Hypersonics Consortium Manager_RWP_Final.pdf

Consortium for Applied Hypersonics Research Request for White Papers

Title: Consortium for Applied Hypersonics Research Request for White Papers (RWP) Number: HQ0034-20-RWPHYPERSONICS

NAICS: 541715

Security Classification: Unclassified

The Washington Headquarters Services/Acquisition Directorate (WHS/AD), on behalf of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Research, and Engineering (OUSD (R&E)), requests White Papers for a single University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (hereafter referred to as the Consortium). The intent of the “University Consortium” (hereafter referred to as “the Consortium”) is that the consortium membership will be comprised of universities with some non-voting engagement by industry and possibly other entities such as labs. Establishment and management of the Consortium is not limited to universities, however. The Government anticipates awarding one (1) Other Transaction Agreement (OT Agreement, hereafter referred to as “the Agreement”) for establishment and management of a consortium which will conduct hypersonics prototyping and research projects for the government and to pursue certain objectives in hypersonics. The consortium will be formed and subprojects will be awarded to the members of the consortium.

I. Statement of Need

a. The Government is issuing this Request for White Papers (RWP) to U.S. institutions of higher education (20 USC 1001), non-profit and/or other organizing bodies to establish and manage a university consortium. An “institution of higher education” is herein referred to as a “university”. A “University Consortium” is defined as a multi-institutional, cross-disciplinary, self-managing legal entity with a Governance Board representing the member universities and a Director. Consortium management functions will include (but are not limited to):

i. determining Consortium membership;

ii. developing Consortium by-laws;

iii. selecting the Governance Board;

iv. implementing and ensuring compliance with security policies;

v. ensuring compliance Operations Security (OPSEC) policies;

vi. ensuring compliance with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR);

vii. overseeing Consortium-related financial transactions;

viii. outreach to other consortia in related disciplines to improve the effectiveness of research and collaboration;

ix. providing reporting to the government on consortium activities and metrics.

b. The base Agreement, when awarded, will include general terms and conditions governing all Consortium activities. Flexibility to add additional consortium members after award is paramount, therefore, the Agreement will include language enabling this requirement.

c. Currently, the Government anticipates awarding numerous prototyping/research projects per fiscal year through the Consortium. The project topics will span various areas within basic, applied, and advanced research including areas identified in Section III, additional areas yet to be discovered or precisely described, and areas which are specific to a given hypersonics program. Due to the evolving nature of hypersonics, it is anticipated that prototyping/research projects and results will lead to additional emerging efforts and that a five (5) year period of performance (PoP) will enable the necessary time to enhance hypersonics development.

II. Schedule

a. The Period of Performance (PoP), including any options, is expected to be up to 60 months with an anticipated ceiling of $100M to establish the Consortium and fund consortium management and prototyping/research projects. The government anticipates that the consortium will be paid a percentage of the subprojects awarded under the base OT for tasks related to management of the consortium. The anticipated PoP and ceiling amount is subject to change based on Department and Congressional decisions.

III. Description of Requirement

a. The OUSD (R&E) has been tasked by the 2020 National Defense Authorization Act

(NDAA) to establish a Joint Hypersonics Transition Office (JHTO) to strategically guide the science, technology, research, and development of hypersonic capabilities across the DoD. In alignment with, and per this legislation, the Government will establish a University Consortium for Applied Hypersonics (the Consortium) with the goal of creating a strong pipeline of research and workforce development to meet the future needs of the Department. A Government-issued Request for Information (RFI) identified interest from more than 40 universities in the Consortium; a follow-up Virtual Industry Day identified interest from more than 50 entities. The intent of this RWP is to competitively solicit submissions for a Consortium from entities as identified in Section I(a).

b. Technical Scope:

i. The DoD’s objective for the Consortium is to create a well-balanced, geographically diverse, multi-disciplinary, collaborative ecosystem of university facilities, staff, researchers, and students working across institutions and with the government on applied hypersonics problems. The focus of the consortium will be applied research (6.2 funding) and advanced technology development (6.3 funding) related to the hypersonics mission including, but not limited to the six (6) factors consistent with the USDR&E S&T plan outlined in Section III(c) (Technology Areas).

ii. The Government intends to fund, through the Agreement, Consortium management, support, and prototyping/research projects that are proposed through the Consortium and approved by the Government. The anticipated budget for these activities will be approximately $20M/year for at least five

(5) years with anticipated ceiling of $100M, though this may change depending upon Department and Congressional decisions.

iii. Prototyping/research projects proposed through the Consortium and approved by the Government will be focused in several categories to include:

1. Core Projects supporting the six technology areas that will receive funding over three (3) years.

2. Next Generation Projects that are designed to advance innovative ideas in hypersonics and transition the best ideas currently funded as basic research. These projects do not need to be in the six (6) technology areas.

3. Challenge Projects that at least one team of universities, partnering with a government or industry transition partner, compete to solve a challenging multiple year/multi-disciplinary problem. The best solution may receive additional funding to complete development and delivery of the solution to the transition partner.

a. When appropriate, a Challenge Project could involve a significant ground experiment or a flight experiment to allow for greater fidelity of data toward the challenge goal and improve the value of funded research.

c. Technology Areas

i. Materials, Structures, and Thermal Protection Systems Related modeling and simulation, manufacturing, and testing and evaluation Ceramic Matrix and Carbon/Carbon Composites Novel processing technologies for composites Modeling and optimization of infiltration processes New/novel precursors Additive manufacture of hypersonic components Advanced characterization techniques for high temperature materials response High temperature seals Window and antenna materials Shape stable or non-eroding leading-edge materials and nose tips

ii. Guidance, Navigation, and Control Artificial intelligence, machine learning, sensors, and related modeling and simulation Position, navigation, and timing Real-time trajectory optimization Multi-objective constrained guidance Adaptive flight controls Divert and attitude control systems for operating in near space

iii. Air-Breathing Propulsion Hypersonic air-breathing propulsion to include dual mode scramjet/ramjet, scramjet, combined-cycle, high-speed turbine, rocket detonation engines.

With a particular interest in, Engine feedback and active control Unstart prediction and recovery

Operability limits and expansion Scalability, including smaller sized engines Improved efficiency and form factor Solid fuel scramjets Propulsion systems for attitude control in near space

iv. Hypersonic Environments and Phenomenology Related modeling and simulation Optical phenomena and signatures of high-speed objects in near space Plasma environment and optical/RF signatures of hypersonic objects in near space Characterization and drivers of high stratospheric winds and turbulences in near space Thermal and spectral signatures of ablation products and engine plumes Plumes and wake ionization

v. Applied Aerodynamics and Hypersonic Systems Related modeling and simulation Multidisciplinary design optimization Jet interactions Uncertainty quantification New concept vehicles Propulsion-airframe integration Multi-body separation of powered and unpowered payloads Fluid-thermal structural interactions Boundary layer management

vi. Lethality and Energetics Solid Rocket Motors (SRMs) Novel fuels development and combustion testing in relevant conditions Temperature resilient, energy dense propellant development Throttle-able, multi-pulse, or re-lightable solid rocket motor R&D Thrust control schemes for high dynamic pressure and trajectory shaping Temperature resilient insulator material development for SRM casings Novel grain designs/features for hypersonic applications Energetic Materials and Energetic Material Processing Hypersonic Terminal Effects & Ordnance System Lethality Modelling and Simulation Validation & Verification

IV. Roles and Responsibilities

a. Government Responsibilities. The Government will provide the Consortium’s strategic objectives, identify technical requirements/gaps, and promulgate guidance through competitive solicitations for 10 U.S.C. 2371(b) prototype projects and research projects that will be issued to all members of the Consortium. The Government will be solely responsible for final approval of research proposals. The Government will have sole responsibility for accepting or rejecting proposals in accordance with the criteria of the individual project solicitation and for performing cost and/or price analysis of the proposals. The Government will monitor the technical work performed for each individual prototype project awarded to Consortium Members. The Government may, under certain circumstances, suggest or have veto authority over Consortium membership.

b. Consortium Responsibilities. The Consortium will:

i. promote dialogue between the Government and Consortium members regarding all aspects of research, the state of hypersonics technology, workforce development, and other relevant information;

ii. provide a forum for Members to organize and meet with Government personnel to exchange technical, policy, programmatic and standards information, and to identify opportunities to strengthen the industrial base in hypersonics related technologies and tradecraft;

iii. distribute competitive solicitations for prototyping/research projects to the entire membership and assist members with submission of documents in response to those competitive solicitations. The Consortium will have a role in pre-screening prototyping/research proposals, but is required to send all proposals to the government for consideration. The Consortium will not amend Consortium members’ responses to competitive solicitations.;

iv. be responsible for administrative functions associated with the lifecycle of the prototyping/research project awards to include all security management and administration of members’ clearance adjudication. The agreement between the member and the Consortium shall be established to facilitate payments to the members for the prototyping/research projects funded by the Government.

In no circumstance shall the member be considered a subcontractor to the Consortium nor shall the value/cost of the project be considered as an incurred cost of the Consortium. The handling of project expenditures described above apply to any party representing the Consortium (i.e. Consortium Management Organization);

v. implement procedures to ensure that a firewall exists between Consortium Manager and consortium members proposing prototyping/research projects to eliminate conflicts of interest;

vi. plan and execute approximately two (2) Consortium Industry Days and ten

(10) Project Industry Days in FY21, expected to occur in the Washington D.C.

area;

vii. organize and coordinate internships, as deemed prudent, to facilitate workforce development goals.

c. Consortium Member Responsibilities. Consortium members may provide proposals in response to any competitive solicitation to address the Government’s science, technology, and standards objectives. Each Consortium member or team of members that has a proposal selected and funded will perform the agreed upon activities defined in the Consortium Agreement. Consortium Members may: (1) share in the funding as Cash Contribution or In-Kind Contribution; (2) contribute their own resources including personnel; and (3) under special circumstances, contribute materials, facilities, equipment or instrumentation. Consortium members may not negotiate the previously agreed to terms and conditions of the Agreement between the

Government and the Consortium. The Government welcomes some form of industry engagement in the Consortium, though industry participants will not have voting rights or be able to compete for funding. There is no prohibition on industry participants being sub-contracted for a project under a University lead.

V. Consortium Member Agreement (CMA)

a. The CMA will be part of the OT award; the CMA will be drafted by the Consortium and approved by the government. Each Consortium member shall become a signatory to the CMA before the Consortium member will be allowed to respond to any competitive solicitations for 10 U.S.C. 2371(b) prototype projects. The CMA shall govern the operation of the Consortium and the obligations of member organizations. Through the execution of a CMA, Consortium members shall agree to be bound to the terms and conditions of the Agreement, when and if they receive a research or prototype project award. The Government expects industry involvement, especially for technology transfer opportunities, but not as voting members or as elements that will compete for funding, though there is no prohibition on industry being subcontracted for projects. The Government is willing to review proposals to accept third party investment into consortia, as long as data rights are not proprietary, and expects potential Consortium Managers responding to this solicitation to identify how they will handle industry sponsorship of Consortium projects.

VI. Security

a. Work by Consortium members may involve access to Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI) as well as information classified as “Confidential” or “Secret.”

The University Consortium must be able to receive, handle and store classified material up to the SECRET level. Respondents to this RWP will need to build management of security clearances and classified information, to include costs, into their white paper, and if applicable, proposal. It is not a requirement for Consortium members to possess SECRET level security clearances, however, without the appropriate clearance members will not be able to work on classified projects.

Consortium members and their employees shall comply with: (1) the Security Agreement (DD Form 441), including the National Industrial Security Program Operation Manual (DoD 5220.22M); (2) any revisions to that manual that may be issued; (3) the Agreement Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254), if included; and (4) all other security requirements specific to the individual projects, including, but not limited to, Operational Security (OPSEC) plans. Any Classified information shall be handled in accordance with DoD 5220.22M, the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual.

b. No classified data shall be submitted in prototyping/research project proposals submitted by Consortium members. To the extent that the project involves DoD controlled unclassified information, respondents must comply with DoDI 8582.01 and DoDM 5200.01 Volume 4. Respondents must implement the security requirements in NIST SP 800-171 for safeguarding the unclassified internal information system; and must report any cyber incidents that affect the controlled unclassified information directly to DoD at https://dibnet.dod.mil.

https://dibnet.dod.mil/

c. Export controls (if applicable): Research findings and technology developments arising from the resulting proposed solution may constitute a significant enhancement to the national defense and to the economic vitality of the United States. As such, in the conduct of all work related to this effort, the selected performer must comply strictly with the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (22 C.F.R. §§ 120-130), the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (DoD 5220.22-M) and the Department of Commerce Export Regulation (15 C.F.R. §§ 730-774).

d. Due to the sensitivity of this technology and program, it is critical to protect and restrict access to sensitive and classified data. Only cleared and authorized U.S.

citizens are to be participants on funded projects with case-by-case exceptions for universities, professors, and students from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

e. The University Consortium is subject to the Arms Export Control Act and the

International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) requiring the issuance of an export license by the U.S. Department of State.

f. The University Consortium is subject to the provisions of National Security Decision

Directive (NSDD-189) regarding transfer of scientific, technical and engineering information.

VII. Other Requirements

a. The Consortium shall have a Governance Board with fair and equitable member representation which may consist of a lead university for each of the identified technology focus areas as well as test sciences and computational science.

i. Responsibilities of Governance Board:

1. maintaining equitable by-laws for Consortium members, as well as appointing a Consortium Director;

2. development of criteria for pre-screening prototyping/research project proposals;

3. reviewing and recommending prototyping/research projects for

Government consideration (as noted in Section IV(b), all proposals will be submitted to the Government for consideration, along with recommendations from the Board);

4. Oversight and reporting on research project progress and milestones;

5. Making recommendations to the government regarding Consortium business to include issues related to governance, research, and membership;

ii. Selection of Governance Board Membership and Consortium Director.

1. The Director serves for a single term of two years and may rotate through the universities. Director responsibilities will include:

a. development of, in coordination with the Board, internal governing processes and procedures;

b. developing and managing Governance Board Agenda and

Convening Governance Board;

c. reporting on Governance Board Activities.

b. Letters of commitment from member universities wishing to join the Consortium should include limitations restricting participation to U.S. or cleared personnel or individuals with citizenship from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom.

NOTE: Letters of commitment shall not restrict universities from being proposed on multiple Consortium White Papers submitted nor preclude unsuccessfully proposed consortium partner/teaming universities from being added to the winning Consortium proposal after award.

VIII. Miscellaneous

a. By submitting a prototyping/research proposal, each Consortium member/university agrees to the Consortium roles and responsibilities as defined herein and in the by-laws to be developed by the Consortium and agreed to by the Government.

IX. Terms and Conditions

a. The Consortium and each of its members shall comply with the terms and conditions of the Agreement. The purpose of the Agreement is to establish terms and conditions by and between the Government and the Consortium to streamline the process for prototype project awards to Consortium Members. The Consortium roles and responsibilities to be performed on behalf of and paid for by the Government will be limited to those described in Section IV(b) of this Solicitation. The Agreement will commence upon the date of bilateral execution by and between the Government and the Consortium and will have a term of at least five years or $100M ceiling value, whichever occurs first.

b. Please note that the specific terms and conditions of the resulting Agreement will be negotiated and finalized with the selected Consortium prior to award. If the Government cannot reach agreement with the selected Consortium on the terms and conditions of the Agreement, then the Government reserves the right to award to an alternative offeror.

X. Evaluation Factors

a. The government will evaluate all white papers based on how well the offeror captures the government intent as it relates to:

Criteria for White Papers

1. Consortium Structure and Management. The extent to which the White Paper addresses the responsibilities addressed in this solicitation regarding administrative and financial oversight of the consortium.

2. Consortium Membership and Expertise. The extent to which the submission demonstrates Consortium Management expertise; demonstrates understanding of and engagement with the applied hypersonics community; demonstrates expertise and ability to support the Technical Scope discussed in Section III(b) and Technology Areas discussed in Section III(c); maximizes the ease of entry for new members; maximizes competition for technology projects; illuminates plans for member retention and growth.

3. Affordability of Cost/Price. The extent to which the proposed consortium fee applied to subprojects is acceptable and the other proposed costs (i.e.-consortium fee and other management fees) are realistic, reasonable, and complete

4. Meets 10 U.S.C. § 2371b: The extent to which the there is significant nontraditional company and/or small business participation or 1/3 cost share.

5. Security and Regulatory Compliance. The extent to which the Consortium Manager has the demonstrated capacity and expertise to manage Consortium security and regulatory requirements stipulated in this solicitation to include: implementing security procedures; managing Controlled Unclassified, Confidential, and Secret information; managing Consortium members’ security clearances, implementing and overseeing Operational Security (OPSEC) procedures; and ensuring compliance with ITAR and other regulatory and statutory obligations.

XI. Basis for Selection

a. White Papers will be evaluated based on the aforementioned criteria. White Paper selection decisions will be formally communicated to the responding offeror(s) prior to the issuance of the Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP).

b. Offerors with successful White Papers will be issued a Request for Prototype Proposal (RPP). The proposal(s) submitted in response to the RPP will then be evaluated based on a separate set of criteria; the evaluation criteria for the proposals will be provided as part of the RPP to those offerors issued a RPP. The Government will perform an evaluation of the final Proposals and select which, if any, offeror will proceed with an OT Agreement for the Consortium. The Government reserves the right to not select any of the submitted proposals.

c. The Government reserves the right to exercise its discretion in limiting the number of companies invited to submit proposals; the Government anticipates only one (1) OT Prototype Agreement awarded for the Consortium. Not all companies presenting meritorious solutions will necessarily be invited to continue in the competition. The resulting OT Agreement and all projects awarded under the OT Agreement are subject to availability of funding.

XII. Contractor Evaluation Administrative Support

a. It is Washington Headquarters Services’ policy to treat all submissions as “source selection information” as defined by 41 U.S.C. § 2101(7), and to disclose the contents only in accordance with 41 U.S.C. § 2102. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, during the evaluation process, submissions may be handled by government support contractors for both administrative purposes and to provide advice to government personnel on the technical evaluation of White Papers. All support contractors performing these roles are expressly prohibited from performing sponsored technical research and are bound by appropriate nondisclosure agreements. Proposals and other submissions during the selection process will only be utilized for evaluation and negotiation purposes.

XIII. Nontraditional Defense Contractor Participation of Cost-Share Commitment

a. The Prototype Project awarded under an OT must meet at least one of the following conditions:

i. All participants are small or non-traditional; or

ii. At least one Non-traditional Defense Contractor (NTDC), small business, or nonprofit research institution is participating to a significant extent in the Prototype Project; or

iii. At least one-third of the total cost of the Prototype Project is to be paid out of funds provided by parties to the transaction other than the Government; or

iv. Senior procurement executive for the Agency determines, in writing, that exceptional circumstances justify the use of an OT.

b. An NTDC is an entity that is not currently performing and has not performed, for at least one year preceding the issuance of a prototype project solicitation, any contract or subcontract for the DoD that is subject to full coverage under the FAR-based Cost Accounting Standards (“CAS”). A subsidiary or a division of a traditional defense contractor may still qualify as an NTDC.

c. Significant participation is determined on a project basis and is based on the importance of the NTDC contribution to the overall execution or outcome of the proposed project. OT Authority statute does not prescribe a monetary threshold or percentage value to justify significance. Examples of “significant” participation are:

i. Supplying a new key technology or product, or unique capability;

ii. Causing a material and quantifiable reduction in the project cost or schedule;

iii. Causing a measurable increase in the performance of the prototype;

iv. Accomplishing a significant amount of the effort;

v. Value-added analysis not based on percentage of project work or value.

d. Since contracts and subcontracts with small businesses are exempt from full CAS coverage, small businesses are deemed NTDCs under OT Authority. An entity is considered a small business based upon its applicable North American Industry Classification System (“NAICS”) designation (as described at 13 C.F.R. §121.201) for the specific nature of the work being proposed.

XIV. Export Control

a. Research findings and technology developments arising from the resulting RWP may constitute a significant enhancement to the national defense and to the economic vitality of the United States. The recipient will comply strictly with the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (22 CFR 120-130), the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (DoD 5220.22-M) and the Department of Commerce Export Regulation (15 CFR 730-774).

XV. Legally Responsible Entity

a. A legally responsible entity shall be identified who may execute the agreement and legally bind the contractor(s)/participant(s). The legally responsible entity will ultimately be responsible for successful contract performance.

XVI. System for Award Management (SAM)

a. The legally responsible entity must register in SAM and maintain an active SAM registration with current information at all times during which they have an active federal award or proposal under consideration by the Government. Information on SAM registration is available at http://www.sam.gov.

XVII. Follow-On

a. In accordance with 10 U.S.C. 2371b(f), and upon a determination that the prototype project for this transaction has been successfully completed, this competitively awarded prototype OT may result in the award of a follow-on production contract or transaction without the use of competitive procedures.

XVIII. Question and White Paper Submission

a. Questions regarding White Paper procedures should be directed to Bethany Stutler, Agreements Officer, at bethany.a.stutler.civ@mail.mil; please include Hypersonics University Consortium in the subject line. Questions regarding submission of White Papers shall be submitted no later than 11 AM EDT on July 09, 2020.

b. White Papers shall be submitted to bethany.a.stutler.civ@mail.mil by 11 AM EDT on July 16, 2020. Each entity may submit one (1) White Paper in response to this

RWP.

XIX. White Paper Format, Costs Associated with Preparation of White Paper, Evaluation of White Papers

a. The White Paper (WP) template is provided as an attachment to this RWP.

b. All White Papers shall be unclassified. White Papers containing data that is not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes shall be clearly marked as such.

http://www.sam.gov/ mailto:whs.mc-alex.ad.mbx.rpab@mail.mil

c. No classified data shall be submitted within the proposal. To the extent that the project involves DoD controlled unclassified information, respondents must comply with DoDI 8582.01 and DoDM 5200.01 Volume 4. Respondents must implement the security requirements in NIST SP 800-171 for safeguarding the unclassified internal information system; and must report any cyber incidents that affect the controlled unclassified information directly to DoD at https://dibnet.dod.mil.

d. Certain types of information submitted to the Department in a process having the potential for award of an OT are exempt from disclosure requirements of 5 U.S.C.

§552 [the Freedom of Information Act or FOIA) for a period of five years from the date the Department receives the information. It is recommended that respondents mark business plans and technical information that are to be protected for five years from FOIA disclosure with a legend identifying the documents as being submitted on a confidential basis.

e. The Government will not pay organizations/companies for the costs associated with

White Paper submissions.

f. Entities that submit a White Paper are not entitled to a de-briefing regarding the government’s evaluation of their white paper.

https://dibnet.dod.mil/