HSTS04-14-R-BAA004-01.pdf

Broad Agency Announcement

HSTS04-14-R-BAA004-01

Date: 6 June 2014

TRANSPORTATION SECURITY INNOVATIVE CONCEPTS

HSTS04-14-R-BAA004 is being amended to now accept new BAA submissions during the period of time that the TSA is working to finalize the new BAA review and evaluation process. As such, Sections A.5 and C.1 have been updated.

INTRODUCTION:

This publication constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as contemplated in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016. A formal Request for Proposals (RFP), other solicitation, or additional information regarding this announcement will not be issued.

Readers should note that this is an announcement to declare TSA’s broad role in competitive funding of meritorious research across a spectrum of science and engineering disciplines.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will not issue paper copies of this announcement. TSA reserves the right to fund all, some or none of the proposals received in response to this BAA, a factor of which will depend upon availability of funds. TSA provides no funding for direct reimbursement of proposal development costs. Technical and cost proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this BAA will not be returned. It is the policy of TSA to treat all proposals as sensitive competitive information.

A. GENERAL INFORMATION

1. AGENCY NAME

Transportation Security Administration

2. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY TITLE

Transportation Security Innovative Concepts (TSIC) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

3. PROGRAM NAME

Not Applicable (N/A)

4. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY NUMBER

HSTS04-14-R-BAA004

Date: 30 May 2014

5. RESPONSE DATE

This announcement will remain open until 29 May 2015, until closed, or replaced by a successor BAA. From the initial start date of 30 May 2014 through 30 August 2014, the TSA will be accepting new BAA submissions (concept papers and proposals), however review and evaluations of new submissions will not occur until official implementation of the new, more focused BAA review and evaluation process. The new BAA process will seek to improve the quality of offeror submissions, efficiency of proposal evaluation and effectiveness in the fulfillment of the TSA’s mission objectives. A high level view, subject to change, of the new BAA process that the TSA anticipates implementing is attached to this BAA solicitation. An amendment to the BAA will be issued prior to 1 September 2014 that officially implements the new BAA process.

6. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION (THIS SECTION WILL CHANGE VIA FUTURE

AMENDMENT TO THIS SOLICITATION)

The TSA is interested in receiving proposals for research projects that support the TSA mission of ensuring the safety of the nation’s transportation. To this end, TSA seeks research across broad strategic areas which offer potential for advancement and improvement of TSA security operations, technologies, processes, human-factors, and capabilities. TSA is specifically interested in research that will provide for near term improvement of current security operations and capabilities. These areas include but are not limited to:

♦ Passenger and Baggage Screening ♦ Threat Assessment and Dissemination ♦ Cargo Screening ♦ Credentialing ♦ Exit Lane Control

Work funded under a BAA may include basic research, applied research, advanced technology development (ATD), prototyping, pilot demonstrations, and testing. FAR Part 35 restricts the use of research, such as this, to the acquisition of basic and applied research and that portion of advanced technology development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. Procurement instruments awarded under this BAA are strictly for those purposes as directed towards advancing the state of the art and increasing knowledge or understanding related to transportation security. Specifically, this BAA is not for the acquisition of technical, engineering, and other types of support services, nor is it for the acquisition of development or production of specific programs or requirements. TSA will not accept or consider submissions for concepts that are similar or identical to TSA’s or DHS S&T’s on-going/completed efforts, or on-going/ planned acquisition. TSA reserves the right to decline submissions that were previously proposed to TSA or DHS S&T and declined. TSA reserves the right to decline submissions to the BAA if the submissions are identical to submissions currently undergoing evaluation by TSA or DHS S&T. TSA works very closely with the Department of Homeland Security Office of Science and Technology (S&T) and other federal agencies on matters of research and development. To further this collaboration and coordination, TSA intends to continue to use other vehicles (including BAAs released by other agencies) when appropriate, but will accept submission on all subjects within scope of the BAA.

As a general guideline, technologies that have attained a proof of concept/prototype level of maturity is the target scope of the TSIC BAA. Proposals that are not mature enough to progress from proof of concept to prototype within a reasonable timeframe (12 to 18 months) are most likely not appropriate for submission under this BAA. Basic research submissions without a clear path to practical TSA applications will be declined. In addition, submissions whose sole purpose is to request an evaluation of a product (both new and old) will not be considered for award under this BAA. TSA will accept offers containing commercial services and items as long as the proposed concepts are consistent with the research opportunity description found within the BAA.

TSA reserves the right to reject submissions that meet the requirements of the BAA, but don’t meet current TSA mission needs as determined by TSA or whose estimated cost exceeds current budget constraints.

7. QUESTIONS

Questions of either a contractual or technical nature may be sent to the BAA POC at TSA- BAA@dhs.gov. All communications shall be submitted via e-mail. Do not include any classified or Sensitive Security Information (SSI) as defined in 49 CFR 1520) in questions. If offerors must ask questions that contain classified or SSI, please notify the BAA POC and additional instructions will be provided.

Answers to contractual questions related to this BAA will be addressed in the form of an Amendment and will be posted to the Federal Business Opportunities (FEDBIZOPPS) Webpage at https://www.fbo.gov. Answers to technical questions will be provided solely to the requester.

8. PROCUREMENT INSTRUMENT TYPES

Awards may take the form of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and other transaction agreements, as determined by the Contracting Officer at time of award. The amount and period of performance of each selected proposal may vary depending on the research area and the technical approach to be pursued by the selected offeror. Depending upon the details of the project, resulting procurements may be cost reimbursable, cost sharing, time and materials, fixed priced, or a combination.

9. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER AND TITLE

To be determined at time of award if a grant/cooperative agreement is used as a procurement instrument.

https://www.fbo.gov/

B. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

All responsible sources from academia and industry may submit proposals under this BAA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals.

However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation or for any small business socio-economic category. Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs) are eligible to receive awards under this BAA. Teaming arrangements between FFRDCs and eligible principal bidders are also allowed so long as they are permitted under the sponsoring agreement between the Government and the specific FFRDC.

Teams are also encouraged and may submit proposals in any and all areas. However, offerors must be willing to cooperate and exchange software, data and other information in an integrated program with other contractors, as well as with system integrators, selected by TSA.

"Exchange software" means that appropriate information must be shared with the members of the offerors’ team as well as those contractors that support TSA. Depending upon the specific circumstances , "exchange software" may only require releasing executable files, while in other situations source code may be required to be shared. If any subcontractors or teaming partners are proposed, offerors’ proposals shall clearly delineate the specific services to be performed by such subcontractors or teaming partners.

Some topics cover export controlled technologies. Research in these areas is limited to “U.S. persons” as defined in the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) - 22 CFR § 120.1 et seq.

C. PROPOSAL AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION (SUBJECT TO

CHANGE- THE OFFICIAL SUBMISSION PROCESS WILL BE INCORPORATED

VIA FUTURE AMENDMENT TO THIS SOLICITATION)

1. SUBMISSION PROCESS

Before 1 September 2014, the TSA Review Board will convene to discuss strategic agency areas of need, topics (no more than 5) and funding focused on the new BAA. The TSA BAA Review Board consists of qualified Government personnel who will be responsible for senior management oversight during the selection process. Offerors may submit “concept papers” of up to five (5) pages in length in response to this BAA, even though the official areas of need, topics, and funding have not yet been finalized. It is anticipated that these submssions will be allocated to an “open” topic area. The concept paper should be in a format analogous to that of a standard white paper which should outline the concept being proposed in congruence with the BAA principles detailed within this solicitation.

All offers shall be submitted electronically to TSA-BAA@dhs.gov with a subject line of the email that reads “TSA HSTS04-14-R-BAA004 Submission” and includes the company name and a short title of the concept. Submittals received after the response date will not be considered.

All offers will be evaluated by the BAA Technical Evaluation Team (TET) using the evaluation criteria detailed in this BAA. The TET will review concept papers, conduct clarification meetings with offerors and select promising concepts to be presented to the Review Board. The TET will be comprised of various subject matter experts and program officials with the appropriate technical and functional expertise necessary to provide a complete and balanced evaluation of concept paper submissions.

Offers submitted under the BAA are expected to be unclassified; however, classified concept papers are permitted if properly coordinated with TSA prior to submission by contacting TSA- BAA@dhs.gov. Proposal submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 15.207 and applicable law/regulations. Offerors are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information.

The Government is not placing any restrictions or limitations on the size of files that can be submitted electronically. For informational purposes, offerors shall limit transmission of an individual file to less than 10MB. If they transmit multiple emails that in total exceed 10MB, offerors must notify a point of contact as identified in the Special Notice via telephone before sending any emails so we may have an opportunity to move files or clear out the mailbox to enable the receipt of additional files. Offerors shall be solely responsible for knowing the limitations of their internet service provider. Offerors are encouraged to zip or separate large files into a number of smaller files and if necessary submit them within multiple emails.

Offerors may not submit proposals on CD-ROM or other electronic media. Offers submitted via facsimile or in hard copy format will NOT be considered.

Prior to any evaluation, the Government will check all files for viruses and ensure that all information is readable. In the event any files are defective (unreadable), the Government may only evaluate the readable electronic files. However, if the defective (unreadable) media renders a significant deficiency in the offeror’s proposal, the Government may consider the proposal incomplete and may not further consider such proposal for evaluation.

Offerors shall use a consistent title throughout the document which is descriptive of the work they cover and not be merely a copy of the title of this solicitation.

Offers must be in Microsoft Office 2007 compatible formats (e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and Project 2007 compatible format. All cost data shall be placed in EXCEL version 5.0 or later with formulas preserved. All concept papers and proposals shall be prepared to print on standard-size 8 ½” x 11” double spaced text only with foldouts as required. Each offeror shall utilize Times New Roman 12-point type. Reduction may be used only for tables and figures. If foldout pages are used, they shall not exceed 11” x 17”. Each foldout shall count as two (2) pages toward the page count. Margins shall not be less than one-inch at top, bottom and sides, excluding page number “Page X of Y Pages” numbering, the proposed title of the project, the offeror’s name, and submission date in the footer of each page shall be used. All pages shall be sequentially numbered with no gaps, breaks, or sub-page numbers/letters.

Offers shall not exceed the specified page limitations stated below (cover letter and table of contents/proposal checklists will not be counted toward the specified page limits). The Government reserves the right to not consider any pages in excess of the limitation for evaluation purposes. Offerors are also advised that the use of promotional material and/or brochures will not constitute compliance with the requirements concerning the content of responses.

2. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF OFFERS

Alternatives to the format and content identified below may be appropriate depending on the scope and nature of the proposed effort. Coordinate any alternative formats and contents by contacting TSA-BAA@dhs.gov.

Offers shall include a cover letter. The Cover letter shall be labeled “CONCEPT PAPER” and shall include the BAA number “HSTS04-14-R-BAA004”, proposed title, points of contact, address, telephone number, facsimile number, and e-mail address, corporate DUNS number, CAGE Code, Taxpayer ID number, and the period of performance of the project. The Cover letter must also include the name and contact information for the individual authorized to negotiate and contractually obligate on behalf of the offeror. Inclusion of a table of contents and/or concept paper/proposal checklists that index proposal features as compared with BAA requirements are optional. Cover letter shall also include the certifications required at FAR 52.209-5.

Additional requirements will exist if a grant is chosen as the procurement instrument. TSA will provide instruction on completing this process if a grant is chosen by the Contracting Officer.

3. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF CONCEPT PAPERS

A. Page Limit – Concept papers may not be greater than 5 pages total. The page total does not include the cover letter requirement.

B. Content Requirements:

• Technical Concept/Schedule/Cost Estimate: A description of the innovation, maturity of the concept/technology, technical risk areas, schedule, and cost estimate. The description should include the project objectives, the concept of operation for the new concepts to be delivered, and the expected operational performance improvements. The description should also include an estimation of the applicable system specifications (e.g., weight, dimensions, probability of detection, probability of false alarm, throughput), limitations of selected technology, the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology (see Appendix 1 for TRL definitions), and brief statement regarding the current state of the proposed concept and where it will be after the work is completed. The cost estimate shall also include a discussion of the expected life-cycle costs for the proposed concept.

• Relevance to TSA’s Mission: A description of potential transportation security relevance and contributions of the effort to the agency’s specific mission. A discussion of why this innovation meets TSA’s mission needs must be included.

• Capabilities/Related Experience: A brief description of similar work performed or qualifications related to the proposed solution.

• Expected TSA Support: A list of all tasks proposed in the contract that will need TSA’s support to complete (Access to Sensitive Security Information or Classified Information, FDA/NIST safety testing, TSL/TSIF/Operational testing, etc.). The contractor needs to list these tasks and include the associated costs in the estimated cost.

4. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF FULL PROPOSALS

In some circumstances, a full technical proposal may be requested by TSA following an initial evaluation of a submitted concept paper. When requested, the requirements for format, content, and any other proposal submission instructions will be provided at that time. In general, a full technical proposal will expand upon the information provided in the concept paper and include the areas identified below in the form of an oral presentation. Note that subcontracting plan, detailed past experience information, and full price proposal would not be required if the concept was not selected to move to the award phase after the oral presentation. Please also note that the TSA may make changes to the content of the proposed concept in the final SOW issued by the TSA, to reflect the complete requirements associated with the proposed project. The anticipated content and format when submitting a proposal is as follows:

A. Technical Proposal Volume Content: (To be discussed in an oral presentation format)

• Technical Approach: The major portion of the proposal should consist of a clear description of the technical approach being proposed. This will largely follow the requirements detailed in the content required of the concept paper, but shall expand to include more detail to address any areas that are included in the offeror proposed SOW.

• Management Approach: A discussion of the overall approach to the management of this effort, including brief discussions of the total organization; use of personnel; project/function/subcontractor/sub-recipient relationships;

government research interfaces; and planning, scheduling and control practice. The discussion should identify which personnel and subcontractors/sub-recipients (if any) will be involved and include resumes for the Principal Investigator and other key personnel.

B. Subcontracting Plan and Past Experience Volume Content: (To be submitted if selected for award consideration)

• Subcontracting Plan: An offeror that is other than small business shall provide a Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-19 to demonstrates the offeror’s commitment to provide meaningful subcontracting opportunities for small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, woman-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, historically black colleges and universities, and minority institutions.

• Past Experience: The offeror shall provide a summary of not more than five (5) contracts either ongoing or completed during the last three years that demonstrates experience on topics related to the proposed projects. Similar or relevant past experience topics are defined by size, scope, complexity, and contract type.

Offerors must either provide the below information or affirmatively state that it possess no relevant, directly related, or similar past performance. The contract summaries shall include the following information:

(a.) Contract number(s) and type;

(b.) Name, phone number, and e-mail address of two (2) technical points of contact at the entity for which the contract was performed;

(c.) Contracting Officer’s name, phone number, and e-mail address;

(d.) Contracting Officer’s Technical Representative name, phone number, and e-mail address;

(e.) Dollar value of the project;

(f.) Period of performance;

(g.) Detailed description of the work performed;

(h.) Explanation of relevancy to the proposed project;

(i.) Describe the extent of subcontracting; and (j.) Statements relative to performance, i.e., statements describing whether the projects were completed on time, performed satisfactorily while conforming to contract terms and conditions and without degradation in performance or customer satisfaction, and any applicable information on problems encountered during performance. Note: include severity of any quantity, delivery, or cost problems in performing the contract; the corrective action taken; and, the effectiveness of the corrective action.

C. Cost Proposal Volume Content: (To be submitted if selected for award consideration)

The following information is provided to assist contractors in preparing and submitting an adequate and compliant cost proposal. The purpose of the submission of cost or pricing data is to enable Government personnel to perform cost or price analysis and ultimately negotiate a fair and reasonable cost. Offerors are reminded that the responsibility for providing adequate supporting data and attachments lies solely with the offeror. Further, the Offeror must also bear the burden of proof in establishing reasonableness of proposed costs; therefore, it is in the contractor’s best interest to submit a fully supportable and well-prepared cost proposal. The basis and rationale for all proposed costs should be provided as part of the proposal so that Government personnel can place reliance on the information as current, complete, and accurate. Furthermore, offerors will be required to submit certified cost or pricing data as required by FAR 15.403-4.

Offerors shall use the cost proposal spreadsheet (BAA_Cost_Proposal_Template.xls) that is attached to this BAA as the basis for the cost proposal. Offerors should not alter the spreadsheet in a material way, but may tailor it to ensure that adequate elements of cost are appropriately identified.

If proposing options, they must be separately priced and separate spreadsheets should be provided for the base period and each option period.

For pricing purposes, assume that performance will start no earlier than six (6) months after submission of the cost proposal.

Even though considered to be awarded using full and open competition by FAR, it is anticipated that any resultant award will require some level of negotiation by the government and the contractor to ensure that all aspects of the proposal reflect a successful approach, including costs/prices. During the negotiation, the Contracting Officer will make a determination as to the need for certified cost and or pricing data based upon FAR prescriptions for the its collection. Offerors may use commercial market prices to establish reasonableness, in which case offerors need not provide indirect rates and profit. Salary information is not required in cost proposals unless it is the only way offerors are able to provide justification of labor costs. Offerors are encouraged to submit concept papers vice a full proposal to lower costs associated with preparing a full cost proposal, which in most cases will require some level of negotiation later.

• Part 1: Detailed breakdown of all costs by cost category by calendar or Contractor fiscal year:

(a.) Direct Labor – Individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours and unburdened direct labor rates. Provide escalation rates for out years.

(b.) Indirect Costs – Fringe Benefits, Overhead, G&A, COM, etc. and their applicable allocation bases. If composite rates are used, provide the calculations used in deriving the composite rates.

(c.) Travel – The proposed travel cost should include the following for each trip:

the purpose of the trip, origin and destination if known, approximate duration, the number of travelers, and the estimated cost per trip must be justified based on the organizations historical average cost per trip or other reasonable basis for estimation. Such estimates and the resultant costs claimed must conform to the applicable Federal cost principals.

(d.) Subcontracts/Interorganizational Transfers – A cost proposal as detailed as the offeror’s cost proposal will be required to be submitted by all proposed subcontractors and for all interorganizational transfers. For subcontracts or interorganizational transfers over $100,000, the subcontract proposal, along with supporting documentation, must be provided via email directly to TSA- BAA@dhs.gov at the same time the prime proposal is submitted. The e-mail should identify the proposal title, the prime offeror and that the attached proposal is a subcontract, and should include a description of the effort to be performed by the subcontractor. The prime contractor should perform and provide a cost/price analysis of each subcontractor’s cost proposal. Offerors are required to obtain competition to the maximum extent practicable when selecting subcontractors or interorganizational transfers; if the offeror has obtained competitive quotes, copies should be provided. If the offeror has selected other than the low bid for inclusion in their proposal or intends to award the subcontract/interorganizational transfer on a sole-source basis, the offeror should provide rationale for their decision. Certified cost or pricing data may be required for subcontractor proposals over $700,000. The offeror is to exclude excessive pass-through charges from subcontractors.

The offeror must identify in its proposal the percentage of effort it intends to perform and the percentage to be performed by each of its proposed subcontractors. If more than 70 percent of the total effort will be performed through subcontractors, the offeror must include the additional information required by the above-cited clause.

(e.) Consultants – Provide a breakdown of the consultant’s hours, the hourly rate proposed, any other proposed consultant costs, a copy of the signed Consulting Agreement or other documentation supporting the proposed consultant rate/cost, and a copy of the consultant’s proposed statement of work if it is not already separately identified in the prime contractor’s proposal.

(f.) Materials & Supplies – Provide an itemized list of all proposed materials and supplies for each year including quantities, unit prices, proposed vendors (if known), and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists). If the total cost for materials and supplies exceeds $100,000 per year, then select a sample of the items proposed and provide catalog price lists/quotes/prior purchase orders to support the price for the items in the sample. All items with a unit price over $10,000, regardless of the total cost for materials and supplies, must be supported with a copy of catalog price lists/quotes/prior purchase orders.

(g.) Contractor Acquired Equipment or Facilities – Equipment and/or facilities are normally furnished by the Contractor. If acquisition of equipment and/or facilities is proposed, a justification for the purchase of the items must be provided including: 1) a very specific description of any equipment/hardware that it needs to acquire to perform the work, 2) whether or not each particular piece of equipment/hardware will be included as part of a deliverable item under the resulting award, and 3) the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists). The description should identify the component, nomenclature, and configuration of the equipment/hardware that it proposes to purchase for this effort. The purchase on a direct reimbursement basis of equipment that is not included in a deliverable item will be evaluated for allowability on a case-by-case basis. Maximum use of Government integration, test, and experiment facilities is encouraged in each of the offeror’s proposals.

(h.) Other Direct Costs – Provide an itemized list of all other proposed other direct costs and the basis for the estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists).

(i.) Fee/Profit (Contract Proposals Only) – Profit or fee is not allowed on direct costs for facilities or in cost-sharing contracts.

(j.) Accounting/Purchasing/Estimating Systems - Indicate if you have an approved Purchasing/Estimating System and/or describe the process used to determine the basis of reasonableness (e.g., competition, market research, best value analysis) for subcontractors, consultants, materials, supplies, equipment/facilities, and other direct costs.

• Part 2: Cost breakdown by Government fiscal year and task/sub-task corresponding to the same task breakdown in the proposed Statement of Work.

When options are contemplated, options must be separately identified and priced by task/subtask.

Proposal submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR

15.207 and applicable law/regulations. Offerors are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information.

D. EVALUATION INFORMATION (SUBJECT TO CHANGE-

THE OFFICIAL EVALUATION PROCESS WILL BE INCORPORATED VIA

FUTURE AMENDMENT TO THIS SOLICITATION)

1. EVALUATION CRITERIA

Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of concept papers, and proposals resulting from a scientific and cost review. Concept papers selected for further consideration will require offerors to present the concept to the TSA after questions/answers and expectations have been discussed by the TSA with the offeror. While competitive, submissions will not be evaluated against each other since they will not be submitted against a common statement of work or a common due date.

All evaluations will be conducted using the following criteria:

1. Overall scientific and technical merits of the concept paper/proposal;

2. Potential importance, relevance, and timeliness of the effort to the TSA mission;

3. The offeror’s capabilities, related experience, facilities, management capabilities

(including key personnel), techniques or unique combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives;

4. Proposed costs; and

5. Availability of funds.

Overall, the technical factors (1 – 3 above) are significantly more important than the cost factor (4), with the technical factors all being of equal value. Requirements will also be evaluated against TSA’s available funds. The degree of importance of cost will increase with the degree of equality of the proposals in relation to the other factors on which selection is to be based, or when the cost is so significantly high as to diminish the value of the proposal’s technical superiority to the Government.

The Government reserves the right to obtain and utilize information from sources other than those identified by the offeror, such as contractor past performance information that is collected and reported in the Government’s specified automated past performance information collection systems.

For proposed awards to be made as contracts to other than small businesses, the socioeconomic merits of each proposal will be evaluated based on the extent of the offeror’s commitment in providing meaningful subcontracting opportunities for small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, woman-owned small businesses, HUBZone small businesses, veteran-owned small businesses, service disabled veteran-owned small businesses, historically black colleges and universities, and minority institutions.

The Government will evaluate options for award purposes by adding the total cost for all options to the total cost for the basic requirement. Evaluation of options will not obligate the Government to exercise the options during contract performance.

2. EVALUATION PANEL

Technical and cost proposals submitted under this BAA will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 3.104-4 and 15.207. The TET will perform the evaluation of technical proposals. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, one or more support contractors may be utilized as subject-matter-expert technical consultants or to assist in the evaluation of proposals.

All support contractors’ employees with access to the technical and cost proposals submitted in response to this BAA will be required to sign a non-disclosure statement prior to receipt of any proposal submissions. Proposal selection and award decisions are solely the responsibility of Government personnel.

Cost proposals are subject to audit by the Defense Contract Audit Agency or other government audit entities.

3. EXCHANGES AND NEGOTIATIONS

Once a concept paper has been selected, TSA will negotiate the specific terms of the project, including but not limited to value, period of performance, rights in data, and scope of work. This may require additional proposal submission on behalf of the offeror.

4. AWARD NOTIFICATION

TSA will provide notification to all offerors of the results of the technical evaluation.

E. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. NORTH AMERICAN INDUSTRY CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM (NAICS) CODE

The NAICS code for this announcement is “541712” with a small business size standard of “500 employees.”

2. CENTRAL CONTRACTOR REGISTRY (CCR)

Successful offerors not already registered in the CCR will be required to register in CCR prior to award of any grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or other transaction agreement.

3. SUBCONTRACTING PLANS

Contract proposals that exceed $650,000 and submitted by other than small businesses will submit a Small Business Subcontracting Plan in accordance with FAR 52.219-9.

4. REPRESENTATIONS AND CERTIFICATIONS

For contract proposals, in accordance with FAR 4.1201, offerors shall complete and submit electronic annual representations and certifications at http://orca.bpn.gov.

5. GRANTS AND COOPERATIVE AGREEMENTS CERTIFICATION

For Grant and Cooperative Agreement proposals, if offeror proposes an award greater than $100,000, the offeror shall submit a certification of compliance with a national policy mandate concerning lobbying. This certification will be provided by the Contracting Officer once it has been determined that a grant is the appropriate procurement instrument.

6. OFFEROR RESPONSIBILITY

Offerors must submit as part of their submission, a completed certification as required by FAR 52.209-5. Additionally, offerors must meet minimum standards related to responsibility as described by FAR 9.104.

F. OTHER INFORMATION

1. GOVERNMENT PROPERTY/GOVERNMENT FURNISHED EQUIPMENT (GFE) AND FACILITIES

TSA facilities and operational resources may be available and should be considered as potential government-furnished equipment/facilities. These facilities and resources are of high value and some are in constant demand by multiple programs. It is unlikely that all facilities would be used for any one specific program. The use of these facilities and resources must be negotiated prior to award. Offerors should explain as part of their proposals which of these facilities are critical resources for the project success. Offerors should be aware that all access to TSA provided information or facilities will require background checks and/or suitability determinations prior to beginning the project. In some cases depending upon the type of investigation, these checks may take 6 – 8 weeks to complete.

2. SECURITY CLASSIFICATION

In order to facilitate intra-program collaboration and technology transfer, the Government will attempt to enable technology developers to work at the unclassified level to the maximum extent possible. If access to classified material will be required at any point during performance, the offeror must clearly identify such need prominently in its proposal. If required and approved, Sensitive Security Information (SSI) will be provided to offerors following a contract award using established TSA policies and procedures for disclosure. Release of SSI prior to contract award is highly unlikely. Offerors are encouraged to indentify the need for specific SSI in proposals.

3. ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

All offerors and proposed subcontractors must affirm whether they are providing scientific, engineering, and technical assistance (SETA) or similar support to any TSA or DHS technical office(s) through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the offeror supports and identify the prime contract numbers. Affirmations shall be furnished at the time of proposal submission. All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest (FAR 9.5) must be disclosed. The disclosure shall include a description of the action the offeror has taken or proposes to take to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate such conflict. In accordance with FAR 9.503 and without prior approval, a contractor cannot simultaneously be a SETA and a research and development performer. Proposals that fail to fully disclose potential conflicts of interests or do not have acceptable plans to mitigate identified conflicts will be rejected without technical evaluation and withdrawn from further consideration for award. If a prospective offeror believes that any conflict of interest exists or may exist (whether organizational or otherwise), the offeror should promptly raise the issue with TSA by sending his/her contact information and a summary of the potential conflict by e-mail to TSA- BAA@dhs.gov before time and effort are expended in preparing a proposal and mitigation plan.

If, in the sole opinion of the Government after full consideration of the circumstances, any conflict situation cannot be effectively avoided or mitigated, the proposal may be rejected without technical evaluation and withdrawn from further consideration for award under this

BAA.

4. PROJECT MEETINGS AND REVIEWS

Individual program reviews between the TSA and the performer will be held as necessary.

Program status reviews may also be held to provide a forum for reviews of the latest results from experiments and any other incremental progress towards the major demonstrations. These meetings will be held at various sites throughout the country as determined by TSA and the offeror. Offerors are advised to identify and propose all costs related to site visits, demonstrations, and program meetings.

5. PRESS RELEASES

Once a project is submitted to TSA, offerors are prohibited from making public comments regarding their proposal without the expressed written approval of the Contracting Officer.

6. INVOICING AND PAYMENTS

Each resultant award will contain specific details concerning invoicing and payments.

7. OFFEROR CATEGORIES

TSA will consider concept papers and proposals offered by other federal government agencies or universities. Non-US companies may be considered as part of BAA submissions. However, there are certain restrictions which may impact their ability to provide specific types of services and supplies to TSA. These will be reviewed and negotiated on a case-by-case basis by the Contracting Officer should TSA determine that the proposal merits additional consideration.

APPENDIX 1: Technology Readiness Level Definitions

TRL Level TRL Definition 1 Basic principles observed and reported.

2 Technology concept and/or application formulated.

3 Analytical and experimental critical function and/or characteristic proof-of-concept.

4 Component and/or breadboard validation in laboratory environment.

5 Component and/or breadboard validation in relevant environment.

6 System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment.

7 System prototype demonstration in an operational environment.

8 Actual system completed and qualified through test and demonstration.

9 Actual system proven through successful mission operations.