A23 RWP_IBP Consortium.pdf

WASHINGTON HEADQUARTERS SERVICES ACQUISITION DIRECTORATE

INDUSTRIAL BASE POLICY CONSORTIUM

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AREA OF INTEREST:

The Manufacturing, Capability Expansion, and Investment Prioritization Directorate (MCEIP) falls under the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for Industrial Base Resilience (IBR) and the Assistant Secretary of Defense (ASD) Industrial Base Policy (IBP) within the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (OUSD(A&S)). Following a reorganization within IBP in November 2022, MCEIP includes the Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Program, now known as DPA Investments (DPAI); Industrial Base Analysis and Sustainment (IBAS), now known as Innovation Capability and Modernization (ICAM).

The mission of IBP is to ensure robust, secure, resilient, and innovative industrial capabilities upon which the Department of Defense (DoD) can rely in an era of great power competition to fulfill current and future Warfighter capabilities. IBP is the principal advisor to the OUSD(A&S) for: developing DoD policies for the maintenance of the United States (U.S.) Defense Industrial Base (DIB); executing small business programs and policy; conducting geo-economic analysis and assessments; providing recommendations on budget matters related to the DIB; anticipating and closing gaps in manufacturing capabilities for defense systems; assessing impacts related to mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures; monitoring and assessing impact of foreign investments in the U.S.; and executing authorities under Sections 4811 and 4816 U.S. Code (U.S.C.) Title 10.

The global pandemic exposed the vulnerability of the weakened U.S. domestic supply chains and highlighted the need to onshore or bolster the production of items deemed critical for national security. DPAI and the ICAM Program Offices have developed five-year roadmaps (i.e., spend plans) to address critical shortfalls in the following critical sub-sectors of the DIB: hypersonics; microelectronics; critical chemicals; small Unmanned Aerial Systems (sUAS);

batteries & energy storage; space industrial base; castings & forgings; submarine industrial base; Rare Earth Elements (REE); and critical materials. A roadmap for “other projects” was also developed for investments that would address urgent DIB requirements but would fall outside of those critical sub-sectors. The roadmaps provide a visual depiction of the current and planned MCEIP investments through fiscal year 2027. MCEIP, however, does not currently have sufficient acquisition pathways standing ready to execute the anticipated funding and is seeking an expansion of acquisition capability.

MCEIP is pursuing the award of a consortium managed OT Agreement under 10 U.S.C. §4021 (Research projects), and 10 U.S.C. §4022 (Prototype projects) authorities, to include the ability to pursue follow-on production transactions when appropriate per the statute. Led by the efforts of the Consortium Manager, this OT Agreement will accelerate DoD access to technologies typically reserved for commercial development. The consortium managed OT Agreement will enhance MCEIP’s mission of addressing defense supply chain issues, developing the industrial workforce, sustaining critical production, commercializing Research and Development (R&D) efforts, and rapidly scaling emerging technologies to build a robust, resilient DIB.

Ultimately, the proposed solution will establish a consortium that will achieve the following.

Keep Pace with Technology - Participation and leverage of innovative and State of the Art (SOTA) technologies available from nontraditional defense contractors (NDCs), nonprofit research institutions (NRIs), and small businesses, who, as Consortium Members will participate to a significant extent in research and rapid prototyping.

Speed of Acquisition – Decreased acquisition time to award projects as business-to-business transactions from the Consortium Manager to Consortium Members.

Diversification of Sources - Increased competition and entrance of NDCs, NRIs, and small businesses not typically considered in FAR based contracts, expansion of the DIB.

Improved Engagement - Improved engagement with NDCs, NRIs, and small businesses, and increased innovation and the adoption of new technology.

Innovative Approaches – Allows for tailoring to occur on a per project basis and reduces taxpayer costs with innovative approaches.

MCEIP is focused on addressing defense supply chain issues, developing the industrial workforce, sustaining critical production, commercializing R&D efforts, and rapidly scaling emerging technologies to build a robust, resilient DIB.

To enable this dynamic mission, the Consortium Manager shall establish a proven and agile approach to managing a consortium that allows the award of projects to move at the pace of innovation. Key components of the model include:

Industrial Based Policy Consortium: HQ0034239IBPC project pathways that allow each individual project to be tailored to lower risk to all stakeholders, diversification of sources that expand the DIB, enable agreement actions that keep pace with emerging commercial technology, engagement with NDCs, NRI, and small businesses, enablement of innovative approaches that reduce taxpayer cost, and early and open dialogue to facilitate a more robust and informed Research, Development, Test, and

Evaluation (RDT&E) approach to drive down risk.

In order to strengthen the national industrial base during times of disruption, President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14017, America’s Supply Chains, on February 24, 2021. The E.O. calls for a comprehensive review of supply chains in critical sectors, including the DIB. The DoD one-year report, submitted in response to the E.O., Securing Defense-Critical Supply Chains, outlined the DoD’s commitment “to strengthen the industrial base and establish a network of domestic and allied supply chains to meet national security needs.” Given the breadth and scale of defense supply chains, the report focused on the following four sectors in which critical vulnerabilities pose the most pressing threat to national security: (1) kinetic capabilities (i.e., hypersonics); (2) energy storage and batteries;

(3) castings and forgings; and (4) microelectronics. The Consortium Manager shall provide a consortium that has the appropriate expertise to address those four critical sub-sectors, and the following DIB sectors, which are also considered to be critical within MCEIP: (5) critical chemicals and minerals; (6) sUAS; (7) REEs; (8) critical materials;

(9) submarine industrial base; (10) space industrial base; and (11) biomanufacturing. The specific sectors deemed critical within the DIB today may change and expand over the life of the Industrial Base Policy Consortium.

In addition, the Consortium Manager shall execute prototype projects originating from other programs within IBP relevant to the consortium’s scope

OPPROTUNITIES FOR CONSORTIUM PROJECT(S):

By submitting a proposed solution to meet the Area of Interest (AOI), as described above, the company understands if selected to be the Consortium Manager, the company will be prohibited from submitting a response to all project calls, AOIs, etc. issued through this Consortium, regardless of the company’s ability to provide proof of firewall procedures and/or the company’s ability to mitigate any conflicts of interest.

ACQUISITION PROCESS:

This process will be a structured competitive approach to identifying solutions to meet the AOI as described above.

The proposal/evaluation process will include two different phases. The Washington Headquarters Services (WHS) Acquisition Directorate (AD) will use a two phase process to evaluate proposed solutions, as described below:

Phase I encourages interested companies to submit a concise solution brief (white paper) that describes its proposed solution. All Phase I white papers will be evaluated against the following criteria:

(1) Relevance of the submission to the AOI;

(2) Approach to managing the Consortium;

(3) Experience in managing consortia (a consortium) or similar entities and substantive expertise in the areas listed in the AOI; and

(4) Merit and feasibility of the proposed approach to the goals of the AOI.

After evaluation, the Government will invite the selected company or companies to participate in Phase II, where they will receive a request for prototype proposal (RPP), or their solution will be declined for further consideration.

Phase II1 will begin by sending a RPP to the selected company or companies. Companies will receive the RPP with several related documents, which will have to be submitted with their pitch, including: the model terms and conditions

In Phase II (prototype proposal) of the evaluation process, the Government reserves the right to add/remove/revise evaluation criteria. The Government also reserves the right to reject a submission and deem it ineligible for consideration if the response is incomplete and/or does not clearly provide the requested information. Acceptable responses not selected for the immediate award will be retained by the Government for possible future execution and funding. The non-selected proposals will be considered as viable alternatives for up to 12 months. If a proposal (that was not previously selected) is determined to be a suitable alternative, the selectee will be contacted to discuss any proposal updates and details of a subsequent project award.

(T&Cs),2 a performance work statement (PWS) template, a data assertions template, and a business status certification template. The selected companies will then be scheduled to “pitch” their approach to the Government (in-person or virtual), providing specific details about their proposed consortium arrangement and their company. During the pitch, the Government will dialogue with the companies about their specific approach, in order to better understand the proposed solution and to resolve any other pertinent issues. Phase II will be evaluated against the following criteria:

(1) Relevance of the submission to the AOI;

(2) Approach to managing the Consortium;

(5) Experience in managing consortia (a consortium) or similar entities and substantive expertise in the areas listed in the AOI;

(3) Merit and feasibility of the proposed approach to the goals of the AOI.

(4) Feasibility and/or adequacy of the proposed cost model and profit reinvestment plan; and

(5) Feasibility and/or adequacy of the proposed performance schedule.

After the pitch is completed, the Government will evaluate all proposed solutions based on the criteria described above, which will be included in the RPP, centering on the proposed approach and cost model reasonableness.

Based on the evaluation, the Government may enter into negotiations with the selected company or companies, negotiating the proposed Consortium cost model, T&Cs, PWS, and any other necessary documents (e.g. data assertions, business status certification, etc.) that will all become part of the resulting OT Agreement, if selected.

WHITE PAPER INSTRUCTIONS AND TEMPLATE:

White Papers shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions described in this document. All submissions shall be in English. The following formatting guidelines shall be followed by respondents:

A page is defined as one 8.5” x 11” (letter size) electronic page with 1” margins.

The font shall be Times New Roman single-spaced and no smaller than 11-point font size.

o Note: A smaller font size may be used in figures and tables but must be legible.

Pages shall be in portrait orientation, except for figures, graphs, images, and pictures.

Figures and tables shall be numbered and, when referenced in the text, shall be referenced by that number.

Figures and tables shall be of a size that is easily readable and may be in landscape orientation.

Pages shall be numbered sequentially and all major sections shall begin on a new page.

All White Paper documents (other than a proposed Consortium cost model spreadsheet) shall be submitted as one PDF file.

The proposed Consortium cost model spreadsheet shall be submitted as an excel document with formulas left available for evaluation purposes and shall follow the following formatting:

o A page is defined as one 11” x 17” (tabloid size) electronic page with narrow margins (0.75” margins at the top and bottom and 0.25” margins on the left and right sides).

o The font shall be Times New Roman single-spaced and no smaller than 10-point font size.

o Pages shall be in landscape orientation, and shall be scaled to fit all columns on one page.

No classified information shall be submitted with the proposal. All information that is considered a trade secret or proprietary information shall be marked as such.

NOTE: All submissions will be treated as “source selection information” as defined by 41 U.S.C. § 2101(7), and contents will be disclosed only in accordance with 41 U.S.C. § 2102. During the evaluation process, submissions may be handled by Government support contractors may have access to this information for the purposes of administrative support and/or evaluation(s). Each evaluator will be required to complete a nondisclosure agreement and certify they have no conflicts of interest that might affect the review process.

2 The attached model terms and conditions are generic and meant only as a starting point. Proposed terms and conditions may differ significantly.

INDUSTRIAL BASE POLICY CONSORTIUM

CONSORTIUM MANAGEMENT REQUEST FOR WHITE PAPERS

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Entity/Consortium Name:

Type of Organization3:

Address:

Unique Entity ID:

CAGE Code:

Primary POC Name:

Telephone Number:

E-Mail Address:

Date of Submission (DD/MM/YYYY):

3 Type of Organization is identified as a nontraditional defense contractor, nonprofit research institute, small business, large business, etc.

PART I: TABLE OF CONTENTS (LIMIT: NO PAGE LIMIT)

PART II: LIST OF PARTICIPANTS (LIMIT: NO PAGE LIMIT)

Proposers shall submit a full list of anticipated participants (to include: (1) each person anticipated to support the management of this Consortium (listed with their name and current institutions/organization), and (2) all institutions, organizations, laboratories, etc. anticipated to provide support in the management of this Consortium).

PART III: EXECUTIVE SUMMARY (LIMIT: 3 PAGES)

Proposers are encouraged to submit an executive summary of their White Paper. Proposers should clearly address their vision for the Consortium, structure, and management.

Part A: Formation of the Consortium/Progress Toward Creation of the Consortium. At a minimum, shall address:

Consortium mission and vision Outreach to potential members, to include listing committed founding members (if available) Plan for an interim formation board Development of business practices

Part B: Consortium Structure and Functions. At a minimum, shall address:

Proposed responsibilities as Consortium Manager Description of facilities necessary for execution of proposed effort, including Top Secret Facility Clearance

(FCL), which is required to be obtained prior to OT Agreement award Proposed Consortium structure, processes for providing administrative and financial oversight, plans to develop and implement Consortium by-laws, plans for ensuring consistent and impactful interaction between the Government and Consortium

Plans for establishing shared goals, commitments, buy-in, and relationships among consortium members rather than just between members and the consortium manager

Plan for webpage and electronic communications Plan for prototype/research project awards processes and execution Plan for Consortium members to be able to provide unsolicited solutions to DIB gaps4 Plan for administrative oversight of prototype/research projects Intended level of interaction/oversight with Consortium members Plan/ability to assist new and nontraditional defense contractors in understanding the DoD customer, mission, and processes Plan to enhance workforce development Plan to share information across the membership Plan to foster teaming among the membership Plan to provide logistical and information support to membership and member-customer functions such as

Industry Day events Plan to provide funding oversight for the consortium OT Agreement and all sub prototype/research projects

Part C: Membership. At a minimum, shall address:

Process for identifying/adding new members to the consortium after award Plan for incorporating industry into consortium Demonstrated current capability, as well as future plans for member retention and growth Consortium cost model (i.e., fees) for consortium members.

Part D: Metrics and Reporting. At a minimum, shall address:

Proposed metrics and reporting to validate that the Government’s intent for the Consortium is being met including but not limited to reinvestments, Consortium growth, level of NDC participation, cost savings, minimizing time to award, etc.

4 The Government is interested in different strategies, perhaps more industry-led strategies, for identifying promising prototype projects other than a multiple award IDIQ-like arrangement.

Part E: Security Plan. At a minimum, shall address:

Overall technical capabilities and facility clearance level5 Capability and capacity to implement Government’s security procedures and handle, transmit and store controlled unclassified, confidential, and classified information Capability and capacity to manage Consortium member’s security clearance requirements Plan to ensure Operational Security, ensure compliance with ITAR and other regulatory and statutory obligations

Part F: Expertise. At a minimum, shall address:

Overall experience and expertise as it relates to managing [a] consortium(s) or similar entity Experience and expertise in Parts A, B, C, D, and E above Substantive expertise in the areas of the Consortium

Part G: Other: At a minimum, shall address:

Other issues not addressed above that may be relevant to the selection of a Consortium Manager

PART IV: SCHEDULE (LIMIT: 1 PAGE)

Respondents shall provide a schedule indicating key milestones for establishing the Consortium.

PART V: CONSORTIUM COST MODEL (LIMIT: NO PAGE LIMIT)

Respondent shall provide an overview of the cost model associated with the Consortium. Expenses may include, but are not limited to the following:

Consortium Management Fee Structure Administrative Finance/Accounting Contracting Special Security Officer (SSO) Indirect Rates (Overhead/Fringe/G&A/etc.) and any other direct charges for the consortium

Note: Companies should propose their recommended management fee structure and approach to support the proposed consortium management cost model. A detailed explanation shall be provided, explaining how and why you proposed the specific consortium management fee structure.

5 An active Top Secret facility clearance is required at time of award. Award is dependent upon an active Top Secret facility clearance.