TSIC BAA Announcement HSTS04-20-R-BAA004_FINAL.doc

Broad Agency Announcement

HSTS04-20-R-BAA004

Date: 18 December 2019

Broad Agency Announcement

HSTS04-20-R-BAA004

Date: 20 December 2019 Transportation Security Innovative Concepts

INTRODUCTION:

This publication constitutes a revision to the Transportation Security Innovative Concepts (TSIC) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) HSTS04-20-R-BAA004 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 a revised announcement to declare the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) broad role in competitive funding of meritorious developments leading to technical or operational advances across a spectrum of science and engineering disciplines and applications.

The TSA is soliciting concept papers which will be evaluated in accordance with this BAA and if selected by the applicable TSA Requirements and Capabilities Analysis (RCA) Capability Manager (CM) will form the Statement of Work (SOW) for a contract award. Offerors’ concept papers selected by the RCA CM will be submitted for consideration on the TSA RCA spend plan for the following fiscal year. If funding is provided on the spend plan, the Contracting Officer will invite the Offeror to deliver an oral presentation over WebEx with collateral back up to RCA CM and applicable stakeholders and if found acceptable to RCA’s needs the Contracting Officer may initiate negotiation for a contract award.

Offerors who submit concept papers that have no direct application to the TSA RCA present mission will be declined. Proposals must present a coherent concept/detailed plan for accomplishing the requirements of the RCA mission to continue to the final review and potential contract award. Contracts based on responses to this BAA are considered to be the result of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provisions of Public Law (PL) 98-369, “The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.”

The TSA will not issue paper copies of this announcement. The TSA reserves the right to fund all, some or none of the concept papers received in response to this BAA, a factor of which will depend upon the availability of funds. The 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 (TSA)

2. Development Opportunity Title

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

3. Program Name

Requirements and Capabilities Analysis (RCA)

4. Development Opportunity Number

HSTS04-20-R-BAA004

5. Response Date

This announcement will remain open until further notice, until closed, or replaced by a successor BAA. Offers may be submitted at any time during this open period, and will be evaluated in parallel to TSA spend plan and fiscal year funding activities.

6. Development Opportunity Description The TSA is interested in receiving concept papers for development projects that support the TSA mission of ensuring the safety of the nation’s transportation systems. To this end, the TSA seeks development across broad strategic areas with potential for advancement and improvement of TSA security operations, technologies, processes, human-factors, and capabilities. The TSA is specifically interested in development that will provide for near term improvement of current security operations and capabilities as aligned with RCA’s Capability Roadmaps. The Capability Roadmap areas include but are not limited to:

· Identity Property Management

· Environment

· Vetting

· Verification

· On Person Screening

· Detection

· Explosive and Non-Explosive Hardware and Software

· Display

· Standard Communication Protocol

· Integration

· Capabilities that allow integration of Transportation Security Equipment (TSE) across an open architecture platform.

· Accessible Property Screening

· Detection

· Explosive and Non-Explosive Hardware and Software

· Display

· Standard Communication Protocol

· Integration

· Capabilities that allow integration of TSE across an open architecture platform.

· Alarm Resolution

· Capabilities that can resolve suspected items from primary screening or solutions that reduced the number of alarms present for resolution in the areas of:

· Accessible Personal Property

· On Person Screening

· Checked Baggage

· Checked Baggage Screening

· Detection

· Explosive and Non-Explosive Hardware and Software

· Display

· Standard Communication Protocol

· Integration

· Capabilities that allow integration of TSE across an open architecture platform.

· Intermodal

· Air Cargo Security

· Explosive Detection and Air Cargo Infrastructure Protection Hardware and Software

· Operational Procedures and Processes

· Surface

· Technologies across surface transportation mode to eliminate:

· Vulnerabilities

· Mitigate damages

· Identify Potential Threats

· Public Area and Infrastructure Protection

· Technologies to provide and augment operational and situational awareness, enhance infrastructure and public area protection, and provide near or real time analytics of threats to diverse, large scale critical infrastructure related to transportation.

Separate from this TSIC BAA, the TSA may also issue targeted BAAs and allocate dedicated funding in order to solicit focused offers that target a specific domain of interest. Targeted BAAs will detail the development opportunity and other relevant requirements.

Work funded under a BAA may include, applied research, advanced technology development, prototyping, pilot demonstrations, and testing. FAR Part 35 restricts the use of funding 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. The TSA will not accept or consider submissions of concept papers that are similar to or identical to the TSA’s or the Department of Homeland Security Science & Technology (DHS S&T) Directorate’s on-going/completed efforts, or on-going/planned acquisitions. The TSA reserves the right to decline submissions that were previously proposed to the TSA or to DHS S&T and declined. The TSA reserves the right to decline submissions to the BAA if the submissions are identical to submissions currently undergoing evaluation by the TSA or DHS S&T. TSA works very closely with DHS S&T and other federal agencies on matters of research and development.

Technologies that have attained a Technology Readiness Level (TRL) 5 component and/or breadboard validation in a relevant environment is the minimum scope of the TSIC BAA.

Submissions without a clear path to practical TSA applications within 12 to 18 months 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 concept papers containing commercial services and items as long as the proposed concepts are consistent with the development opportunity description found within this BAA.

The TSA is seeking to accelerate the design, realization and delivery of new capabilities to the field. Concept papers that align closely with the strategic direction, investment priorities and acquisition windows of the TSA will have a higher likelihood of being selected. Offerors who submit concept papers that have no direct application to the TSA RCA present mission will be declined. Proposals must present a coherent concept/detailed plan for accomplishing the requirements of the RCA mission to continue to the final award process.

The TSA reserves the right to reject submissions that meet the requirements of the RCA roadmap and or mission covered by this BAA, but do not meet current TSA mission needs as determined by the 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 Point of Contact (POC) at TSA-BAA@tsa.dhs.gov. All communications shall be submitted via e-mail. Do not include any classified material or Sensitive Security Information (SSI) as defined in 49 CFR 1520. If Offerors must ask questions that contain classified material 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 System for Award Management (SAM) webpage at https://www.sam.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 development 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.

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 the TSA. "Exchange software" means that appropriate information must be shared with members of the Offeror’s team as well as those contractors that support the 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, Offeror’s 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.

CONCEPT PAPER, FULL PROPOSAL AND ORAL PRESENTATION, AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

1.

General Process

Please refer to the “TSIC BAA Evaluation Process” in the Appendix 2 for a general timeline for the sequence of events.

· Solicitation Window

· The BAA is posted in the first quarter of the Federal Government fiscal year to SAM webpage at https://www.sam.govand remains open to the submission of concept papers until closed or replaced by a successor BAA.

· Feasibility

· Technical evaluators review concept papers and select submissions for the RCA CMs to consider on the following fiscal year’s Spend Plan in the second quarter of the Federal Government fiscal year.

· If selected by the RCA CMs offers will be invited to present an oral presentation accompanied by collateral material via WebEx to the RCA CMs.

· If selected for funding the proposal will be included in the Spend Plan request for the upcoming Federal Government fiscal year. If funding is included on the Spend Plan the Offeror may be invited to begin contract negotiations with Contracting and Procurement which may require a full proposal.

· If contract negotiations are successful a contact may be awarded in the applicable first quarter of the Federal Government fiscal year.

· Presentation

· Selected Offerors invited to deliver an oral presentation, accompanied by collateral material via WebEx to the RCA CMs beginning in the second quarter of the Federal Government fiscal year.

· Selection

· Proposals selected by the RCA CMs move to negotiation with Contracting and Procurement in the fourth quarter of the Federal Government fiscal year at which time a full proposal may be required.

· Award

· Contract Negotiations occur in the fourth quarter of the Federal Government fiscal year.

· Contract Award occurs in the following first quarter of the Federal Government fiscal year if negotiations are concluded successfully.

2.

Submission Process All submissions shall be sent electronically to TSA-BAA@tsa.dhs.gov with a subject line of the email that reads “TSA HSTS04-20-R-BAA004 Submission” and includes the company name and a short title of the concept.

The TSA will not award contracts on the basis of concept papers alone, and unsolicited full proposals will be rejected. Following an evaluation of submitted concept papers, the TSA may select Offerors to deliver an oral presentation via WebEx and if selected enter negotiations for a contract award.

Offers submitted under the BAA are expected to be unclassified; however, classified concept papers are permitted if properly coordinated with the TSA prior to submission by contacting TSA-BAA@tsa.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 TSA 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 POC as identified in the Special Notice via telephone before sending any emails so the TSA 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 compress (e.g. 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 TSA will check all files for viruses and ensure that all information is readable. In the event any files are defective (unreadable), the TSA may only evaluate the readable electronic files. However, if the defective (unreadable) media renders a significant deficiency in the Offeror’s proposal, the TSA 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.

Concept papers must be in Microsoft Word format (2007 or later), full proposals must be in Microsoft Office formats (2007 or later), e.g. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Project, etc. and oral presentation materials must be in Microsoft PowerPoint format (2007 or later). All cost data shall be placed in Microsoft Excel (2007 or later) with formulas preserved. All concept papers and proposals shall be prepared to print on letter-sized paper (8 ½ inch x 11 inch), double-spaced, text only with foldouts as required. Each Offeror shall utilize Times New Roman 12-point font. Reduction may be used only for tables and figures and relevant captions. If foldout pages are used, they shall not exceed ledger-sized paper (11inch x 17 inch). 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 TSA 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.

3. 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@tsa.dhs.gov.

Offers shall include a cover letter. The Cover letter shall be labeled “CONCEPT PAPER” and shall include the BAA number “HSTS04-20-R-BAA004”, proposed title, points of contact, address, telephone number, facsimile number, e-mail address, corporate DUNS number, CAGE Code, Taxpayer ID number, certifications required at FAR 52.209-5, 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 proposal checklists that index proposal features as compared with BAA requirements are optional.

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

4. Content and Format of Concept Papers

· Page Limits – The concept paper shall be a single document which shall serve as the statement of work limited to 10 pages as follows:

(combined for sections 4-6)

· Content Requirements:

· Technical Concept: A description of the innovation, maturity of the concept/technology, technical risk areas, and proposed mitigation. 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, a declaration of the current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology (see Appendix 1 for TRL definitions) and also of the projected TRL of the technology at the end of the proposed period of performance, with a brief supporting statement for each, regarding the current state of the proposed concept and where it will be after the work is completed.

· 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 how this innovation meets the TSA’s mission needs must be included.

· Operational Utility Assessment Plan: A plan for demonstrating and evaluating the operational effectiveness of the Offeror’s proposed products or processes in field experiments and/or tests in a simulated environment. This would be a description of how the proposal can be proven or tested to demonstrate effectiveness.

· List of Tasks: A description of specific tasks that would need to be accomplished in order to deliver the proposed capability.

· List of Deliverables: A list of items that will become TSA property (e.g., prototypes, reports, test objects, consumables, etc.).

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

· Key Dates/Milestones: A list of key dates from contract award through task completion.

· Estimated Cost: A description of the funding required to perform the tasks being proposed and to further develop and explore the proposed concepts.

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

5. Content and Format of Full Proposals In some circumstances, a full technical proposal may be requested by the TSA following an initial evaluation of a submitted concept paper. If a concept is selected as warranting further investigation and the Offeror is invited to submit a full proposal, the following content and format should be used. In general, a full technical proposal will expand upon the information provided in the concept paper and include the areas identified below.

* Please note that the subcontracting plan, detailed past experience information, and full price proposal will not be required if the concept paper is not selected to move to the award phase after oral presentations. TSA may make changes to the content of the proposed concept in the final Statement of Work (SOW) issued by the TSA, to reflect the complete requirements associated with the proposed concept.

The anticipated format when submitting a proposal is as follow:

A. Page Limits - Each volume of a full proposal shall be a separate document.

I. Cover Volume

II. Technical Proposal Volume

III. Subcontracting Plan and Past Experience Volume

IV. Cost Proposal Volume

B. Technical Proposal Volume Content:

1. Title Page: A title page that identifies the volume and short title of the concept.

2. Table(s) of Contents: Optional section that includes one or more of the following: A hierarchical listing of sections and subsections of the document indexed by page number. A listing of the figures indexed by page numbers. A listing of tables indexed by page numbers.

3. Table of Acronyms: Optional section that includes a table of acronyms that associates technical abbreviations with their unabbreviated forms.

4. Statement of Work (SOW): A SOW clearly detailing the scope and objectives of the effort and the technical approach derived from the concept paper. It is anticipated that the proposed SOW will be incorporated as an attachment to the resultant award instrument. To this end, the proposals must be consistent with FAR 35.005 and include a severable, self-standing SOW, without any proprietary restrictions, which can be attached to the contract or agreement award. Include a detailed listing of the technical tasks/subtasks organized by year. Submission of the SOW without restrictive markings is the Offeror’s affirmation that the SOW is non-proprietary and releasable in response to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests.

5. Technical Approach and Justification: The major portion of the proposal should consist of a clear description of the technical approach being proposed. This discussion should provide the technical foundation/justification for pursuing this particular approach/direction and why one could expect it to enable the objectives of the proposal to be met. This discussion should also include a description of the project objectives, the concept of operation for the new capabilities to be delivered, maturity of the concept/technology, and the expected operational performance improvements. The Offeror should also include technical risk and proposed mitigations, a life-cycle cost estimate for the system, applicable system specifications (e.g., weight, dimensions, probability of detection, probability of false alarm, throughput), current Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology and TRL at the end of the project, with supporting statements regarding the current state of the proposed concept and where it will be after the work is completed (see Appendix 1 for TRL definitions).

6. Government Furnished Information and Equipment: A listing and description of government furnished information and equipment that is required for project execution.

7. 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.

8. Operational Utility Assessment Plan: A plan for demonstrating and evaluating the operational effectiveness of the Offeror’s proposed products or processes in field experiments and/or tests in a simulated environment.

9. List of TSA Support: Identify and describe all tasks proposed in the contract that will need TSA’s support to complete (e.g., Access to Sensitive Security Information or Classified Information, FDA/NIST safety testing, TSL/TSIF/Operational testing, etc.). Roles and responsibilities need to clearly be set in this section. The Offeror needs to list these tasks and include the associated costs in the estimated cost. Do not include costs pertaining to government staff or their support personnel.

10. Project Schedule and Milestones: A high level schedule of the programmatic, technical events, and milestones with a detailed work breakdown structure showing assignments of labor. The following non-exhaustive list are sample items that are typically required under a research effort: programmatic milestones, delivery of a program management plan, quarterly program management reviews, preliminary design reviews and critical design reviews.

11. Assertion of Data Rights and/or Rights in Computer Software: For a contract award, an Offeror may provide with its proposal, assertions to restrict use, release or disclosure of data and/or computer software that will be provided in the course of performance of the project. The rules governing these assertions are prescribed in FAR 27.408. The Government may challenge assertions that are provided in improper format or that do not properly acknowledge earlier federal funding of related research by the Offeror. If it is determined that data rights are not applicable, indicate no assertions are being made in the proposal submission.

12. Deliverables/Reports: A detailed list of reports and any proposed hardware, software or prototypes, inclusive of the timeframe in which they will be delivered. The following are sample data deliverables that are typically required under a research effort: Technical and Financial Progress Reports, Presentation Materials, Final Report. An outline of each report shall be delivered for Government comment at least 10 calendar days prior to delivery of each report. Reports shall be delivered to the Government five business days prior to delivery and review. The final report shall be due 30 days prior to the end of the period of performance to permit Government review, comments, and resulting Offeror revisions.

13. 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 practices. 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. The Offeror should include a description of the facilities that are required for the proposed effort with a description of any Government Furnished Equipment (e.g., hardware, software, information) required.

C. Subcontracting Plan and Past Experience Volume Content:

1. Title Page: A title page that identifies the volume and short title of the concept.

2. 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.

3. Past Experience: The Offeror shall provide a summary of not more than five (5) contracts either ongoing or completed during the last three (3) 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 they 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 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) Description of 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.

D. Cost Proposal Volume Content The following information is provided to assist Offerors 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 Offeror’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 Offeror 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.

1. Title Page: A title page that identifies the volume and short title of the concept.

2. Table of Contents: Optional section that includes a hierarchical listing of sections and subsections of the document indexed by page number.

3. Cost Narrative: Explanation of the pricing approach, the estimating approach and methodology, and context for the cost elements delineated in the cost proposal spreadsheet(s):

· 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 detailed cost proposal containing all the elements of 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@tsa.dhs.gov at the same time the prime proposal is submitted. The e-mail should identify the proposal title, the prime Offeror and 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.

4. Price Assumptions: Explanation of costs as they relate to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), including a table to map hours by labor category against the WBS.

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.

6. CONTENT AND FORMAT OF ORAL PRESENTATIONS

1. Structure

2. Presentation Materials

The following table lists supporting materials that may accompany the oral presentation in WebEx:

Offeror Presentation

Any combination of:

· 20 slides; up to 60 additional backup slides may be included for consideration in review of the proposal, however they shall not be presented as part of this Offeror Presentation.

· Five (5) video clips, each up to one (1) minute in duration or less.

· Physical mockups or subcomponent assemblies.

Response Presentation

Any combination of:

· Any material presented during the Offeror presentation.

· 10 backup slides.

· The full written proposal.

3. Content Requirements:

The presentation shall complement the written proposal, rather than be a reading of it.

· Technical Approach and Justification: A clear description of the technical approach being proposed and the technical foundation/justification for pursuing this particular approach/direction and why one could expect it to enable the objectives of the proposal to be met. This discussion should also include a description of the project objectives, the concept of operation for the new capabilities to be delivered, maturity of the concept/technology, and the expected operational performance improvements. Offeror should also include technical risk and proposed mitigations, a life-cycle cost estimate for the system, applicable system specifications (e.g., weight, dimensions, probability of detection, probability of false alarm, throughput) as well as other operational performance expectations, including reliability and operational availability, if applicable, and Technology Readiness Level (TRL) of the technology (see Appendix 1 for TRL definitions).

· Intellectual Property (IP)/Data Rights: Summary of the intellectual property and data rights asserted.

· Schedule: A list of key dates, milestones and deliverables from contract award through project completion.

· Estimated Costs: A description of the funding required to perform the tasks being proposed.

· Management Approach and Teaming Arrangements: A description of roles and roles and responsibilities.

· Relevance/Value Proposition: A description of potential transportation security relevance and value added to the TSA’s specific mission.

D.

EVALUATION INFORMATION

1. Evaluation Criteria

Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of 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 SOW or a common due date. Offerors who submit proposals that have no direct application to the TSA RCA’s present mission will be declined. Proposals will not be evaluated if the Offeror’s concept paper was declined. Proposals must present a coherent concept/detailed plan for accomplishing the requirements of the RCA mission to continue to the final phase of the BAA process.

All submissions will be evaluated by BAA technical evaluators using the evaluation criteria detailed in this BAA. The technical evaluators will review concept papers, and select promising concepts to be presented to the RCA CMs. The technical evaluators are 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 Offeror submissions.

All evaluations will be conducted using the following criteria:

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

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

3. The Offeror’s capabilities, related experience, facilities, management capabilities (including key personnel), program plan (e.g. key milestones, list of tasks, and deliverables), 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

Concept papers and full proposals submitted under this BAA will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 3.104-4 and 15.207. The technical evaluators will perform the evaluation of technical proposals. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, one or more support contractors may be utilized as subject matter expert technical consultants to assist with technical summaries and cross-divisional funding coordination. All support contractor 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 The TSA will not award contracts on the basis of concept papers. Following an evaluation of submitted concept papers, the TSA may select Offerors to each submit a full proposal and deliver an oral presentation, from which projects may be selected for award negotiation.

Once a proposal has been selected, the 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.

7. Information Technology Acquisition Review

All procurements require an Information Technology Acquisition Review (ITAR) by the TSA Chief Information Officer (CIO) as stipulated in the Federal Information Technology Acquisition Reform Act (FITARA) signed into Law, December 19, 2014.

To satisfy TSA IT requirements, the Offeror may be required to include additional contract clauses as well as completing additional forms and documents to proceed with official contract negotiations and/or award.

F.

OTHER INFORMATION

1. Government…