MDA_CSO_20240522.docx

NATIONAL GEOSPATIAL-INTELLIGENCE AGENCY

Commercial Solutions Opening 06 May 2024

UNCLASSIFIED

UNCLASSIFIED

SECTION A: Introduction

The National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) is issuing a Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) authorized by the Department of Defense (DoD) Class Deviation 2022-O0007. Under a CSO, NGA may competitively award proposals received in response to a general solicitation, similar to a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), to acquire innovative commercial items, technologies, and services based on a review of proposals by scientific, technological, or other subject matter expert peers within NGA and their National System for Geospatial Intelligence (NSG) partners. Under this CSO, all items, technologies, and services shall be treated as commercial items.

NGA executes projects in service to their NSG partners. This project focuses on the following topic: Maritime Domain Awareness (MDA)

MDA is the effective understanding of anything associated with the maritime domain that could impact the security, safety, economy, or environment of the United States.

The Maritime Domain is all areas and things of, on, under, relating to, adjacent to, or bordering on a sea, ocean, or other navigable waterway, including all maritime-related activities, infrastructure, people, cargo, vessels, and other conveyances.

NGA intends to obtain innovative solutions that respond to requirements. Solutions may include existing technologies or procedures that are not currently in use that would enhance or streamline mission capabilities. “Innovative” is defined as any technology, process, or method, that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal, or any application that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal of a technology, process, or method existing as of such date.

This CSO is exclusively for the attached Topic of Interest (“TOI”). NGA will use a two-step evaluation process (See Section B).

SECTION B: Instructions & Procedures for Preparation and Submission of Solutions

NGA will generally utilize a two-step evaluation process, and in some rare cases utilize the one-step process which would not require a follow up in-person demonstration.

Step 1: Solution Document Submission

A team of Government personnel who are subject matter experts for the given TOI will evaluate each submission for potential to address capability gaps within the TOI for advancement to Step 2. The Government may elect to proceed directly to contracting after a successful Step 1 evaluation.

Solution contents (Note: The Government reserves the right to not select a solution for award if it omits any of the required information below.)

An offeror’s Solution Document (SD) should be concise and substantive. It must describe the capability in terms of the problem(s) it is solving within relevant context. Offerors can provide additional content such as attachments of briefs, slides, and other materials, but note that the quality, relevance, and understanding of the information provided are more desirable to Government assessment teams than the volume of information provided.

SD Content:

Cover Slide Must include:

· Unique submission title

· TOI for which solution is submitted

· Solution “Validity Date”

· Authorized Offeror Representative of Point of Contact(s)

· CAGE Code

· Relevant NAICS code

· SAM.gov screenshot

· This serves as the first slide of the PowerPoint, and is not included in the 15-slide maximum limitation for Volumes 1 & II below

· Offerors shall include screenshot

· SD shall not exceed 15 slides (Vol I & II combined)

· Flexible quantities or pricing options should be provided to maximize NGA’s ability to award with available funding

Volume II – Price Must include:

· Proposed Rough Order Magnitude (ROM) pricing

· Period of Performance Constraints

**Note: submitted documents shall not contain any classified data or sensitive information and proprietary information shall be clearly marked.

**Note: All prices shall be valid for a minimum of 90 days after response date.

To limit confusion, all proposal submissions shall use the following naming convention:

· SD-OfferorName.pdf See the end of Section B for additional submission instructions

Ensure the following are included in SD content:

· Capability Description - Provide a summary of the capability and the problem it is designed to solve.

· Capability Differentiators: Describe the unique aspects of your capability and how it differs from other similar/comparable capabilities or concepts, especially as it pertains to the specific TOI.

· Technology Readiness Timelines for your proposed capability, at the time of submission, to better understand the maturity life cycle of your proposed solution and what is needed to further mature the capability in order to meet objectives for specific TOIs.

· You may be asked additional questions such as:

· Whether the effort includes a pilot or demonstration of existing commercial technology (identified as commercially ready and viable technology), or the development of technology for potential commercial or defense application.

· If development or adaptation is proposed, identify a suggested path to mature the technology to meet the stated need. Explain how the technology, process, method, or application is innovative IAW DFARS 212.7001.

· Rough Order of Magnitude (schedule and budget) for efforts needed to mature capability to meet operational needs and/or acquisition requirements.

· Viability: Provide a brief overview of the offeror including summary of current investments to date or a summary of the business model for the delivery of the capability to the Government.

· Team & Past Performance: A description the team members involved and their experience relevant to the technology solution, application, and past performance. Government past performance is not required.

· Commercialization: A summary of product commercialization and go-to-market strategy.

Solution Documents (SD) Basis of Evaluation: Individual Solution Documents will be evaluated without regard to other submissions received under this announcement against the following criteria:

· Technical

· Merit – feasibility and relevancy of the proposed solution to address the TOI in tangible ways both technically and functionally. Also, ability to address vulnerabilities of the proposed solution thoughtfully and coherently in current and emerging context.

· Innovation – degree to which the proposed solution provides an innovative, unique, underutilized and/or unconventional approach to solve a problem/gap within the TOI

· Importance to Agency programs

· Relevancy – how the proposed solution relates to the TOI

· Business Viability – strength of the offeror and commercial viability of the proposed solution. The Government may elect to use internal and external market research in the evaluation of an offeror’s viability. The Government may also request the Capability Provider’s interest in external Venture Capital from strategic Government partners to accelerate maturation and delivery of capabilities of interest to NGA and its partners.

· Cost Details

· Basis of Estimate – While these are firm fixed price contracts, it is important companies include a cost volume in the submission with sufficient fidelity to determine the proposed effort price as fair and reasonable. More details found in section D below.

· Please note, in addition to ensuring a price as fair and reasonable, per the DoD Class Deviation 2022-O0007, the Government has to evaluate all submissions in light of funds availability. This could result in an otherwise awardable SD with a fair and reasonable price but at an amount that is beyond current funds availability as allocated for this CSO.

After evaluation of an SD, the Government may elect to invite an offeror to demonstrate their technology in relevant environment and request additional information from the offeror. The Government reserves the right to move to award without prior demonstration.

Solution Documents (SD) Formatting: SD Shall not exceed 15 slides. Reference attached SD Template for an example if needed.

Step 2: Demonstration/Pitch

Offerors invited to participate in a two-step CSO Evaluation Process (Demo Day) will receive an invitation that will provide all the details for the demonstration session, requests for additional information, if any, as well as the time and date that the demo will be conducted. Offerors selected for Demo Day will have an opportunity to demonstrate (In-Person) their solution to evaluators. The demonstrations will be evaluated using the same factors as the initial evaluation: technical, importance to agency programs, and price reasonableness, including the requirement established in DOD Class Deviation 2022-O0007 regarding funds availability. After offerors demonstrate their solution to evaluators, to the greatest extent practicable, offerors will be notified if they were selected for an award following their demo.

Demonstration/Pitch Content: The objective of the capability demonstration/pitches is to provide evidence and more details on the technical merit, operational relevance and business viability of the proposed solution submitted in the Step 1 Solution Documents (SD).

Regardless of format, the demonstration/pitch must also further address:

· Price and proposed schedule variances.

· Mission utility and how this concept could be tested within an operational environment.

· Operational Impact. Detail who the operational users of the technology are expected to be.

· Data Rights and Intellectual Property Assertions.

· The Government may request additional information outside of the demonstration/pitch.

Demonstration/Pitch Basis of Evaluation: Individual demonstration/pitches will be evaluated according to the process utilized for that purpose. These assessments aim to validate proposed capabilities in terms of their viability and applicability. Other evaluation factors for selecting proposals to move forward to award may include current priorities of relevant importance to agency programs, as well as funds availability.

The Government will aim to complete Step 2 evaluations and offeror notification within 30 calendar days of the demonstration/pitch. All companies selected to proceed to Step 2 will receive Step 2 notification, however, only favorably evaluated submissions will be eligible to award.

You may be asked additional questions including, but not limited to:

· Your viability as a business (e.g. fiscal runway) and typical counter-intelligence (CI) questions (e.g. foreign ownership, etc.)

Demonstration/Pitch Formatting: Slideshows are not to exceed 18 slides.

Note: NGA reserves the right to award to an offeror even if they are unable to demonstrate/pitch due to unexpected circumstances or circumstances beyond the offeror’s control.

The Government may not have funds available for every proposal that is deemed ‘selectable’ as it relates to the ‘technical’ and ‘importance to agency program’ factors. In the event there are insufficient funds to award all ‘selectable’ proposals, the Government has the broadest discretion in selecting the proposals it chooses to fund.

SAM Registration Prospective offerors are encouraged to review the full text of solicitation provision FAR 52.204-7, including the requirement for continuity of SAM registration. It is critical that offerors are registered in the System for Award Management (SAM), https://sam.gov/; you will not be eligible for an award if not (1) registered in SAM when submitting an offer, and (2) continuously registered in SAM until time of award, during performance, and through final payment of any contract resulting from this solicitation.. Additionally, entities are required to be registered to receive contracts (not just grants) and that your address from the solution matches your registration in SAM.

· When registering in SAM.gov, be sure to select ‘YES’ to the question ‘Do you wish to bid on contracts?’ in order to be able to compete for this CSO. If you are only registered to compete for grants, you will be ineligible for award.

NGA is working to move fast, please double check your CAGE codes and UEI numbers to be sure they align, if they are not correct at the time of submission, you may be considered ineligible for award.

Submissions

Each Offeror shall submit SD electronically via email to the following POC(s) email:

Thomas.E.Jaeger@nga.mil, Hannah.M.Pulcher@nga.mil, Jane.C.Varble@nga.mil.

Offerors shall label the email as follows:

Solution – Offeror Name – MDA CSO (IUU-F)

The Offeror shall submit SD for consideration no later than 12PM Central; 24 May 24.

12PM Central; 31 May 24.

The Offeror shall submit questions for consideration no later than 12PM Central; 17 May 24.

Any submitted questions will be compiled, answered, published, and updated at a cadence dictated by NGA on the Sam.gov solicitation listing.

SECTION C: Topic of Interest and Individual Program Requirements

TOI: Illegal, Unreported, and Unregulated Fishing (IUU-F) Rapid, Sharable, and Actionable Intelligence (see attached)

SECTION D: Award

All resultant contracts will be firm-fixed price. All items, technologies, and services (including research and development) procured via this CSO are treated as commercial. NGA is conducting this CSO on a full and open basis and intends to award contracts in accordance with FAR part 12 and all associated applicable FAR / DFAR / NARI clauses (see attached Clause List).

The Government will only advance companies to contracting if it intends to award a contract for the proposed solution. Depending on the particulars of an otherwise awardable solution, companies may be required to collaboratively build a Statement of Work (SOW) with the Government team and negotiate Contract Terms and Conditions for award. However, there is a possibility to award without the need to collaboratively build a SOW or negotiate terms. The extent to which this is possible will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Additional clauses beyond those found in the attached Clause List may be required and will be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Price Reasonableness Determination: NGA must determine the price fair and reasonable prior to award of any resulting contract. The Contracting Officer may request information from the offeror regarding recent purchase prices paid by the Government and/or commercial customers for the same or similar commercial items to assist in that determination. In the event that information is not sufficient, the Contracting Officer may request additional information in the form of data other than certified cost or pricing data, as defined in FAR 2.101

The Government does not plan to engage in the debrief process outlined in FAR part 15 but will provide feedback to unsuccessful offerors as appropriate and at its discretion.

The Government reserves the right to select none of the submissions.

Attachments

1. TOI

2. SD Template

3. Clause List image1.jpeg