Macaroni_Proposers_Day_CMO_FINAL_26MAY23.pdf

Macaroni

HR001123S0041

Proposers Day May 26, 2023

Marisa Meloney Contracting Officer

DARPA Contracts Management Office

Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited.

Proposers Day Disclaimer

A lot of information is made available to potential proposers to clarify program goals/objectives and proposal preparation instructions.

However:

• Only the information/instructions in the BAA counts

• Proposals will only be evaluated in accordance with the instructions provided in the BAA

• Any response provided by the Government in the FAQ that’s different than what is provided in the BAA will be made formal by an amendment to the BAA

• Such responses will make note of an impending BAA amendment

BAA trumps anything said during Proposer Day and this brief

Only a duly authorized Contracting Officer may obligate the Government

BAA Overview

Described in Federal Acquisition Regulation Part 35:

– For the acquisition of basic and applied research

– FAR 35.016 (a): Shall only be used when “meaningful proposals with varying technical/scientific approaches can be reasonably anticipated.”

– BAAs allow for a variety of technical solutions

– The BAA defines the problem set, the proposer defines the solution (and SOW)

DARPA Scientific Review Process

– Proposals are evaluated on individual merit and relevance as it relates to the stated research goals/objectives rather than against one another

– Selections will be made to proposers whose proposals are determined to be most advantageous to the Government, all factors considered, including potential contributions to research program and availability of funding

Government may select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received Government may accept proposals in their entirety or select only portions thereof Government may elect to establish portions of proposal as options

BAA Overview, Cont’d

Multiple Awards Anticipated

Multiple award instrument types:

– Procurement contract

– Other Transaction

Anticipated Funding Type:

– 6.2 (Applied Research)

– Restricted Research for for-profit team members (prime or subcontractor)

– Fundamental Research for universities (prime or subcontractor)

Research will be classified (BAA will have a classified addendum) - this will impact teaming.

Program Layout & Schedule

– Technical Area 1 addresses receivers

– Technical Area 2 addresses transmitters

– Phase 1 (base): 18 months

– Phase 2 (option): 18 months

– Phase 3 (option): 9 months

BAA Process/Timeline

1. BAA published: ~ end of May to early June timeframe

2. Proposers Day: May 26, 2023

3. Request for SCG and Classified Addendum: on or before Abstract due date

4. Abstracts Due: ~July 2023

5. Government Abstract Responses: ~ August 2023

4. * FAQ Submission Deadline: ~ 2 weeks before proposal due date

5. Proposals Due: ~ mid September 2023

7. Proposals are checked for BAA compliance

Non-conforming proposals are not reviewed (and cannot be selected)

8. Government conducts Scientific Review Process

Clarification requests may be sent to various proposers

8. Government sends out notification letters: ~ November 2023

9. Contracts negotiated & awarded (performance start): ~ February 2024

The BAA will have the complete date/time information Monitor SAM.gov for any BAA amendment(s)

Eligibility Issues

All interested/qualified sources may respond subject to the parameters outlined in BAA

Foreign participants/resources may participate to the extent allowed by applicable Security Regulations, Export Control Laws, Non-Disclosure Agreements, etc. (Classified BAA addendum – impact to teaming)

FFRDCs and Government entities:

- Are not prohibited by the BAA from proposing

- Are, however, subject to applicable direct competition limitations

- Are, however, required to demonstrate eligibility (sponsor letter)

The burden to prove eligibility for all such team members rests with the proposer

All elements of a proposal (tech and cost, prime and subs – even FFRDC team members) must be included in the prime’s submission

Real and/or Perceived Conflicts of Interest:

- Identify any conflict/s

- If any are identified, a mitigation plan must be included

Abstracts (1 of 2)

Abstracts are strongly encouraged:

1. They minimize unnecessary effort in proposal preparation and review

2. They reduce the potential expense of preparing an out of scope proposal

The abstract provides a synopsis of the proposed project (tech and budget)

Government will reply by letter with one of two possible responses:

1. Encourage full proposal, and may provide feedback

2. Discourage full proposal, and will provide feedback

DARPA will not communicate further (verbally or in writing)

Regardless of DARPA’s response to an abstract, proposers may submit a full proposal

DARPA will review all full proposals submitted without regard to abstract recommendation/feedback

Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. 8

Submit as two separate submissions - an unclassified abstract with a classified addendum.

Submit one abstract per TA.

Submit UNCLASS submissions to the DARPA BAA Website (https://baa.darpa.mil) per the instructions in, “Abstract Submission Information,” of the BAA.

Submit classified abstract addendum to DARPA per “Security Information” section of the BAA.

Abstracts (2 of 2)

Full Proposal Ground Rules

KEY POINTS:

Two Technical Areas; separate proposals per TA; proposal addressing both TAs will be non-conforming.

Address all phases and metrics of the BAA to include the CLASSIFIED addendum.

An organization/company/individual can be on multiple proposals

Submit unclassified proposals ONLY to the DARPA BAA Website (https://baa.darpa.mil)

Click “Finalize Full Proposal” button (otherwise you have not submitted)

Submit classified proposal addendum to DARPA per “Security Information” section of the BAA Do not submit classified proposals/information to the DARPA BAA Website

If unsure, please ask questions (well before the proposal due date) Propose to the program (goals, objectives, metrics, schedule, deliverables) the BAA has defined, not to the program you desire

Volume 1: Technical/Management Proposal

– Be mindful of the page limitations

– Be sure to respond to all of the required “Detailed Proposal Information” items

• Technical Approach – is the centerpiece of the technical proposal

• Statement of Work – Organize by Phase/Option, then by Tasks. Define all tasks (what you are doing, not how you are doing it) and deliverables (data, software, and material items, as applicable).

– Classified Addendum with key program metrics & goals must be addressed in all proposals

– Keep an eye out for proposal preparation guidance in the “Funding Opportunity Description”

Volume 2: Cost Proposal

– No page limitations

– DARPA Standard Cost Proposal Spreadsheet (required for all instrument types)

– Fully detailed cost build-ups/estimates (Prime & Subcontractors)(All instrument types)

• Summary Cost Build-up: By phase and performer fiscal year

• Detailed Cost Build-up: By phase, technical task, and month

– Subcontractor proposals are required (to include SOW)

– No Rough Order of Magnitudes (ROMs)

– Certificate of Current Cost/Pricing Data will be required for any procurement contract award meeting the prescribed threshold (i.e., the adequate price competition exemption does not apply to BAAs)

Full Proposal Preparation

Volume 2: Cost Proposal

– DARPA Standard Cost Proposal Spreadsheet The Government requires that proposers* use the provided MS ExcelTM DARPA Standard Cost Proposal Spreadsheet in the development of their cost proposals. A customized cost proposal spreadsheet may be an attachment to this solicitation.

If not, the spreadsheet can be found on the DARPA website at http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/contract-management (under “Resources” on the right-hand side of the webpage). 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.

*University proposers requesting a grant, cooperative agreement, or Other Transaction for Research do not need to use the MS ExcelTM DARPA Standard Cost Proposal Spreadsheet. Instead, a proposed budget and justification may be provided using the SF-424 Research & Related Budget forms provided via https://www.grants.gov.

Use the single TA spreadsheet Do not make changes that are specifically prohibited by the instructions Questions are welcomed. Please direct them to costproposal@darpa.mil

Full Proposal Preparation, cont’d

Data Rights

Government desires as few restrictions as possible

– A minimum of Government Purpose Rights is the expectation

If asserting less than Unlimited Rights (e.g., Restrictions):

– Provide and justify basis of assertions using the prescribed format

– Explain how each item will be used to support the proposed research project

– Explain how the Government will be able to reach its program goals (including technology transition)

The proposer (prime) must submit a Data Rights Cert covering the entire team (prime and subcontractors), as applicable Provide a Data Rights Cert no matter the instrument type being proposed This information is assessed during evaluations (barriers to transition)

Non-Conforming Proposal Determinations

Failure to submit proposal on time – non-conforming!

– Proposal due date and BAA closing date are the same – so, late is late!

Failure to submit using the correct mechanism – non-conforming!

– Unclassified proposals ONLY to DARPA BAA website

– Classified proposals/information ONLY per “Security Information” section of the BAA

Failure to submit both proposal volumes – non-conforming!

– OT proposals must also include a full cost volume (Cost Realism is an evaluation criterion for all proposals)

– OT proposals must also include a detailed list of payment milestones (Milestone Plan)

Pages beyond the page limitation (tech prop) – additional pages will not be reviewed

ROM/s instead of full subcontract cost proposal/s – non-conforming!

– “I didn’t have time to get the subcontract proposal(s)” will not change the outcome

– “My subcontractor/s would not give me a proposal” will not change the outcome

Missing FFRDC or Government Entity cost proposal – non-conforming!

Communications

Prior to Receipt of Proposals (Solicitation Phase): Follow instructions in BAA Typically handled through the FAQ, but see BAA exceptions (e.g., security)

After Receipt of Proposals/Prior to Selections (Scientific Review Phase): Limited to Contracting Officer or BAA Coordinator (with approval) to address clarifications requested by the review team Proposal cannot be changed in response to clarification requests

After Selection/Prior to Award (Negotiation Phase): Negotiations are conducted by the Contracting Officer PM and/or COR typically tasked with finalizing the SOW (with PI) PM and/or COR typically involved in any technical discussions (i.e., partial selection discussions) Pre-award costs will not be reimbursed unless a pre-award cost agreement is negotiated prior to award

Informal Feedback Sessions (Post Selection): May be requested/provided once the selection(s) are made

– If made on a timely basis (~2 wks after letter), all requests will be accepted

Referenced Links http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/contract-management#SolicitationContracting (General DARPA contract management information) (DARPA Standard Cost Proposal Spreadsheet) http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/additional-baa (general BAA info pertaining to all instrument types) http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/procurementcontracts (info pertaining to contracts) https://acquisitioninnovation.darpa.mil/ (info pertaining to OTs) http://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/reps-certs (DARPA-specific reps and certs for all instrument types) (Note August 2020 version of 52.204-24)(Similar is required for OTs as well)