BAA_-_N00174-16-0001.docx

Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division

(NSWC IHEODTD)

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) N00174-16-0001

INTRODUCTION:

This publication is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as defined by Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016. This document is intended to establish a framework for identifying technical areas of interest and for providing BAA terms and other information. This BAA is open only to educational institutions and nonprofit organizations.

NWSC IHEODTD will utilize a Two-Step process under this BAA. Under Step 1 of the process, interested institutions and organizations are requested to submit white papers and rough order of magnitude (ROM) costs in response to the topics listed below. Other topics of interest may be added by amendment to this BAA at any time during the open period of the BAA. Therefore, interested proposers are encouraged to monitor this announcement on the FedBizOpps website. A Peer Review Team will evaluate each white paper to determine its overall technical value and interest to the Government.

Under Step 2 of the process formal proposal packages will be requested, submitted, evaluated, and/or selected for possible awards. NSWC IHEODTD reserves the right to request formal proposal packages from all, some, or none of the proposers that submitted white papers. NSWC IHEODTD also reserves the right to select for award and/or fund all, some, or none of the proposals received under this BAA. Any awards resulting from this BAA will be contracts.

NSWC IHEODTD provides no funding for direct reimbursement of white paper or proposal development costs. White papers, technical proposals, and cost proposals (or any other material) submitted in response to this BAA will not be returned. NSWC IHEODTD will treat all proposals as sensitive competitive information and will disclose their contents only for the purposes of evaluation. NSWC IHEODTD’s adherence to this policy does not constitute any agreement or acknowledgment on its part that the contents of received proposals are in fact sensitive competitive information.

This BAA is intended for the acquisition of basic research and applied research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement.

This announcement will remain open for no less than one (1) year from the date of publication. The open period of this BAA may be extended at any time at the discretion of the Government. White papers may be submitted at any time during the open period of this BAA. Proposals may be requested and awards may be made up to one year after this BAA has closed. If a request for a technical and cost proposal is made when a white paper submission is found to be of technical value and interest to the Navy, the proposal due date will be identified in the request.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

E. CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER

I. GENERAL INFORMATION

NAICS CODE:

541712 – Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME:

Naval Surface Warfare Center Indian Head Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technology Division

NSWC IHEODTD

4072 North Jackson Road Suite 132 Indian Head, MD 20640

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE:

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for NSWC IHEODTD

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE:

Two-Step BAA

CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) NUMBER AND TITLE:

12.630 – Department of Defense (DoD) Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering

POINT OF CONTACTS:

Administrative Point of Contact:

Paulette Bowman Code: 026J 4072 North Jackson Road Suite 132 Indian Head, MD 20640 paulette.bowman@navy.mil

RESPONSE DATES:

This BAA will remain open for no less than one (1) year from the date of publication. White papers may be submitted at any time during the open period of this BAA. This BAA may be extended at any time at the discretion of the Government. Any subsequent request for a formal proposal package will specify a due date for receipt thereof by NSWC IHEODTD.

II. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The technical and research white papers should include concepts and activities that will lead to increased collaboration between NSWC IHEODTD and affiliated organizations and external partners, including universities, industry consortia, economic development entities, and State and local governments. The desired goal is to make the most of the R&D budget and the expertise of both government and nongovernment scientists and engineers, increase the return on investment of the federal R&D budget, and help NSWC IHEODTD and affiliated organizations meet mission requirements while enhancing U.S. competitiveness in the world economy.

Research projects are expected to require a high level of technical expertise, primarily involving PhD level personnel, accomplished engineers, and individuals with significant technical experience; personnel requirements may include, but are not limited to, the following categories: distinguished postdoctoral, senior postdoctoral, postdoctoral, professors, and graduate students. Awards under this BAA are expected to take the form of contracts, which will incorporate federal and agency regulatory clauses. The following identifies areas of research interest for NSWC IHEODTD.

Note: The numbering scheme is not intended to be in numerical after several iterations. Topic numbers are provided for reference only.

A. Weapons and Energetics

Weapons and Energetics: Conduct research and engineering studies on complex new energetics systems; characterize the reaction dynamics of advanced materials including the determination of effects of applied electric and magnetic fields on shock sensitivity and reaction kinetics of materials; conduct energetic materials development resulting in higher performance; conduct energetics materials R&D leading to significant improvement in insensitive munitions; develop a cross-referenced repository of information and databases affiliated with weapons and energetics-based systems and related information, including a list of technical experts for providing continuing real-time insight into all aspects of weapons and energetics systems. Conduct advanced analyses using literature based discovery techniques to explore novel areas of new energetic materials development.

B. Explosive Ordnance Technology

Conduct research to advance DoD capabilities in:

C. Hybrid Warfare

Develop, research, and assess new technologies and concepts of employment and operation in support of Expeditionary Concepts, operations and confronting irregular and hybrid warfare challenges that will be evaluated relative to the projected operational requirements of future maneuver warfare and develop a technology investment strategy in the form of a technology roadmap.

D. Autonomous Systems

This research seeks to advance the state of the art in developing autonomous systems for naval and military applications. The NSWCIHEODTD is one of the DoD’s premier robotics and autonomous systems developers and providers of unique capabilities to the DoD. Novel concepts are solicited which will result in unique, cost effective autonomous systems for explosive ordnance disposal, utilization of new energetic and energy systems in autonomous systems, and use of virtual environments to create highly effective autonomous systems that can adapt to changing environments.

E. Text Data Mining and Network Analysis for the Mitigation of Technology Surprise

This effort seeks to develop new methodologies that utilized semi-formatted/unformatted data feeds along with network based information in order to mitigate technology surprise. We are specifically interested in new techniques that combined together text data mining approaches/features and network analysis based approaches/features. In addition we are interested in using these combined techniques to improved data visualization, dimensionality reduction, clustering, or classification results. Finally we note that methodologies that allow for the identification of emergent or pre-emergent research areas and technologies are of particular interest.

F. Additive Manufacturing

The field of 3-D printing and its broader definition of Additive Manufacturing (AM) is emerging as one of the country’s main research areas. Specifically, there is interest in research in: 1) the current AM state of the art relevant to on-demand/remote fabrication of energetic components; 2) current sensing modalities and sensor/device availabilities for Portable Multimodal Internal Structural Imaging of energetic systems.

G. Defense Industrial Base (DIB) Assessment

Assessment and development of mitigation strategies that meet DOD objectives for protection of critical infrastructure and key resources; conducting information assurance analyses; identification of specific DIB risk factors and mitigation recommendations; proactive assessment of the DIB to establish actionable plans to address known and potential vulnerabilities; analysis of global supply factors for strategic materials and identification of alternative materials or processes to reduce risks associated with loss of access to such materials.

The work to be performed shall be in direct support of the Department of Defense (DoD), other federal departments and agencies as well as national laboratories and shall include engaging in efforts such as, but not limited to the following:

• Identify promising technologies that are in the developmental phase at NSWCIHEODTD, affiliates, university labs, and the private sector that could be efficiently and cost effectively transitioned to the US warfighter.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

All responsible sources from colleges and universities may submit white papers and proposals under this BAA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit white papers and proposals and join others in submitting proposals; however, no portion of the funding or awards under this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable items of this research for exclusive competition among such entities.

Department of the Navy laboratories and warfare centers as well as other Department of Defense (DoD) and civilian agency laboratories are not eligible to receive direct awards under this BAA and should not directly submit either white papers or full proposals in response to this BAA. These types of federal organizations may team with responsible principal proposers that are submitting proposals under this BAA.

Proposers 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 Navy.

Some topics may 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., and each proposer and/or awardee (including any and all team members) shall be fully responsible for ensuring compliance with all export control laws, regulations, and requirements. Offerors should address in their white papers and proposals whether ITAR restrictions apply or do not apply, such as in the case when research products would have both civil and military application.

IV. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION (TWO-STEP BAA PROCESS)

1. STEP ONE OF THE BAA PROCESS

Under Step 1 of the process, interested institutions and organizations may submit white papers in response to any of the topic areas identified above. White papers may be submitted under more than one topic of interest and there is no limit to the number of white papers a single institution or organization may submit. Additional topics of interest may be added to the BAA via an amendment at any time during the open period of this BAA.

a. White Paper Format

White papers should be submitted as an e-mail attachment in MS Word file or pdf format to paulette.bowman@navy.mil. Hard copy submissions are neither required nor desired. White papers should be formatted as follows:

i. Paper Size – 8.5 x 11 inch paper

ii. Margins – 1 inch

iii. Spacing – single or double spaced

iv. Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

White papers shall not be more than five (5) single-sided pages in length and should be comprised of the following:

1. Cover Page (one page) – The cover page shall include the proposer’s name and address, technical and contracting Points of Contact, telephone number, facsimile number, and e-mail for each Point of Contact, BAA number and title, date, topic number and title, period of performance, and estimated cost of project (rough order of magnitude (ROM)). The ROM is a best guess of the anticipated cost of the effort. The white paper shall not include a cost proposal or any of the material that usually accompanies a cost proposal. For proposal purposes only, the Government expects to make awards under this BAA ranging from $100,000.00 to $5,000,000.00.

2. Overview (one page) – This shall provide an overview of the proposer’s capabilities (physical plant and equipment as well as human resources).

3. Project Objective – The objective shall identify the project title and describe the work to be performed and the results to be achieved.

4. Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables.

b. White Paper Evaluation (Peer Review)

A Peer Review Team will evaluate the white paper to determine its overall technical value and interest to the Government. Evaluations will be conducted using the following evaluation criteria:

1. Relevance to a topic specified in the BAA;

2. Relevance to an emergent need;

3. Alignment with Navy requirement(s).

4. Alternative to existing technology; and

5. Consideration of the ROM with respect to available funding

Criteria 1 through 5 are of equal value.

All white papers submitted in response to this BAA hereunder shall be treated in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 252.227-7016 (JAN 2011), the full text of which is incorporated herein by reference. ANY MARKINGS ON WHITE PAPERS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO RESTRICTIONS ON USE OR DISSEMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT OR TO RESERVATIONS OF RIGHTS, THAT ARE INCONSISTENT WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF DFARS 252.227-7016 SHALL BE VOID AND SHALL BE IGNORED BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND MAY RESULT IN THE GOVERNMENT’S DECISION IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION TO RETURN AND/OR NOT TO EVALUATE THE WHITE PAPER.

Each white paper evaluation shall be documented by the Peer Review Team. Evaluations that conclude that the white paper submission demonstrates value and interest to the Navy may result in a request for submission by the proposer of a formal proposal package; the request shall identify a specific due date for such submission. All proposers submitting white papers typically will be contacted by NSWC IHEODTD within two (2) months receipt of the white paper informing them of one of the following: (a) the effort proposed is not of interest to the Navy, (b) the effort proposed is of interest to the Navy but a formal proposal package will not be requested at that time (the white paper will be kept until the end of this BAA for possible, future proposal request), or (c) the effort proposed is of interest to the Navy and a formal proposal package will be requested by a specified date.

B. STEP TWO OF THE BAA PROCESS

Under Step 2 of the process formal proposal packages will be submitted, evaluated, and potentially selected for award.

a. Formal Proposal Package

The formal proposal package is the only vehicle available to a proposer for receiving consideration for award. The package must stand on its own merit; only information provided in the package can be used in the evaluation process. Proposal package evaluations will not consider information included in a package by reference. The proposal package should provide straightforward, concise delineation of the technical solution necessary for performance. The technical proposal with statement of work must be accompanied by a fully supported cost proposal, as cost and technical considerations are reviewed simultaneously. The following three submissions are required for a complete proposal package:

1. Technical Proposal – Template provided below in Section IV.B.a.(1).

2. Statement of Work (MS Word) – Template provided at the time of proposal solicitation

3. Cost Proposal (MS Excel) – Template provided at the time of proposal solicitation

Technical Proposal

Technical proposals should be submitted as an e-mail attachment in MS Word or pdf file format to paulette.bowman@navy.mil. Hard copy submissions are neither required nor desired. To ensure all technical proposals receive proper consideration, NSWC IHEODTD requires that all proposers follow the same format. Technical proposals should be formatted as follows:

i. Paper Size – 8.5 x 11 inch paper

ii. Margins – 1 inch

iii. Spacing – single or double spaced

iv. Font – Times New Roman, 12 point

The technical proposal will be subject to a page limit. However, the page limit will be specified when the formal proposal is requested. The technical proposal should be comprised of the following:

1. Cover Page - The cover page shall include the proposer’s name and address, BAA number and title, topic number and title, technical and contracting Points of Contact, telephone number, facsimile number, and e-mail for each Point of Contact, period of performance, the proposer’s CAGE code, and the business size for the NAICS code identified in the BAA.

2. Table of Contents

3. List of Illustrations/Tables - This list is a quick reference of charts, graphs, and other important information. A separate List of Tables is recommended.

4. Executive Summary - The Executive Summary allows proposers to concisely present the important aspects of their proposals. The summary should present an organized progression of the work to be accomplished, without the technical details, so that the reader can grasp the core issues of the proposed program. The Executive Summary should rarely exceed two pages.

5. Technical Approach - In this section, the proposer should provide as much technical detail and analysis as is necessary or useful to support the proposed technical approach. One must clearly identify the technologies, (basic, applied research or exploratory development) forming the “new and creative” solution(s) proposed. It is not effective to address a variety of possible solutions to the technology problems. The following subfactors must be addressed. Each subfactor is weighted equally:

a) Technical Discussion - No technical approach is without its limitations or shortcomings. Every issue should be identified and compared with the successes/failures of previous approaches. A tradeoff analysis is a good way to make this comparison and should be supported by theory, simulation, modeling, experimental data, or other sound engineering and scientific practices. If the proposer has a “new and creative” solution to the problem(s), that solution should be developed and analyzed in this section. The preferred technical approach should be described in as much detail as is necessary or useful to establish confidence in the approach. The technical discussion should be followed by a technical program summary that emphasizes the strong points of the proposed technical approach.

b) Risk Analysis and Alternatives - Every technology has limitations and shortcomings. Critical technologies should be identified along with their impacts on the overall program, as well as fallback positions that could still improve on existing approaches.

c) References - Any good technology discussion must present the basis for, and reference to, the findings cited in the literature.

6. Capabilities and Relevant Experience - In this section, the proposer should describe any capabilities the proposer has that are uniquely supportive of the technology to be pursued. The following subfactors must be addressed. Each subfactor is weighted equally:

a) Capabilities and Relevant Experience

b) Previous or Current Relevant internal research and development (IR&D) Work and Points of Contact

c) Related Government Contracts and Points of Contact

d) Facilities/Resources

e) Resumes of Proposed Personnel, identifying which resume is the proposed Principal Investigator (PI)

7. Schedule - The schedule represents the proposer’s commitment to perform the program tasks in an orderly, timely manner. Each major task identified in the SOW should appear as a separate line on a Timeline Chart by Task. Planned meetings, such as kick-off, presentations (including final presentation on the effort), Technical Interchange Meetings, etc., should be included in the timeline. The timeline should also indicate the anticipated meeting site. All deliverables, such as hardware, software, and data items, should be specifically identified and included in the schedule.

8. Program Organization - In this paragraph, the proposers should present their organizational abilities to conduct difficult technical programs. The following subfactors must be addressed. Each subfactor is weighted equally:

a) Organization Chart(s) with Personnel - Include prime proposer and subcontractor organization charts.

b) Management and Technical Team - This should specifically identify the tasks to be performed by each party and the criteria used to select each subcontractor, if any, to perform its task(s). The following subfactors must be addressed. Each subfactor is weighted equally:

(1) Proposer Responsibilities

(2) SubContractor(s) Responsibilities (if applicable)

(3) Consultant(s) Responsibilities (if applicable)

9. Appendix(es) - Appendices may include technical reports, published papers, and referenced material. A listing of these reports/papers, with short description of the subject matter, is usually adequate.

DO NOT PROVIDE COMMERCIAL PRODUCT ADVERTISING BROCHURES.

Statement of Work (SOW)

A proposer is required to submit a SOW with the technical proposal as an e-mail attachment in MS Word or pdf file format to paulette.bowman@navy.mil. Hard copy submissions are neither required nor desired. When NSWC IHEODTD requests a formal proposal package from the proposer, a SOW template shall be provided to the proposer for completion and submission.

Cost Proposal

Clear, concise, and accurate cost proposals reflect the proposer's financial plan for accomplishing the effort contained in the technical proposal and SOW. A proposer is required to submit a cost proposal with the technical proposal and SOW as an e-mail attachment in MS Excel file format to paulette.bowman@navy.mil. Hard copy submissions are neither required nor desired. When NSWC IHEODTD requests a formal proposal package from the proposer, the applicable cost estimate template shall be provided to the proposer for completion and submission. For proposal purposes only, the Government expects to make awards ranging from $100,000.00 to $5,000,000.00.

All formal proposal packages submitted for consideration hereunder shall be treated in accordance with the terms and conditions set forth in Department of Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) 252.227-7016 (JAN 2011), the full text of which is incorporated herein by reference. ANY MARKINGS ON FORMAL PROPOSAL PACKAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO RESTRICTIONS ON USE OR DISSEMINATION BY THE GOVERNMENT OR TO RESERVATIONS OF RIGHTS, THAT ARE INCONSISTENT WITH THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF DFARS 252.227-7016 SHALL BE VOID AND SHALL BE IGNORED BY THE GOVERNMENT, AND MAY RESULT IN THE GOVERNMENT’S DECISION IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION TO RETURN AND/OR NOT TO EVALUATE THE FORMAL PROPOSAL PACKAGE.

b. Proposal Evaluation

Awards under this BAA, if any, will be made to proposers on the basis of the evaluation criteria listed below, and program balance to provide overall value to the Government. NSWC IHEODTD reserves the right to request any additional, necessary documentation once it makes the award instrument determination. NSWC IHEODTD reserves the right to remove proposers from award consideration should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms, conditions, and cost/price within a reasonable time, or the proposer fails to timely provide requested additional information. Evaluations will be conducted using the following evaluation criteria:

1. Technical, based on the following:

a) Overall scientific and technical merits of the technical proposal and SOW;

b) Potential Naval relevance and contributions of the effort to the Navy’s specific mission;

c) The proposer’s capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques or unique combinations of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives; and

d) The qualifications, capabilities and experience of the proposed Principal Investigator (PI), team leader, and key personnel who are critical in achieving the proposal objects.

Criteria a through d are of equal value.

2. Importance to agency programs

3. Availability of funds. Cost sharing is not expected and will not be used as evaluation criteria; however, NSWC IHEODTD may consider voluntary cost sharing if proposed.

Criteria 1 through 3 are of equal value.

Cost realism and reasonableness may be considered to the extent considered appropriate by the Government in its sole discretion.

NSWC IHEODTD 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 NSWC IHEODTD to exercise the options during contract performance.

Technical and cost proposals submitted under this BAA will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 3.104-4 and 15.207 and DFARS 252.227-7016. The cognizant Program Officer and other Government scientific experts will perform the evaluation of technical proposals. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, one or more support contractors may be utilized as subject matter expert technical consultants. However, proposal selection and award decisions are solely the responsibility of Government personnel. Each support contractor’s employee having access to technical and cost proposals submitted in response to this BAA will be required to sign a NSWC IHEODTD non-disclosure statement prior to receipt of any proposal submissions. Submission of technical and cost proposals by a proposer constitutes the proposer’s acknowledgment of and permission for access by support contractors to such proposals for the sole purposes stated herein.

c. Awards

Written evaluations shall be forwarded to a Contracting Officer for consideration for award. More than one award may be made based on the quality of the proposals and the cost of proposals in light of the availability of funding. Occasionally, NSWC IHEODTD may be interested in contracting for only a certain portion (or portions) of a proposal. The BAA method provides the flexibility to make an award for only those portions or tasks of the proposal that are of interest to the Government. The proposer will be notified in writing if NSWC IHEODTD intends to make an award based on the proposer’s proposal. The notification will indicate if all or only portions of the proposal will be included in the award. Recommended proposals will be forwarded to an authorized NSWC IHEODTD Contracting Officer. Only a Contracting Officer has the authority to award a contract.

V. OTHER INFORMATION

1. RESEARCH UNDER A BAA

Work funded under a BAA may include acquisition of basic research and applied research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. With regard to any restrictions on the conduct or outcome of work funded under this BAA, NSWC IHEODTD will follow the guidance on and definition of “contracted fundamental research” as provided in the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) Memorandum of 24 May 2010.

As defined therein the definition of “contracted fundamental research,” in a DoD contractual context, includes research performed under grants and contracts that are (a) funded by Research, Development, Test and Evaluation Budget Activity 1 (Basic Research), whether performed by universities or industry or (b) funded by Budget Activity 2 (Applied Research) and performed on campus at a university. The research shall not be considered fundamental in those rare and exceptional circumstances where the applied research effort presents a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense, and where agreement on restrictions have been recorded in the contract or grant.

Pursuant to DoD policy, research performed under contracts that are a) funded by Budget Activity 6.2 (Applied Research) and NOT performed on-campus at a university or b) funded by Budget Activity 6.3 (Advanced Research) does not meet the definition of “contracted fundamental research.” In conformance with the USD(AT&L) guidance and National Security Decision Direction 189, NSWC IHEODTD will place no restriction on the conduct or reporting of unclassified “contracted fundamental research,” except as otherwise required by statute, regulation, or Executive Order. For certain research projects, it may be possible that although the research being performed by the prime contractor is restricted research, a subcontractor may be conducting “contracted fundamental research.” In those cases, it is the prime contractor’s responsibility in the proposal to identify and describe the subcontracted unclassified research and include a statement confirming that the work has been scoped, negotiated, and determined to be fundamental research according to the prime contractor and research performer.

Normally, fundamental research is awarded under grants with universities and under contracts with industry. Non-fundamental research is normally awarded under contracts and may require restrictions during the conduct of the research and DoD pre-publication review of such research results due to subject matter sensitivity. Potential proposers should consult with the appropriate Navy Technical POCs to determine whether the proposed effort would constitute basic research, applied research, or that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement.

FAR Part 35 restricts the use of Broad Agency Announcements (BAAs), 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. Contracts and grants and other assistance agreements made under BAAs are for scientific study and experimentation directed towards advancing the state of the art and increasing knowledge or understanding.

Proposed objectives and efforts under white papers and proposals will be also be evaluated by the Government to determine whether another type of non-contractual agreement or partnering agreement may be suitable, e.g., a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement. For situations in which a non-FAR agreement is a more suitable vehicle, the Government will separately communicate with the proposing institution or organization and this BAA would not apply.

COMMITMENT TO SMALL BUSINESS

NSWC IHEODTD is strongly committed to providing meaningful subcontracting opportunities for small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses (SDBs), woman-owned small businesses (WOSBs), economically disadvantaged WOSBs (EDWOSBs), historically underutilized business zone (HUB Zone) small businesses, veteran-owned small business (VOSBs), service disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSBs), historically black colleges and universities, and minority institutions, and other concerns subject to socioeconomic considerations through its awards.

a) Subcontracting Plan - For proposed awards that exceed $700,000.00, non-profits (including educational institutions) shall provide a Subcontracting Plan (hereafter known as the ‘Plan’) that contains all elements required by FAR Subpart 19.704, FAR 52.219-9 and as supplemented by DFARS 252.219-7003.

The Plan should be submitted as an attachment to the Technical Proposal but it will not count towards the page limit for the technical proposal. If the proposer has a Master Subcontracting Plan, as described in FAR 19.701 or a Comprehensive Subcontracting Plan, as described in DFARS 219.702, a copy of the Plan shall also be submitted as an attachment to the Technical Proposal. The Plan does not count in the page limitation for the Technical Proposal.

Plans will be reviewed for adequacy, ensuring that the required information, goals, and assurances are included. FAR 19.702 require the apparently successful proposer to submit an acceptable Plan. If the apparently successful proposer fails to negotiate a Plan acceptable to the contracting officer within the time limit prescribed by the contracting officer, the proposer will be ineligible for award.

Proposers shall propose a plan that ensures small businesses (inclusive of SDBs, WOSBs, EDWOSBs, HUB Zone, VOSBs and SDVOSBs, etc.) will have the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in contract performance consistent with its efficient performance.

As a baseline, proposers shall to the best extent possible propose realistic goals to ensure small business participation in accordance with the current or most recent fiscal year subcontracting goals found on the DoD Office of Small Business Program website at: http://www.acq.osd.mil/osbp/. If proposed goals are below the statutory requirements, then the proposer shall include in the Plan a viable written explanation as to why small businesses are unable to be utilized and what attempts were taken to ensure that small business were given the opportunity to participate in the effort to the maximum extent practicable.

b) Small Business Participation Statement – If subcontracting opportunities exist, all prime proposers shall submit a Small Business Participation Statement regardless of size in accordance with DFARS 215.304 when receiving a contract for more than the simplified acquisition threshold (i.e., $150,000.00). All proposers shall provide a statement of the extent of the proposer’s commitment in providing meaningful subcontracting opportunities for small businesses and other concerns subject to socioeconomic considerations through its awards and must agree that small businesses, VOSBs, SDVOSBs, HUB Zones, SDBs, WOSBs, and EDWOSBs concerns will have to the maximum practicable opportunity to participate in contract performance consistent with its efficient performance.

This assertion will be reviewed to ensure that it supports this policy by providing meaningful subcontracting opportunities.