intended. Modifications for new projects may be awarded on a sole-source basis or be competed between awardees, based on the Government’s requirements. There is no guarantee that any of the proposals submitted will be recommended for funding. The Government reserves the right to select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement.

3. ESTIMATED RANGE OF FUNDING PER AWARD

Historically, projects have ranged in cost from $100,000.00 to over $20,000,000.00, but typical projects are within the range of $1,000,000.00 to $10,000,000.00.

4. INSTRUMENT CHOICE RATIONALE

This Cooperative Agreement being awarded through this NFO will have substantial government involvement. The recipient or recipients will serve as managing partners with the Government, including working with the Government to determine the merits of research ideas, and choosing sub-awardees. The Government will have final choice on all projects going onto the cooperative agreement.

5. CONTRACTED FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH

The research conducted under the resultant cooperative agreement does not meet the definition of “contracted fundamental research” as defined in (see USD AT&L) memo of May 24, 2010: Subject Fundamental Research.

SECTION C: ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

1. ELIGIBLE PARTICIPANTS

There are no restrictions on who may apply to this opportunity.

2. COST SHARING

Cost sharing is not required for applicants to be considered for award, but highly encouraged.

3. ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

Proposals will be reviewed by a panel of experts who will evaluate the responses based on the factors and criteria provided. Applicants who receive a rating of Marginal or Unacceptable in any factor are ineligible for award. Applicants who do not submit the proposal in accordance with the submission instructions are also ineligible for award. Results of the review will be summarized and presented to the selection official for final decisions.

4. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT REGISTRATION

To apply for grants and other funding opportunities the applicant entity must have an active registration in the System for Award Management (SAM). Applications will not be accepted through Grants.gov or other methods unless the entity is registered in SAM. Registration in SAM now includes the acceptance of Certifications and Assurances. See the Standard Language Describing the Grants.gov Application Process and Section IV.F.4 for details on how to register in SAM, and at Grants.gov.

The Federal Assistance Certifications Report is an attestation that the entity will abide by the requirements of the various laws and regulations; therefore, as applicable, you are still required to submit any documentation, including the SF-LLL Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (if applicable), and, if applicable, informing DoD of unpaid delinquent tax liability or a felony conviction under and Federal law.

SECTION D: APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES

The CTMA application process is conducted in two stages:

Stage One: limited technical proposals through grants.gov.

Stage Two: full technical proposals through grants.gov.

The announced application due date and procedures for submission will be strictly observed.

Applications received after the established time and date above will not be considered; the burden of timely delivery (including requests for delivery confirmation) is on the Applicant. The application due date is determined by the timestamp and date of the Applicant’s submission on https://www.grants.gov/. Applications received after the due date and timestamp will not be considered.

4. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

a. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE Frequently asked questions on grants submission can be found at the following site:

http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html

b. APPLICATION PROCEDURES AND REQUIREMENTS Applications will only be accepted if submitted through grants.gov. Organizations must have a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), active System for Award Management (SAM) registration, and Grants.gov account to apply for grants.

Applicants are responsible for submitting their applications in sufficient time to allow them to reach Grants.gov by the date and time specified in this announcement. It is strongly recommended that applications be uploaded at least 2 days before the closing date and time. This will help avoid problems caused by high system usage or any potential technical and/or input problems involving the applicant’s own equipment. It will also allow any application errors detected by Grants.gov to be corrected in time for the application to be resubmitted. If the application is received by Grants.gov after the exact time and date specified as the deadline for receipt, it will be considered “late” and may not be considered for review.

https://sam.gov/content/home https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/grantors/grantor-standard-language.html http://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-resources.html

Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt by Grants.gov includes documentary evidence of receipt maintained by Grants.gov, and Grants.gov e-mails to the applicant confirming receipt.

These e-mails will indicate 1) the application was received on time, 2) application was rejected due to errors, 3) application was received after the deadline. Note that this Grants.gov response may occur over several e-mails, e.g., one acknowledging on-time receipt, and a later e-mail rejecting for errors the system detected. Applicants can also track the status of their applications at https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html.

c. APPLICATION WITHDRAWAL An applicant may withdraw an application at any time before award by written notice or by e-mail.

Notice of withdrawal shall be sent to the grants officer identified in this announcement.

Withdrawals are effective upon receipt of notice by the grants officer.

d. INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW

Not applicable.

e. GENERAL REQUIREMENTS All documents must be submitted in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) in compliance with the guidelines below. Applications with attachments submitted in word processing, spreadsheet, zip, or any format other than Adobe Portable Document format will not be considered for award.

NOTE: Titles given to the white papers/full applications should be descriptive of the work they cover and not be merely a copy of the title of this solicitation.

Documents must be submitted with the following specifications:

• Paper Size – 8.5 x 11-inch paper

• Margins - 1 inch

• Spacing – single spaced

• Font – Times New Roman, 11 point

• PI’s and co-PI’s name and institutions in header or footer

• Appropriate markings on each page that contains proprietary or confidential information, if applicable.

All applications must be self-contained within specified page limitations. Internet website addresses (URLs) may not be used to provide information necessary to the review because reviewers are under no obligation to view the Internet sites.

It is essential that all applications be complete and accurate at the time of submission. The Government reserves the right to reject applications that are incomplete or that do not comply with submission instructions.

Preparation of proposals in response to this NFO will require no involvement and/or input from the current CTMA staff. Requested information will summarize the management and technical approaches of the proposing entity.

All documentation submitted under this NFO is unclassified.

i. MARKING PROPRIETARY OR CONFIDENTIAL INFORMATION OSD and WHS/AD will make every effort to protect any proprietary information submitted in white papers and full applications. Any proprietary information included in application https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/track-my-application.html materials must be identified. Prospective proposers should be aware, however, that under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requirements, proprietary information contained in white papers and applications (marked or unmarked) may still potentially be subject to release.

It is the prospective applicants' responsibility to notify WHS/AD of applications containing proprietary information and to identify the relevant portions of their applications that require protection. The entire application (or portions thereof) without protective markings or otherwise identified as requiring protection will be considered to be furnished voluntarily to WHS/AD without restriction and will be treated as such for all purposes.

It is the intent of WHS/AD to treat all white papers and full applications as proprietary information before the award and to disclose their contents to reviewers only for the purpose of evaluation.

ii. STAGE ONE: PROJECT NARRATIVE/ WHITE PAPER PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

Stage one submission shall be made through grants.gov. The following forms are identified in grants.gov for submission for stage one:

Stage One Submissions

SF424 (R & R) [V5.0]

Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B - R & R) [V1.1] Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) [V2.0] Project Abstract Summary [V2.0] Project Narrative Attachment Form [V1.2] (This is the white paper)

a. STAGE ONE PROJECT NARRATIVE/ WHITE PAPER PACKAGE COMPONENTS Submitted documentation should be in PDF format and include in a single document:

• A cover letter (optional), not to exceed one page. The cover letter does not count against the four page limit for the white paper below.

• A cover page, labeled “APPLICATION WHITE PAPER,” that includes the NFO number, proposed project title, and prospective applicant's technical point of contact with telephone number, and e-mail address.

• Curriculum vitae (CV) of key personnel (optional)

• The stage one project narrative/ white paper (four (4) page limit, single-sided) including:

• Identification of the research and issues including the state of the field;

• Describe your personnel, processes and experience managing and conducting research, this includes requirements analysis and stakeholder coordination;

experience should include work with similar scale and scope ;

• Data management plan for data or tools to be generated in the course of research;

• Summary of estimated costs;

• Statement of applicant’s financial reserves and staffing ability to support award;

• Description of intended activities to boost industry participation, while increasing impact to public welfare and DoD readiness;

• Reference citations are not required but may be included outside the four-page limit;

iii. STAGE TWO/ FULL PROPOSAL PACKAGE PREPARATION AND SUBMISSION

Stage two submission shall be made through grants.gov. The following forms are identified in grants.gov for submission for stage two:

Stage Two Submissions

SF424 (R & R) [V5.0]

Assurances for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424B - R & R) [V1.1] Disclosure of Lobbying Activities (SF-LLL) [V2.0] Budget Information for Non-Construction Programs (SF-424A) [V1.0] Project Abstract Summary [V2.0] Project Narrative Attachment Form [V1.2] Research & Related Budget [V3.0] Research & Related Personal Data [V1.2] Research & Related Senior/Key Person Profile [V3.0]

STAGE TWO PROJECT NARRATIVE COMPONENTS

Proposals and application documents should be submitted in an electronic format compatible with Adobe Acrobat (.pdf) software. All applicants must submit the mandatory forms for this announcement [includes the SF-424 (R&R) (Application for Federal Assistance), R&R Other Project Information and forms] in accordance with the application instructions on Grants.gov.

Use the optional “Attachments” form to include any other document(s) not specifically identified elsewhere in this funding opportunity. If submitting any information that is deemed proprietary, please denote the beginning and ending of such information with asterisks (***).

The Government will safeguard all proprietary information received from the Applicant.

Project Narratives shall include the following:

1) Cover Letter: This letter shall be addressed to Mr. Stephen McKee, CTMA Program

Manager, and be from the entity that is interested in becoming a Managing Partner. It shall contain an expression of the entity’s interest to become a Managing Partner, in cooperation with the Program Office, in the cooperative execution of the CTMA program, as well as a summary of the information contained in the proposal.

2) Stage Two Project Narrative: See elements below.

3) Conflicts of Interest: the applicant shall identify any actual or potential personal or organizational conflicts of interest.

a. PROJECT NARRATIVE PART ONE: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL (TEN PAGE LIMIT)

• The applicant shall address how it will develop and manage collaborative project teams from private industry, research organizations, government and academia with the intent of improving processes and technologies for the primary benefit of the U.S. industry and public by using DoD as a test bed for a broad range of sustainment, performance and operational needs.

• The applicant shall address how it will provide leadership to improve technology innovations in a broad variety of DoD needs for research, development, and deployment of technology.

The applicant shall address its ability to identify customer needs, develop collaborative initiatives and teams from DoD and industry, and how it intends to obtain the necessary resources from DoD and industry resource sponsors.

• The applicant shall provide a brief synopsis of experience from past efforts that illustrate a proficiency aligned with this evaluation factor.

b. PROJECT NARRATIVE PART TWO: BENEFIT TO THE PUBLIC AND DOD MISSIONS (FIVE PAGE

LIMIT)

• The applicant shall describe their plan to increase the industry participation and mission impact of the CTMA program. Under the anticipated award, the applicant(s) will be responsible for fostering relationships within the DoD, US industry, and academia to bring projects to CTMA. As such the applicant should address how they plan to conduct outreach and provide incentive for programs to participate in CTMA.

• The applicant shall address how it will leverage and advance commercial developments in maintenance and sustainment technologies and processes for the primary benefit of U.S.

industry and the public.

• The applicant shall demonstrate how it will apply research, development, evaluation, integration, and deployment to DoD issues – to reduce costs, improve system/platform operational availabilities, increase systems reliability, improve logistical support efficiency and effectiveness, increase the resiliency of the industrial base, improve environmental compliance and increase sustainment personnel competency and safety.

• The applicant shall provide a brief synopsis of experience from past efforts that illustrate a proficiency aligned with this evaluation factor. The applicant should explain how past efforts resulted in: reduced costs, improved system/platform operational availabilities, increased systems reliability, improved logistical support efficiency and effectiveness, increased the resiliency of the industrial base, improved environmental compliance and increased sustainment personnel competency and safety.

c. PROJECT NARRATIVE PART THREE: COST (TEN PAGE LIMIT)

The cost submission shall include:

1. The provided sample cost scenario;

2. A labor rate table that provides all labor rates that will be applied to the agreement. This table may include different rates for different years. The anticipated period of performance for award will be five years total (including options).

1. Cost Scenario

Offerors shall clearly indicate the labor categories, rates, and hours proposed for the scenario below.

Additionally, offerors need to include all potential labor categories that may be used by the managing partner through the duration of the CTMA NFO, even if they are not needed in the below scenario (un-needed labor categories for the scenario shall be included but have 0 for the amount of hours).

The below scenario is representative of future projects that will be completed under the resultant cooperative agreement.

The USAF has a need for a new piece of automated test equipment that can determine the health of on-board radar systems. They are aware that a commercial source may have just what they need and that their newly developed ATE capability is being evaluated by a commercial airline. The USAF sponsor brings this potential CTMA opportunity to the CTMA managing partner and collaboratively, they develop a draft CTMA initiative concept paper. The draft concept paper is vetted and approved for go-ahead by the CTMA program officer. At this point the managing partner finalizes the concept paper, down-selects sub tier participants competitively, coordinates resource commitments from each participant including the Air Force and provides the finalized concept paper to the CTMA program officer for final approval and processing. NOTE: The Government does not have centralized funds to provide to the managing partner directly for any work completed up to this point. Cost associated with this work must be managed through overhead cost or some other means.

The concept paper calls for two commercial entities to collaborate in order to demonstrate the new ATE capability on target USAF on-board radar systems; the technology solutions provider and a commercial integrator. Once this concept paper is placed on the CTMA cooperative agreement along with the USAF funding, the managing partner assigns the project to a project manager who coordinates the execution of the initiative outlined in the concept paper. The managing partner also sub-contracts appropriate work to the two (2) commercial participants.

Because time is of the essence, the managing partner organizes and conducts a "kick-off" meeting with all project participants and appropriate stakeholders to gain clear consensus on how the associated tasks will be conducted, by whom and when. Furthermore, in order to keep projects on track, the project manager will hold regular team meetings, resolve conflicts and issues, coordinate across all stakeholders, account for costs and expenditures, procure materials and equipment as required, and provide quarterly reports to the OSD/WHS program leads while managing project data in an ODASD-MR approved data system. The managing partner is also responsible for providing financial reports to the appropriate government oversight activities.

The objective of the initiative is to demonstrate that this new ATE capability can accurately determine the health of on-board radar systems and help maintainers make better decisions regarding in-situ repair or remove and replace. In order to achieve this end, the system must be applied to a statistically significant cross section of on-board USAF radar systems and accurate data collected which indicate the new ATE process effectiveness and efficiency. Concurrently, the managing partner must be coordinating the development of baseline (as-is) metrics for comparison at the end of the effort and inclusion in the final report. It is expected that the demonstration period is 6 months and the concept paper has a defined period of performance of 12 months. The deliverables outlined in the concept paper are (1) a six month flight line demonstration of the new ATE, (2) a concept of operations and deployment for transitioning the ATE to USAF maintainers,

(3) a business case analysis of the new ATE, (4) a technical performance based specification of a new ATE capability with the required attributes, and (5) a final report that documents the effort from start to finish and contains all deliverable documents.

d. UNIQUE ENTITY IDENTIFIER AND SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT Several one-time actions must be completed in order to submit an application through Grants.gov.

These include obtaining a Dun and Bradstreet Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, registering with the System for Award Management (SAM), registering with the credential provider, and registering with Grants.gov. See http://www.grants.gov/GetStarted.

The awardee shall use the Grants.gov organization Registration Checklist at http://www.grants.gov/applicants/register_your_organization.jsp, which will provide guidance through the process. Designating an E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) and obtaining a special password called “MPIN” are important steps in the SAM registration process. Applicants who are not registered with SAM and Grant.gov should allow at least 21 days for completing these requirements.

The process should be started as soon as possible. Any questions relating to the registration process, system requirement, how an application form works, or the submittal process must be directed to Grants.gov at 1-800-518-4726 or support@grants.gov. Successful Applicants not already registered in the System for Award Management (SAM) will be required to register in SAM prior to award of any grant, or cooperative agreement. Information on SAM registration is available at https://www.sam.gov.

Special Notice regarding a Waiver of Grants.gov submission requirement: If an Applicant is unable to comply with the requirement to use Grants.gov, for submission of a grant application under this NFO or finds it would be an excessive burden to comply with this requirement, a waiver request may be submitted. Such request should be submitted by the Electronic Business Point of Contact listed in the

SAM for the organization and should contain the Organization/Individual’s name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address. The request should state the reason for the request in sufficient detail so a decision can be made. The Waiver Request should be submitted to the cognizant Contract Specialist.

Such request can be sent by e-mail or registered mail. A decision and response will be issued within 14 calendar days of receipt of the request by the cognizant Contract Specialist. Foreign Grantees who are not registered in SAM may request a waiver on that basis since SAM registration is integral to the Grants.gov application process. If the waver is approved, DoD will provide a packet of all required documents and submission instructions via e-mail or in hard copy via registered mail.

5. EXECUTIVE ORDER 12372

This funding opportunity is not subject to Executive Order 12372 (see https://www.archives.gov/federal-register/codification/executive-order/12372.html)

6. FUNDING RESTRICTIONS

There are no restrictions on funding for this requirement. Appropriate funding determination will be made on a case by case basis for each individual project applied to the Cooperative Agreement.

7. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS AND INFORMATION

Physical/facsimile delivery by the Applicant is not authorized and will not be accepted.

i. AMENDMENTS TO ANNOUNCEMENTS

If this announcement is amended, then all terms and conditions, which are not amended, shall remain unchanged. Applicants shall acknowledge receipt of any amendments to this NFO by: (1) identifying the amendment in its application, or (2) by separate letter upon receipt of the amendment. The Government must receive the acknowledgment by the date/time specified for receipt of applications.

ii. MODIFICATIONS, AND WITHDRAWALS OF APPLICATIONS

The announced Application due date and procedures for guaranteeing timely submission of Applications shall also be applied to those Applicants submitting modifications to or withdrawals of Applications.

iii. PROTESTS

The decision of the Grants Officer relative to any protest filed will be final unless the protester appeals to the WHS/AD Competition Advocate:

Mr. David Kao Deputy Director, WHS/AD 4800 Mark Center Drive, Suite 09F09 Alexandria, VA 22350

The Recipient(s) shall proceed diligently with preparation of its Application(s) or performance under an award, pending final resolution of any request for relief, appeal, or action arising under the award, and comply with any decision of the Grants Officer.

The applicant shall require that the language of this certification be included in the award documents for all sub awards at all tiers (including subcontracts, sub grants, and contracts under grants, loans, and cooperative agreements) and that all sub recipients shall certify and disclose accordingly.

This certification is a material representation of fact upon which reliance was placed when this transaction was made or entered into. Submission of this certification is a prerequisite for making or entering into this transaction imposed by Section 1352, title 31, U.S.C. Any person who fails to file the required certification shall be subject to a civil penalty of not less than $10,000 and not more than $100,000 for each such failure.

8. WIDE AREA WORKFLOW (WAWF)

Performers are required to submit invoices for payment directly at https://wawf.eb.mil. WAWF registration is required prior to any award under this NFO.

SECTION E: APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION

1. STAGE ONE REVIEW/ SELECTION PROCESS

Stage one submissions will be reviewed for their technical merit and relevance to DOD missions. Based on these factors, recipients will be selected to submit stage two submissions.

2. STAGE TWO REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS

Stage two project narrative submissions will be reviewed for their technical merit and relevance to DOD missions.

Stage two cost submissions will be reviewed for realism and reasonableness. Cost sharing is not required but will be favorably considered as part of this evaluation factor. The Government will use various price analysis techniques and procedures, as needed, to ensure the proposed labor rates are fair and reasonable.

Realism is evaluated by assessing the compatibility of proposed costs with proposal scope and effort. Cost realism evaluation includes a review of the overall costs in the offeror’s proposal for the scenario to determine:

• If costs are realistic for the work proposed;

• If costs reflect a clear understanding of the requirements; and

• If costs are consistent with the various other elements of the offeror’s proposal

Additional information may be requested, if needed. A Negotiated Indirect Cost Rate Agreement (NICRA) may be required in order for an awardee to invoice for indirect costs. If the Offeror does not currently hold a NICRA, describe the current status of the organization’s request for such an agreement with its cognizant agency.

IAW 2 CFR §200.414(f), any non-Federal entity that has never received a negotiated indirect cost rate, except for those non-Federal entities described in Appendix VII to 2 CFR §200, may elect to charge a de minimis rate of 10% of modified total direct costs (MTDC) which may be used indefinitely.

NOTE: Failure to adequately provide detailed cost data will require the Grants Officer to contact the proposing organization for the requisite information. This will result in a delay of the award. All Offerors are required to submit a thoroughly detailed cost breakdown. The Grants Officer must be able to determine that all proposed costs are allowable and reasonable. A detailed budget will facilitate this cost analysis.

3. ADJECTIVAL RATINGS FOR STAGES ONE AND TWO

Rating Description Outstanding Demonstrates an outstanding approach to the technical merits of the proposed research and development (R&D). Demonstrates an outstanding approach to the relationship between the proposed R&D and the DoD mission. Demonstrates an outstanding mitigation strategy for risks associated with the quality of the applicant's management systems. Demonstrates an outstanding approach to meeting the management standards as described at 2 CFR 200.205. Application is an outstanding demonstration of the applicant's vision, experience and qualifications to administer and grow complex public-private initiatives aimed at advancing the state of maintenance and sustainment.

Risk of unsuccessful performance is low.

Good Demonstrates a good approach to the technical merits of the proposed research and development (R&D). Demonstrates a good approach to the relationship between the proposed R&D and the DoD mission. Demonstrates a good mitigation strategy for

Rating Description risks associated with the quality of the applicant's management systems. Demonstrates a good approach to meeting the management standards as described at 2 CFR 200.205.

Application is a good demonstration of the applicant's vision, experience and qualifications to administer and grow complex public-private initiatives aimed at advancing the state of maintenance and sustainment. Risk of unsuccessful performance is low to moderate.

Acceptable Demonstrates an acceptable approach to the technical merits of the proposed research and development (R&D). Demonstrates an acceptable approach to the relationship between the proposed R&D and the DoD mission. Demonstrates an acceptable mitigation strategy for risks associated with the quality of the applicant's management systems. Demonstrates an acceptable approach to meeting the management standards as described at 2 CFR 200.205. Application is an acceptable demonstration of the applicant's vision, experience and qualifications to administer and grow complex public-private initiatives aimed at advancing the state of maintenance and sustainment.

Risk of unsuccessful performance is no worse than moderate.

Marginal Demonstrates an approach to the technical merits of the proposed research and development (R&D). Demonstrates an approach to the relationship between the proposed R&D and the DoD mission. Demonstrates a mitigation strategy for risks associated with the quality of the applicant's management systems. Demonstrates an approach to meeting the management standards as described at 2 CFR 200.205.

Application is a marginal demonstration of the applicant's vision, experience and qualifications to administer and grow complex public-private initiatives aimed at advancing the state of maintenance and sustainment. Risk of unsuccessful performance is high. Application is unawardable.

Unacceptable Fails to demonstrate an approach to the technical merits of the proposed research and development (R&D). Fails to demonstrate an approach to the relationship between the proposed R&D and the DoD mission. Fails to demonstrate a mitigation strategy for risks associated with the quality of the applicant's management systems. Fails to demonstrate an approach to meeting the management standards as described at 2 CFR

200.205. Application fails to demonstrate the applicant's vision, experience and qualifications to administer and grow complex public-private initiatives aimed at advancing the state of maintenance and sustainment. Risk of unsuccessful performance is unacceptable. Application is unawardable.

4. AWARD DECISION

The Government reserves the right to select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the submission received in response to this NFO and to make awards without discussions. Therefore, Applicant Proposals should include the applicant’s best response to this announcement. However, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if it is determined by the Grants Officer to be necessary.

The Government reserves the right to request additional information once award has been determined.

The Government reserves the right to remove Applicants from award consideration should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms within a reasonable time or the Applicant fails to provide requested additional information in a timely manner.

The Recipient(s) that has been deemed successful will receive a pre-award notice via e-mail from the WHS/AD Grants Officer. The Government may initiate Cooperative Agreement negotiations when deemed appropriate to do so. Unsuccessful applicants will also be notified via e-mail at that time.

Once a recipient of award is announced, the recipient of award only shall submit the required information for electronic submission. The recipient of award shall use the Grants.gov website

(https://www.grants.gov). Recipient shall complete the mandatory forms in the application package template associated with this NFO.

After selection, the Program Office and the Grants Office will negotiate a Cooperative Agreement with the selected Recipient(s). This step will involve negotiating with the selected Managing Partner(s) for the transition of activities from the current management. There are no funds specifically appropriated to support CTMA. It is the recipient’s responsibility to coordinate funding commitments from Government sponsors and cost share from industry in support of proposed CTMA initiatives each year for the duration of the Cooperative Agreement.

5. FEDERAL REGULATIONS

Federal regulations, to include but not limited to 32 CFR 32 and DoD 3210.6-R1, take precedence over all terms and conditions of Agreement awards.

6. FEDERAL SHARE NOTICE

It is anticipated that the Federal share of any award under the announcement may exceed the simplified acquisition threshold, inform applicants that: (i) the agency will review the information that is currently in the designated integrity and performance system through SAM (currently FAPIIS); (ii) an applicant may review information in FAPIIS and comment on any information about itself; and (iii) the agency will consider any comments by the applicant, along with other information in FAPIIS, in making judgement about the applicant’s integrity, business ethics and record of performance under Federal awards when completing a review of risk (see DoD Instruction 3210.08 on use of the performance and integrity information in FAPIIS and 2 CFR 200.205 “Federal awarding agency review of risk posed by applicants.”

7. ANTICIPATED ANNOUNCEMENT AND AWARD DATES

The anticipated date for notifying successful and unsuccessful applications is no later than 30 September 2023.

SECTION F: FEDERAL AWARD ADMINISTRATION INFORMATION

1. AWARD NOTICES

The Applicant whose application is recommended for award may be contacted by a Grants Officer or his/her representative. This may include representations and certifications, revised budgets or budget explanations, certificate of current cost or pricing data, subcontracting plan for small businesses, and/or other information as applicable to the proposed award.

The notification e-mail regarding a selection is not authorization to commit or expend DoD funds. A DoD grants officer is the only person authorized to obligate and approve the use of Federal funds. This authorization is in the form of a signed Notice of Award.

Applicants who did not receive an award are not entitled to a debrief.

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

NP Article I. Nondiscrimination national policy requirements. (December 2014)

Section A. Cross-cutting nondiscrimination requirements. By signing this award or accepting funds under this award, you assure that you will comply with applicable provisions of the national policies prohibiting discrimination:

1. On the basis of race, color, or national origin, in Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (42 U.S.C. 2000d et seq.), as implemented by Department of Defense (DoD) regulations at 32 CFR part 195.

2. On the basis of gender, blindness, or visual impairment, in Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 (20 U.S.C. 1681 et seq.), as implemented by DoD regulations at 32 CFR part 196.

3. On the basis of age, in the Age Discrimination Act of 1975 (42 U.S.C. 6101 et seq.), as implemented by Department of Health and Human Services regulations at 45 CFR part 90.

4. On the basis of disability, in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (29 U.S.C. 794), as implemented by Department of Justice regulations at 28 CFR part 41 and DoD regulations at 32 CFR part 56.

5. On the basis of disability in the Architectural Barriers Act of 1968 (42 U.S.C. 4151 et seq.)

related to physically handicapped persons' ready access to, and use of, buildings and facilities for which Federal funds are used in design, construction, or alteration.

Section B. [Reserved]

Appendix B to Part 1122—Terms and Conditions for NP Article II, “Environmental National Policy Requirements”

NP Article II. Environmental national policy requirements. (December 2014)

Section A. Cross-cutting environmental requirements. You must:

1. You must comply with all applicable Federal environmental laws and regulations. The laws and regulations identified in this section are not intended to be a complete list.

2. Comply with applicable provisions of the Clean Air Act (42 U.S.C. 7401, et seq.) and Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq.).

3. Comply with applicable provisions of the Lead-Based Paint Poisoning Prevention Act (42 U.S.C. 4821–4846), as implemented by the Department of Housing and Urban Development at 24 CFR part 35. The requirements concern lead-based paint in buildings owned by the Federal Government or housing receiving Federal assistance.

4. Immediately identify to us, as the Federal awarding agency, any potential impact that you find this award may have on:

a. The quality of the “human environment”, as defined in 40 CFR 1508.14, including wetlands;

and provide any help we may need to comply with the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA, at 42 U.S.C. 4321 et seq.), the regulations at 40 CFR 1500–1508, and E.O.