PKG00256717-instructions.pdf

C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research Page 1 of 39 N66001-19-S-4701

Naval Information Warfare Systems Center, Pacific (NIWC Pacific) 53560 Hull Street

San Diego, CA 92152-5001

Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) C4ISR, Information Operations, Cyberspace Operations and Information Technology System

Research

26 September 2019

C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research Page 2 of 39

PART I: OVERVIEW INFORMATION

Federal Agency Name: Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific (NIWC Pacific) Funding: RDT&E Opportunity Title: C4ISR, Information Operations, Cyberspace Operations and Information Technology

System Research Announcement Type: Initial Announcement Funding Opportunity Number: N66001-19-S-4701 Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number: 12.335 Navy Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Dates:

o Posting Date – 09/26/2019 o Closing Date – 05/13/2020 (white papers and proposals are due by 4:00pm Pacific Time Zone on the closing date) Concise description of funding opportunity: The Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific (NIWC

Pacific) is soliciting white papers and proposals in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 6.102(d)(2), FAR 35.016 and Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARS) 22.315(a) which provides for competitive selection of basic research, applied research, advanced technology development, and advanced component development and prototype (hereinafter referred to as research).

Submissions in response to this announcement shall be for areas relating to the advancement of Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (C4ISR) capabilities, enabling technologies for Information Operations and Cyberspace Operations, and Information Technology systems. Accordingly, proposals selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and fully compliant with PL 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984.” This BAA is for procurement contracts (hereinafter referred to as contracts), grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions. Proposed research should investigate unique and innovative approaches for defining and developing next generation integratable C4ISR capabilities and command suites.

Anticipated individual awards: Multiple awards are anticipated; NIWC Pacific reserves the right to select for award all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement

Types of instruments that may be awarded: Procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions

Amendments: Any amendments to this BAA will be posted via NAVWAR e-Commerce Central at https://e-commerce.sscno.nmci.navy.mil (Note that this does not include a "www" prefix) and the Grants.gov website (https://www.grants.gov/)

Agency Contact:

David Roden (Primary) Contract Specialist Telephone: (619) 553-2087 Email: David.Roden@navy.mil NIWC Pacific Code 22710 53560 Hull Street San Diego, CA 92152-5001

Jessica Matias (Alternate) Contract Specialist Telephone: (619) 553-4349 Email: Jessica.Matias@navy.mil NIWC Pacific Code 22710 53560 Hull Street San Diego, CA 92152-5001

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Contents

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION:

1. General C4ISR

2. Command and Control

3. Communications

4. Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

5. Unmanned Vehicles

6. Information Operations/Cyberspace Operations

7. Ubiquitous Communications and Computing Environment

8. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Research

9. Advanced Power and Energy Production and Efficient Use

II. AWARD INFORMATION:

1. Award Process for Contracts

2. Award Process for Grants and Cooperative Agreements

3. Award Process for Other Transactions

III. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS:

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI)

2. Foreign or foreign-owned Offerors

3. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCS) and Government Entities

4. All Offerors and proposed subcontractors

5. All Offerors

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

1. White Paper Submission Instructions for Contracts

2. White Paper Information for Contracts

3. Proposal Submission Instructions for Contracts

4. Proposal Submission Instructions for Grants and Cooperative Agreements

5. Proposal Information for Contracts, Grants, and Cooperative Agreements

6. White Paper Submission Instructions for Other Transactions

7. White Paper Information for Other Transactions

8. Proposal Submission Instructions/Proposal Information for Other Transactions

V. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION:

1. Communications and Award Notices

2. Types of Awards

3. Offer Preparation Reimbursement

4. Obligating of the Government

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5. Security Guidance

6. Proposal Handling

7. Offer Markings

8. Export Control

9. Public Release

10. Electronic Systems (as applicable to the instrument)

11. Certificate of Current Cost and Pricing Data

VI. OTHER:

1. Applies to Grants and Cooperative Agreement applicants only

2. Applies to Contracts Only

3. Applies to Contracts, Grants and Cooperative Agreements

4. Applies to Other Transactions

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS:

Appendix A

Appendix B

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I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION:

Naval Information Warfare Center, Pacific (NIWC Pacific), is soliciting proposals in accordance with FAR 35.016, DoDGARS 22.315(a), and DoD Other Transactions (OT) Guide for Prototype Projects for research in areas relating to the advancement of C4ISR capabilities, enabling technologies for Information Operations and Cyberspace Operations, and Information Technology systems.

This announcement is open for 365 days from the original posting date. Any white papers received during that time shall only be considered for award of a contract, other transaction, grant, or cooperative agreement. If the Government intends to award a grant or cooperative agreement, it will issue a Research Announcement (RA). See II.2 below for further details.

Proposed research should investigate unique and innovative approaches for defining and developing next generation integratable C4ISR capabilities and command suites. The area topics reflect the interest of the NIWC Pacific, but interest from other Team NAVWAR components could be generated and selections could be made for funding by other than NIWC Pacific.

Only offers that are in the areas of basic research, applied research, advanced technology development, and advanced component development and prototypes will be considered (see Appendix A). Testing and optimizing of concepts or prototypes may be necessary. This may involve virtual simulation and/or laboratory as well as at sea measurements.

Technical topics of interest include:

1. General C4ISR

a. Defining and documenting next generation C4ISR concepts and command center abstractions.

b. Innovative approaches to next generation adaptive C4ISR infrastructure and systems; enhancing: decision making in areas not pre-programmed, sensor detection and classification, and communication efficiency and tolerance.

c. Collaboration among large diverse and dynamic groups:

i. Knowledge management to asynchronous collaboration.

ii. Approaches to automated fusion of discrete data points into a single updatable product.

iii. Multi-Level Security, trust, and network management for group formation, management.

d. Novel approaches or techniques to agent based (or other intelligent information query formation) processing and cross domain coordination of composable services or C4ISR resources (i.e., forces, sensors, weapons, robots, etc.).

e. Techniques or approaches to integrate data/information and model changes or uncertainty – temporally.

f. Techniques or approaches to reducing cost, size, power or manning requirements for C4ISR or information systems.

g. Techniques or approaches to implementing development and operations (DEVOPS) and agile concepts to enhance cyber operations and mission assurance.

2. Command and Control

a. Language dependent and independent communications between humans and information systems.

b. Human-information system interaction in distributed computing environments, including command system applications.

c. Processing by information systems of human originated inputs and queries.

d. Domain dependent and independent information detection, extraction, and retrieval.

e. Intelligent and dynamic information summarization and presentation.

f. Information systems infrastructure including networking technologies and architectures that support interaction or collaboration between humans and information systems.

g. Secure networking.

h. Network attack recognition and identification plus the ability to continue operations in the presence of a successful attack.

i. Innovative technology and component integration including multimedia representations.

j. New concepts in perception and visualization.

k. Dynamic and/or probabilistic decision making.

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l. Human/robot interaction.

m. New mechanisms for secure and coordinated policy management, in a “system of systems” environment.

This may include:

i. Automatic workflow instantiation and enactment;

ii. Protocols for extending, revising and/or revoking policies in distributed environments;

iii. Dynamic adaptation and synchronization of authority across cooperating entities (e.g., systems or collaborative environments); or

iv. Negotiation protocols for establishing, enforcing, amending or revoking policies among cooperating entities.

3. Communications

a. Physical layer issues such as modulation schemes that are robust to co-channel interference and jamming.

b. Channel access and routing schemes that support highly dynamic networks without pre-existing infrastructure.

c. Support for dynamic spectrum access.

d. Advanced space-temporal processing and coding.

e. High bandwidth wireless systems.

f. Mid-layer protocols to provide reliability over lossy bandwidth-constrained links.

g. Support for roaming.

h. Additional functionality for communicating with adaptive applications.

i. Cross-layer solutions to include schemes that address topics such as security and quality of support.

j. Extending (radio frequency) data links.

k. Non-line-of-sight high-bandwidth digital communications.

l. Secure radio frequency communications.

m. Anti (radio frequency) Jamming.

n. Physics-based propagation modeling for communications, radar and infrared applications.

o. Optical communications.

p. Antenna and RF system modeling (physical or computational).

q. Testing and analysis of new antennas models and methods.

r. Research into methods to effectively integrate antennas aboard ships.

s. Modeling of the effects of the environment on propagating, electro-optical/infrared to radar beams.

t. Modeling of the effects of the environment on visible/infrared (IR)/multispectral imagery.

4. Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance

a. Data fusion and analysis for heterogeneous source data (e.g., radar and acoustic, imagery and messages).

b. In-situ power sources for remote systems.

c. New and improved collection systems, including chemical and biological sensor systems.

d. Improved signal processing, analysis and reporting algorithms and techniques for active and passive sensor systems including: acoustic, EO/IR, hyper spectral, millimeter wave and Nuclear-Biological- Chemical (NBC).

e. Improved techniques for target surveillance, detection, localization, tracking, identification, interception and prosecution.

f. Low-size, low-weight and/or low-power in-situ signal processing for feature extraction for autonomous sensing.

g. Immersive technology to improve visualization and Human Machine Interface (HMI).

h. Countermeasures against unwanted micro sensor devices.

i. Network centric countermeasure techniques.

j. Biometric collection techniques.

k. Knowledge discovery and dissemination.

l. Effects based operations and beyond.

m. Research in the area of marine mammals.

5. Unmanned Vehicles

a. Night mission capability.

b. Object identification and validation from a moving target.

c. Self localization.

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d. Novel and innovative concepts integrating research from Sections 1 – 4.

e. Integration or interoperability enhancement of C4ISR systems.

f. Reduction in size, weight or power requirements of C4ISR systems.

6. Information Operations/Cyberspace Operations

a. Cyberspace Operations against the interdependent network of information technology infrastructures, including the internet, telecommunications networks, computer systems and embedded processors and controllers.

b. Offensive Cyberspace Operations against automated systems, and the interaction between the physical, social and biological networks that define human-machine interaction.

c. Defensive Cyberspace Operations and Information Assurance capabilities to protect and defend Naval and Joint systems.

d. Defensive Cyberspace Operations and Information Assurance capabilities to respond and recover from cybersecurity events and incidents, while maintaining critical operational capabilities.

e. Electronic Warfare (EW) capabilities to include Electronic Attack (EA) Electronic Support (ES) and Electric Protect (EP) in the radio frequency (RF), millimeter wave, and optical environments.

f. Military Deception (MILDEC) tools and capabilities.

g. Tools for monitoring, analyzing and mitigating Operational Security (OPSEC) vulnerabilities.

h. Command and Control (C2) of Information Operations (IO) and Cyberspace Operations capabilities.

i. Development of IO and/or Cyber Warfare countermeasures.

j. Testing and analysis of new IO and/or Cyber Warfare techniques.

7. Ubiquitous Communications and Computing Environment

a. Modeling, Simulation and Visualization of the future environment in which communications, computing, data, sensors and networks are interoperable, ubiquitous and transparent to humans.

b. Concepts which will enable understanding networks as a science and developing models which can provide clarity into how networks operate and resist or deter attack.

c. Concepts which will enable universal machine-to-machine data exchange.

d. Concepts which reflect the convergence of physical, biological and social networks and how this will effect human interactions.

8. Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Research

a. Research and assess advanced concepts in education practices and policies for the effective use of science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) professionals, university students, and students in grades 6th through 12th in support of Department of Defense efforts to educate and train the next generation of scientists and engineers.

b. Concepts to innovate applied research in cyberspace and computer network operations to support full-spectrum cyber operations

9. Advanced Power and Energy Production and Efficient Use

a. R&D/S&T for advanced power and energy production and efficient use, including power and energy for communications systems, C2 systems, ISR, computing and network systems, autonomous systems, and all other NIWC Pacific mission areas.

b. C2 and Cyber for energy systems including smart grids; data, information and knowledge management;

Supervisory Control & Data Acquisition (SCADA) protection; Information Assurance; protection of critical infrastructure communication systems; and sensors for energy and fuel usage.

c. Remote Ocean ISR requirements including batteries, energy efficiency / low power electronics, remote alternative energy sources.

II. AWARD INFORMATION:

This BAA is for contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions. The Government reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of research proposed. Accordingly, the Government may award any appropriate contract type under the FAR as well as grants, cooperative agreements, and other transactions. Proposers are advised that if they propose grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions, NIWC Pacific may select other

C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research Page 8 of 39 award instruments, as it deems appropriate. The chart below depicts the award process depending on the type of award instrument pursued:

Multiple awards are anticipated as a result of this BAA. The amount of resources made available under this BAA will depend on the quality of the submissions received and the availability of funds. The Government reserves the right to:

Select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this BAA, and to make awards without discussions with Offerors.

Request any additional, necessary documentation once a proposal is selected for award. Such additional information may include, but is not limited to, Representations and Certifications when issued with request for proposal.

Remove Offerors from award consideration should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms, conditions and cost/price within a reasonable time or the Offeror fails to timely provide requested additional information.

Have sole discretion to negotiate all contract clauses with selectees.

Accept proposals in their entirety or to select only portions of proposals for award. In the event the

Government desires to award only portions of a proposal, negotiations may be opened with the Offeror.

Fund proposals in phases with options for continued work at the end of one or more of the phases.

Cost Sharing or Matching (Cost sharing is not a requirement unless stated in the Call Opportunity).

1. Award Process for Contracts

Offers may be submitted at any time during the period specified in Part I. The submission of a white paper is required before submitting a proposal to prevent undue effort on the formation and evaluation of a proposal not of interest to the Government and improbable for award. Once submissions (white papers and proposals

C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research Page 9 of 39 alike) are evaluated, responses to Offerors will be provided via email notification from the Contracting Officer. This BAA utilizes a two-step process:

Step 1: White papers may be submitted during the times specified in Part I or further specified in individual Calls. All white papers will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in Section IV unless further defined in individual Calls. White paper responses will contain the Government evaluation board’s opinion of whether the idea expressed in the white paper is likely to generate a successful proposal.

Due to the anticipated volume of white paper submissions, debriefs will not be provided for white paper submissions.

Step 2: Proposals may be requested when the Government evaluation board’s opinion of the idea expressed in the white paper is likely to generate a successful proposal. All proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in Section IV unless further defined in individual BAA Call Opportunities.

Proposal evaluations will be conducted without regard to any comments resulting from the review of a white paper. Proposal responses will contain the Government’s intent to either pursue or not pursue an award based on the proposal. This BAA contains all information necessary to submit a proposal; no additional information is available nor will a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) be issued.

The Government may issue a BAA Call Opportunity at any time during the period specified in Part I; however to be eligible for specific Call Opportunities, submissions must adhere to the specific provisions in the desired Call. A BAA Call Opportunity topic will relate to one of the funding opportunities identified in Section I above. Call Opportunities will follow the two-step process above, however the Government reserves the right to request a proposal without first requesting and evaluating a white paper.

2. Award Process for Grants and Cooperative Agreements If the Government anticipates awarding a grant or cooperative agreement, it will issue a Research Announcement (RA) at any time during the period specified in Part I; however to be eligible for specific Research Announcements, submissions must adhere to the specific provisions in the desired Research Announcement. A BAA Research Announcement topic will relate to one of the funding opportunities identified in Section I above. Offers may only be submitted in response to a Research Announcement during the time period specified for acceptance of proposals.

All proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in Section IV unless further defined in individual Research Announcements. Proposal responses will contain the Government’s intent to either pursue or not pursue an award based on the proposal. This BAA contains all information necessary to submit a proposal; no additional information is available nor will a formal Request for Proposals (RFP) be issued.

3. Award Process for Other Transactions

Offers may be submitted at any time during the period specified in Part I. The submission of a white paper is required before submitting a proposal to prevent undue effort on the formation and evaluation of a proposal not of interest to the Government and improbable for award. Once submissions (white papers and proposals alike) are evaluated, responses to Offerors will be provided via email notification from the Contracting Officer. This BAA utilizes a two-step process:

Step 1: White papers may be submitted during the times specified in Part I or further specified in individual Calls. All white papers will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in Section IV unless further defined in individual Calls. White paper responses will contain the Government evaluation board’s opinion of whether the idea expressed in the white paper is likely to generate a successful proposal.

Debriefs will not be provided for white paper submissions.

Step 2: Proposals may be requested when the Government evaluation board’s opinion of the idea expressed in the white paper is likely to generate a successful proposal. All proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria identified in Section IV.

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The Government may issue a BAA Call Opportunity at any time during the period specified in Part I; however to be eligible for specific Call Opportunities, submissions must adhere to the specific provisions in the desired Call. A BAA Call Opportunity topic will relate to one of the funding opportunities identified in Section I above. Call Opportunities will follow the two-step process above, however the Government reserves the right to request a proposal without first requesting and evaluating a white paper.

III. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS:

All responsible sources as defined at FAR 9.104-1, Contract Qualifications – Responsible Prospective Contractors, General Standards, may submit a proposal.

1. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) are encouraged to submit white papers/ proposals and join others in submitting; however, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of this research for exclusive competition among these entities.

2. Foreign or foreign-owned Offerors are advised that their participation is subject to foreign disclosure review procedures. Foreign or foreign-owned Offerors should immediately contact the Agency Contact identified herein by email for information if they contemplate responding. The e-mail must reference the BAA title and No. N66001-19-S-4701.

3. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCS) and Government Entities

(Government/National laboratories, military educational institutions, etc.) are prohibited from submitting a proposal but, under limited circumstances, Offerors may include an FFRDC or Government entity as a subcontractor or consultant in its proposal. With respect to an FFRDC, as part of the proposal, an Offeror must include sufficient information demonstrating the FFRDCs work is not otherwise available from the private sector AND provide a letter on letterhead from their sponsoring organization citing the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to government solicitations and compete with industry, and compliance with the associated FFRDC sponsor agreement and terms and conditions. With respect to a proposal that offers to use a Government entity, the proposal must clearly demonstrate that the work is not otherwise available from the private sector and provide written documentation citing specific authority (as well as, where relevant, contractual authority) establishing its ability to propose to Government solicitations.

At the present time, NIWC Pacific does not consider 15 U.S.C. 3710a to be sufficient legal authority to show eligibility. While 10 U.S.C. 2539b and/or 10 U.S.C. 2563 may be the appropriate statutory starting point for some entities, specific supporting regulatory guidance, together with evidence of agency approval, is required to establish eligibility. NIWC Pacific will consider eligibility submissions on a case-by-case basis; however, the burden to prove eligibility for all team members rests solely with the proposer. NIWC Pacific will not fund an FFRDC or Government entity directly.

4. All Offerors and proposed subcontractors must affirm whether they are providing scientific, engineering, and technical assistance (SETA) or similar support to any NAVWAR Component through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the Offeror supports and identify the prime contract numbers. Affirmations shall be furnished at the time of proposal submission. All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest must be disclosed. The disclosure shall include a description of the action the Offeror has taken or proposes to take to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate such conflict. Without prior approval, a contractor cannot simultaneously be a SETA and related research and development performer. Proposals that fail to fully disclose potential conflicts of interests or do not have acceptable plans to mitigate identified conflicts will be rejected without technical evaluation and withdrawn from further consideration for award.

5. All Offerors - If a prospective Offeror believes that any conflict of interest exists or may exist (whether organizational or otherwise), the Offeror should promptly raise the issue with NIWC Pacific by sending his/her contact information and a summary of the potential conflict by e-mail to the Agency Contact identified herein, before time and effort are expended in preparing a proposal and mitigation plan. If, in the sole opinion of the Government after full consideration of the circumstances, any conflict situation cannot be effectively

C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research Page 11 of 39 avoided or mitigated, the proposal may be rejected without technical evaluation and withdrawn from further consideration for award under this BAA.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

The type of award instrument (contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other transaction) dictates how Offerors respond to this BAA. Offerors shall follow the instructions below pertaining to the type of instrument they are responding to. Offerors are reminded that grant or cooperative agreement submissions will only be accepted if the Government issues a Research Announcement (see II.2 above) through Grants.gov.

1. White Paper Submission Instructions for Contracts DO NOT send white papers to the Agency Contact. White paper submissions that are emailed will not be accepted. White paper submissions will only be accepted via NAVWAR e-Commerce Central at: https://e-commerce.sscno.nmci.navy.mil. (Note that this does not include a "www" prefix) by selecting NIWC Pacific then Open BAA from the left hand menu and selecting the Solicitation number.

2. White Paper Information for Contracts White papers shall not contain classified data. Offerors are expected to appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information; do not provide submissions marked “classified,” “confidential,” “secret,” etc.

a. Content and Form of White Paper Submissions: Offerors are required to submit all white papers in

Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format compatible with Adobe Acrobat Pro, with 12 pitch Times New Roman font (smaller font may be used for figures and tables), on 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper, with 1 inch margins. White papers shall be limited to 5 pages (excluding cover and executive summary), summarizing the proposed approach or solution. The page limitation shall include all figures, tables, and charts. It is the Offeror’s responsibility to appropriately mark each page of its submission that contains proprietary information. White papers shall utilize associated numbering below. White Papers that do not clearly identify the below information using the associated numbers will be considered to have not conformed to the parameters of this BAA and thus non-responsive. Such white papers will not be further evaluated. The white paper will be formatted as follows:

1. Cover Page (not included in page count): clearly labeled “WHITE PAPER”, BAA title and number, proposal title (unique title is required), date, organization name and address, anticipated period of performance, technical topic area(s) addressed, Government point of contact (if applicable), technical and administrative point of contact information (address, phone, fax & e-mail), cost summary, Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, and prime’s size status: "LARGE

BUSINESS," "SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS," "OTHER SMALL BUSINESS

(specify)," “HBCU," "MI," “OTHER EDUCATIONAL," or "OTHER NONPROFIT";

2. Summary of Type of Knowledge or Capability: Summary of type of knowledge or capability to be gained through research in one of the eight listed areas of interest. Clearly state the goal(s) of the research, the key challenges, and the methods to overcome those challenges. Point out the novelty of the proposed work in relation to the current state of the art;

3. Area(s) Addressed: White papers that do not address multiple areas shall describe how the proposed research will interact with other areas and how the Offeror suggests that the Government test these interactions. “End-to-end” solutions are discouraged in favor of smaller “pluggable” components, expertly produced, which exploit the interaction between research areas or in order to address a larger set of the challenges.

4. Research Methodologies: Summary of research methodologies to be used in conducting the research and envisioned risks (if any);

5. Human or Animal Related Research: Summary description of any human or animal related research anticipated;

6. Cost Estimate: Summary of rough estimates of cost for each year;

7. Listing of Key Personnel: Listing of key personnel along with the amount of time to be expended by each person during each year proposed;

C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research Page 12 of 39

8. Qualifications of Key Personnel: Concise summary of the qualifications of key personnel;

9. Past Performance: Summary of Offeror’s relevant past performance on similar research projects;

10. Deliverables: Summary of any and all anticipated deliverables with other than unlimited rights to the Government.

11. Teaming Arrangements: Teaming arrangements must be clearly defined in the white papers.

12. In addition to the white paper, in a separate PDF file (is not included in white paper page limitations), provide a short executive summary of the proposed effort. This executive summary will not contain any proprietary or business sensitive information and as such should only contain FOUO markings. Executive summaries containing legends such as source selection sensitive, proprietary or any other identifiable markings will be treated as source selection sensitive material. Executive summaries, containing the appropriate FOUO markings, will be used to identify interested parties for the purpose of conducting evaluations. This summary will not affect the evaluation of the white paper. All white papers will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation criteria of this BAA. Only US Government personnel will view the executive summary. Executive Summaries should include:

i. White paper title,

ii. Submission date,

iii. Organization name,

iv. Technical topic areas (include BAA section reference(s) and description(s)), and

v. Summary of the science and technology research effort proposed, not to exceed 1,000 characters (does not include spaces).

b. Funding Restrictions: The cost of preparing white papers in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting award.

c. Evaluation Criteria: The following criteria, which are listed in descending order of importance, will be used to determine whether white papers submitted are consistent with the intent of this BAA and of interest to the Government:

1. Overall scientific or technical merits of the proposed research and development.

2. Potential for enhancing C4ISR capabilities and their effectiveness.

3. Reasonableness of the price.

3. Proposal Submission Instructions for Contracts

DO NOT send proposals to the Agency Contact. Emailed proposal submissions will not be accepted.

Proposal submissions for contracts will only be accepted via NAVWAR e-Commerce Central at https://e-commerce.sscno.nmci.navy.mil. (Note that this does not include a "www" prefix) by selecting NIWC Pacific then Open BAAs from the left hand menu and selecting the Solicitation number.

4. Proposal Submission Instructions for Grants and Cooperative Agreements DO NOT send proposals to the Agency Contact. Emailed proposal submissions will not be accepted.

Proposal submissions for grants and cooperative agreements will only be accepted via www.grants.gov.

The following provides the application submission and receipt instructions for NIWC Pacific program applications. Please read the following instructions carefully and completely.

a. Electronic Delivery

NIWC Pacific is participating in the Grants.gov initiative to provide the grant community with a single site to find and apply for grant funding opportunities. NIWC Pacific encourages applicants to submit their applications online through Grants.gov.

b. How to Register to Apply through Grants.gov

Instructions: Read the instructions below about registering to apply for NIWC Pacific funds. Applicants should read the registration instructions carefully and prepare the information requested before beginning the

C4ISR, Information Operations and Information Technology System Research Page 13 of 39 registration process. Reviewing and assembling the required information before beginning the registration process will alleviate last-minute searches for required information.

The registration process can take up to four weeks to complete. Therefore, registration should be done in sufficient time to ensure it does not impact your ability to meet required application submission deadlines.

If individual applicants are eligible to apply for this grant funding opportunity, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/individual-registration.html

Organization applicants can find complete instructions here:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration.html

1. Obtain a DUNS Number: All entities applying for funding, including renewal funding, must have a Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number from Dun & Bradstreet (D&B). Applicants must enter the DUNS number in the data entry field labeled "Organizational DUNS" on the SF-424 form.

For more detailed instructions for obtaining a DUNS number, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-1-obtain-duns-number.html

2. Register with SAM: In addition to having a DUNS number, organizations applying online through Grants.gov must register with the System for Award Management (SAM). All organizations must register with SAM in order to apply online. Failure to register with SAM will prevent your organization from applying through Grants.gov.

For more detailed instructions for registering with SAM, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-2-register-with-sam.html

3. Create a Grants.gov Account: The next step in the registration process is to create an account with Grants.gov. Applicants must know their organization's DUNS number to complete this process.

Completing this process automatically triggers an email request for applicant roles to the organization's E-Business Point of Contact (EBiz POC) for review. The EBiz POC is a representative from your organization who is the contact listed for SAM. To apply for grants on behalf of your organization, you will need the Authorized Organizational Representative (AOR) role.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-3-username-password.html

4. Authorize Grants.gov Roles: After creating an account on Grants.gov, the EBiz POC receives an email notifying them of your registration and request for roles. The EBiz POC will then log in to Grants.gov and authorize the appropriate roles, which may include the AOR role, thereby giving you permission to complete and submit applications on behalf of the organization. You will be able to submit your application online any time after you have been approved as an AOR.

For more detailed instructions about creating a profile on Grants.gov, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-4-aor-authorization.html

5. Track Role Status: To track your role request, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/organization-registration/step-5-track-aor-status.html

Electronic Signature: When applications are submitted through Grants.gov, the name of the organization's AOR that submitted the application is inserted into the signature line of the application, serving as the electronic signature. The EBiz POC must authorize individuals who are able to make legally binding commitments on behalf of the organization as an AOR; this step is often missed and it is crucial for valid and timely submissions.

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c. How to Submit an Application to NIWC Pacific via Grants.gov

Grants.gov applicants can apply online using Workspace. Workspace is a shared, online environment where members of a grant team may simultaneously access and edit different webforms within an application. For each funding opportunity announcement (FOA), you can create individual instances of a workspace.

Below is an overview of applying on Grants.gov. For access to complete instructions on how to apply for opportunities, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/apply-for-grants.html

1. Create a Workspace: Creating a workspace allows you to complete it online and route it through your organization for review before submitting.

2. Complete a Workspace: Add participants to the workspace, complete all the required forms, and check for errors before submission.

i. Adobe Reader: If you decide not to apply by filling out webforms you can download individual PDF forms in Workspace so that they will appear similar to other Standard or NIWC Pacific forms. The individual PDF forms can be downloaded and saved to your local device storage, network drive(s), or external drives, then accessed through Adobe Reader.

NOTE: Visit the Adobe Software Compatibility page on Grants.gov to download the appropriate version of the software at: https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/adobe-software-compatibility.html

ii. Mandatory Fields in Forms: In the forms, you will note fields marked with an asterisk and a different background color. These fields are mandatory fields that must be completed to successfully submit your application.

iii. Complete SF-424 Fields First: The forms are designed to fill in common required fields across other forms, such as the applicant name, address, and DUNS number. To trigger this feature, an applicant must complete the SF-424 information first. Once it is completed, the information will transfer to the other forms.

3. Submit a Workspace: An application may be submitted through workspace by clicking the Sign and Submit button on the Manage Workspace page, under the Forms tab. Grants.gov recommends submitting your application package at least 24-48 hours prior to the close date to provide you with time to correct any potential technical issues that may disrupt the application submission.

4. Track a Workspace: After successfully submitting a workspace package, a Grants.gov Tracking Number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) is automatically assigned to the package. The number will be listed on the Confirmation page that is generated after submission.

For additional training resources, including video tutorials, refer to:

https://www.grants.gov/web/grants/applicants/applicant-training.html

Applicant Support: Grants.gov provides applicants 24/7 support via the toll-free number 1-800-518-4726 and email at support@grants.gov. For questions related to the specific grant opportunity, contact the number listed in the application package of the grant you are applying for.

If you are experiencing difficulties with your submission, it is best to call the Grants.gov Support Center and get a ticket number. The Support Center ticket number will assist NIWC Pacific with tracking your issue and understanding background information on the issue.

d. Timely Receipt Requirements and Proof of Timely Submission

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Online Submission. All applications must be received by the time specified in each funding opportunity announcement (FOA) /research announcement (RA). Proof of timely submission is automatically recorded by Grants.gov. An electronic date/time stamp is generated within the system when the application is successfully received by Grants.gov. The applicant AOR will receive an acknowledgement of receipt and a tracking number (GRANTXXXXXXXX) from Grants.gov with the successful transmission of their application.

Applicant AORs will also receive the official date/time stamp and Grants.gov Tracking number in an email serving as proof of their timely submission.

When NIWC Pacific successfully retrieves the application from Grants.gov, and acknowledges the download of submissions, Grants.gov will provide an electronic acknowledgment of receipt of the application to the email address of the applicant with the AOR role. Again, proof of timely submission shall be the official date and time that Grants.gov receives your application. Applications received by Grants.gov after the established due date for the program will be considered late and will not be considered for funding by NIWC Pacific.

Applicants using slow internet, such as dial-up connections, should be aware that transmission can take some time before Grants.gov receives your application. Again, Grants.gov will provide either an error or a successfully received transmission in the form of an email sent to the applicant with the AOR role. The Grants.gov Support Center reports that some applicants end the transmission because they think that nothing is occurring during the transmission process. Please be patient and give the system time to process the application.

5. Proposal Information for Contracts, Grants, and Cooperative Agreements Proposals shall not contain classified data. Offerors are expected to appropriately mark each page of their

a. Content and Form of Proposal Submissions: The requirements for the Offeror's proposal are: The proposal shall be comprised of two volumes, a technical volume and a cost volume as described in detail below. Proposals shall be prepared using Microsoft Office products (i.e., Microsoft ® Word and Excel) and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) format compatible with Adobe Acrobat Pro or greater, in separate files for each proposal volume as set forth below. All information pertaining to a particular volume shall be confined to that file except for MS Excel. Submit the proposal in 12 pitch Times New Roman font (smaller font may be used for figures, tables, and fonts), on 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper, with 1 inch margins.

Proposal Cover Letter

Each proposal should include a cover letter, not counted against the allowable page count, with the following information.

1. Summary of the proposal

2. Name and address of proposed prime

3. Prime’s size status (large, small, small disadvantaged, etc…)

4. Identify Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code and Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data

Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number

5. Technical and Contracts Points of contact for proposal to include:

a. Name

b. Title

c. Phone Number

d. Fax Number

e. Email address

6. Type of Contract Proposed (e.g., CPFF, FFP or Time and Material (T&M)) (Offerors with an adequate accounting system for cost reimbursement type shall be proposed CPFF. Offerors that do not have an adequate accounting system should be proposed as fixed price type (preferable) or T&M if the requirements will not support fixed price.)

7. Subcontractor Information

a. Name/Cage Code

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b. Address

c. Proposed Value of Subcontract

d. Type of Subcontract Proposed (The Offeror (Prime) shall specify the type of subcontract

(e.g., CPFF, FFP or Time and Material (T&M)). Subcontractors with an adequate accounting system for cost reimbursement type should be proposed CPFF. Subcontractors that do not have an adequate accounting system should be proposed as fixed price type (preferable) or T&M if the subcontractor requirements will not support fixed price. If a subcontractor proposes a type other than CPFF, the Prime shall include a written justification and the basis on which the Prime finds the subcontractor's price as fair and reasonable.)

8. The Defense Contract Management Agency (DCMA) and Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) branch offices that are responsible for auditing the prime contractor/subcontractor (i.e., must be where the company’s financial records are kept) and shall provide the name, telephone number, and e-mail address of a DCAA point of contact who is familiar with the company.

9. Identification of any potential Organizational Conflicts of Interest as specified in Section III above.

10. Identify those individuals with signature authority for the Prime Contractor. Offerors must provide evidence, appropriate to the business category, of the signer's authority to bind them on a contract.

This evidence may be furnished as an attachment to its offer (not included in page count).

Technical Volume

The technical volume of the proposal shall not exceed fifty (50) pages and should be consecutively numbered to facilitate verification of page limitation compliance. The technical volume shall contain the below information in the prescribed order and shall be clearly identified using the associated numbers below. Proposals that do not clearly identify the below information using the associated numbers will be considered to have not conformed to the parameters of this BAA are considered non-responsive.

Proposals considered non-responsive shall not be further evaluated. Proposals shall contain the following information:

1. BAA title and number, and BAA topic area(s) addressed by the proposal;

2. A summary of key elements within the proposal;

3. Describe the ability of the proposed work to satisfy BAA goals;

4. A motivation of value and purpose (i.e., if this is successful what impact it would have to the commercial and/or military world?);

5. A concise technical scope and/or goal;

6. A detailed explanation of proposed work, technical approach, critical issues, risks, and innovative claims for the proposed research. This section is the centerpiece of the proposal and should succinctly describe the uniqueness and benefits of the proposed approach relative to the current state-of-art alternate approaches;

7. An explanation of how the proposed effort satisfies the definition(s) of basic research, applied research, or development that is not related to the development of a specific system; the definitions are available in Appendix A of this document.

8. Complete technical details, technical rationale, and constructive plan for accomplishment of technical goals in support of innovative claims and deliverable production;

9. A draft statement of work (SOW) that must provide a detailed task breakdown, citing specific tasks and their connection to the interim milestones and metrics, as applicable. Each year of the project should be separately defined. The SOW must not include proprietary information. For each defined task/subtask, provide:

A general description of the objective.

A detailed description of the approach to be taken to accomplish each defined task/subtask.

Identification of the primary organization responsible for task execution (prime contractor, subcontractor(s), consultant(s)), by name.

A measurable milestone (e.g., a deliverable, demonstration, or other event/activity that marks task completion).

A definition of all deliverables (e.g., data, reports, software) to be provided to the

Government in support of the proposed tasks/subtasks.

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