HR001122S0007-Amendment-01.pdf

HR001122S0007 CODED VISIBILITY 1

Broad Agency Announcement Coded Visibility (CV)

Defense Sciences Office

HR001122S0007 Amendment 1

November 16, 2021

HR001122S0007 CODED VISIBILITY 2

Table of Contents I. Funding Opportunity Description

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

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

III. Eligibility Information A. Eligible Applicants B. Organizational Conflicts of Interest 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. Proposers Day B. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

BAA Attachments:

Attachment A: BLIND ABSTRACT SUMMARY SLIDE TEMPLATE Attachment B: BLIND 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

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PART I: OVERVIEW INFORMATION

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

Funding Opportunity Title: Coded Visibility (CV)

Announcement Type: Amendment

Funding Opportunity Number: HR001122S0007

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): N/A

Dates (All times listed herein are Eastern Time.)

o Posting Date: November 16, 2021 o Proposers Day: October 21, 2021. See Section VIII.A.

o Abstract Due Date: November 23, 2021, 4:00 p.m.

o FAQ Submission Deadline: January 11, 2022, 4:00 p.m. See Section VIII.B.

o Full Proposal Due Date: January 21, 2022, 4:00 p.m.

Anticipated Individual Awards: DARPA anticipates one or more awards for Technical Area 1 and one or more awards for Technical Area 2.

Types of Instruments that May be Awarded: Award instruments will be limited to procurement contracts and Other Transactions.

Agency contacts o Technical POC: Rohith Chandrasekar, Program Manager, DARPA/DSO o BAA Email: CodedVisibility@darpa.mil o BAA Mailing Address:

DARPA/DSO

ATTN: HR001122S0007

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.B for further information.

Security: The Coded Visibility Program will be unclassified and will comprise two Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) Technical Areas (Controlled Technical Information (CTI), Export-Controlled). Proposals are expected to be unclassified. For further details, please see sections IV.B.4 and IV.B.5.

mailto:CodedVisibility@darpa.mil https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities?oFilter=DSO https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities?oFilter=DSO

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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 tailorable, tunable, and safe obscurants that provide U.S. and allied forces with an asymmetric advantage by degrading an adversary’s visibility without concomitant degradation of our own vision. 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.

B. Background

Obscurants are used in confined urban spaces to prevent detection by adversary night vision systems and digital infrared sensors. Obscurants aim to provide critical operational concealment, enhancing both the safety and performance of U.S. and allied forces. Despite decades of development, current obscurants continue to have three critical limitations: (1) they simultaneously degrade the visual capability of friendly forces and adversaries; (2) once deployed, their performance is fixed and cannot be tuned in real time; and (3) they pose a serious health risk, often requiring the use of respirators.

The goal of the DARPA Coded Visibility program is to address these limitations by developing next generation obscurant systems that provide U.S. and allied forces an asymmetric advantage by enhancing their visibility while suppressing adversary visibility and detection. Specifically, the program aims to develop obscurants that are:

1. Tailorable: Investigate new fundamental insights in tailoring absorption and scattering performance of obscurants that allow for an asymmetric vision capability for our forces. Current obscurants weakly absorb and scatter photons, requiring widespread deployment to sufficiently degrade visibility.

2. Tunable: Investigate new approaches in active modulation that could tune obscurant performance in real-time, opening the pathway for new methods to control obscurants. The ability to actively tune absorption and scattering performance of an obscurant after it has been deployed could provide our forces with enhanced visibility and protection.

3. Safe: Current obscurants are based on metal flakes that are known to pose a risk to respiratory health and the environment, requiring the use of gas masks and respirators. New materials and morphologies could enable tailorable and tunable

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performance, while also being inherently safe for use on the battlefield.

Coded Visibility will investigate all of the above avenues to enable obscurants that provide U.S.

and allied forces with an asymmetric vision capability on the battlefield. Importantly, by the end of the program, Coded Visibility aims to gain fundamental insights into obscurant performance at the single-particle level and transition these insights to plume-scale demonstrations in relevant environments.

C. Program Description/Scope

The primary thrusts of Coded Visibility are:

1. Passive Asymmetry: Achieving an asymmetric vision capability through tailorable obscurants.

2. Active Asymmetry: Using active modulation obscurants (i.e. tailorability) to achieve a tunable, asymmetric vision capability.

Within the Coded Visibility program, asymmetry is defined as any method that provides enhanced visibility in one direction over another, purely using a plume composed of tailored (passive) or tunable (active) obscurants. Specifically, DARPA will evaluate asymmetric methods that provide a suitably high probability of identification (PID) – the ability to correctly detect and identify a specific object, e.g., an enemy vehicle – for our personnel, while providing a sufficiently low probability of detection (PD) –the ability to detect the presence of some unidentifiable object – for our enemies. Both passive and active methods should achieve such asymmetry, assuming identical sensors are used on either end of the plume. Across both thrusts, Coded Visibility is interested in developing obscurants that are safe for all personnel.

Passive asymmetry Visibility through obscurants is traditionally limited due to the absorption and scattering of photons, which lead to reductions in the brightness and contrast of images. It has recently been experimentally demonstrated that absorption can serve to counteract the unfavorable effects of scattering by reducing haze and improving contrast.1

Coded Visibility will develop methods to demonstrate passive asymmetry in a single plume.

Passive asymmetry requires breaking symmetry using absorption and scattering and will likely require multiple types of particulates in a single plume to demonstrate this. Achieving this will require investigations into the fundamental limits of total light attenuation (absorption + scattering) per unit mass (“mass extinction”), design of new particulates that approach such limits, and exploration of the trade space of absorption and scattering in obscurant particles.

Importantly, development of simulation tools to integrate absorption and scattering from multiple particulates into plume level assessments will be critical to success.

Active Asymmetry

1 1 Alyones, S., et al. "One-way visibility using two parallel aerosol clouds." Appl. Optics 54.1 (2015): 12-17.

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Active modulation of tunable obscurants could enable capabilities beyond passive asymmetry, providing U.S. and allied forces methods to actively control obscurants. Importantly, active asymmetry could allow for enhanced visibility, possibly using a single particulate plume, by modulating a localized volume to achieve an asymmetric vision capability.

It is well known that external electromagnetic fields can interact with and manipulate particles, impacting their scattering behavior. Generally, manipulation falls under two categories: (1) modulation of the particle’s orientation and/or position through the use of electric or magnetic fields and (2) material modulation, such as change in conductivity, absorption, or scattering through the use of electromagnetic sources. DARPA is interested in these and other approaches to tune obscurant performance in real-time, provided they address an asymmetric vision capability.

Importantly, Coded Visibility is interested in (1) understanding the fundamental limits in tuning absorption and scattering; (2) charting the tradespace in modulation magnitude, modulation speed, standoff distance, and power required; and (3) demonstrating an active asymmetric vision capability.

For both passive and active asymmetry approaches, Coded Visibility will focus on developing obscurants that are safe. New classes of materials could bring enhanced scattering performance and the ability to engineer chemical linkers for breathability and safety into a single molecular unit. DARPA is interested in exploring such new compounds, assessing their asymmetric obscuration capabilities, and evaluating their inhalation impact on the health of U.S. and allied forces.

D. Program Structure

Coded Visibility is a 54-month research and development effort comprising three 18-month phases as shown in the schedule chart provided below. A target start date of July 2022 may be assumed for planning purposes. Since Coded Visibility will be focused on transitioning capabilities from lab-scale to field demos, the program will include assessments during each phase to demonstrate increasing operational relevance, such as aerosol concentration, duration, volume, and deployment mechanisms. As a result, DARPA expects downselects between phases to ensure efforts successfully transition to deployable capabilities. Further details on the end of phase assessments are provided in Sections E, F, and G.

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Proposals should address all three phases and provide detailed proposals for the Phase I base and Phase II option efforts, and a rough order of magnitude (ROM) for Phase III, including ROM costs, a draft Phase III statement of work (SOW), and any additional information on anticiapated program plans. At the conclusion of Phase I, the Government may fund the option for the Phase II effort on one, some, all, or none of the awards, based on funding availability and performance across the Phase I metrics assessment.

DARPA intends to use a phased acquisition approach for the Coded Visibility program. Prior to the completion of Phase II (at approximately Month 30), DARPA intends to issue proposal instructions to the Phase II performers requesting updated technical and cost proposals for Phase III per specifications/guidance provided by DARPA. Participation in the competition for Phase III is optional and will be limited to Phase II performers. Associated proposal preparation costs for Phase III will not be reimbursed under Phase II awards. Evaluation of Phase III proposals will be based on evaluation criteria to be specified in the Phase III proposal requests, and Phase III proposal evaluations will be conducted through a scientific and technical review process. The Phase III evaluation criteria will be consistent with the evaluation criteria in this solicitation, and may be tailored to the Phase III requests for updated proposals. The Government reserves the right to change the award instrument or issue a new solicitation for Phase III if programmatic circumstances dictate.

Participation in Phase I does not guarantee funding for the Phase II option; progression to the Phase II option will be contingent on success in Phase I and availability of funds. Progression from Phase II to Phase III will be contingent on evaluation of Phase III proposals and availability of funds. See Section I.E below for specific milestones and a required timeline.

Coded Visibility development efforts will be divided into two technical areas (TAs):

Technical Area 1 (TA 1): Passive Asymmetry o TA 1 performers will explore methods that achieve passive asymmetry in a single plume in relevant environments.

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Technical Area 2 (TA 2): Active Asymmetry o TA 2 performers will investigate methods to actively modulate a tunable obscurant to enable active asymmetric vision capability.

Proposals must respond to only one TA; proposers who wish to address both TAs must submit separate proposals for each. A Government testing and evaluation (T&E) team will provide an assessment of the obscurants developed under each TA and will host all pilot and field demonstrations.

E. Technical Area Descriptions

Both TAs are anticipated to generate information subject to CUI controls. Potential award instruments for proposals containing CUI will be limited to contracts or Other Transactions.

Proposers should review BAA Section VI.B.6 regarding DoD requirements related to protection of CUI and Controlled Technical Information (CTI). In addition, proposers should review Attachment H: CONTROLLED UNCLASSIFIED INFORMATION (CUI) GUIDE to assist in proposal preparation.

Pursuant to the Coded Visibility metrics discussed in Section F, each TA will develop obscurant plumes capable of producing asymmetric vision. Specifically, values of the probability of identification and probability of detection (PID and PD, respectively) will be used to assess obscurant performance.

PID and PD are defined as follows:

PID – probability of correctly identifying a specific object in a scene

PD – probability of correctly detecting the presence of an (unidentifiable) object in a scene

These probabilities are impacted by a number of variables, most prominently spatial frequency information and contrast-to-noise ratio. Performers should aim to investigate new particulate designs with tailorable or tunable performance and integrate those insights into plume level assessment models to assess their impact on spatial frequency information and contrast, thereby defining PID and PD. To that end, all performers will be provided with the Night Vision Integrated Performance Metric (NVIPM) software,2,3 a public software package developed by the Army CCDC C5ISR Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate, in order to simulate these probabilities at the plume-level based on optical properties provided at the particulate level.

Subject matter experts will be on the Government T&E team to support performer modeling efforts as needed.

Experimental values of PID and PD will be measured at the end-of-phase challenge problem demonstrations. DARPA and the Government T&E team will design these challenge problems by defining the sensor, object, and distance from sensor to object, thereby fixing the spatial frequency. Performers should focus on developing methods to achieve varying contrasts on

2 https://c5isr.ccdc.army.mil/inside_c5isr_center/nvesd/integrated_performance_model/ 3 Brian P. Teaney, David P. Haefner, "Evaluating the performance of an IR imaging system: a tutorial," Proc. SPIE 10625, Infrared Imaging Systems: Design, Analysis, Modeling, and Testing XXIX, 106250K (26 April 2018) https://c5isr.ccdc.army.mil/inside_c5isr_center/nvesd/integrated_performance_model/

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either end of the plume that line up with PID and PD metrics as defined below. PID and PD metrics will be corroborated via modeling in the NVIPM software and measured data of plume optical properties.

Proposals to Coded Visibility must address one of the following two bands:

visible and near-infrared (VIS + NIR, “image intensifier band”), or mid-wave and long-wave infrared (MWIR + LWIR, “thermal band”).

The choice of specific sensor used in the lab demonstrations is left up to the proposer. For Government-hosted pilot and field demonstrations, all approaches will be tested against a representative commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) sensor chosen by the Government T&E team.

Detailed information on selected sensors will be provided at the beginning of Phases II and III for TA1, and beginning of Phase III for TA2 to provide sufficient time for proposers to develop appropriate CV obscurants.

Proposals should consider the full tradespace of the spectral band vs. obscurant approach/performance vs. sensors when making this choice. For example, approaches to address the VIS + NIR band will need to consider the effect of analog intensifier dynamic range and the human eye’s response and how that affects PID and PD. Additionally, different bands will have different intensities and spectral densities, which must be considered when developing an obscurant for a given performance. In the MWIR + LWIR band, approaches must consider that the overall emission in those bands – and thus total signal – will vary with temperature, and that thermal noise in the detector and obscurant itself (e.g., re-emission) must be accounted for.

These illustrative examples are not meant to constitute an exhaustive list of relevant tradespace considerations. The choice of spectral band must be explicitly stated in each proposal.

1. TA 1 – Passive Asymmetry

TA 1 will focus on developing passive, single-plume solutions to achieve asymmetric contrast through an obscurant. The explicit goal of TA 1 is to develop a single plume based on a novel obscurant that can produce asymmetry with PID and PD values that meet the program metrics.

Recently, it was shown that passive asymmetry could be achieved using two plumes – one highly absorbing and one highly scattering.1 These two plumes lead to a difference in contrast between the left and right side of the two-plume system that results from the absorbing cloud effectively acting as a noise filter – preferentially absorbing multiple scattered photons that would serve only to degrade the image contrast. However, this study was conducted using two spatially separated mediums – one for scattering and one for absorption – that were dispersed in high concentrations in water. These crucial limitations have thus far limited the applicability of this approach.

Furthermore, the aforementioned demonstration had very low overall brightness of the collected image (i.e., low signal), as weak scattering paired with strong absorption severely reduced the number of photons that reached the image sensor. This primarily stems from the poor overall extinction properties of the particles – a trait shared by state-of-the-art battlefield obscurants – which results from a lack of particle-level modeling of scattering behavior.

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Recently, significant insights have been made in the fields of particle-level optical modeling and material science, including the definition of fundamental limits of overall extinction and mass extinction coefficient (extinction normalized per unit mass and volume). These discoveries show that resonant properties of scattering particles could lead to an increase in extinction performance by two orders of magnitude in a variety of material platforms.4 Additionally, controlling the geometry and constituent materials of nanoparticle systems can allow for tuning of the overall extinction behavior of the particle from scattering-dominant to absorption-dominant. Such insights could open the door for the development of new multi-particulate obscurants that can generate asymmetry in a single plume.

Research in this TA should focus on investigations into fundamental limits of mass extinction, design of new scatterers that approach such limits, exploration of the tradespace of absorption and scattering in obscurant particles, and development of simulation tools to integrate particle level simulations with plume level assessments. It is expected that TA 1 proposals will address each of these aspects in order to achieve Coded Visibility goals.

Previous work has attempted to image through scattering media using narrow band approaches using spectrally selective windows and adaptive optics. These approaches do not offer any asymmetric advantages, only a coordination between obscuration and imaging systems, and are, therefore, not within the scope of this BAA. Approaches based purely on blind deconvolution/computational imaging methods are also explicitly out of scope and may be considered non-responsive to this BAA.

Summary of TA 1 Progression

Phase 1 – Develop modeling tools to explore novel obscurant particles, scale to plume level models, and assess limits of passive asymmetry. Demonstrate passive asymmetry in a lab-based chamber test.

Phase 2 – Explore new obscurant designs to improve extinction and scale up production of obscurants. Evaluate obscurants against specific sensor modalities dictated by Government T&E team in a Government-hosted pilot demo.

Phase 3 – Approach fundamental limits in extinction performance and expand to plume scales. Demonstrate passive asymmetry in a Government-hosted outdoor field demonstration. Evaluate performance against specific sensor modalities dictated by the Government T&E team assess time window for asymmetric vision capability.

2. TA 2 – Active Asymmetry

TA 2 will focus on active, single-plume solutions to achieving asymmetry through an obscurant that can be modulated in real-time.

It is well-known that external electric/magnetic/electromagnetic fields can reversibly affect various properties of a particle or material. One such form of external manipulation is particle orientation/position. It has long been understood that particle aspect ratios and their orientation

4 Shim, H., et al. "Fundamental limits to near-field optical response over any bandwidth." Phys. Rev. X 9.1 (2019)

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relative to incident light polarization have a strong impact on scattering behavior. Recently, it has been shown that gold nanorods dispersed in an organic suspension can be dynamically aligned via an applied electric field, resulting in strong modulation of the amplitude of scattered light and creating so-called “dynamic plasmonic pixels.”5 It was shown that if the external field is able to overcome the thermal fluctuations (Brownian motion) of the particles, they can be aligned in the direction of an external electric field.6 Such control of particle orientation can control their spectral responses and potentially enable active modulation of obscurant plumes. Additionally, it has been shown that various types of optically-active particles are able to be aerosolized.7

External fields can also manipulate the fundamental optical properties of a material from standoff distances. The selective heating of nanoparticles via electric or magnetic fields (so-called plasmonic photothermal therapy) is a common practice in targeted oncology treatments, for example. These demonstrations have focused primarily on the thermal response of these particles under external stimuli; however, similar mechanisms can be used to affect the optical properties of a material as well. Electromagnetically-induced thermal excitations can result in structural phase changes, carrier-induced reflectance modification (through direct modification of the material conductivity/permittivity), and carrier induced doping, to name a few representative examples. All of the above have strong impacts on the absorption and scattering behavior of a particle.

The above are given solely as examples that serve to motivate TA 2 and should not be considered an exhaustive list of possible approaches. Other materials and methods to tune obscurant performance in real-time are of interest, provided they address an asymmetric vision capability and are safe to personnel within the plume.

TA 2 seeks to merge these insights to successfully demonstrate asymmetric vision in an active configuration. Specifically, TA 2 will focus on the following challenges, each of which must be addressed in a TA 2 proposal:

Understanding the fundamental limits of particle mass extinction, absorption, and scattering and the dynamic tuning thereof

Charting the tradespace in modulation magnitude, modulation speed, standoff distance, and power required to effectively tune absorption and scattering

Understanding how active particle modulation can lead to asymmetric vision

Demonstrating an active asymmetric vision capability

Explicitly not of interest to TA 2 are approaches that are limited to contained volumes or methods that focus entirely on modulation mechanisms without a goal of demonstrating an

5 Greybush, N., et al. “Dynamic plasmonic pixels.” ACS Nano 2019, 13, 4, 3875–3883 6 Fontana, J., et al. “Electric field induced orientational order of gold nanorods in dilute organic suspensions.”

Applied Physics Letters 108, 081904 (2016).

7 Geldmeier, Jeffrey, et al. "Plasmonic aerosols." Physical Review B 99.8 (2019): 081112.

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asymmetric vision capability; such approaches are out of scope and may be considered non-responsive to this BAA.

Summary of TA 2 Progression

Phase 1 – Experimentally demonstrate modulation of absorption and scattering of obscurants. Assess achievable active asymmetry through simulations.

Phase 2 – Experimentally demonstrate active asymmetry in a laboratory setting and explore limits and tradespace of power input to asymmetry achieved.

Phase 3 – Improve the performance of active obscurants, approach limits in power input to asymmetry achieved, and expand scale of plume manipulation.

Other Considerations for both TAs

Both TAs will need to address the vast tradespace of spectral band, obscurant design, choice of sensor, and degree of asymmetry. TAs should also consider novel materials and morphologies that can allow for obscurants that are potentially safe to both personnel and the environment. To that end, proposals might consider the following fundamental questions. These questions are provided solely to further contextualize the goals of Coded Visibility; proposals need not address them explicitly.

What is the impact of obscurant plume design on spatial frequency information transferred in either direction?

How can the total bandwidth, and thus signal intensity, of each approach be maximized?

How can this be addressed from a material perspective?

Are there novel materials (biochemicals, biomaterials, metal-organic frameworks, etc.)

that could allow for either passive or active control of absorption and scattering performance?

As mentioned above, Coded Visibility is interested in exploring new compounds, assessing their asymmetric obscuration capabilities, and evaluating their impact on the health of U.S. and allied forces. New classes of compounds could bring enhanced scattering performance and the ability to engineer chemical linkers for breathability and safety into a single molecular unit. Approaches in both TAs should strive to demonstrate breathable obscurants. Respirability is a metric for Phase III, as reflected in the metrics table in Section F.

Proposals seeking to develop a sensor are explicitly not of interest to Coded Visibility and may be considered non-responsive. Proposals should focus on development of novel obscurants that provide an asymmetric vision capability using the standard VIS/NIR and thermal sensors provided above.

Coded Visibility Lab, Pilot, and Field Demonstrations

As described above, the end of each phase will be marked by a demonstration of obscurant performance. TA 1 will produce lab, pilot, and field demonstrations, while TA 2 will produce lab and pilot demonstrations (due to the more nascent aspects of TA 2 relative to TA 1, the

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technology development lags by one phase). Pilot and field demonstrations will be hosted by the Government T&E team and used to assess the suitability of the proposed system for further study. The three types of demonstrations are defined as follows:

Lab-based demonstration (at performer site): ~1 m3 chamber with nozzle input for injecting obscurants o Performed in a controlled laboratory environment using aerosolized obscurants o No external considerations (e.g., weather, wind) o Intended to demonstrate proof of concept of developed obscurants

Pilot demonstration (at Government T&E site): ~75 m3 room with nozzle inputs for injecting obscurants o Performed in a controlled laboratory environment using aerosolized obscurants o No external considerations o Intended to demonstrate scalability of developed obscurants

Field demonstration (at Government T&E site): full plume assessment in outdoor environment o Performed in an outdoor environment in uncontrolled conditions o Full effects of weather and environment (e.g., humidity, wind, temperature, ambient sunlight, etc.) will be observed o Intended to demonstrate full obscurant capability and transition potential

Government T&E of TA 1 and TA 2

The program will include a Government T&E effort to support and evaluate performer efforts in the following areas:

Independent characterization of obscurant performance both at low volumes (milligrams) in Phase I and at large plume scales (10s of grams) in Phases II and III.

Assessing impacts of obscurants on respiratory health through in-vitro tests during Phase II and full animal model tests during Phase III.

Support modeling obscurants with sensor modalities using tools such as MODerate resolution atmospheric TRANsmission (MODTRAN) code8 and NVIPM Performers should familiarize themselves with these publicly available tools and aim to develop modeling capabilities that can integrate with them for simulating full plume assessments.

8 http://modtran.spectral.com/ http://modtran.spectral.com/

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Designing, developing, and hosting pilot and field demonstrations during Phase II and Phase III to evaluate asymmetry.

F. Schedule/Milestones/Metrics

Proposers should provide a technical and programmatic strategy that conforms to the entire 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 2022 may be assumed for planning purposes.

Schedules will be synchronized across performers, as required, and monitored/revised as necessary throughout the program.

All proposals must include the following meetings and travel in the proposed schedule and costs:

o To continue integration and development between TAs, foster collaboration between teams, and disseminate program developments, a two-day Principal Investigator (PI) meeting will be held approximately every six months. For budgeting purposes, plan for nine two-day meetings over the course of 54 months in the Washington, D.C. area.

o Regular teleconference meetings will be scheduled with the Government T&E 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.

o Government-hosted pilot and field demonstrations will take place in the Washington, D.C. area. TA 1 proposers should plan for a two-day meeting in the Washington D.C. area at the end of Phases II and III. TA 2 proposers should plan for a two-day meeting in the Washington D.C. area at the end of Phase III.

Performer progress will be evaluated using a number of metrics as enumerated below.

Attainment of the prescribed metrics for a given phase does not guarantee transition into the next phase of the program. Individual efforts will be judged on their expected ability to have a transformative impact on DoD and DARPA priorities.

TA 1 and TA 2 Metrics

In order to meet the goals of the Coded Visibility Program, performers from both TAs will need to meet PID and PD metrics at the end of each phase as outlined in the table below. The PID metric is always minimum value, applied to friendly forces (blue in the table below) while the PD metric is always a maximum value, applied to enemy forces (red in the table below).

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G. Deliverables

All proposals must have a task dedicted to working with the Government T&E teams.

Performers will be expected to provide the following deliverables, at a minimum, under this task:

Comprehensive quarterly technical reports due within ten days of the end of the given quarter, describing progress made on the specific milestones as laid out in the SOW.

A phase completion report submitted within 30 days of the end of each phase, summarizing the research done.

Samples for government team should be provided for evaluation at the end of each phase, as follows:

o Phase I: At month 12, teams must provide a minimum of 1.0 g of obscurant material for evaluation of spectroscopic properties and aerosol dynamics.

o Phase II: At month 30, teams must provide a minimum of 10 g of obscurant material for plume assessment and asymmetry testing. TA 1 teams should be prepared to travel to the Washington, D.C. area for pilot scale evaluation and characterization.

o Phase III: At month 51, teams must provide a minimum of 100 g of obscurant material for large scale assessment, evaluation of asymmetry, and deployability studies. Both TA 1 and TA 2 teams should be prepared to travel to the Washington, D.C. area for field-scale and pilot-scale evaluations, respectively.

Other negotiated deliverables specific to the objectives of the individual efforts: These may include registered reports; experimental protocols; publications; data management plan; intermediate and final versions of software libraries, code, and APIs, including documentation and user manuals; and/or a comprehensive assemblage of design documents, models, modeling data and results, and model validation data.

Reporting as outlined in Section VI.C.

Any CUI or CTI must be marked as described in Section IV.B.4.

H. Other Program Objectives and Considerations

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Collaboration

Throughout the course of the program, it will necessary for all performers, regardless of category, to share relevant information regarding their research and development to support the larger program goals. Performers will have specific material deliverables to the Government T&E team at the 12, 30, and 51 month marks, as outlined above in section G. DARPA additionally expects all program performers to work collaboratively with one another to realize the program objectives outlined herein, so proposers should carefully review the goals for the entire program in order to fully understand the context of each program objective, performer category, and TA within the overall program structure. All proposals should describe plans for ensuring transparency of their processes to enable interactions with other program performers.

Proposals that fail to include these plans may be deemed non-conforming and removed from consideration.

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 the proposals received and the availability of funds. Awards will be made to proposers9 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

9 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.).

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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.

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

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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 for DARPA’s consideration.

1. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government Entities

a. FFRDCs

FFRDCs are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot propose to this solicitation 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.

c. 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.

2. Other Applicants Non-U.S. organizations and/or individuals may participate to the extent that such participants comply with any necessary nondisclosure agreements, security regulations, export control laws, http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/additional-baa

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and other governing statutes applicable under the circumstances.

B. 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 solicitation. 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 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 solicitation 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.

C. Cost Sharing/Matching

Cost sharing is not required; however, it will be carefully considered where there is an applicable

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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 Coded Visibility 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 Coded Visibility BAA as defined above may be deemed non-conforming10 and removed from consideration.