HR001121S0006.pdf

HR001121S0006 ADVANCED CONCEPT COMPACT ELECTRON LINEAR-ACCELERATOR (ACCEL) 1

Broad Agency Announcement Advanced Concept Compact Electron Linear-accelerator

(ACCEL)

Defense Sciences Office

HR001121S0006

January 21, 2021

HR001121S0006 ADVANCED CONCEPT COMPACT ELECTRON LINEAR-ACCELERATOR (ACCEL) 2

Table of Contents I. Funding Opportunity Description

A. Introduction B. Program Description C. Program Structure D. Technical Area Descriptions E. Schedule/Milestones F. Deliverables G. Other Program Objectives and Considerations

II. Award Information A. General Award Information B. Fundamental Research

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants B. Other Eligibility Requirements C. Cost Sharing/Matching

IV. Application and Submission Information A. Address to Request Application Package B. Content and Form of Application Submission C. Submission Dates and Times D. Funding Restrictions E. Other Submission Requirements

V. Application Review Information A. Evaluation Criteria B. Review and Selection Process C. Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information (FAPIIS)

VI. Award Administration Information A. Selection Notices B. Administrative and National Policy Requirements C. Reporting

VII. Agency Contacts VIII. Other Information

A. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) B. Proposers Day

BAA Attachments:

Attachment A: ABSTRACT SUMMARY SLIDE TEMPLATE Attachment B: ABSTRACT TEMPLATE Attachment C: PROPOSAL SUMMARY SLIDE TEMPLATE Attachment D: PROPOSAL TEMPLATE VOLUME 1: TECHNICAL & MANAGEMENT Attachment E: PROPOSAL TEMPLATE VOLUME 2: COST Attachment F: MS ExcelTM DARPA COST PROPOSAL SPREADSHEET Attachment G: PROPOSAL TEMPLATE VOLUME 3: ADMINISTRATIVE & NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS Attachment H: CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI) GUIDE

HR001121S0006 ADVANCED CONCEPT COMPACT ELECTRON LINEAR-ACCELERATOR (ACCEL) 3

PART I: OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Federal Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Defense Sciences Office (DSO)

Funding Opportunity Title: Advanced Concept Compact Electron Linear-accelerator

(ACCEL)

Announcement Type: Broad Agency Announcement

Funding Opportunity Number: HR001121S0006

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): 12.910 Research and Technology Development

Dates (All times listed herein are Eastern Time.)

o Posting Date: January 21, 2021 o Proposers Day: January 28, 2021. See Section VIII.B.

o Abstract Due Date: February 8, 2021, 4:00 p.m.

o FAQ Submission Deadline: February 22, 2021, 4:00 p.m. See Section VIII.A.

o Full Proposal Due Date: March 8, 2021, 4:00 p.m.

Anticipated Individual Awards: DARPA anticipates multiple awards

Types of Instruments that May be Awarded: Award instruments will be limited to procurement contracts and Other Transactions as this effort will involve Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI).

Agency contacts o Technical POC: Col Daniel Javorsek, Program Manager, DARPA/STO o BAA Email: ACCEL@darpa.mil o BAA Mailing Address:

DARPA/DSO

ATTN: HR001121S0006

675 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-2114 o DARPA/DSO Opportunities Website: http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ): FAQs for this solicitation may be viewed on the DARPA/DSO Opportunities Website. See Section VIII.A for further information.

Security: This is an unclassified program and proposals and all deliverables will be unclassified. Some of the information developed during this effort will be Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI). See sections IV.B.4, IV.B.5 for more details.

mailto:ACCEL@darpa.mil http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities?tFilter=&oFilter=2&sort=name http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities?tFilter=&oFilter=2&sort=name

HR001121S0006 ADVANCED CONCEPT COMPACT ELECTRON LINEAR-ACCELERATOR (ACCEL) 4

PART II: FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

I. Funding Opportunity Description

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) constitutes a public notice of a competitive funding opportunity as described in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016. Any resultant negotiations and/or awards will follow all laws and regulations applicable to the specific award instrument(s) available under this BAA, e.g., FAR 15.4 for procurement contracts.

A. Introduction The Defense Sciences Office (DSO) at the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of rugged compact and deployable electron Linear Accelerators (LINACs) for a broad range of DoD and civilian applications. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in science, devices, or systems. Specifically excluded is research that primarily results in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

The Advanced Concept Compact Electron Linear-accelerator (ACCEL) program seeks to develop a rugged, compact and deployable electron LINAC. This effort, if successful, could have multiple benefits for the Department of Defense (DoD), with implications ranging from fundamental science for homeland security and counter-proliferation applications to health care and medical research. Potential applications include remote detonation of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), mobile imaging and inspection, sterilization of food and surfaces, and mobile medical applications. In order to support the broad application potential, the ACCEL program seeks to develop a LINAC in a compact, rugged form-factor that is easily transportable for use in austere environments.

Examples of specific applications include1:

Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear, and Explosive (CBRNE) defense.

Deployable and mobile active inspection systems for homeland defense and counter-proliferation applications that use high energy electrons (or the x-rays created by those high energy electrons) to inspect packages and containers (including metal containers) without needing to open the packages or containers.

Mobile medical applications (x-ray technologies, cancer treatments) to treat individuals located in environments that do not have access to state-of-the-art hospitals.

Portable sterilization capability for foods and surfaces to prevent contamination and infection in deployed environments.

Active radiation-belt remediation to improve the lifetime of satellites transiting the radiation belts.2

1 A. J. Angola, “Overview of accelerator applications for security and defense.” Reviews of Accelerator Science and Technology 8 (2015) 1-4.

2 J. E. Borovsky and G. L. Delzanno, “Active experiments in space: the future”, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Science 6 (2019) 31.

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Conducting linear accelerator science experiments in locations with difficult terrain, weather, or locations where it is difficult to transport items over 200 kg in weight.

In the past, high power LINACs have been too large to be mobile, and LINACs that are mobile have had insufficient power to be effective in applications such as those described above.

Developing a high performance, rugged, compact LINAC will open up a host of capabilities that have national security impact.

CBRNE defense is an application that presents uniquely challenging performance requirements.

For example, electron LINACs can be used to create x-rays for inspecting suspect areas or containers remotely. Additionally, electron beams that can create sufficiently high energy x-rays can provide a means to detect the presence of nuclear material that might go undetected by other types of inspection. Finally, the electron beam can be used to disable electronic communications or detonation systems at moderate stand-off distances. Due to the breadth of applications for CBRNE, this application was used as the basis for the performance metrics in this BAA.

B. Program Description The ACCEL program seeks to develop a rugged compact electron accelerator system that meets the performance metrics in Table 1. The Threshold metrics in Table 1 below are designed to provide generic target parameters that are independent of a specific application and are based on the current state of the art. In contrast, the Objective metrics represent the types of values that may individually be more important to some specific applications. DARPA is seeking proposals that strive to hit all the Threshold metrics, while identifying which specific Objective metrics might be possible in the proposer’s approach.

Metric Threshold Objective Maximum beam energies 20 MeV 35 MeV

Beam energy step size 0.2 MeV 0.2 MeV

Beam current At least 0.5 A 2 A Normalized emittance, N, at the threshold beam current not to exceed 0.2 cm-radians Not to exceed 0.15 cm-radians

Initial beam radius 0.5 cm Same as threshold Beam energy spread about the nominal energy

90 percent of electrons are within 5% of nominal energy

90 percent of electrons are within 1% of nominal energy

Duty factor at the beam energy and beam current 1.25x10-6 5x10-5

Duration of the burst at the threshold beam energy and threshold beam current

2 s 8 s

Number of bursts that the system can transmit before needing to recharge at the threshold

20 100

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beam energy and threshold beam current

Accelerator system size Fit within a cylinder that is 3 m long and 0.6 m in diameter

Fit within a cylinder that is 1 m long and 0.4 m in diameter

Accelerator system weight Less than 200 kg Less than 75 kg

Non-operating temperature -40°C to +85°C -40°C to +125°C

Operating temperature -20°C to +85°C -40°C to +85°C

Non-operating shock Proposal should suggest the threshold

Air, rail and truck transport, MIL-STD-810

Non-operating vibration Proposal should suggest the threshold

Air, rail and truck transport, MIL-STD-810

Operating vibration Stationary Stationary Table 1. Accelerator system metrics

Additional notes regarding metrics include the following:

The term “beam energy” in Table 1 refers to the kinetic energy of each electron in the beam. This energy is expressed in Mega Electron Volts (MeV).

The accelerator system should be able to create beams at beam energies between .2 MeV and the maximum beam energy with user-selectable energies at the threshold step size.

The normalized emittance is given by N=** where N is the normalized emittance, is the emittance at the beam energy, is the relativistic gamma, and is the electron speed divided by the speed of light.

The electrons in the rising and trailing portion of the pulse are not included in this calculation, where rising portion of the pulse is defined as the portion of the pulse where the beam current is less than 0.85 of the target beam current. The trailing portion of the pulse is defined in a similar manner.

The duty factor is the product of the pulse length and the Pulse Repetition Frequency (PRF). For example, a pulse length of 0.25 s and a PRF of 5 Hz would provide a duty factor of 1.25x10-6.

The duration of the burst is the number of pulses per burst divided by the PRF.

The accelerator system size and weight metrics include all elements of the system, including the control computer, vacuum pumps, electrical power conditioning, electrical power storage, and thermal management. The size and weight include any heaters or air conditioning units that are used to bring the internal system temperature to within the desired temperature range when starting at the low temperature or high temperature range of the operating environment. The accelerator system size and weight does not include any final beam optics used to steer the beam, as these would be application dependent.

The purpose of the non-operating temperature, shock, and vibration metrics is to ensure that the accelerator system will not be damaged while in storage in austere environments and will not be damaged while being transported by air, rail, or truck. For the non-

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operating shock and vibration metrics, the accelerator system may be packaged for transport and storage in a packing container that weighs no more than 25 kg.

C. Program Structure There is a single technical area. The program consists of a base phase and two separately priced options as shown in Table 2.

Effort Description Duration Phase 1

(Base Effort) Develop LINAC design through System

Design Review (SDR) 10 months

Phase 2 Option Order long lead items and refine LINAC design through Critical Design Review

(CDR)

10 months

Phase 3 Option Develop, test, and deliver a rugged compact LINAC 10 months

Table 2. The phases of the ACCEL effort The ACCEL schedule is shown in Figure 1. Phase 1 (the base effort) includes a System Requirements Review (SRR) at month 6 and a System Design Review (SDR) at the end of the Phase 1 effort. The Phase 2 Option effort includes a Preliminary Design Review (PDR) at month 6 and a Critical Design Review (CDR) at month 10 of the Phase 2 effort. The Phase 3 Option effort concludes with delivery of a LINAC system that meets the program metrics.

Figure 1. ACCEL schedule The proposers should propose a base effort for Phase 1 and separately priced options for Phase 2 and Phase 3. Proposals that do not include separately priced options for Phase 2 and Phase 3 may be deemed nonconforming.

The Government anticipates multiple awards for Phase 1.

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After the SRR, the Government anticipates exercising the Phase 2 Option for selected performer(s). The decision to exercise the Phase 2 Option will be based on the availability of funds and progress made towards the metrics in Table 1 by the time of SRR.

After the PDR, the Government anticipates exercising the Phase 3 Option for selected performer(s). The decision to exercise the Phase 3 Option will be based on the availability of funds and progress made towards the metrics in Table 1 by the time of PDR.

D. Technical Area Descriptions There is a single technical area in the ACCEL BAA.

Proposals should:

Describe the candidate component technologies, potential performance, and level of technical maturity;

Describe the trades that will be made to develop the system design within the timeframe provided;

Provide a top-level description of the LINAC the performer proposes to build and estimated performance parameters;

Describe any component development and testing that the performer will do on Phase 1 or Phase 2 to reduce risk and address key technical questions.;

Describe the type and quantity of electrical power that must be supplied to the LINAC.

Describe the type of cooling and amount of cooling that the proposed approach will likely require;

Provide suggestions on the appropriate metrics for the threshold values for the non-operating shock and vibration metrics;

Describe the approach for meeting the non-operating and operating temperature, shock, and vibration metrics;

Identify any environmental conditions that drive the LINAC size, weight, cost, or risk and discuss the tradeoffs associated with relaxing the most stressing requirements;

Describe the work plan for how the performer will develop the LINAC on schedule and within the proposed costs;

Identify the key risks and describe the approach that the performer will take to mitigate those;

Desccribe the long lead items that will be ordered in Phase 2;

Identify, in the Option 2 section, the candidate test facilities that will be used in Phase 3;

The performers on ACCEL will not require access to classified information. If the proposer has the ability to handle classified materials, the proposal should identify the performers’ ability to handle classified materials at the highest levels possible. See Section III.B.2

Phase 1 (Base effort): (10 months)

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In Phase 1, the performer will develop the design of a rugged, compact LINAC up to System Design Review (SDR).

In Phase 1:

The performer will participate in the Phase 1 kickoff meeting (month 1) and two quarterly program reviews (month 2 and month 8).

The performer will update the Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Protection Plan submitted as part of the proposal to ensure that the protection of any work products that are CUI.

The performer will develop the system requirements and present these at a SRR at month 6 and document these in a system requirements report (month 5).

The performer will develop the design up through System Design Review (SDR), which will be held at month 10. The performer will document the trade studies that were conducted when developing the design. The performer will identify the key technical risks with the proposed approach and develop a plan for how those risks will be mitigated.

The performer will develop a preliminary safety plan describing how the performer will operate the LINAC during testing.

The performer will describe the planned environmental and performance testing.

The Phase 1 deliverables are listed in Table 4 in Section F.

Phase 2 Option: (10 months) Under the Phase 2 Option, if exercised, the performer(s) will order long lead items and refine the LINAC design through CDR.

In Phase 2:

The performer will further update the CUI Protection Plan (if needed) to ensure the protection of any work products that are CUI.

The performer will participate in a quarterly program review that occurs 3 months after option award.

The performer will order the long lead items (if needed).

The performer will develop the design up through PDR at month 6 after option award.

At the PDR, the performer(s) must demonstrate that their design is on track to meet the ACCEL program metrics and that the program can be completed within the proposed budget and schedule. The performer(s) must also identify the high risk items and discuss approaches for mitigating those

The performer will complete design up through CDR at month 10. The performer(s) must show that the design will meet the ACCEL program metrics and must describe the risk mitigation plans for all the high risk items. The performer(s) must also show that their work plan for Phase 3 is realistic and will enable the performer to complete the Phase 3 effort within the program budget and schedule. The performer must also show that their proposed environmental and performance testing in Phase 3 will validate that the LINAC

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meets the program metrics.

The performer will update the safety plan with how the performer will operate the LINAC during testing.

The performer will develop a user’s manual for how third parties can use the LINAC either as a stand-alone device or integrated into a larger system.

The performer will develop a Long Lead Item Acceptance Plan describing how the long lead items will be inspected and/or tested when they are delivered to the performer

The performer will develop test plans for the environmental testing and performance testing that will be done in Phase 3.

The Phase 2 deliverables are listed in Table 5 in Section F.

Phase 3 Option: (10 months) Under the Phase 3 Option, if exercised, the performer will develop, test, and deliver a single rugged compact LINAC.

In Phase 3:

The performer will update the CUI Protection Plan to ensure that the protection of any work products that are CUI.

The performer will inspect and/or test the long lead items as they are delivered and create a Long Lead Item Acceptance Report documenting the results.

The performer will participate in one quarterly program review that occurs 3 months after option award.

The performer will update the user’s manual for how third parties can use the LINAC either as a stand-alone device or as part of a larger system.

The performer will conduct a Test Readiness Review (TRR) to describe the proposed environmental and performance testing

The performer will conduct environmental testing and document the results in a LINAC Environmental Test Report.

The performer will conduct performance testing and document the results in a LINAC Performance Test Report.

The performer will host a demonstration of the LINAC operation at the test facility.

The performer will conduct a final review to describe the as-built LINAC and present the results of the environmental testing and performance testing.

The performer will deliver the rugged compact LINAC.

The performer will document the Phase 3 results in the Phase 3 final report.

The Phase 3 deliverables are listed in Table 6 in Section F.

E. Schedule/Milestones The program schedule is shown in Figure 1 in Section C.

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The anticipated travel events for this effort are shown in Table 3 below. The performers must participate in each review and provide an update on their progress towards the program metrics in Table 1. The performance demonstration will be held at a test facility selected by the performer.

Phase Event Location Duration Date

Kickoff Meeting Arlington VA 1 day Month 1 of Phase 1

Quarterly Program Reviews Arlington VA 1 day Months 2 and month 8 of Phase 1

System Requirements Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 6 of Phase 1

System Design Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 10 of Phase 1

Quarterly Program Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 3 of Phase 2

Preliminary Design Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 6 of Phase 22

Critical Design Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 10 of Phase 2

Quarterly Program Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 3 of Phase 3

Test Readiness Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 8 of Phase 3

Performance Demonstration Test facility 1 day Month 9 of Phase 3

Final Review Arlington VA 1 day Month 10 of Phase 3

Table 3. Travel events for ACCEL effort Proposers should provide a technical and programmatic strategy that conforms to the program schedule and presents an aggressive plan to fully address all program goals, metrics, milestones, and deliverables. The task structure must be consistent across the proposed schedule, Statement of Work, and cost volume.

A target start date of July 2021 may be assumed for planning purposes.

Regular teleconference meetings will be scheduled with the Government team for progress reporting as well as problem identification and mitigation. Proposers should anticipate at least one site visit per phase by the DARPA Program Manager during which they will have the opportunity to demonstrate progress towards agreed-upon milestones.

F. Deliverables The deliverables for the Base effort are given in Table 4 and the deliverables for the Phase 2 Option and Phase 3 Option efforts are given in Tables 5 and 6, respectively.

Base effort (Phase 1) Deliverables

Deliverable Due date

Comprehensive quarterly technical reports describing progress made towards the technical goal in Table 1

Due within ten days of the end of the given quarter

Presentation materials from kickoff meeting and the Preliminary version due 2 days before

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two quarterly program reviews the review and the final versions (with any corrections that were required) one week after the review

CUI Protection Plan describing how the performer will protect work products that are CUI

2 months After Contract Award (ACA)

Presentation materials from System Requirements Review and Preliminary Design Review

Preliminary version due 2 days before the review and the final versions one week after the review

System Requirements Report 6 months ACA

System Design Report describing the design as of the SDR

10 months ACA

Preliminary safety plan documenting how the performer will operate the LINAC during testing

10 months ACA

Summary of planned environmental and performance testing

10 months ACA

Phase 1 Final Report 10 months ACA

Table 4. Base effort (Phase 1) Deliverables

Phase 2 Option Deliverables

Deliverable Due date

Comprehensive quarterly technical reports describing progress made towards the technical goals in Table 1

Due within ten days of the end of the given quarter

Long Lead Item Plan describing the long lead items to be purchased, the candidate vendors, and estimated cost and schedules

2 months After Option Award (AOA)

Presentation materials from Month 3 quarterly program reviews, PDR and CDR

Preliminary version due 2 days before the review and the final versions one week after the review

Updated CUI Protection Plan describing how the performer will protect work products that are CUI

2 months AOA

Long Lead Item Acceptance Plan describing how the long lead items will be inspected and/or tested

6 months AOA

Final safety plan documenting how the performer will operate the LINAC during testing.

10 months AOA

Draft user’s manual for how a third party can use the LINAC

10 months AOA

Environmental Test Plan 10 months AOA

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Performance Test Plan 10 months AOA

Updated Design Report describing the design as of the CDR

10 months AOA

Phase 2 Final Report 10 months AOA

Table 5. Phase 2 Option Deliverables

Phase 3 Option Deliverables

Deliverable Due date

Comprehensive quarterly technical reports describing progress made towards the technical goals in Table 1

Due within ten days of the end of the given quarter

Updated CUI Protection Plan describing how the performer will protect work products that are CUI

2 months AOA

Presentation materials from Month 3 quarterly program review, Test Readiness Review (month 8), Performance Demo (month 9), and Final Review (month 10)

Preliminary version due 2 days before the review and the final versions one week after the review

Long Lead Item Acceptance Report describing how the long lead items were inspected and/or tested

After all long lead items are accepted

Final safety plan documenting how the performer will operate the LINAC during testing.

8 months AOA

Environmental Test Results report 10 months AOA

Performance Test Results report 10 months AOA

LINAC system (hardware) 10 months AOA

Phase 3 final report 10 months AOA

Table 6. Phase 3 Option Deliverables

G. Other Program Objectives and Considerations

1. Intellectual Property

Proposers arestrongly encouraged to propose intellectual property rights that will be compatible with the future integration of techologies developed under this program into larger systems. See Section VI.B.4 for more information related to intellectual property.

II. Award Information A. General Award Information

DARPA anticipates multiple awards.

The level of funding for individual awards made under this BAA will depend on the quality of

HR001121S0006 ADVANCED CONCEPT COMPACT ELECTRON LINEAR-ACCELERATOR (ACCEL) 14

the proposals received and the availability of funds. Awards will be made to proposers3 whose proposals are determined to be the most advantageous to the Government, all evaluation factors considered. See Section V for further information.

The Government reserves the right to:

select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this solicitation;

make awards without discussions with proposers;

conduct discussions with proposers if it is later determined to be necessary;

segregate portions of resulting awards into pre-priced options;

accept proposals in their entirety or select only portions of proposals for award;

fund awards in increments with options for continued work at the end of one or more phases;

request additional documentation once the award instrument has been determined (e.g., representations and certifications); and remove proposers from award consideration should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms within a reasonable time or the proposer fails to provide requested additional information in a timely manner.

Proposals identified for negotiation may result in a procurement contract or Other Transaction (OT), depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between parties, and other factors. Note that this effort will require the performer to create and handle CUI material.

Proposers looking for innovative, commercial-like contractual arrangements are encouraged to consider requesting Other Transactions. To understand the flexibility and options associated with Other Transactions, consult http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/contract-management#OtherTransactions.

In accordance with 10 U.S.C. § 2371b(f), the Government may award a follow-on production contract or Other Transaction (OT) for any OT awarded under this BAA if: (1) that participant in the OT, or a recognized successor in interest to the OT, successfully completed the entire prototype project provided for in the OT, as modified; and (2) the OT provides for the award of a follow-on production contract or OT to the participant, or a recognized successor in interest to the OT.

In all cases, the Government contracting officer shall have sole discretion to select award instrument type, regardless of instrument type proposed, and to negotiate all instrument terms

3 As used throughout this BAA, “proposer” refers to the lead organization on a submission to this BAA. The proposer is responsible for ensuring that all information required by a BAA--from all team members--is submitted in accordance with the BAA. “Awardee” refers to anyone who might receive a prime award from the Government, including recipients of procurement contracts or Other Transactions. “Subawardee” refers to anyone who might receive a subaward from a prime awardee (e.g., subawardee, consultant, etc.).

http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/contract-management#OtherTransactions

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and conditions with selectees. DARPA will apply publication or other restrictions, as necessary, if it determines that the research resulting from the proposed effort will present a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense. Any award resulting from such a determination will include a requirement for DARPA permission before publishing any information or results on the program. For more information on publication restrictions, see the section below on Fundamental Research.

B. Fundamental Research It is DoD policy that the publication of products of fundamental research will remain unrestricted to the maximum extent possible. National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 189 defines fundamental research as follows:

‘Fundamental research’ means basic and applied research in science and engineering, the results of which ordinarily are published and shared broadly within the scientific community, as distinguished from proprietary research and from industrial development, design, production, and product utilization, the results of which ordinarily are restricted for proprietary or national security reasons.

As of the date of publication of this BAA, the Government expects that program goals as described herein either cannot be met by proposers intending to perform fundamental research or the proposed research is anticipated to present a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense. Therefore, the Government anticipates restrictions on the resultant research that will require the awardee to seek DARPA permission before publishing any information or results relative to the program.

Proposers should indicate in their proposal whether they believe the scope of the research included in their proposal is fundamental or not. While proposers should clearly explain the intended results of their research, the Government shall have sole discretion to determine whether the proposed research shall be considered fundamental and to select the award instrument type. Appropriate language will be included in resultant awards for non-fundamental research to prescribe publication requirements and other restrictions, as appropriate. This language can be found at http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/additional-baa.

For certain research projects, it may be possible that although the research to be performed by a potential awardee is non-fundamental research, its proposed subawardee’s effort may be fundamental research. It is also possible that the research performed by a potential awardee is fundamental research while its proposed subawardee’s effort may be non-fundamental research.

In all cases, it is the potential awardee’s responsibility to explain in its proposal which proposed efforts are fundamental research and why the proposed efforts should be considered fundamental research.

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants

All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal DARPA’s consideration.

1. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government Entities http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/additional-baa

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a. FFRDCs FFRDCs are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot propose to this BAA in any capacity unless they meet the following conditions. (1) FFRDCs must clearly demonstrate that the proposed work is not otherwise available from the private sector. (2) FFRDCs must provide a letter, on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization, that (a) cites the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry, and (b) certifies the FFRDC’s compliance with the associated FFRDC sponsor agreement’s terms and conditions. These conditions are a requirement for FFRDCs proposing to be awardees or subawardees.

b. Government Entities Government Entities (e.g., Government/National laboratories, military educational institutions, etc.) are subject to applicable direct competition limitations. Government Entities must clearly demonstrate that the work is not otherwise available from the private sector and provide written documentation citing the specific statutory authority and contractual authority, if relevant, establishing their ability to propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry. This information is required for Government Entities proposing to be awardees or subawardees.

2. Authority and Eligibility At the present time, DARPA does not consider 15 U.S.C. § 3710a to be sufficient legal authority to show eligibility. While 10 U.S.C.§ 2539b may be the appropriate statutory starting point for some entities, specific supporting regulatory guidance, together with evidence of agency approval, will still be required to fully establish eligibility. DARPA will consider FFRDC and Government Entity eligibility submissions on a case-by-case basis; however, the burden to prove eligibility for all team members rests solely with the proposer.

3. Foreign Entity Participation Some tasks on ACCEL may require access to or generation of CUI/CTI, and, as a result, ACCEL program participation is limited to US organizations and/or individuals.

B. Other Eligibility Requirements

1. Organizational Conflicts of Interest

FAR 9.5 Requirements In accordance with FAR 9.5, proposers are required to identify and disclose all facts relevant to potential OCIs involving the proposer’s organization and any proposed team member (subawardee, consultant). Under this Section, the proposer is responsible for providing this disclosure with each proposal submitted to the BAA. The disclosure must include the proposer’s, and as applicable, proposed team member’s OCI mitigation plan. The OCI mitigation plan must include a description of the actions the proposer has taken, or intends to take, to prevent the existence of conflicting roles that might bias the proposer’s judgment and to prevent the proposer from having unfair competitive advantage. The OCI mitigation plan will specifically discuss the disclosed OCI in the context of each of the OCI limitations outlined in FAR 9.505-1 through

FAR 9.505-4.

Agency Supplemental OCI Policy

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In addition, DARPA has a supplemental OCI policy that prohibits contractors/performers from concurrently providing Scientific Engineering Technical Assistance (SETA), Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) or similar support services and being a technical performer.

Therefore, as part of the FAR 9.5 disclosure requirement above, a proposer must affirm whether the proposer or any proposed team member (subawardee, consultant) is providing SETA, A&AS, or similar support to any DARPA office(s) under: (a) a current award or subaward; or (b) a past award or subaward that ended within one calendar year prior to the proposal’s submission date.

If SETA, A&AS, or similar support is being or was provided to any DARPA office(s), the proposal must include:

The name of the DARPA office receiving the support;

The prime contract number;

Identification of proposed team member (subawardee, consultant) providing the support; and An OCI mitigation plan in accordance with FAR 9.5.

Government Procedures In accordance with FAR 9.503, 9.504 and 9.506, the Government will evaluate OCI mitigation plans to avoid, neutralize or mitigate potential OCI issues before award and to determine whether it is in the Government’s interest to grant a waiver. The Government will only evaluate OCI mitigation plans for proposals that are determined selectable under the BAA evaluation criteria and funding availability.

The Government may require proposers to provide additional information to assist the Government in evaluating the proposer’s OCI mitigation plan.

If the Government determines that a proposer failed to fully disclose an OCI; or failed to provide the affirmation of DARPA support as described above; or failed to reasonably provide additional information requested by the Government to assist in evaluating the proposer’s OCI mitigation plan, the Government may reject the proposal and withdraw it from consideration for award.

Include any OCIs affirmations and disclosures in Attachment G: VOLUME 3:

ADMINISTRATIVE & NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS.

2. Ability to Support Classified Development Proposers are not required to hold or obtain security clearances; however, proposers who wish to have access to classified data and evaluation results for their applications must have personnel and access to facilities with a minimum classification level of SECRET at the time of award and must provide their CAGE code and security point(s) of contact in their proposals.

The National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (NISPOM), DoD 5220.22-M, prescribes the requirements, restrictions, and other safeguards to prevent unauthorized disclosure of classified information. The Manual controls the authorized disclosure of classified information released by U.S. Government Executive Branch Departments and Agencies to their contractors.

It also prescribes the procedures, requirements, restrictions, and other safeguards to protect special classes of classified information, including Restricted Data (RD), Formerly Restricted Data (FRD), intelligence sources and methods information, Sensitive Compartmented

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Information (SCI), and Special Access Program (SAP) information. These procedures are applicable to licensees, grantees, and certificate holders to the extent legally and practically possible within the constraints of applicable law and the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

C. Cost Sharing/Matching Cost sharing is not required; however, it will be carefully considered where there is an applicable statutory condition relating to the selected funding instrument (e.g., OTs under the authority of 10 U.S.C. § 2371). Cost sharing is encouraged where there is a reasonable probability of a potential commercial application related to the proposed research and development effort.

For more information on potential cost sharing requirements for Other Transactions for Prototype, see http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/contract-management#OtherTransactions.

IV. Application and Submission Information Prior to submitting a full proposal, proposers are strongly encouraged to first submit an abstract as described below. This process allows a proposer to ascertain whether the proposed concept is (1) applicable to the ACCEL BAA and (2) currently of interest. For the purposes of this BAA, applicability is defined as follows:

The proposed concept is applicable to the technical areas described herein.

The proposed concept is important to DSO’s current investment portfolio.

The proposed concept investigates an innovative approach that enables revolutionary advances, i.e., will not primarily result in evolutionary improvements to the existing state of practice.

The proposed work has not already been completed (i.e., the research element is complete but manufacturing/fabrication funds are required).

The proposer has not already received funding or a positive funding decision for the proposed concept (whether from DARPA or another Government agency).

Abstracts and full proposals that are not found to be applicable to the ACCEL BAA as defined above may be deemed non-responsive and removed from consideration. All abstracts and full proposals must provide sufficient information to assess the validity/feasibility of their claims as well as comply with the requirements outlined herein for submission formatting, content and transmission to DARPA. Abstracts and full proposals that fail to do so may be deemed non-conforming and removed from consideration. Proposers will be notified of non-conforming determinations via letter.

A. Address to Request Application Package This document contains all information required to submit a response to this solicitation. No additional forms, kits, or other materials are needed except as referenced herein. No request for proposal or additional solicitation regarding this opportunity will be issued, nor is additional information available except as provided at the beta.SAM.gov website (https://beta.sam.gov/) or referenced herein.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

1. Abstract Information and Formatting https://beta.sam.gov/

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As stated above, proposers are strongly encouraged to submit an abstract in advance of a full proposal to minimize effort and reduce the potential expense of preparing an out of scope proposal. All proposers are required to use Attachment A: ABSTRACT SUMMARY SLIDE TEMPLATE and Attachment B: ABSTRACT TEMPLATE provided with this solicitation on https://beta.sam.gov/. Attachment A: ABSTRACT SUMMARY SLIDE TEMPLATE described herein must be in .ppt or .pptx format and should be attached as a separate file to this document.

The abstract provides a synopsis of the proposed project by briefly answering the following questions:

What is the proposed work attempting to accomplish or do?

How is it done today, and what are the limitations?

Who will care, and what will the impact be if the work is successful?

How much will it cost, and how long will it take?

DARPA will respond to abstracts with a statement as to whether DARPA is interested in the idea. If DARPA does not recommend the proposer submit a full proposal, DARPA will provide feedback to the proposer regarding the rationale for this decision. Regardless of DARPA’s response to an abstract, proposers may submit a full proposal. DARPA will review all conforming full proposals using the published evaluation criteria and without regard to any comments resulting from the review of an abstract.

Proposers should note that a favorable response to an abstract is not a guarantee that a proposal based on the abstract will ultimately be selected for award negotiation.

While it is DARPA policy to attempt to reply to abstracts within thirty calendar days, proposers to this solicitation may anticipate a response within approximately three weeks. These official notifications will be sent via email to the Technical POC and/or Administrative POC identified on the abstract coversheet.

2. Full Proposal Information and Formatting

a. Proposal Volumes

Full proposals must consist of all 3 volumes described below. To assist in proposal development, templates for these volumes are posted as attachments to this solicitation on https://beta.sam.gov/. The templates are specific to each volume, as outlined below.

Proposers may request a procurement contract or Other Transaction (OT), and must use the following attachments in each volume:

Volume 1 o Attachment C: PROPOSAL SUMMARY SLIDE TEMPLATE o Attachment D: PROPOSAL TEMPLATE VOLUME 1: TECHNICAL &

MANAGEMENT

Volume 2 o Attachment E: PROPOSAL TEMPLATE VOLUME 2: COST o Attachment F: MS ExcelTM DARPA COST PROPOSAL SPREADSHEET

Volume 3

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o Attachment G: PROPOSAL TEMPLATE VOLUME 3: ADMINISTRATIVE &

NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS

The Government requires that proposers use the provided Attachment F: MS ExcelTM DARPA COST PROPOSAL SPREADSHEET in the development of their cost proposals. All tabs and tables in the cost proposal spreadsheet should be developed in an editable format with calculation formulas intact to allow traceability of the cost proposal. This cost proposal spreadsheet should be used by the prime organization and all subcontractors. In addition to using the cost proposal spreadsheet, the cost proposal still must include all other items required in this announcement that are not covered by the editable spreadsheet. Subcontractor cost proposal spreadsheets may be submitted directly to the Government by the proposed subcontractor via e-mail to the address in Part I of this solicitation. Using the provided cost proposal spreadsheet will assist the Government in a rapid analysis of your proposed costs and, if your proposal is selected for a potential award, speed up the negotiation and award execution process.

All proposers are required to use the appropriate templates. Templates are provided as attachments to this solicitation on https://beta.sam.gov/. Full Proposals that do not include the appropriate attachments as detailed here may be deemed non-conforming and may not be evaluated.

b. DARPA Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative (EEI) Awardees pursuant to this solicitation may be eligible to participate in the DARPA Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative (EEI) during the award’s period of performance. EEI is a limited scope program offered by DARPA, at DARPA’s discretion, to a small subset of awardees. The goal of DARPA’s EEI is to increase the likelihood that DARPA-funded technologies take root in the U.S. and provide new capabilities for national defense. EEI supports DARPA’s mission “to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies and capabilities for national security” by accelerating the transition of innovations out of the lab and into new capabilities for the Department of Defense (DoD). EEI investment supports development of a robust and deliberate Go-to-Market strategy for selling technology to Government and commercial markets and positions DARPA awardees to attract U.S. investment. The following is for informational and planning purposes only and does not constitute solicitation of proposals to the EEI.

There are three elements to DARPA’s EEI: (1) A Senior Commercialization Advisor (SCA) from DARPA who works with the Program Manager (PM) to examine the business case for the awardee’s technology and uses commercial methodologies to identify steps toward achieving a successful transition of technology to the Government and commercial markets;

(2) Connections to potential industry and investor partners via EEI’s Transition Working Groups; and (3) Additional funding for awardees to hire an embedded entrepreneur to achieve specific commercialization milestones and work towards the delivery of a robust transition plan for both defense and commercial markets. This embedded entrepreneur’s qualifications should include business experience within the target industries of interest, experience in commercializing early stage technology, and the ability to communicate and interact with technical and non-technical stakeholders. Funding for EEI is typically no more than $250,000 per awardee over the duration of the award. An awardee may apportion EEI funding to hire more than one embedded entrepreneur, if achieving the milestones requires different expertise that can be obtained without exceeding the awardee’s total EEI funding. The EEI effort is

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intended to be conducted concurrent with the research program without extending the period of performance.

EEI Application Process:

After receiving an award under the solicitation, awardees interested in being considered for EEI should notify their DARPA Program Manager (PM) during the period of performance.

Timing of such notification should ideally allow sufficient time for DARPA and the awardee to review the awardee’s initial transition plan, identify commercial milestones to deliver under EEI, modify the award, and conduct the work required to achieve such milestones within the original award period of performance. These steps may take 18-24 months to complete, depending on the technology. If the DARPA PM determines that EEI could be of benefit to transition the technology to product(s) the Government needs, the PM will refer the performer to DARPA’s Commercial Strategy team.

DARPA’s Commercial Strategy team will then contact the performer, assess fitness for EEI, and in consultation with the DARPA technical office, determine whether to invite the performer to participate in the EEI. Factors that are considered in determining fitness for EEI include DoD/Government need for the technology; competitive approaches to enable a similar capability or product; risks and impact of the Government’s being unable to access the technology from a sustainable source; Government and commercial markets for the technology; cost and affordability; manufacturability and scalability; supply…