P07 RPP HQ0034259JDEC Consortium Management.pdf

HQ0034259JDEC

REQUEST FOR PROTOTYPE PROPOSAL – CONSORTIUM MANAGEMENT

JOINT DIRECTED ENERGY CONSORTIUM

Issued By:

Washington Headquarters Services 4800 Mark Center Drive, Suite 09F09

Alexandria, VA 22350-0002

For the:

Joint Directed Energy Transition Office 3030 Defense Pentagon, Room 3C168

Washington, DC 20301-3030

Solicitation Number: HQ0034259JDEC Title: Joint Directed Energy Consortium DoD Program Office: Joint Directed Energy Transition Office Issued By: Washington Headquarters Services Instructions: See Section IV. Solution Instructions Solutions Due: September 15, 2025 12:00pm ET Contracting Points of Contact:

Erin Eslinger, Agreements Officer Erin.p.eslinger.civ@mail.mil Jennifer Walsh, Agreements Specialist Jennifer.l.walsh28.civ@mail.mil

Technical Point of Contact: Adam C. Clark Adam.c.clark.civ@us.navy.mil

Table of Contents

I. Background

II. Problem Statement

III. Authority and Procedures

IV. Solution Instructions

V. Attachments mailto:Erin.p.eslinger.civ@mail.mil mailto:Jennifer.l.walsh28.civ@mail.mil mailto:Adam.c.clark.civ@us.navy.mil

I. Background The Joint Directed Energy Transition Office (JDETO) executes a science and technology (S&T) investment portfolio in directed energy that includes innovative cross cutting technologies for multi-domain applications. JDETO funds basic research, applied research, and advanced technology development in optics and photonics with academic, industry, and government partners.

JDETO is part of the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) Office of the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Critical Technologies (OASD(CT)).

Within OUSD(R&E)/OASD(CT), the JDETO supports the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Applied Technology, and per the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), reports directly to the Principal Director (PD) for Direct Energy (DE). Per the 2021 NDAA, the PD for DE is the senior official within the DoD for DE, which is currently one of 14 critical technology areas (CTAs) within OUSD(R&E). In turn, the PD for DE updates the DoD DE Roadmap on an annual basis and is responsible for coordinating the DE CTA.

In accordance with the DoD DE Roadmap and other strategic guidance, the JDETO is structured with five technical programs. As shown in Fig. 1, these programs enable the execution of five program elements (PEs) with 6.1-6.4 funding.

Figure 1. Overview of the JDETO Technical Programs

PE 0601108D8Z (6.1 funding) is executed via a technical program referred to as the Directed Energy Center of Excellence (DE-CoE) Program, which enables (1) basic research in support of game-changing technology, (2) robust workforce development with university partners, and (3) meaningful international collaboration through partnership between universities in the U.S. and partner countries. Note that (1)-(3) are all in support of the DoD Directed Energy Roadmap.

PE 0602890D8Z (6.2 funding) is executed via two technical programs referred to as the Enabling Tech Program and the Applied Tech Program that both support the DoD Directed Energy Roadmap. The Enabling Tech Program addresses five JDETO Technical Areas (Laser Sources, Lethality, Beam Control and Propagation, High Power Microwave, and Modeling and Simulation Technical Areas), which enable applied research in support of novel component technologies and system-level architectures, robust workforce development with government and industry partners, and ground-breaking technology demonstrations with Joint-international participation. Conversely, the Applied Tech Program addresses five JDETO Initiatives (High Energy Laser Scaling Initiative (HELSI), Lethality Initiative, Beam Control Initiative (BCI), High Power Microwave Initiative, and Pulsed Laser Initiative), which enable applied research and advanced technology development in support of system-level

JDETO Technical Programs Applied TechEnabling Tech Tech MaturationCenter of Excellence

6.1 to 6.2 6.2 to 6.3 6.3 to 6.4

Academia Workforce

Development International

Collaboration

Govt/Industry Advanced

Prototypes Test and

Evaluation

Govt/Industry HEL Technology

Development HPM Technology

Development

Govt/Industry HEL System

Development HPM System

Development

Tech Utility

Govt Mission-driven

Lethality Mission-driven

Survivability prototypes, government-owned requirements using a modular open systems approach (MOSA), and risk-mitigating technology demonstrations with Joint-international participation.

PE 0603924D8Z (6.3 funding) is executed via two technical programs that both support the DoD Directed Energy Roadmap. The first is the Applied Tech Program, which again addresses five initiatives at various phases of portfolio maturity through the future years defense program (FYDP).

The primary goal of these initiatives is to enable system-level technology demonstrations with Joint-international participation to occur as part of the Tech Maturation Program—the second technical program within this PE. A secondary goal is to enable the assessment of military utility via follow-on, Combatant-Command experimentation, again with Joint-international participation.

PE 0604924D8Z (6.4 funding) is a new start in FY25 and is executed via the Tech Maturation and Tech Utility Programs. In addition to system-level technology demonstrations, these technical programs support advanced component development and prototypes in terms of (1) advanced prototypes (using MOSA principles), (2) test and evaluations, (3) mission driven lethality, and (4) mission driven survivability—all in support of the DoD Directed Energy Roadmap.

In support of the five technical program areas (see Fig. 1), the JDETO uses a consolidated meeting model to maximize in-person participation and coordinate the disclosure of information at the appropriate classification level. As shown in Fig. 2, three meetings occur annually: one annual review meeting, a technology conference focusing on basic research efforts, and systems summit encompassing the entire range of JDETO DE programs and projects. In preparation for these meetings, the JDETO Program Managers participate in quarterly program book reviews. These reviews verify that the technical portfolios managed by the JDETO Program Managers are in line with the DoD DE Roadmap and other strategic guidance. This roadmap is also informed by the POM plans coordinated by the Services and Agencies and the S&T gaps and roadmaps coordinated by the DE and Non-Lethal Weapons Community of Interest (DE-NLW COI).

Figure 2. Overview of the JDETO Consolidated Meeting Model

Program Book Review Begin Execution

Q2 Q3 Q4Program Book Review Refine Plans

Program Book Review Present Plans

Program Book Review Finalize Execution

Joint-International Committee Coordinates summit sessions

Academia/Govt/Industry Participants Present invited talks

JDETO Tech PMs (6.1-6.4) Lead portfolio workshops

DE Systems SummitDE Technology Conference

Joint-International Committee Coordinates conference sessions

Academia/Govt/Industry Participants Present invited & contributed papers

JDETO Tech PMs (6.1) Lead portfolio reviews

JDETO Consolidated Meeting Model

Service & Agency Participants Present S&T gaps & roadmaps

DE-NLW COI Sub-Area Leads Present S&T gaps & roadmaps

JDETO Tech PMs (6.2-6.4) Lead portfolio reviews

DE Annual Review

OCT NOV DEC JAN FEB MAR APR MAY JUN JUL AUG SEP

II. Problem Statement The DoD seeks a Joint Directed Energy Consortium (JDEC) other transaction (OT) agreement to support innovation and deliver unique advantages of directed energy technologies to the warfighter for missions across all domains in which JDETO operates. Directed Energy systems will allow the DoD to counter a wide variety of current and emerging threats with rapid responses and engagement at the speed of light. High-power lasers and high-power microwave technologies offer new ways to counter diverse sets of threats. To efficiently execute the technical programs specified in Fig. 1 and the consolidated meeting model specified in Fig.2, the JDETO is pursuing the award of a consortium-managed OT agreement under the 10 U.S.C. § 4021 (Research projects), and 10 U.S.C. § 4022 (Prototype projects) authorities.

Led by the efforts of the Consortium Management Organization (CMO), this OT agreement will accelerate DoD access to technologies typically reserved for commercial development. In so doing, the consortium managed OT agreement will enable the JDETO to meet the mid- and long-term goals of the DoD DE Roadmap.

The consortium will achieve the following:

• New Technology – Enable Consortium Members (universities, nontraditional defense contractors (NDCs), nonprofit research institutions (NRIs), and small businesses) to advance the state of the art (SOTA) in high energy laser (HEL) and high-power microwave (HPM) technology via research and prototype projects.

• Speed of Acquisition – Decrease the timeframes needed to award projects from the CMO to Consortium Members.

• Diversification of Sources – Increase competition amongst universities, NDCs, NRIs, and small businesses not typically considered in Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) based contracts to grow the Joint Directed Energy Community.

• Improved Engagement – Engage with universities, NDCs, NRIs, and small businesses on a regular basis to increase the adoption of new HEL and HPM technology into DE systems.

• Innovative Approaches – In collaboration with the JDETO, use tailored technology management and system engineering practices on all research and prototype projects.

The JDETO is focused on mitigating S&T gaps in support of the mid- and long-term goals of the DoD DE Roadmap and other strategic guidance. To enable this dynamic mission, the CMO shall establish a proven and agile approach to managing a consortium that allows awarded projects to move at the pace of innovation. Key components of the model include:

• Pathways that allow each project to advance the SOTA and close S&T gaps for all stakeholders,

• Early and open dialogue that facilitates a more robust and informed research, development, test, and evaluation (RDT&E) approach to drive down project risk,

• Engagements with universities, NDCs, NRI, and small businesses that grow the Joint DE Community,

• Annual workshops and symposia that bring the Joint DE Community together, provide a forum for peer review, and enable the disclosure of information at the appropriate classification level, and

• Agreement actions and financial structure that streamline execution and reduce taxpayer cost.

To meet the mid- and long-term goals of the DoD DE Roadmap and other strategic guidance, the JDETO intends to (1) sponsor research and prototype projects across five technical programs via 6.1-

6.4 funding (see Fig. 1) and (2) sponsor three annual meetings in support of the Joint DE Community (see Fig. 2). The CMO will build and maintain a consortium that has the appropriate expertise to address the needs listed in (1) and (2). The specific needs today may change and expand over the life of the consortium. The CMO will execute research and prototype project agreements originating from JDETO and other mission partners within the Services and Agencies relevant to the intent of the consortium.

Prototype project agreements awarded under the consortium shall meet the statutory requirements to use the authority in 10 U.S.C. § 4022. The project agreement solution shall meet the definition of a prototype project as defined in 10 U.S.C. § 4022(e)(5) and shall meet at least one of the conditions in 10 U.S.C. § 4022(d)(1). Successfully completed prototype projects may provide for new capabilities for existing and future DE systems.

Research project agreements awarded under the consortium shall meet the statutory requirements to use the authority in 10 U.S.C. § 4021. In addition to a final report, successful research projects may result in peer-reviewed journals articles like those published by the Journal of DoD Research & Engineering (JDR&E).

Successful technical demonstrations associated with the capabilities researched and prototyped under this consortium are anticipated to mitigate S&T gaps at the component, sub-system, or full-system levels to meet the mid- and long-term goals of the DoD DE Roadmap.

Consortium Community The CMO will build the consortium community while working hand in hand with the JDETO Program Managers in awarding project agreements in support of the requirements generated by the five technical programs within the JDETO (see Fig.1). These requirements will map to the mid- and long-term goals of the DoD DE Roadmap and be vetted through quarterly program book reviews at the PD for DE and JDETO levels.

To further build the consortium community, the CMO will coordinate annual community engagements supporting the consolidated meeting model used by the JDETO (see Fig. 2).

• Two of these engagements will support the Joint-International DE Community in the form of symposia. The DE Technical Conference will need to occur at the unclassified level to maximize participation from allied partners. Utilizing existing professional societies and conferences like SPIE Defense and Commercial Sensing could be an option for this timeframe, or the CMO could create its own forum. Bilateral exchanges could then occur on a case-by-case basis at the CUI level given the appropriate agreements and meeting spaces.

• The DE Systems Summit will need to occur at the CUI and SECRET levels and be releasable to Great Britain and Australia. Teaming with existing professional societies to create a new community engagement could be an option for this timeframe, or the CMO may create their own forum.

• The DE Annual Review will support the Principal Director for DE in the form of POM planning and road mapping at the SECRET level, as well as the JDETO in the form of technical portfolio reviews and strategic planning workshops at the CUI and SECRET levels. Thus, the Consortium Manger will work in close collaboration with the Joint-

International DE Community, the Principal Director for DE, and the JDETO to coordinate these activities.

Special Considerations

• Top Secret facility clearance required at time of award.

• Existing level-6 TS/SCI personnel clearances will be required to work on-site in a classified facility; companies that do not already possess a suitable clearance can make use of a pre-existing integration partner.

• All work must be completed by U.S.-based resources within classified facilities (DC, VA, HI, etc.).

• The CMO shall take ownership of the due-diligence process setup by the DE-CoE Program within the JDETO to assess the risk associated with awarding research projects to university Consortium Members.

• The CMO shall maintain a website in support of the Joint Directed Energy Community.

• The CMO shall publish final reports with the Defense Technical Information Center and link them to the JDETO’s DoDTechipedia webpage as well as the consortium’s DoDTechipedia webpage.

• The CMO shall encourage Consortium Members to serve as reviewers for the JDR&E and link published articles in DE to the JDETO’s DoDTechipedia webpage as well as the Consortium’s DoDTechipedia webpage to create a sense of community.

• The CMO shall take ownership of the latest version of the Directed Energy Weapon System (DEWS) MOSA Reference Architecture (RA) and distribute it to the Joint Directed Energy Community via a link within the JDETO’s DoDTechipedia webpage, as well as a link within the Consortium’s DoDTechipedia webpage.

III. Authority and Procedures

a. Authority In support of JDETO’s Joint Directed Energy Consortium, the Washington Headquarters Services, Acquisition Directorate (WHS/AD) seeks to enter into an OT agreement under the 10 United States Code (U.S.C.) §4021 (Research projects) and 10 U.S.C. §4022 (Prototype projects) authorities, which are not subject to the FAR or any of its supplements. Led by the efforts of the CMO, this OT agreement will advance a key DoD priority for directed energy research and innovation, enhance JDETO’s mission, and deliver unique advantages of directed energy technologies to the warfighter.

b. Procedures This is a competitive selection process for Consortium Management. The process will be a competitive approach to identifying a CMO that represents the best solution for the Government.

WHS/AD intends to use a two-phase selection process to evaluate the proposed solution as described herein. Any solution determined not relevant to the requirement will be excluded from further consideration. Furthermore, the Government may exclude a solution from further consideration at any point during the evaluation if the Government determines that the solution fails to meet all of the evaluation criteria. The Government may forgo Phase II: Pitch at its discretion.

Phase I: Proposal Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions herein. The Government will evaluate all proposed solutions based on the following evaluation criteria:

1) Relevance to the Problem Statement The solution must be determined relevant to the requirement to receive further consideration.

2) Merit and feasibility of the approach to consortium management.

3) Merit and feasibility of the approach to consortium membership.

4) Experience and expertise in managing consortia or similar entities.

5) Adequacy and feasibility of the cost model.

Phase II: Pitch Following its competitive evaluation in Phase I, organizations may then be selected to “pitch” their approach to the Government (in-person or virtual as determined by the Government), providing specific details about their CMO and their proposed consortium arrangement. During this phase, the Government will dialogue with the organizations about their specific approach to better understand the proposed solution and to resolve any other pertinent issues. Following the pitch, the Government will evaluate all proposed solutions based on the following evaluation criteria:

1) Demonstrated ability for consortium management including performance of the Consortium Management Project Execution Plan (PEP) Objective 3.1, PEP Objective 3.3, and timely award of project agreements.

2) Demonstrated ability for consortium membership including performance of PEP Objective

3.2 and the JDETO consolidated meeting model.

3) Reasonableness of the cost model.

c. Collaboration and Negotiation Following its evaluation, the Government may collaborate directly with the selected organization(s) to finalize the Consortium Management PEP. Furthermore, the Government may enter into negotiations with the selected organization(s) on the proposed Consortium cost model, terms and conditions, and any other necessary documents (e.g. data assertions, business status certification, etc.) that will all become part of the resulting OT agreement, if selected. The Government retains maximum flexibility throughout this process and may modify requirements, request additional information, or terminate the process at any time.

This solicitation is not governed by the FAR or any of its supplements, and the Government strives to provide flexibility in the use of commercial terms and conditions. However, there are several non-negotiable terms and conditions that are based on law or process limitations, or other reasons.

Taking exception to any such terms and conditions may jeopardize the Government’s ability to award an agreement.

The Government has broad discretion in selecting, negotiating with, and awarding agreements. The Government's decision is final and not subject to appeal.

d. Award Upon favorable review and availability of funds, the Government may make award to the organization(s) which represent the best interest of the Government. The intended consortium OT agreement award will have a 5-year ordering period with a 5-year optional ordering period. However, the Government is under no obligation to make an award.

IV. Solution Instructions All costs incurred by the organization, its partners, or subcontractors in the preparation, development, and negotiation of its proposal, pitch, and agreement prior to an award are not recoverable from the Government.

a. Submission Instructions

Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with the instructions described in this document. All submissions shall be in English. The following formatting guidelines shall be followed by respondents:

• A page is defined as one 8.5” x 11” (letter size) electronic page with 1” margins.

• The font shall be single-spaced and no smaller than 11-point font size.

o Note: A smaller font size may be used in figures and tables but must be legible.

• Pages shall be in portrait orientation.

• Figures and tables shall be numbered and, when referenced in the text, shall be referenced by that number. Figures and tables shall be of a size that is easily readable and may be in landscape orientation.

• Pages shall be numbered sequentially, and all major sections shall begin on a new page.

• All documents shall be submitted as one unlocked, searchable, consolidated Adobe PDF file with Attachments 0 Terms and Conditions and 1 Consortium Management Project Execution Plan in Microsoft Word format, and Attachment 4 Cost Model in Microsoft Excel format. All other documents may be in Adobe PDF format.

• The proposed Attachment 4 Cost Model shall be submitted as an unlocked Microsoft Excel document with formulas left available for evaluation purposes and shall follow the following formatting:

o An Excel page is defined as one 11” x 17” (tabloid size) electronic page with narrow margins (0.75” margins at the top and bottom and 0.25” margins on the left and right sides).

o The Excel font shall be single-spaced and no smaller than 10-point font size.

o Excel pages shall be in landscape orientation and shall be scaled to fit all columns on one page.

No classified information shall be submitted with the proposal. All information that is considered a trade secret or proprietary information shall be marked as such.

All submissions will be treated as “source selection information” as defined by 41 U.S.C. § 2101(7) and will be protected in accordance with 41 U.S.C. § 2101 and 41 U.S.C. § 2102. During the evaluation process, submissions may be handled by Government support contractors who may have access to this information for the purposes of administrative support and/or evaluation(s). Each evaluator will be required to complete a nondisclosure agreement and certify they have no conflicts of interest that might affect the review process.

b. Proposal Structure The proposal shall include the following:

1. Front Page: The CMO shall provide the following details (Page Limit: 1 page)

a. RPP Number HQ0034259JDEC

b. CMO Name

c. System for Award Management (SAM) Unique Entity Identifier (UEI)

d. Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number

e. NAICS Code

f. Business Size

g. Participation in socioeconomic contracting programs

h. Contracting point of contact (name, title, phone, email)

i. Technical point of contact (name, title, phone, email)

2. Attachment 0: Terms and Conditions: Utilizing the attached terms and conditions, the organization shall update any sections highlighted in yellow and ensure any proposed changes to the Terms and Conditions are completed using tracked changes. (No Page Limit)

3. Attachment 1: Consortium Management Project Execution Plan: Utilizing the attached PEP template, the organization shall detail its proposed solution to address the problem statement and plan to execute the consortium. (Page Limit: 20 pages)

a. Patented Inventions: The organization shall include documentation proving its ownership of or possession of appropriate licensing rights to all patented inventions (or inventions for which a patent application has been filed) that will be utilized under the proposed solution for the Consortium. If a patent application has been filed for an invention that the proposal utilizes, but the application has not yet been made publicly available and contains proprietary information, the organization may provide only the patent number, inventor name(s), assignee names (if any), filing date, filing date of any related provisional application, and a summary of the patent title, together with either: (1) a representation that the organization owns the invention, or

(2) proof of possession of appropriate licensing rights in the invention.

b. Intellectual Property: The organization shall provide a good faith representation that it either owns or possesses appropriate licensing rights to all other intellectual property that will be utilized under the proposed solution. In Section 3.0 “Solution”, the organization shall address the procedures for intellectual property for each project agreement. In Section 6.0 “Data Rights Assertions”, the organization shall provide a short summary for each item asserted with less than Government purpose rights that describes the nature of the restriction and the intended use of the intellectual property in the conduct of the proposed solution.

c. Disclosure: Proposals containing data that is not to be disclosed to the public for any purpose or used by the Government except for evaluation purposes shall include the following sentences on the document:

“This proposal includes data that shall not be disclosed outside the Government and shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed -- in whole or in part -- for any purpose other than to evaluate this proposal. If, however, an agreement is awarded to this Company as a result of -- or in connection with -- the submission of this data, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use, or disclose the data to the extent agreed upon by both parties in the resulting agreement. This restriction does not limit the Government's right to use information contained in this data if it is obtained from another source without restriction. The data subject to this restriction are contained in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets]”

4. Attachment 2: Affirmation of Business Status Certification: Utilizing the attached affirmation of business status certification template, the organization shall submit a signed certification for every entity participating to a significant extent. (No Page Limit)

5. Attachment 3: End User License Agreement [If applicable] The organization shall provide its End User License Agreement ("EULA") as Attachment 3. If it is not applicable to this OT Agreement, insert [INTENTIONALLY DELETED] and add [INTENTIONALLY DELETED] to the Terms and Conditions where this attachment is addressed. (No Page Limit)

6. Attachment 4: Consortium Cost Model: The organization shall provide a price and cost model documenting the proposed price, cost, and fee structure as well as the profit reinvestment strategy if applicable. The Consortium Cost Model shall be submitted in Microsoft Excel with calculations embedded and unlocked. Any Milestone Payment Schedule included in Attachment 1: Consortium Management Project Execution Plan shall connect back and be detailed in the cost model. The cost model shall be transparent, easy to understand, and represent only one cost model scenario. For estimation purposes only, offerors shall utilize a total cost of $450 million for the consortium management and project agreements over a period of five years. (No Page Limit)

a. The organization shall provide any other data or supporting information that is necessary for the determination price reasonableness. This may include commercial price catalog for hardware or software, labor categories and labor rates, indirect rates, other direct costs (e.g. supplies and material cost quotes), proposed travel, etc.

c. Requirements for Award

Organizations shall have an active registration in SAM (https://www.sam.gov) and hold a UEI number.

An awardee shall maintain its SAM registration and UEI for the life of the OT agreement. The representations and certifications, including those completed electronically via the SAM shall be incorporated by reference into any resulting OT agreement.

Organizations shall possess a CAGE code to receive an award and payments.

Organizations shall register in the prescribed Government invoicing system (e.g., Procurement Integrated Enterprise Environment (PIEE) Wide Area Workflow (WAWF)), unless otherwise stated in the award.

The organization must be determined to be responsible by the Agreements Officer and must not be suspended or debarred from award by the Federal Government, nor be prohibited by Presidential Executive Order and/or law from receiving award.

V. Attachments

Attachment 0 Terms and Conditions Attachment 1 Consortium Management Project Execution Plan Attachment 2 Affirmation of Business Status Certification Attachment 3 End User License Agreement (if applicable) https://www.sam.gov/