COFFEE_Proposers_Day-CMO-3_May_2024.pdf

COFFEE (TA2)

Proposers Day

8 May 2024 Niko Georgakopoulos

Contracting Officer DARPA Contracts Management Office

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

Proposers Day Disclaimer

Lots of information is made available to potential proposers to clarify program goals/objectives and proposal preparation instructions - those things that are stipulated in the BAA

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

Only a duly authorized Contracting Officer may obligate the Government

Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. 2

BAA Overview BAAs allow for a variety of technical solutions

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

– Allows for multiple award instrument types:

• Procurement Contract, Grant/Cooperative Agreement, or Other Transaction

• Anticipated Funding Type: 6.2 (Applied Research) Restricted research for for-profit team members (prime or subcontractor) Fundamental research for universities (prime and subcontractor)

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

3Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited.

Eligibility Issues

Foreign participants/resources may participate to the extent allowed by applicable Security Regulations, Export Control Laws, Non-Disclosure Agreements, etc.

FFRDCs and Government entities:

- 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

4Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited.

Proposal Abstracts (If Applicable in the BAA)

Abstracts are highly 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 rational

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

5Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited.

Data Rights Government desires as few restrictions as possible - however….

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)

6Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited.

Pitfalls That Delay Proposal Review or Result in Non-Conforming

Failure to submit proposal on time - noncompliant!

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

Failure to submit using the correct mechanism - noncompliant!

– Unclassified proposals (for procurement contract or OT) ONLY to DARPA BAA website

– Grant/Cooperative Agreement proposals ONLY to grants.gov

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

Failure to submit both proposal volumes - noncompliant!

– 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) - pages will not be reviewed (or could result in being deemed noncompliant!)

ROM/s instead of full subcontract cost proposal/s - noncompliant!

– “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 – noncompliant!

7Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited.

Communications

Prior to Receipt of Proposals (Solicitation Phase): No restrictions, however Gov’t (PM/PCO) shall not dictate solutions or transfer technology Typically handled through the FAQ, but see BAA exceptions

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 wk after letter), all requests will be accepted

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

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) https://www.darpaconnect.us/home

9Distribution Statement A. Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited.