RFQ HR001124Q0002 Amendment 01 RFQ and Attachments tracked changes.pdf

HR0011-24-Q-0002 Amendment 01

REQUEST FOR QUOTE (RFQ)

THE DEFENSE ADVANCED RESEARCH PROJECTS AGENCY (DARPA)

BLANKET PURCHASE AGREEMENT (BPA)

DARPA COMMERCIAL ACCELERATORS

1. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Commercial Strategy Office has a requirement for Senior Commercialization Advisor (SCA) Support Services titled “DARPA Commercial Accelerators.” This Request for Quotation (RFQ) is prepared in accordance with FAR Subpart 13.303.

2. You may participate by submitting your response under the instructions that follow. The Contracting Officer intends to establish multiple BPAs as a result of this notice.

3. It is anticipated that a series of cCall oOrders will be issued to meet SCA requirements. The government estimates, but does not guarantee, that the volume of cCall oOrders through these agreements will be approximately $25,000,000 aggregated among all BPA hHolders for the duration of the BPAs.

4. The Government contemplates awarding the following cCall oOrders to BPA hHolders prior to the award of their first SCA Tasks Call Order (SOW Tasks 0 through 10).

Call Order 1 – Stand-Up Activities, SOW Tasks A through E.

5. This BPA does not commit the government to pay any cost for the preparation and submission of a quote. Furthermore, the government is under no obligation to procure any supplies or services relative to this request. You are reminded that the Contracting Officer is the only person who can legally commit the government to the expenditure of funds in connection with this requirement.

6. BPA Term. The BPA expires three years after date of establishment.

The anticipated start date of this BPA is 7 June 2024.

7. Orders will be placed in accordance with the procedures outlined in FAR 13.303-5 and the attached ordering procedures. Orders are expected to be fully funded.

8. Your quote must be submitted by 6 May 2024, 312:00PM to

DARPA_Commercial_Accelerators@darpa.mil.

9. Other Considerations

License/Data Rights/Trademark/Proprietary Information: Specific terms and conditions of proposed license and other agreements will be negotiated and tracked at the cCall oOrder.

SAM Registration: Quoters will need to be registered in SAM.gov prior to receiving a BPA. Any interested entity not already registered in SAM.gov is highly encouraged to start their registration as soon as possible by visiting the registration link at SAM.gov | Entity Registrations. For easy reference, the SAM.gov Entity Registration Checklist is attached to this RFQ.

Attachments:

1) Statement of Work

2) Call Ordering Instructions

3) Non-Disclosure Agreement

4) Instructions to Quoters

5) Evaluation Criteria and Methodology

6) Quote Template

7) SAM.gov Entity Registration Checklist

8) Provisions and Clauses 7)9) Questions and Answers

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STATEMENT OF WORK (SOW)

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1.0 Contract Title: DARPA Commercial Accelerators.

2.0 Background: The mission of DARPA’s Commercial Strategy program is to accelerate transition opportunities for DARPA Pperformers* to end users in the Department of Defense (DoD), the U.S. Government, Allied Partners, and the commercial sector.

* A DARPA Pperformer is a contractor that is under contract to DARPA to perform specific research and development (R&D) related to a specific program. More information can be found here: https://www.darpa.mil/attachments/DI70.pdf.

The goals of the Commercial Strategy program are to:

Prevent problematic foreign investment in DARPA-funded technologies.

Ensure that technologies developed through DARPA investment survive the “valley of death” between demonstrated technology and availability for national and economic security deployment.

Aggressively accelerate the pace at which new technology developments become available for national security needs.

Address and de-risk the highest market inefficiencies that prevent DARPA-funded technologies from transitioning.

Commercial Strategy intends to achieve these goals by conducting the foundational entrepreneurial research required to design technologies of relevance and value to the market, formulate strong go-to-market strategies, and increase the likelihood that DARPA Pperformers secure U.S. investment, grow domestically, and provide new capabilities for national defense.

The expertise and experience required to support DARPA’s Commercial Strategy programs and other transition activities include early-stage research, early-stage company building (pre-seed, seed, Series A), entrepreneurial training, translational research, venture investment deal sourcing, evaluation and execution, licensing agreement drafting and negotiation, a broad network of relevance to transitioning technology to U.S. Government users such as systems integrators, testing and evaluation labs, U.S. Government acquisition programs, high-tech private equity or venture capital investors, and due diligence for identifying and mapping investors and corporations whose association with the transition of DARPA technologies could be problematic to national security.

3.0 Objectives: The objective of this BPA is to have qualified Senior Commercial Advisor (SCA) Support providers across the U.S. that meet the below Statement of Work (SOW) requirements.

These SCA Support providers will advise and assist the Commercial Strategy team in managing DARPA Pperformers with transition activities. Multiple providers who assist Commercial Strategy in managing DARPA Pperformers will ensure the best fit for each DARPA Pperformer, foster

265 April 2024 competition, and infuse technology development capability. Each contractor DARPA Commercial Accelerator shall provide experts with technological and industry proficiency to conduct ongoing, iterative assessments of the technical solutions’ commercial viability.

4.0 Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative/Minimum Viable Product (EEI/MVP): The EEI/MVP Tasks performed by the DARPA Commercial Accelerator, establishes a repeatable and scalable program for DARPA Pperformers that addresses the following challenges and inefficiencies:

1. De-risk the business challenges (as opposed to technical challenges) and accelerating the pace and scale of bringing products and services to Market

2. Identify sources of capital to bridge the “valley of death” often associates with the long-lead procurement processes at DoD and the cost of productizing technology.

3. Identify Market opportunities for DARPA technologies with high potential for enhancing national security but may not have a readily identifiable commercial market or be cost effective in a commercial market.

4. Outflank adversaries who seek to impede a breakthrough technology from being used for U.S. national security uses by investing and taking ownership in a successful DARPA Performer.

5. Identify Domestic or U.S.-friendly manufacturing locations that are essential for national security uses.

6. Provide expertise to overcome regulatory hurdles which are often a significant barrier for EEI/MVP Performers.

7. Provide expert guidance on bringing some technologies to Market that have the most potential to enhance national security but are classified, limiting those who can provide guidance for certain EEI/MVP Performers.

5.0 DARPA Commercial Accelerators as a Fund Strategy: DARPA’s mission is focused on bringing the highest-potential, game-changing technology to the warfighter. DARPA Commercial Accelerators extends that mission to bringing those same game-changing innovations to the commercial market. However, rarely are technology development contracts sufficient to successfully productize and commercialize a technology; they need access to capital.

Therefore, DARPA Commercial Accelerators performers must be able to articulate how their investment strategies align to the 14 Critical Technology Areas and that DARPA performers, having already demonstrated technological success, can leverage those investment pools to achieve commercial success.

The 14 Critical Technology Areas, identified by the DoD and shown below, are vital to maintaining the national security of the United States. These areas are grouped into three categories that represent different approaches to fulfilling the advanced technology needs, and different funding approaches, of the DoD. DARPA Commercial Accelerators performers should have investment funds whose strategies align to a set of these fourteen technology areas.

DoD Critical Technology Areas:

Seed Areas of Emerging Opportunity

1. Biotechnology

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2. Quantum Science

3. Future Generation Wireless Technology (FutureG)

4. Advanced Materials

Effective Adoption Areas – where there is existing vibrant commercial sector activity

5. Trusted AI and Autonomy

6. Integrated Network Systems-of-Systems

7. Microelectronics

8. Space Technology

9. Renewable Energy Generation and Storage

10. Advanced Computing and Software

11. Human-Machine Interfaces

Defense-Specific Areas

12. Directed Energy

13. Hypersonics

14. Integrated Sensing and Cyber

6.0 Scope: The contractor DARPA Commercial Accelerator will provide support to DARPA and its Government partners through Ccall oOrders within scope of Senior Commercial Advisor (SCA) and Embedded Entrepreneur (EE) Support Services.

It is anticipated that tasks for EE Support Services may be added to this SOW at a later time.

7.0 Tasks:

7.1 STANDUP ACTIVITIES (CLINs 0001, 1001 and 2001)

Task A. SCA Recruitment and Retention Plan DARPA Commercial Accelerators shall create and provide to DARPA a Recruitment and Retention Plan for recruiting and retaining Senior Commercial Advisors.

Task B. Data Template, Data Reporting Training, Data Test Plan and Demonstration on Ability to Provide Data to DARPA DARPA Commercial Accelerators shall create and provide a plan and process to DARPA for providing DARPA with data collected and generated by the proposer during the execution of the SCA Tasks as well as data required by DARPA Commercial Strategy for assessing potential investment pathways as necessary.

Task C. Conflicts of Interest Policy, Training, and Implementation DARPA Commercial Accelerators shall create and provide to DARPA an appropriate Conflict of Interest Policy and associated training and implementation process.

Task D. SCA Training, Templates, and Best Practices DARPA Commercial Accelerator Proposers will create and provide to DARPA training briefings, templates for standardization of SCA Tasks, and maintain best practices for each SCA Task.

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Task E. Prep and Kick-Off workshop with DARPA DARPA Commercial Accelerators Performers shall plan and conduct preparation and kickoff workshops in collaboration with DARPA Commercial Strategy.

7.2 DARPA COMMERCIAL ACCELERATORS SCA TASKS

7.2.1 Election Form/Deal Team (CLINs 0011, 1011, 2011)

Task 0: DARPA Training/Socialization Task 0: DARPA Training/Socialization SCA attends required DARPA training (security, document handling, etc.) and orientation events.

Task 1: Initial Due Diligence In this task, the SCA and DARPA Systems Engineering and Technical Advisory (SETA) support team review the nomination and confirms the assessment that the nomination should proceed to Task 2, Full Due Diligence.

Key elements of the initial due diligence

• Confirm High potential value for both National and Economic Security

• Tech validation by Program Manager (PM)

• Second tech validation by other DARPA PM/Subject Matter Expert (SME) if the project is a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) project

• Confirm challenge is to reduce key business risk vs. R&D

• Confirm DARPA Pperformer has demonstrated leveraged private capital (if applicable)

• Confirm DARPA Pperformer has successfully transitioned into DoD (if applicable)

• Confirm fit into portfolio targets

Some DARPA Pperformers may have previous success in raising private capital and if so, it should be noted in the initial due diligence report. Moreover, special attention should be paid to DARPA performers Performers who are serial SBIR contract recipients. These DARPA Pperformers may not be strong candidates for commercialization as their business interest are more aligned to technology demonstration and not productization. Be sure to confirm the DARPA Pperformers intent and ability to follow through with a commercialization strategy that includes scaling and fund raising as appropriate.

Task 2: Full Due Diligence In this task, the SCA prepares an Election Form which is a business case for the commercialization of the DARPA Pperformer’s technology or product. Once the due diligence has reached a point where the SCA judges that the DARPA Performer has a potentially successful business case, the SCA will request a White Paper from the DARPA Pperformer that described how the DARPA Pperformer will use the Embedded Entrepreneur or MVP funding to achieve business success.

Key elements of the full due diligence include:

• Confirmation of current status (Team/Financials/Technology Readiness Level (TRL)/Market)

• Market analysis (2 primary interviews with SMEs)

• Competitive research and analysis

• Market facing development plan (go to market (GTM)) insights

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• Early adopters/category leader + candidates

• DOD/Commercial use cases and stakeholder POCs

• Intellectual property asset management

• Financial status, capital raise requirements, and leverage

• Risk methodology assessment

Optional Sub Tasks

• Manufacturing/production planning

• Techno Economic Assessment (TEA)

• ITAR/Global scale-up assessment

• Size of the value

• Outline team talent current state and talent requirements

• Identify key/potential leverage for proposed EEI/MVP

• List commercial considerations for proposed EEI/MVP

Task 3: EEI/MVP Start Pitch In this task, the SCA has completed due diligence and written the Election Form. The SCA has also received the final form of the White Paper from the DARPA PPerformer. The SCA presents the Election form and White Paper for approval. Deal Team presentations should propose EEI metrics of success customized to each DARPA Performer. If approved, the DARPA Pperformer is notified and invited by DARPA Commercial Strategy to submit an EEI/MVP program proposal via the Commercial Solutions Opening.

7.2.2 Coaching and Mentoring (CLINs 0021, 0022, 0023 1021, 1022, 1023 2021, 2022, and 2023)

Task 4: EEI Recruitment After the DARPA Pperformer has successfully been awarded an EEI/MVP program, the DARPA Commercial Accelerator and SCA will support hiring the Embedded Entrepreneur by contributing to and reviewing solicitation materials, candidate resume reviews, and potentially supporting candidate interviews. This task is also reportable by the DARPA Pperformer to the DARPA contracts office and Commercial Strategy SETA. The awarded EEI/MVP project will fund the EE.

• Discuss requirements with DARPA Pperformer based on SOW

• Draft requirements write-up

• Support service provider in finding qualified EE candidates for DARPA Pperformer which might include:

• Access to personal network of entrepreneurs, market experts, manufacturing experts, regulatory experts

• Engage recruiting experts with a track record for finding serial entrepreneurs

• Call and vet candidates for match to skills needed for DARPA Pperformer as appropriate

• Provide recommendations/intros to DARPA Pperformer as appropriate

• Report selection status to DARPA Commercial Strategy

Task 5: Coaching/Mentoring/Reporting Once a DARPA Pperformer has been awarded an EEI contract, and the Embedded Entrepreneur (EE) has been hired, the SCA will utilize a standardized format for assessing the business fundamentals of the DARPA Pperformer in order to provide insight for SOW formulation and to assess progress of the DARPA Pperformer throughout the Period of Performance.

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These business fundamentals include:

• Market/strategic opportunity

• Team

• Tech Validation/robustness

• Intellectual Property (IP) position

• Product definition/readiness

• Go-to-Market Plan

• Competitive Landscape

• Funding Amount Needed

These metrics will be updated monthly and will be briefed to the DARPA Commercial Strategy Team at the quarterly meetings.

Enabling an accelerated or sustainable national security/warfighter capability, seeding a commercial market, or realizing a social good under EEI/MVP/CSO program requires different success criterion and metrics to optimize and track the success and performance of Commercial Strategy efforts. Therefore, once a DARPA Pperformer is selected, categorize each by objective and the relevant criteria upon which success will be judged. Example objectives include:

• Possible objective: create a commercial product/market complementary to the national security/warfighter use case and raise private investment

• Possible objective: Find follow-on support from one of the military branches to further the national security/warfighter use case.

• Possible objective: Identify DoD prime contractors for which the national security/warfighter use case will fit their business and target partnership/acquisition/IP acquisition

• Provide Strategy on Business Planning, Talent Recruitment, J.V./Manufacturing, Licensing, Deal Structuring, Financial Structuring

• Provide Strategy on Go-To-Market Strategy for Commercial/DoD

• Provide business development intros to potential customers and alliances

• Provide potential private investment introductions and Strategies on capital considerations

• Pitch Deck Feedback

• Strategy on Manufacturing, Scale-up, TEA Analysis

• Other reduction of high business-risk activity

• SCA Commercialization activities may also include

• Techno-Economic Market Mapping

• Financial Modeling

• Licensing Strategies

• Manufacturing and Services Scale-up

• Third Party Validation

• Deal-Structuring

• Operational Modeling/Simulation

• Talent/Workforce Planning

• Regional Commercial/DOD Demonstrations

• Product-Market Fit

• Voice of the Customer Workshops

• Embedded Entrepreneur Recruitment

• Participate in Quarterly Reviews

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• Provide Monthly Activities/Transition updates to DARPA Box

Task 6: Review SoW/Task and Transition Events On a quarterly basis, the SCA review the EEI SoW and progress toward transition events. The SOW defines the activities of the EE and transition events are important progress milestones for the DARPA Pperformer with respect to the EEI/MVP program goals. A successful EE will create the business conditions for the DARPA Pperformer to achieve any number of transition events and are important metrics for DARPA Commercial Strategy

Transition events include:

• New/Increased Product/Services Revenue

• Venture Funds Raised

• Government Awards

• Jobs Created

• Joint Development Agreements

• Licensing Agreements

• New/Increased Manufacturing Capacity

• Mergers and Acquisitions

• New Company Formed

• Regulatory Approval

• Other Private Funds Raised

• Existence of Problematic Foreign Investment or Approaches

Task 7: Monthly Reports On a monthly basis, the SCA will provide a short report to DARPA Commercial Strategy summarizing their activities as they relate to each of their DARPA Pperformers and Task status.

Task 8: Close Out At the end of the EEI program, the SCA conducts a close out interview with the DARPA Pperformer and the EE

• Meeting with DARPA/SCA/EE/DARPA Performer

• Confirm/validate SOW file location/complete

• Request/document feedback from EE and DARPA Pperformer

• Provide lessons learned/insights to DARPA

• Confirm close-out form completion

7.2.3 XXX

Task 9: Quarterly Reviews On a quarterly basis, the SCA will provide a briefing at the DARPA Commercial Strategy Quarterly Review.

7.2.3 XXXOptional SCA Commercialization Tasks

Task 10: Optional SCA Commercialization Tasks An SCA may propose, additional commercialization tasks for DARPA Commercial Strategy review and approval.

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8.0 Place of performance: Place of performance will be specified at the cCall oOrder level.

9.0 Period of performance: The master agreement will have an ordering period of three (3) years with cCall oOrder end dates not exceeding twelve (12) months past the BPA ordering period.

Specific periods of performance will be identified at the cCall oOrder level but anticipated to be twelve (12) months each.

10.0 Delivery schedule: Delivery schedules will be specified at the cCall oOrder level.

11.0 Government Furnished Equipment (GFE)/Government Furnished Information (GFI):

GFE and GFI requirements will be identified at the cCall oOrder level.

12.0 BPA Review: The Contracting Officer will review each BPA at least annually and conduct formal market research to ensure each BPA represents the “best value.” If necessary, BPAs will be updated at that time.

13.0 Authority to Place Order: Only DARPA Contracting Officers are authorized to place orders under this BPA. ALL work contemplated under this BPA shall directly support DARPA Programs only.

14.0 Ordering Procedures: Orders shall be placed in accordance with the procedures outlined in FAR 13.303-5 and the attached ordering procedures.

15.0 Invoices: Invoices will be submitted in accordance with the instructions specified within each cCall oOrder issued against this BPA.

16.0 Call Order Terms and Conditions: The terms and conditions included in this BPA apply to all cCall oOrders made pursuant to it.

Attachment # 2 526 April 2024

CALL ORDERING INSTRUCTIONS

DARPA COMMERCIAL ACCELERATORS

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NOTE: All BPA Call Orders must be executed and issued no later than the end of the ordering period (three years after BPA award). Call Orders can extend until twelve months after the end of the ordering period.

REMINDER: This agreement is primarily intended to use the BPA hHolder’s unique qualifications and capabilities as support to the Government on DARPA programs with Senior Commercialization Advisors (SCAs). The support provided under this agreement shall be directly provided to DARPA, its Government partners, and DARPA contractor performers.

The master Statement of Work (SOW) that defines the scope of this effort should be referenced whenever new work is being considered.

Please note that the DARPA Contracting Officer (KO) is the only individual with authority to authorize the commencement of any work provided by a BPA hHolder and obligate funds on behalf of the US Government.

Step 1: Nominate DARPA Performer/Technology For Commercialization

The DARPA Program Manager (PM) nominates a DARPA Performer/technology and development team for commercialization through the internal DARPA Portal. The DARPA Commercial Strategy Team (CST) will review nominations bi-weekly to determine the technologies appropriate for commercialization through this BPA.

Step 2: DARPA KO Review of the Call Order Request

The CST will submit a Call Order Request, to include the ROM, to the DARPA KO for review.

The DARPA KO will determine whether the Call Order Request is within scope of the BPA and appropriate to be placed onto a BPA as a cCall oOrder. If the request is not deemed appropriate to be placed on a BPA, the DARPA KO will contact the CST with recommended changes, requests for additional information, or appropriate alternatives to execute the work in a timely manner.

Step 3: Request for Quotes and Quote Preparation

Once the DARPA KO determines the Call Order Request is appropriate to be placed onto a BPA and that adequate funds are available on an existing DARPA Commercial Accelerators Purchase Requisition (PR), the DARPA KO will issue a Request for Quote (RFQ) to all the DARPA Commercial Accelerator BPA hHolders. BPA hHolders can expect at a minimum, the following information:

Program Name and Description DOD Critical Technology Area Technology Description Market Opportunity Current Solution Unique Approach Risks (Adoption Risk, Development Risk, Compliance Barrier, Supply Chain Gap, Talent Gap) DARPA Performer and Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) or DUNS or URL

Interested BPA hHolders will then submit a Qquote to include pricing, SCA resume(s) and any special considerations within five (5) business days of receiving the RFQ to the DARPA KO, with a copy also going to the CST, by e-mail. Pricing and resumes will not have a page limitation; however, any special considerations will be limited to 1 page. Any supporting pricing information, such as the basis for travel cost estimates, shall be submitted as an Excel document.

Step 4: Quote Acceptance, PR Execution, Call Order Award

The CST, will evaluate the quotes to determine the quote and BPA hHolder that offers the best value to the Government. Any questions for the BPA hHolders shall be submitted to the DARPA KO to address with the BPA hHolders. Once all the quotes have been evaluated, the CST will submit an award recommendation and supporting justification to the DARPA KO.

Once the terms and conditions of the best value quote are negotiated and agreed upon by both the BPA hHolder and the DARPA KO, the one cCall oOrder will be awarded by issuing a new cCall oOrder.

Step 5: Call Order Execution - Election form / deal team The cCall oOrder execution phase is divided into two parts: (1) Election Form / Deal Team and

(2) Coaching and Mentoring.

During Election Form / Deal Team step, the assigned SCA performs due diligence on the technology and startup team to develop an Election Form and associated white paper. The election form is an investment case that summarizes the DARPA Performer’s program and provides the CST with the information required to judge the DARPA Performer’s potential success in the marketplace such as competitive position, market size, intellectual property, and risk. Once the Election Form and white paper are complete, the SCA briefs the DARPA Deal Team during one of their regularly scheduled meetings and provides answers to any detailed questions. Included in the DARPA Deal Team brief, the BPA hHolder will recommend to the DARPA Deal Team the complexity of the commercialization required. The DARPA Deal Team then votes to progress the DARPA Performer to coaching and mentoring or rejects the opportunity.

Step 6: Call Order Execution - Coaching and Mentoring (Optional CLIN)

The DARPA KO will exercise the Coaching and Mentoring Option CLIN associated with the recommended and agreed upon complexity level. During coaching and mentoring the DARPA pPerformer is on contract and executing the EEI program. The SCA plays a key role in tracking, coaching, and supporting the DARPA pPerformer and their embedded entrepreneur (EE).

During this phase, the SCA is monitoring progress toward major milestones in the program and regularly reporting status to the CST. The SCA also plays an important role in connecting the DARPA pPerformer to potential funding sources and customers that may exist outside of the DARPA pPerformer’s or EE’s network. In the way, the SCA acts as a bridge from the contract to the commercial marketplace.

During the cCall oOrder execution phase (Step 5 & 6), the BPA hHolder and the CST are encouraged to communicate with each other frequently to ensure that both parties are satisfied with the progress of the work agreed upon in the SOW and that all deliverables are being met.

If, during the performance of the cCall oOrder, there is a desire for a change to the scope of work or any deliverable, the BPA hHolder and the CST must refer such changes to their respective contracting offices for disposition. Note that only the DARPA KO is authorized to make any changes to these BPAs or resulting cCall oOrders. Any contract or performance issues shall be brought to the attention of the CST , DARPA KO, and the BPA hHolder Contract Manager.

Attachment #14 26 April 2024

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Attachment 4 Instructions to QuotersINSTRUCTIONS TO QUOTERS

The quote shall be clear, concise, and include sufficient detail for an effective evaluation, and for substantiating the validity of any stated claims. Quotes shall not simply rephrase or restate the Government’s requirements, but rather shall provide convincing rationale to address how the Quoter intends to meet the requirements. Quoter shall assume that the Government has no prior knowledge of their experience or best practices, and that technical evaluation will be based only on the information presented in the Quoter’s quote.

Cover Page:

Quoter must submit include a one (1) page cover page as the first page for each Quote Volume that includes the following:

Name of Quoter “HR0011-24-Q-0002 DARPA Commercial Accelerators” Unique Entity Identifier (UEI), Cage Code and/or DUNS Number or status of obtaining one of these identifiers..

Contact information for technical and price issues or questions.

List of Critical Technology Areas (see SOW) Qquoter has proficiency in. Quoters are not expected to be proficient in multiple Critical Technology Areas.

Statement of Qquoter’s compliance with the solicitation terms and conditions, and acknowledgement of all amendments (if applicable). If the Quoter takes exception to any solicitation terms and conditions, the rationale must be provided separately and has no page limitations.

Volume Content and Limits:

The page limits listed in the table below are maximum page limits. Pages submitted in excess of the stated page limitations will be removed and not evaluated. Page/margin size –Single-spaced on 8½ x 11 inch paper format, with a minimum one-inch margin all around. Pages shall be numbered consecutively. Price information shall not be included in Volume I.

VOLUME VOLUME TITLE PAGE LIMITS

I Volume I Cover Page 1 I Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Quote Narrative 5

I Appendix: Resumes (up to ten resumes) 1 page each resume 10 pages total

I Appendix: Managing Conflicts of Interest No limit II Volume II Cover Page 1 II Price No limit

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Questions Due Date:

Any questions pertaining to this RFQ shall be submitted in writing via email to DARPA_Commercial_Accelerators@darpa.mil no later than 12:00 PM Eastern Time on Tuesday, 16 April 2024 and must include “HR0011-24-Q-0002 DARPA Commercial Accelerators” and your company name in the subject line of the email. Phone calls and requests for meetings pertaining to this RFQ will not be accepted.

Quote Due Date:

Quote shall be submitted via email to DARPA_Commercial_Accelerators@darpa.mil no later than 12:00PM Eastern Time on Monday, 6 May 2024 and must include “HR0011-24-Q-0002 DARPA Commercial Accelerators” and your company name in the subject line of the email.

NOTE: When sending electronic files, the Quoter shall account for potential delays in file transfer. Quoters are encouraged to submit their responses early to minimize problems encountered in the course of the submission. All submissions shall be received in their entirety before the due date and time in order to be considered. E-mail transmission to a government address is not instantaneous and delays in transmission often occur. The Government takes no responsibility for any delays in the transmission of an e-mail submission.

Attachment #15

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Attachment 5 Evaluation Criteria and MethodologyEVALUATION CRITERIA AND

METHODOLOGY

BASIS FOR AWARD

DARPA anticipates establishing multiple BPAs resulting from this RFQ which represent the best value to the government, price and other factors considered. The evaluation factors for this BPA are 1) Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Quote Narrative and 2) Price.

DARPA will evaluate the degree to which vendors demonstrate the ability to accomplish the efforts in the SOW using the evaluation criteria provided. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, one, or none of the quotes received in response to this RFQ and to make awards without exchanges with qQuoters. The Government also reserves the right to conduct exchanges if it is later determined to be necessary.

EVALUATION CRITERIA

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS (KPIs)

The ultimate goal of the DARPA Commercial Accelerator program is to commercialize DARPA-funded technologies across any number of markets thus assuring the success of the Embedded Entrepreneur Initiative/Minimum Viable Product (EEI/MVP) pPerformer. The program accomplishes this goal in part by helping DARPA Performers develop product strategies, customer relationships and go-to-market plans, identify non-adversarial funding (investments from rival nations in U.S. companies that could block the DOD from working with them for national security reasons) for growth and scale through capital markets, strategic partnerships, or government awards/contracts, and ultimately secure such customers and funding.

This assistance is to be provided by Senior Commercial Advisors (SCAs) and the Embedded Entrepreneurs (EEs) who work with the EEI/MVP Performers to guide them on their journey to Market.

DARPA Commercial Accelerators are responsible for identifying, assigning, and managing SCAs based on the requirements of each DARPA pPerformer that can be derived from a combination of the DARPA Performer’s business maturity, product market readiness, and customer access.

DARPA Commercial Accelerators are expected to have the following attributes. Quoters shall discuss these and other qualifications relevant to this RFQ in the narrative response section:

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1. Deep and robust strategies and capabilities for introducing EEI/MVP Performers to private capital networks with the appropriate risk tolerance, the fields of interest, and a focus on early-stage investments.

2. An understanding of the qualifications needed for successful SCAs.

3. A robust, cost-effective capability for providing qualified SCAs and identifying EEs from within their professional network.

4. Track record of supporting entrepreneurs in commercializing their technology.

5. Management and program support tools in place to monitor the progress of their SCAs throughout the DARPA Performer’s EEI/MVP program.

In summary, qQuoters should address their ability to provide DARPA Commercial Accelerator services in accordance with the attributes and criteria listed in Table 1 and supporting descriptions below it.

Attribute Criterion Regional Innovation Ecosystem and Estimated Net Economic Benefit

Ranking (see below) for Startups/ Private Investors/ Workforce Talent

Track Record with Startup Performers Number of start-ups funded, funding levels, maturity of portfolio, exits, mergers, and acquisitions

Ramp-Up Time / Scalability / Adoption/

Organization’s agility measured in its ability to put teams in place, velocity of deal flow, and ability to instantiate and grow teams of subject matter experts.

Economics and Financial Performance Number, sizes, and returns for funds

Market Reach and Dual-Use Number of markets addressed and DoD/commercial products and services.

Professional Network

Number of performers in portfolios, connections to other funds, participation in regional development programs, connections to academic institutions and government agencies, etc.

Talent Number of subject matter experts on staff and in network that are potential Senior Commercial Advisor and Embedded Entrepreneur candidates.

Managing Special DoD Requirements DARPA Internal Project Requirements Table 1. DARPA Commercial Accelerator Screening Criteria. This table lists key performance attributes expected of any DARPA Commercial Accelerator performer and criteria for assessing the qQuoter’s fitness for being a DARPA Commercial Accelerator.

Regional Innovation Ecosystem and Estimated Net Economic Benefit (Table 1)

DARPA Commercial Accelerators Quoters should show how they have received development funds, what the impact of these funds have been for their portfolio companies, the net economic benefit created for their region, and how they will leverage all the potential opportunities in their region to promote the success of DARPA pPerformers in the EEI/MVP program.

With regard to facilitating ecosystem participation for pre-seed, seed, and series A start-ups, researchers, university spin-outs, and other growth-stage companies, describe in detail the following:

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1. Show how many development dollars you’ve received in support of your fund and portfolio companies.

2. Summarize your track record for raising funds from development organizations in your region.

3. How many performers have created a new product or capability that is being used by DoD commercial or both, followed by funds raised (private or govt) and then Merger and Acquisitions (M&A), exit, etc.

DARPA Commercial Accelerators will be in regions with a demonstrated track record of bringing together strategic investment capital, entrepreneurial talent, and commercial and DoD customers in order to ensure the most important DARPA-funded technology is advanced for national and economic security.

Regional ecosystems are ranked by the US Chamber and each regional Chambers of Commerce.

Rankings consider each region’s resources such as diverse employment opportunities, university research, location of federal labs and DoD bases, industry base, ability to attract private investment, and other unique regional infrastructure. Areas with high rankings attract high-tech accelerators and incubators with some regional governments even providing matching funds, development grants, and additional services to keep their region economically competitive.

Track Record with Startup Performers (Table 1)

With regard to facilitating ecosystem participation for pre-seed, seed, and series A start-ups, researchers, university spin-outs, and other growth-stage companies, describe in detail the following:

1. What is your process for building and growing your companies’, stakeholders’, and members’ inclusion and participation in the larger business ecosystem.

2. What is your track record (funds raised, deal velocity, number of exits, etc.) for identifying, funding, and exiting companies in your portfolio(s).

3. In addition to staff, what is your estimated percentage of membership or participation in regional opportunities and resources broken out by DoD, Universities, Investors, Entrepreneurs/Startups, Regional State/Non-profit (i.e. USG Government / DOD/Investor/Entrepreneur/Commercial/University/Non-Profits) etc.

Ramp up, Scalability, and Adoption (Table 1)

With regard to Ramp up, Scalability, and Adoptions and pre-seed, seed, and series A start-ups, researchers, university spin-outs, and other growth-stage companies, describe in detail your track record embedding teams in your portfolio performer organizations, the velocity of your deal flow (percentage of deals to looks, number of performers in your funds, time from first look to term sheet and funding, etc), and ability to identify and deploy subject matter experts in areas outside of or adjacent to your fund strategy.

Economics and Financial Performance (Table 1)

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With regard to capital raised for and products and services created by pre-seed, seed, and series A start-ups, researchers, university spin-outs, and other growth-stage companies, describe in detail your process or past performance in the following areas:

1. The number and type (e.g. VC, Family Offices, Angels, Corporate Venture Funds) of U.S. private sector investors that have been secured as funders.

2. The number and type of commercial products and/or services launched, fielded, or are otherwise currently offered for sale including into which markets or industries they are being sold. Specificity is required (e.g., commercial, domestic and/or international, DoD, or other US State of Federal Government agency). If sales are international, specify market sectors and countries.

3. The number of domestic commercial, DoD, or other US, State, or Federal Government agency adoptions of product and services containing one of the 14 DoD Critical Technologies (See Statement of Work) in excess of over $250M of combined in sales.

4. Track record and expertise for any other successful technology transitions in any of the 14 DoD Critical Technology Areas.

5. The process for vetting investors to ensure problematic adversarial sources of capital are not included in any fund raising.

6. Track record of putting in place mitigation plans if problematic foreign sources are identified.

EEI/MVP Performers must be able to attract commercial interest and investment coupled closely to the future needs of the DoD. Importantly, engagement with commercial interests and pursuit of investment should be focused on non-adversarial sources and consider the fourteen DoD technology areas identified in the SOW.

Market Reach and Dual Use (Table 1)

With regard to market reach and dual-use for and products and services created by pre-seed, seed, and series A start-ups, researchers, university spin-outs, and other growth-stage companies, describe in detail your process or past performance in the following areas:

1. Your process for connecting performers to sources of investment capital (conference sponsorships, pitch events, introductions, etc.)

2. The number and type of fund strategies you employ and the Market sectors you reach including commercial, dual-use, and U.S. Government.

3. The number and type of companies you’ve successfully exited and the Markets they serve including commercial, dual-use, and U.S. Government.

Professional Network (Table 1)

Show how you are connected to the broader regional and entrepreneurial ecosystem by listing the number of performers in portfolios, connections to other funds, participation in regional development programs, connections to academic institutions and government agencies, etc. and how you will leverage all the potential opportunities in their region to promote the success of DARPA performers in the EEI/MVP program.

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Talent (Table 1)

In this offering, the DARPA Commercial Accelerators Performer will provide SCAs and EEs from their region to work with DARPA EEI/MVP pPerformers. SCAs and EEs are highly experienced individuals with a demonstrable track record of technical and business success. The ideal regional SCA brings a wealth of knowledge and an extensive network to the EEI/MVP pPerformers. They have leadership experience in all stages of a successful start-up company including ideation and technology demonstration, productization, raising investment capital (venture, family offices, corporate R&D), executive management, and scale-up.

The SCA must have experience and a network in one or more key markets that can benefit from DARPA commercialization and are likely areas of market opportunity for DARPA pPerformers participating in the EEI/MVP program (e.g., aerospace, semiconductors, biotech, cyber, pharma, etc.). Moreover, SCAs must have the deep contacts to talent, with the ability to attract top candidates for the EEI/MVP pPerformer. The SCAs leverage their ecosystem to ensure that DARPA pPerformer can tap into other value-added services, infrastructure, etc.

In general, SCAs are required to support the tasks shown in Table 2 and selection for a BPA will also be predicated on their ability to support these tasks. In a complementary fashion, EEs are identified and selected based on the specific needs of the DARPA EEI/MVP pPerformer as identified by a collaboration between the DARPA Performer and the SCA and defined in a statement of work in the Performer’s EEI/MVP proposal.

SCA Task Description Due Diligence Business case analysis for the EEI/MVP investment to be presented to the Deal Team.

EEI Start Pitch SCA presents the business case and the performer’s EEI/MVP draft statement of work.

EE Recruitment The SCA will collaborate with the DARPA pPerformer to recruit an embedded entrepreneur.

This includes reviewing the EEI/MVP SoW, candidate qualifications, and identifying candidates from within their network.

Review SoW, Tasks, and Transition Events Review the progress of tasking in the Performer’s SoW and report on transition events such as additional government awards, jobs created, products launched, private equity, mergers and acquisitions, and new companies formed.

Coaching and Mentoring The SCA engages regularly with the DARPA Performer throughout the EEI/MVP contract to provide coaching and mentoring as appropriate and necessary.

Monthly and Quarterly Reporting The SCA provide written monthly status reports to DARPA Commercial Strategy and presents status at in-person Quarterly Reviews.

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EEI/MVP Close Out The SCA provides a written final report at the end of the EEI/MVP contract summarizing the performance of the EE and the results of the program.

Table 2. Summary of SCA Tasks. Senior Commercial Advisors play a key role in the EEI/MVP program in supporting the development of the commercial business case for DARPA investment in the DARPA Performer’s EEI/MVP program and in supporting and reporting on the progress of the Embedded Entrepreneur.

Summarize how you will assure that each SCA provides the expected level of support to the DARPA pPerformer, especially in the later phases of the EEI process such as coaching and mentoring, EEI performance reviews, and support for commercialization events.

Managing Special DoD Requirements (Table 1)

With regard to collaboration between DoD or other US Government agencies and pre-seed, seed, and series A start-ups, researchers, university spin-outs, and other growth-stage companies, describe in detail the following:

1. Any unique capabilities, facilities, and IT infrastructure you have for supporting the unique needs of some DoD and other US Government customers when developing products and/or services (e.g. clearances, secure facilities and networks, etc.)

2. Any restrictions you may have, including lack of facilities and IT infrastructure, that may limit interaction with DoD and other US Government agencies.

QUOTE NARRATIVE

In this section, qQuoter shall address how they are a good fit for the DARPA Commercial Accelerator program. This section may include but is not limited to unique capabilities and offering, cultural alignment, managing conflicts of interest, staffing plan, past experience, and any other special considerations as examples. The Government will also evaluate the following:

Unique capabilities and offering: A brief description of capabilities, processes or other specific qualities that make the qQuoter uniquely qualified to meet the needs of this RFQ.

Cultural Alignment: DARPA Commercial Accelerator must articulate how their culture aligns and track record aligns to the basic principles of DARPA culture. DARPA explicitly reaches for transformational change instead of incremental advances. DARPA is also collaborative, working within an innovation ecosystem that includes academic, corporate and governmental partners, with a constant focus on the DoD and National Security. This vibrant, interlocking ecosystem of diverse collaborators has proven to be a nurturing environment for the intense creativity that DARPA cultivates, and this same set of cultural tenets and practices extend to both the DARPA Commercial Strategy organization and DARPA Commercial Accelerators.

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MANAGING CONFLICTS OF INTERESTManaging Conflicts of Interest: (Appendix)

With regard to conflicts of interest between the qQuoter and DoD or other US Government agencies and pre-seed, seed, and series A start-ups, researchers, university spin-outs, and other growth-stage companies, describe in detail the following:

1. Your process for identifying conflicts of interest between your company, fund partners, SCAs, EEs, the U.S. Government, academia, business relationships, other sources of investment, partnerships, and /or other potential sources of conflicts not listed here including adversarial capital, if any, within your fund.

2. Your process for resolving conflicts of interest between your company, fund partners, SCAs, EEs, the U.S. Government, academia, business relationships, other sources of investment, partnerships, and /or other potential sources of conflicts not listed here including adversarial capital, if any, within your fund.

3. Your experience in the past in identifying and resolving any conflicts of interest listed above.

BPA Hholders, to include all subcontractors, will be required to establish an OCI mitigation plan with DARPA if the BPA holder Holder is a former, current, or potential future DARPA pPerformer on DARPA research contracts. BPA HoldersCommercial Accelerator will be permitted to establish an OCI mitigation plan with DARPA for this purpose.

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PRICE QUOTE

Your price quote must be a separate document, Volume II, and shall include pricing and basis for pricing for the following. Pricing for SCA Tasks shall be per DARPA Performer/technology nomination.:

Period CLIN Description

SOW

Tasks Complexity

CLIN

Type Price

Year 1 0001 Stand-up Activities A – E N/A FFP Year 1 0011 Election Form/Deal Team 0 – 3 N/A FFP Year 1 0021 Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Simple FFP Year 1 0022 Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Moderate FFP Year 1 0023 Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Complex FFP Year 1 0041 T&Eravel and Expenses N/A N/A T&M Year 2 1001 Stand-up Activities A – E N/A FFP Year 2 1011 Election Form/Deal Team 0 – 3 N/A FFP

Year 2 10121

Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Simple FFP

Year 2 1022 Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Moderate FFP

Year 2 10321

Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Complex FFP

Year 2 1041 Travel and ExpensesT&E N/A N/A T&M Year 3 2001 Stand-up Activities A – E N/A FFP Year 3 2011 Election Form/Deal Team 0 – 3 N/A FFP

Year 3 20122

Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Simple FFP

Year 3 2022 Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Moderate FFP

Year 3 20233

Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 98 Complex FFP

N/A 0030 Travel and Expenses N/A N/A T&M

NTE

$800,000.00

Year 3 2032 Coaching and Mentoring 4 – 8 Complex FFP Year 3 2041 Travel and ExpensesT&E N/A N/A T&M

*Historically each SCA would spend approximately 200, 300, 400 hours per DARPA Performer for simple, moderate and complex projects respectively. These level-of-effort (LOE) estimates are inclusive of all SCA Tasks (Tasks 0-8) over a 12-month effort.

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EVALUATION METHODOLOGY

Volume I – Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and Quote Narrative: The government will first evaluate the KPIs for all quotes.