(U) Call 005 - PROJECT MARINE DUCK.pdf

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CSO CALL 5 – PROJECT MARINE DUCK

OVERVIEW

This Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Call solicitation is issued in accordance with Defense Federal Acquisition Regulation Supplement (DFARS) Section 212.70.

NAICS Code and associated description: 518210

Federal Agency Name and Contracting Officer: AFLCMC, Marina Schemmel

Commercial Solutions Opening Title: This is a combined synopsis/solicitation for the AFLCMC Data Operation CSO Call 5 titled “PROJECT MARINE DUCK.”

Commercial Solutions Opening Number: FA8600-23-S-C056-0005

Commercial Solutions Opening Type: This is the initial announcement of Call 5. This will be a One-Step Closed Call.

One Step: PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: Proposals will be accepted until Monday 3 February 2025 at 0900 ET. Proposals may be submitted at any time during this period. Proposals received after the specified date and time will be considered late in accordance with FAR 52.212-1(f).

Submission POC: Proposals must be submitted via email to the following Point of Contact

(POC):

Contracting Officer: Ms. Marina Schemmel

Email: AFLCMC.AFLCMC.DataOpsCSO@us.af.mil

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FULL TEXT – CALL 5

PROJECT MARINE DUCK

1.0 OVERVIEW

1.1 Solicitation Request: AFLCMC is soliciting Proposals for Project Marine Duck, as described below in Section 2.0: DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE (DI) TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS and Attachment 1 – TECHNICAL

REQUIREMENTS.

1.2 Type of Contract/Agreement: AFLCMC anticipates awarding either a FAR Part 12 contract or an Other Transaction Agreement for Prototype (OTP) Project pursuant to 10 USC 4022 to multiple vendors. Offerors are encouraged to review FAR 52.212-4 and 52.212-5 for standard terms and conditions of a FAR Part 12 contract.

1.3 Anticipated Number of Awards: AFLCMC anticipates multiple awards for this announcement. However, AFLCMC reserves the right to award one or more, or no, contracts/agreements for all, part, or none of the proposals received.

1.4 All proposals must be UNCLASSIFIED. AFLCMC will not accept classified proposals under this Call. Offerors must possess all required personnel security clearances, facility clearances, and other infrastructure requirements necessary to perform any proposed classified work in accordance with the Contract Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254) without reliance on Government resources.

1.5 Purpose: This Commercial Solutions Opening (CSO) Call is a competitive solicitation focused on technologies to meet the mission of AFLCMC. The Government seeks to obtain innovative solutions or potential new capabilities to fulfill requirements, close capability gaps, or provide potential technological advancements in the capability areas listed below.

Innovative means:

1. Any technology, process, or method, including research and development that is new as of the date of submission of a proposal;

2. Any application of an existing technology, process, or method that is new as of the date of submission of submission of a proposal; or

3. A new application or adaptation of an existing technology, process, or method as of the date of submission of a proposal.

All items, technologies, and services acquired using a CSO will be treated as commercial items if they meet above definition of innovative. Awards resulting

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from this CSO Call will be made based on the evaluation results of the proposal evaluation criteria as detailed in Section 8.0: EVALUATION CRITERIA.

AFLCMC intends to follow the processes identified in the “AFLCMC Data Operations CSO” unless otherwise noted or annotated in this Call.

The Government reserves the right to fund all, some, one, or none of the proposals submitted; may elect to fund only part of a submitted proposal; and may incrementally fund any or all awards under this CSO Call. All awards are subject to the availability of funds. All contracts entered into under this CSO will be Firm Fixed Price type contracts or agreements. AFLCMC reserves the right to modify the solicitation requirements of this CSO Call at its’ sole discretion.

2.0 DIGITAL INFRASTRUCTURE (DI) TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENTS

This Commercial Services Opening (CSO) Call is intended to be a streamlined solicitation to allow for the establishment of modern Data Operations (DataOps) solutions supporting a variety of critical national security systems. Specifically, the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center (AFLCMC) requires an innovative DISA accredited hybrid cloud or cloud native network or “environment” to host modern C++ software development and collaboration tools. Offerors are invited to submit technical proposals to develop and deliver a state-of-the-art commercial solution that addresses the technical and performance requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 – TECHNICAL

REQUIREMENTS.

Offerors must propose a solution that addresses ALL of the technical requirements listed in Attachment 1 – TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS.

3.0 CALL DESCRIPTION, INSTRUCTIONS TO OFFERORS, AND EVALUATION

CRITERIA

3.1 Overview: This call will be a One-Step Closed call. The proposal due date and time is Monday 3 February 2025 at 0900 ET. Proposals must be submitted to the following org box: AFLCMC.AFLCMC.DataOps@us.af.mil.

Proposals may be submitted at any time prior to this due date and time. White Papers will not be accepted. Offerors are responsible for monitoring SAM.gov for any amendments to this Call that may have updated information. Proposals will be evaluated against the criteria detailed below in Section 8.0 Evaluation Criteria.

4.0 DEFINITIONS: Refer to initial CSO posting FA8600-23-S-C056 (Section 4.0).

mailto:AFLCMC.AFLCMC.DataOps@us.af.mil

5.0 CONTRACT/AGREEMENT DETAILS:

As stated in the Overview section, this Call may result in the award of either a FAR Part 12 contract or an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) in accordance with 10 U.S.C.

4022. Regardless of the contract instrument, AFLCMC shall award the Contract/Agreement type for all as Fixed Price, which includes Firm Fixed Price (FFP).

Grants and/or Cooperative Agreements will not be considered.

The Government will be the sole decision authority on whether to pursue a FAR Part 12 Contract, an OTA, or no award at all. The Government reserves the right to award some, all, or none of the proposal from the responses to each Call. The Contracting/Agreements Officer reserves the right to negotiate directly with the offeror on the terms and conditions prior to execution of the resulting contract/agreement on behalf of the Government. Be advised that only a Contracting/Agreements Officer has the authority to enter into, or modify, a binding contract/agreement on behalf of the United States Government.

5.1 Contract Type: AFLCMC anticipates awarding a FAR Part 12 contract to multiple vendors. Awarded contract(s) may be structured as an Indefinite Delivery Indefinite Quantity (IDIQ) contract with the ability to issue Firm Fixed Price (FFP) task orders for a period of five (5) years from the contract effective date.

The initial award will utilize a two “Phase” structure in the first Task Order, which will allow for award to multiple vendors, and the potential for additional scalable work through subsequent Task Orders.

5.2 Prototyping: This Call may result in the award of a prototype project, which may include not only commercially available technologies fueled by commercial or strategic investment, but also concept demonstrations, pilots, and agile development activities that can incrementally improve commercial technologies, existing Government-owned capabilities and/or concepts for broad defense and/or public application. The Government reserves the right to award a FAR Part 12 contract or an Other Transaction (OT) under 10 U.S.C 4022 (including an OT for a prototype project and a follow-on OT or contract for production), or no award at all. The use of this Call constitutes competitive procedures. AFLCMC may competitively award OTs for prototype projects that provide for the award or a follow-on production contract or OT for production to vendors awarded an OT for Prototype under this Call without the use of further competitive procedures, if the vendor awarded the OT for Prototype successfully completes the prototype project, as permitted by 10 U.S.C. 4022(f).

Awarded OTP agreements may be structured as a base Agreement with the ability to issue Project Orders for a period of five (5) years from the agreement award date.

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5.2.1 Iterative Prototyping: A contract or OT for a prototype awarded under this Call shall allow for an iterative prototyping process. An iterative prototyping process will allow the Government to modify, by mutual agreement, the scope of a prototype contract or OT to allow for the adaptation and modification of the technology being prototyped to meet additional unique and discrete purposes/mission sets. The sequential prototype iterations may result in a separate prototype project rather than a modification of the original prototype contract or OT. These additional unique and discrete purposes/mission sets can be generated by AFLCMC or originate within any organization that AFLCMC supports.

5.2.2 Successful Completion of a Prototype: A prototype project is complete upon the written determination of the appropriate approving official (program manager and Contracting/Agreements Officer) for the matter in question that the efforts conducted under a prototype contract or OT: (1) met the key technical goals of a project; (2) met the metrics incorporated into the prototype contract or OT; or (3) accomplished a particularly favorable or unexpected result that justifies the transition to a production contract or OT. Furthermore, prior to successful completion of a prototype project under this CSO, the Government can transition any aspect of the prototype project determined to provide utility into production while other aspects of the prototype project have yet to be completed.

5.2.3 Follow-on Production of a Prototype: After award of a prototype using OT authority, the Government and vendor may negotiate a follow-on contract or OT for production or solution integration with or without further competition. Any concept/technology/solution successfully proven through a Prototype OT can be transitioned to a production contract. The Government reserves the right to award a follow-on contract or OT before the prototype is compete, under competitive procedures as provided in 10 U.S.C. 4022.

5.2.4 Other Transaction Agreements (OTAs) Specifics: In accordance with 10

U.S.C. 4022(c), if an Agreement for a prototype is utilized and if that Agreement provides for payments in a total amount in excess of $5M, the Agreement will include a mandatory clause that provides for the Comptroller General the ability to examine the records of any party to the agreement or any entity that participates in the performance of the agreement. The $5M amount includes the base agreement plus any options.

Additionally, to enter into an OT for a Prototype agreement under 10 U.S.C. 4022, one of the following conditions must be met:

• There is at least one nontraditional defense contractor or nonprofit research institution participating to a significant extent in the prototype project.

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• All significant participants other than the Federal Government are small business concerns or nontraditional defense contractors.

• Parties to the transaction other than the Federal Government must pay at least one third of the prototype total cost.

• The senior procurement executive determines that exceptional circumstances justify the use of an OT to provide an innovative business arrangement not feasible under a contract or to expand the defense supply base in a manner not practical under a contract.

5.2.5 All OTAs awarded under this CSO will contain prohibitions on the use of certain telecommunications devices in accordance with DFARS 52.204-

25. Further specifics and requirements as it relates to OTs may be applicable and included in subsequent Calls published under this CSO.

5.3 The Technical Requirements detailed in Attachment 1 of this Call shall be incorporated into the awarded contract/agreement.

5.4 Phasing Structure: Generally, the anticipated Phases are as follows:

1. Phase I: In Phase I, the awarded vendor(s) will develop an environment in accordance with (IAW) the Phase I requirements in Attachment 1, “Technical Requirements” of the Call. Phase I is anticipated to have a period of performance (PoP) of two (2) months. The deliverables from Phase I include a presentation or demonstration of the established environment, a prototype environment in accordance with the Phase I requirements in Attachment 1 of this Call, and a Phase II draft proposal. The Phase II draft proposal must include: (1) a cost model of the anticipated costs to scale the developed environment and (2) a detailed scaling strategy white paper to include major findings in the V&V presentation/demonstration.

At the conclusion of Phase I, the awarded vendor(s) shall attend a Verification and Validation (V&V) event, hosted by AFLCMC. At the V&V event, the awarded vendor(s) shall give either a presentation or demonstration to AFLCMC on the environment the vendor(s) have created during Phase I. Following the presentation and/or demonstration, AFLCMC will test the vendor(s) created environment’s abilities and usability by incorporating up to 10 AFLCMC user accounts. AFLCMC will evaluate the awarded vendor(s) environment’s ability to perform the requirements listed in the Call with the objective grading criteria located in Section 8.0.

2. Phase II: Following the V&V event, AFLCMC will select up to two (2) vendors for Phase II. Phase II is anticipated to have a PoP of 2 months. During Phase II, up to two (2) vendors will expand the developed environment from Phase I to scale to up to 50 AFLCMC internal and external users. The vendor(s) will also be required to implement any comments given by AFLCMC on the vendor’s environment during the V&V event. AFLCMC will also request Phase

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III proposals from the Phase II vendor(s), which must be negotiated prior to the beginning of Phase III.

Prior to successful award of Phase III, the Phase II vendor(s) must successfully:

(1) scale the developed environment to up to 50 AFLCMC internal and external users; (2) develop environment dashboards for continuous resource utilization and statusing; (3) negotiate a Phase III award; and (4) allow AFLCMC or an AFLCMC-appointed third party to perform a penetrative assessment of its environment. If a third-party is used for the penetrative assessment, the third-party entity will be required to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) prior to beginning the assessment.

3. Subsequent Phases: AFLCMC reserves the right to pursue any potential subsequent Phase to allow for scaling to meet AFLCMC’s needs with one or more of the successful Phase II vendor(s). AFLCMC also reserves the right not to award any potential subsequent Phases to any vendor.

In the Project Marine Duck Call, AFLCMC is requesting proposals for Phase I and a priced option for Phase II ONLY. Proposals for subsequent Phases will NOT be considered.

5.5 V&V Evaluation Criteria: The following is provided for INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. Proposals submitted under this Call will be evaluated in accordance with Section 8.1: PROPOSAL EVALUATION CRITERIA, NOT the following V&V evaluation criteria. The V&V evaluation criteria will only apply to contractors/performers who (1) were categorized as selectable under the Section 8.0 evaluation criteria and (2) were awarded a contract/agreement under this Call.

1. The following is the anticipated criteria to be used at the V&V event.

2. Awarded contractors/performers shall be evaluated on a 5-point scale on all requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 of this Call. The requirements in Attachment 1 of this Call will be included as part of the awarded contract/agreement. The awarded contractors/performers will receive the V&V evaluation results at the end of the V&V event.

“3 points” is intentionally skipped to give additional priority to V&V demonstrated capability.

0- The environment demonstrated by the vendor failed to meet the technical requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 of this Call. The contractor/performer did not submit the required Phase II Price Model and Phase II Scalability Plan deliverables.

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1- The environment demonstrated by the vendor failed to meet the technical requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 of this Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement. The contractor/performer delivered the Phase II Price Model and Phase II Scalability Plan deliverables. However, the Phase II Price Model and Phase II Scalability Plan deliverables did not include sufficient detail or were deemed inadequate to provide AFLCMC with sufficient information to make an informed decision on the vendor’s ability to implement and/or scale the developed environment to meet AFLCMC needs in accordance with all “All Phase” technical requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 of the Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement.

2- The environment demonstrated by the vendor failed to meet the technical requirements, as detailed in Attachment 1 of this Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement. The contractor/performer delivered the Phase II Price Model and Phase II Scalability Plan deliverables. The Phase II deliverables provided sufficient detail and was deemed acceptable to provide AFLCMC with sufficient information to make an informed decision on the vendor’s ability to implement and scale the developed environment to meet AFLCMC needs in accordance with all “All Phase” technical requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 of the Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement.

4- The environment demonstrated by the vendor met the technical requirements, as detailed in Attachment 1 of this Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement. The contractor/performer delivered the Phase II Price Model and Phase II Scalability Plan deliverables. However, the Phase II Price Model and Phase II Scalability Plan deliverables did not include sufficient detail or were deemed inadequate to provide AFLCMC with sufficient information to make an informed decision on the vendor’s ability to implement and/or scale the developed environment to meet AFLCMC needs in accordance with all “All Phase” technical requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 of the Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement.

5- The environment demonstrated by the vendor met the technical requirements, as detailed in Attachment 1 of this Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement. The contractor/performer delivered the Phase II Price Model and Phase II Scalability Plan deliverables. The Phase II deliverables provided sufficient detail and was deemed acceptable to provide AFLCMC with sufficient information to make an informed decision on the vendor’s ability to implement and scale the developed environment to meet AFLCMC needs in accordance with all “All Phase” technical requirements as detailed in Attachment 1 of the Call and as attached to the awarded contract/agreement.

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5.6 Anticipated contract/agreement deliverables: The following details the anticipated contract/agreement deliverables to be submitted by awarded vendors by the end of the Period of Performance (PoP) for Phase I.

1. Phase II Price Model: The contractor/performer shall deliver a Phase II price model prior to the V&V event, which will be stated in the initial award. The Phase II price model shall specifically detail user costs up to 10,000 users. The price model shall include all potential applicable costs associated with the scalable environment development, to include, but not limited to: management fees, hardware, and licensing. The pricing model should detail per user cost at various user counts (Ex: 100, 500, 1,000, 1,500, 2,000, 5,000, & 10,000). The pricing model shall clearly identify what and when economies of scale are realized. If applicable, the contractor/performer shall include a minimum set of cloud utilization and storage per user and associated costs. Cloud compute and storage costs above and beyond the minimum set listed, if applicable, shall NOT be included in the per user cost calculation.

2. Scalability Plan: The contractor/performer shall deliver a Scalability Plan prior to the V&V event, which will be a deliverable in the initial award. The Scalability Plan deliverable shall detail how the contractor/performer plans to, at minimum:

o Support the environment as it grows, including manpower considerations and a hiring plan to support various user counts for all tiers of IT and cybersecurity support.

o Achieve and maintain appropriate cybersecurity accreditations needed for IL5 software development o Implement technical capabilities or processes outlined in the Technical

Requirements that have not been achieved.

o Clearly identify any custom or proprietary tools, formats, or solutions used or proposed to be used in future phases.

o Manage large influxes of user account creation requests.

o Carry out life cycle license management.

o Secure the environment, including any monitoring or cyber resiliency.

o Separate Government and contractor information and isolate associated intellectual property.

o Securely distribute the CUI environment to authorized international partners, if requested by the USG, with appropriate data segmentation and user controls.

o Service level agreements including:

Compliance and SW updates Patching Cyber-incident response Availability (mean time to repair, uptime, change/fail rate, etc.)

The contractor/performer shall detail a support strategy for common business hours from 0700-2200hrs Eastern.

Rapid User Account Creation o Implement continuous environment improvement.

5.7 For additional Contract/Agreement details, refer to initial CSO posting FA8600-

23-S-C056 (Section 5.0)

6.0 CLOSED CALLS

6.1 One Step Closed Call Process

All proposals must be UNCLASSIFIED. AFLCMC will not accept classified proposals under this Call.

STEP 1 INSTRUCTIONS: Below is the required structure and required content for proposal submission for this Call. Offeror responses shall be submitted to Ms.

Marina Schemmel, no later than 0900 ET on 3 February 2025, via email to AFLCMC.AFLCMC.DataOps@us.af.mil organization email.

Please submit files in either PDF, Word, Excel, or PowerPoint file type(s). The proposal submission must include, at minimum, the following five Parts:

Part 1 – Cover Page;

Part 2 – Questionnaire Responses;

Part 3 – Technical Proposal;

Part 4 – Price Proposal;

Part 5 – Statement of Work (SOW)/Work Plan.

NOTE: Some file type(s) may get quarantined in the AFLCMC firewall. Offerors are encouraged to specify the number of attachments included in the proposal submission email. AFLCMC will provide a confirmation of receipt for each timely proposal submission. If an Offeror does not receive an email confirming proposal receipt, they are encouraged to follow-up with the AFLCMC.AFLCMC.DataOps@us.af.mil org box to ensure successful proposal transmission.

Mandatory Proposal Items: The following section provides a template for Parts 1- 5 of a complete proposal submission:

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Part 1 - Cover Page:

Offeror’s cover page must include the following information:

a. Offeror Name

b. Offeror Address

c. Offeror technical, programmatic, and contracts points of contact (PoCs)

d. List whether your organization qualifies as any of the following in accordance with

FAR Part 19: Small Business (SB), Small Disadvantaged Business (SDB), Woman- Owned Small Business (WOSB), HUBZone Small Business, Veteran-Owned Business, Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB), Historically Black College or University (HBCU) and Minority Institution

e. Security Information:

i. CAGE Code

ii. Cognizant Security Office

1. Name

2. Address

3. Phone Number

Part 2 - Questionnaire Responses:

Offerors shall address all the following questions:

a. Is your organization a cloud service provider (CSP)? (Y/N)

b. If your organization is not a cloud service provider, does your organization have experience with…

1. Amazon Web Services? (Y/N)

2. Google Cloud? (Y/N)

3. Oracle Cloud? (Y/N)

4. Microsoft Azure? (Y/N)

5. IBM? (Y/N)

c. Provide a list of general classification levels and additionally proscribed categories from the below options that your organization has utilized for past projects.

(UNCLASSIFIED / CUI / SECRET / SECRET SAR / TOP SECRET/ TOP SECRET

SAR / TOP SECRET SCI) Note: Do not provide any classified information regarding past projects on your white paper submission, to include contract/agreement numbers (PIIDs).

d. Is your organization willing and able to sign a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement to facilitate initial classified communication and scope discussions? (Y/N) (An example of a CRADA can be provided upon request)

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e. Does your organization have experience with air-gapped systems? (Y/N)

f. AFLCMC problems require solutions that work in both Windows and Linux environments. Is/are the solutions your organization put forward compatible with both Windows and Linux? (Y/N)

g. AFLCMC problems may require solutions that necessitate an offeror to be familiar with coding languages. Does your organization have experience or expertise with any coding languages? AFLCMC has specific interest in Modern C++ (17+), Java11, and Python. (Three sentence max)

Part 3 – Technical Proposal:

1. The offeror shall include an executive summary in the technical proposal not to exceed (NTE) two pages.

2. The technical proposal shall provide a detailed technical response that addresses all the technical and contractor/performer requirements as detailed in Attachment 1.

The technical volume shall discuss all tasks to be performed, and if necessary, a brief description of each proposed labor category.

3. The technical proposal shall not exceed 10 pages. The total page count does not include the Cover Page in Part 1, the Questionnaire in Part 2, or the Executive Summary. Any pages submitted in excess of the 10-page limit will not be considered or evaluated.

4. Suggested technical proposal sections are listed below; however, these are guidelines, not strict limitations.

TECHNICAL PROPOSAL:

I. ABSTRACT.

II. SCOPE. This proposal is submitted in response to Call 5, titled “MARINE DUCK” on the AFLCMC Data Operation Commercial Solutions Opening

(CSO).

A. Objective. [A clear and concise description of the objective of the proposed solution.]

B. Background. [Provide the necessary technical and scientific background to support the scientific and technical merits of the proposed solution.]

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C. Programmatic. This effort will support the PROJECT MARINE DUCK initiative aimed at developing [capability area or topic title] technologies or methodologies. [Describe the Offeror’s management plan for the proposed project; list supporting and collaborating organizations and subcontractors; clearly identify roles and responsibilities of each organization and subcontractor supporting the project].

D. Relevance. [Describe the relevance of the proposed project in terms of the

PROJECT MARINE DUCK mission, end-user needs and the technology maturity of the proposed project.]

III. CREDENTIALS. [Describe the Offeror’s qualifications to perform the proposed work. Summarize the relevant credentials of the primary performing center and supporting academic and industrial partners. Describe specific examples of similar work performed, and equipment and/or facilities available to perform the proposed work. List summary qualifications of the Key Personnel.

Focus on information directly relevant to the proposed work.]

A. Summary of Credentials.

B. Summary of Qualifications for Key Personnel.

C. Summary of Facilities to Perform the Proposed Work.

IV. WORK TO BE PERFORMED. [Provide details of the work to be performed by task and subtask.]

A. General. [Provide an overview.] B. Detailed Tasks. [Describe the details of all tasks needed to perform the proposed work. Clearly distinguish base period tasks and option tasks as appropriate.]

1. BASE PERIOD (YEAR 1)

A. Task 1: Task Title 1 [Describe what will be accomplished, how the task will be performed, the resources allocated to the task (personnel, hours, materials, etc.), appropriate metrics to measure progress, and deliverables from the task. Describe applicable subtasks. Ensure task description clearly identifies why the task is necessary to accomplish project objectives. Do not include pricing details here.]

B. Task 2: Task Title 2 C. Task N: Task Title N [Define as many tasks as necessary to achieve the stated objective(s).]

2. OPTION 1 (YEAR 2) (If applicable) [Define as many Option Periods as necessary and only if applicable to achieve the stated objective(s)].

A. Task N+1: Task Title N+1

B. Task N+2: Task Title N+2

V. PERFORMANCE SCHEDULE. [Depict the tasks and sub-tasks and the duration of performance of each in a Gantt chart or other suitable chart. Briefly describe the proposed period of performance.]

VI. REFERENCES. [List any relevant documents used to develop the technical approach.]

Part 4 – Price Proposal

1. The price proposal must include pricing information sufficiently detailed for meaningful evaluation of the proposal. Since this Call will result in either a FAR Part 12 commercial contract or an Other Transaction Agreement for Prototype, detailed costs will not be required. For pricing purposes, Offerors should assume a contract/agreement start date of approximately ninety (90) days after submission of the proposal.

2. Since a FAR Part 12 commercial contract is the anticipated contract award type, the requirements of the Truth in Negotiations Act (TINA) are not applicable.

However, if the Contracting Officer determines additional information is necessary to support a determination of a fair and reasonable price, other than certified cost and pricing data may be requested.

3. The responsibility for providing adequate supporting data and attachments lies solely with the Offeror. In addition, the Offeror must also bear the burden of proof in establishing reasonableness of proposed prices; therefore, it is in the Offeror’s best interest to submit a fully supportable and well-prepared price proposal.

4. The offeror shall prepare the Price Proposal (with the exception of the narrative information described below) using Microsoft Excel format. Include the Project Title on all pages.

A. Format. Price proposals shall be formatted as follows.

1. Paper Size – 8.5 X 11-inch paper

2. Margins 1-inch

3. Spacing – single

4. Font – Times New Roman, 12 Point

5. Electronic Software: Microsoft Word, Excel, or Adobe Acrobat

B. Additional Information: The following information should be contained in a cover sheet attached to the price proposal:

1. Full company name and address

2. CSO and Call number/Title

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3. Contracting Point of contact, name, title, email address, and phone number

4. Technical Point of contact, name, title, email address, and phone number

4. CAGE code

5. Unique Entity ID

6. Will you require the use of any Government property in the performance of this work? If yes, identify.

5. NOTE: If an offeror takes exceptions to the requirements called out in the announcement, the exceptions should be clearly stated in the price proposal.

Part 5 – Statement of Work (SOW)/Work Plan:

1. A SOW/Work Plan must be included with the full proposal. The SOW/Work Plan shall not exceed 10 pages in length and must be a separate and distinct document suitable for incorporation into the procurement instrument. Do not include proprietary data or markings in the SOW. Pages should be numbered and the initial page should have a date (document date) shown under the title.

2. The proposed SOW/Work Plan shall accurately describe the work to be performed. The proposed SOW/Work Plan shall also contain a summary description of the technical methodology as well as the task description, but not in so much detail as to make the SOW/Work Plan inflexible. The SOW/Work Plan template shall include the following sections and specifically respond to all technical requirements as detailed in Attachment 1, “Technical Requirements” in the Call:

1. OBJECTIVE. This section is intended to give a brief overview of the project and shall describe why the work is being pursued and what the Offeror intends to accomplish.

2. SCOPE. This section includes a statement of what the SOW/Work Plan covers. This section shall describe technical requirements to be met, goals, and milestones for the effort.

3. BACKGROUND. The Offeror shall identify appropriate documents that are applicable to the effort to be performed. This section includes any information, explanations, or constraints that are necessary to understand the project tasks and requirements. This section shall describe the effort’s relationship to previous and ongoing efforts.

4. TASKS AND TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS. This section contains the detailed description of all the tasks that are necessary to perform the proposed work. These tasks shall represent the work to be performed in any potential contract/agreement award, and, thus, shall be considered contractually/legally

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binding when the SOW/Work Plan is attached to the contract/agreement award.

This section should be developed in an orderly progression and presented in sufficient detail to establish the feasibility of accomplishing the overall program goals. This section should clearly distinguish base period tasks from option tasks (if applicable). The SOW/Work Plan must contain every task to be accomplished.

Note that the Government reserves the right to negotiate the language in the SOW/Work Plan prior to any potential contract/agreement award.

4.1 Task descriptions shall be definite, realistic, and clearly stated. Use the phrase “the contractor/respondent shall” whenever the work statement expresses a provision that is binding. Use “should” or “may” whenever it is necessary to express a declaration of purpose. Use “will” in cases where no Offeror requirement is involved (e.g., power will be supplied by the Government). Use active voice in describing work to be performed.

4.2 Do not use acronyms or abbreviations without first defining them. Place abbreviations and acronyms in parentheses following the first usage of the spelled- out phrase.

4.3 If presentations and meetings are identified in the Offeror’s schedule, the Offeror must include the following statement in the SOW/Work Plan:

“Conduct presentations and meetings at times and places specified in the contract schedule.”

4.4 The desired project structure consists of base period tasks, focused on demonstrating the feasibility of the technology, and option tasks (if applicable), which cover design, fabrication, testing, and evaluation of the final product. Execution of option tasks will be dependent upon and determined by the contractor/performer’s performance during, and the results produced after, the base period tasks.

8.0 EVALUATION CRITERIA

8.1 Proposal Evaluation Criteria: Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the following evaluation criteria:

1. T- Technical:

a. The potential for the Government to transition the deliverables to future Government needs. Any proposed restriction on technical data or computer software will be considered.

b. Is there value for AFLCMC in the offeror’s proposed solution?

c. Is the offeror’s proposed solution feasible to be delivered within the time constraints of the anticipated award?

2. P - Price: The proposed price will be evaluated for reasonableness.

8.2 No other criteria will be used.

8.3 Based on the Government’s evaluation, proposals will be categorized as

Selectable or Not Selectable (see definitions below). The selection of one or more sources for award will be based on the Government’s evaluation, as well as importance to agency programs and funding availability.

1. Selectable: Proposal is recommended for acceptance if sufficient funding is available.

2. Not Selectable: Even if sufficient funding existed, the proposal should not be funded.

8.4 NOTE: The Government reserves the right to award all, some, one, or none of the proposals received. When the Government elects to award only a part of a proposal, the selected part may be categorized as Selectable, though the proposal as a whole may not merit such a categorization.

8.5 Prior to award to a successful offeror, the Contracting Officer/Agreements Officer will make a determination regarding price reasonableness.

8.6 Debriefings: The Government will conduct written, post-award debriefings upon request only in accordance with 52.212-1(l) and will address the evaluation factors contained herein only. It will not include a comparison of submissions against a common statement of work (SOW) as the CSO provides no common statement of work that interested parties must respond to and instead represents opportunity for submission of a variety of innovative commercial items, UNCLASSIFIED technologies, and/or services that represent meaningful submissions of diverse scope and price.

9.0 GENERAL PROPOSAL INFORMATION

9.1 Proposal Content: See Paragraph 6.1, One Step Closed Call Process, for details on what to include in Proposal submissions.

9.2 Proprietary Information: Information constituting a trade secret, commercial or financial information, confidential personal information, or data affecting national security must be clearly marked. It shall be treated in confidence to the extent permitted by law. This restriction does not limit the Government’s right to use information contained if it is obtained from another source without restriction.

AFLCMC assumes no liability for disclosure or use of unmarked data and may use or disclose such data for any purpose. If a vendor is awarded a contract as a result of or in connection with the submission of proprietary data in the proposal, the Government shall have the right to duplicate, use or disclose the data to the extent provided in the resulting contract/agreement. 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 in accordance with FAR 52.215-1(e)(1) and (2) on the cover page:

“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, a contract is awarded to this offeror 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 extend provided in the resulting contract. 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 contain in sheets [insert numbers or other identification of sheets].”

Each restricted data sheet should be marked as follows:

Use or disclose of data contained on this sheet is subject to the restriction on the title page of this proposal.

9.3 Classified Proposals: Classified proposals WILL NOT be accepted under this

Call.

9.4 Security: Offerors must possess all required personnel security clearances, facility clearances, and other infrastructure requirements necessary to perform any proposed classified work in accordance with a Contract Security Classification

UNCLASSIFIED

Specification (DD Form 254) without reliance on Government resources. Offerors must verify their Cognizant Security Office information is current with the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, DCSA (https://dcsa.mil).

For this Call specifically, Offerors must have at least 2 personnel with an active Secret clearance, at minimum. If the Offeror intends to perform classified work at their facility (or subcontractor or sub-awardee’s facility), they will need to provide a Facility Accreditation Letter (FAL) for each facility to the Contracting Officer/Agreements Officer by no later than (NLT) contract/instrument award.

9.5 Promotional Material: Promotional and non-project related discussion is discouraged, and additional information provided via Universal Resource Locator (URL) links or on computer disks, CDs, DVDs, video tapes or any other medium will not be accepted or considered in the proposal evaluation unless otherwise directed by the Contracting/Agreements Officer. This also means that unnecessarily elaborate brochures or proposals are not desired.

9.6 Small Business: FAR-based contracts awarded pursuant to this CSO Call shall include FAR 52.219-8, Utilization of Small Business Concerns (FEB 2024).

FAR-based contracts awarded pursuant to this CSO Call which meet FAR Subpart 19.7 criteria for small business subcontracting plans shall include FAR 52.219-9, Small Business Subcontracting Plan (SEP 2023).

Offerors shall address plans to comply with these requirements as part of their proposals if seeking an OTP which provide for follow-on non-competitive production contracts. Offerors not seeking FAR-based contracts or follow-on non-competitive production contracts to an initial OTP award shall clearly state so as part of their proposal and shall address these requirements as part of the competition for follow-on production contracts. In the event that any follow-up production contracts are required to have small business subcontracting plans and are negotiated using FAR 15 and DFARS 215.304(c), Small Business Subcontracting Plan, shall be required.

9.7 Export-Controlled Items: The awarded contract/agreement may be subject to

Export Control (International Traffic in Arms (ITAR) 22 CFR 120-131, or Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 15 CFR 710-774). Only Offerors who are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Services Center (DLSC) and have a legitimate business purpose may participate in this solicitation. Contact the DLSC, 74 Washington Avenue N., Battle Creek, Michigan 40917-3084 (1-800- 352-3572) for further information on the certification process. Offerors shall submit a current and active Certified DD Form 2345, Military Critical Technical Data Agreement, with their proposal.The form, instructions, and FAQs may be found at the United States/Canada Joint Certification Program website, http://www.dla.mil/HQ/InformationOperations/Offers/Products/LogisticsApplicati ons /JCP/DD2345Instructions.aspx. Approval of the DD Form 2345 will be verified if proposal is chosen for award.

DFARS 252.225-7048, “Export Controlled Item (JUN 2013)” clause shall be contained in all resulting contracts. Articles covering the above-covered statutes shall be contained in any awarded OTP agreement.

9.8 Data Rights: All proposal submissions shall include Data Rights Assertions, if applicable. This will be an essential element of each proposal submission. Special Licensing Agreements may be negotiated upon request. AFLCMC reserves the right to negotiate data rights as part of the Contracting/Agreement process.

AFLCMC also reserves the right to tailor the data management approach for each individual effort based on the needs for each situation.

9.9 FAR Part 12 Considerations: In accordance with DFARS 227.7102-1, AFLCMC seeks to acquire the technical data that is customarily available on a commercial basis. As a result, DFARS clauses 252.227-7015 (MAR 2023) and 252.227-7037 (JAN 2023) shall be included on each FAR Part 12 Contract awarded as a result of this CSO Call. If additional data rights are considered warranted, AFLCMC reserves the right to negotiate these with prospective vendors as part of the contracting process.

If the Government pays for any portion of the development costs, DFARS 252.227-7013 (MAR 2023) will be included in any resultant contract to govern the associated technical data for the portion of the development that utilized Government funds. For the portion of Commercial Items that were developed exclusively at private expense, DFARS 252.227-7015 will still govern the technical data to the extent is commercial.

Companies whose effort originated under the SBIR program will maintain standard SBIR Data Rights in accordance with DFARS 252.227-7018 (NOV 2023). Additional clauses may be applicable depending on the technology and requirements associated with it.

If an OTP agreement is awarded as a result of this Call, articles similar to the above-listed clauses may be negotiated as a part of the OTP award.

10.0 OTHER INFORMATION:

10.1 DFARS 252.239-7017 - NOTICE OF SUPPLY CHAIN RISK (DEC 2022):

(a) Definitions. “Supply chain risk,” as used in this provision, means the risk that an adversary may sabotage, maliciously introduce unwanted function, or otherwise subvert the design, integrity, manufacturing, production, distribution, installation, operation, or maintenance of a covered system so as to surveil, deny, disrupt, or otherwise degrade the function, use, or operation of such system (10 U.S.C. 3252).

UNCLASSIFIED

(b) In order to manage supply chain risk, the Government may use the authorities provided by section 10 U.S.C. 3252. In exercising these authorities, the Government may consider information, public and non-public, including all-source intelligence, relating to an offeror and its supply chain.

(c) If the Government exercises the authority provided in 10 U.S.C. 3252 to limit disclosure of information, no action undertaken by the Government under such authority shall be subject to review in a bid protest before the Government Accountability Office or in any Federal court.

10.2 Supplier Performance Risk System (SPRS): In order to receive a DoD award, every vendor will be required to perform a Basis NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment. That process is described in DFARS 252.204-7020 (NOV 2023). Once the Basic NIST 800-171 DoD Assessment is complete, each vendor will need to follow the instructions contained to enter the results in SPRP, located at https://sprs.csd.disa.mil. All Offerors must ensure that any potential sub-contractors/sub-awardees also have at least a Basic NIST SP 800-171 DoD Assessment.

10.3 Telecommunications: All contracts awarded under this Call will contain prohibitions on the use of certain telecommunications devices in accordance with DFARS 52.204-25 (NOV 2021). All OTP agreements awarded under this Call will contain an article with similar provisions.

10.4 Eligible Vendor: This is an unrestricted solicitation and open to all vendors. Small businesses are encouraged to propose. Vendors are encouraged to complete the Annual Representations and Certification in the System for Award Management (SAM) as soon as possible.

10.5 Government Furnished Property (GFP) Availability: GFP is not anticipated to be made available under any resulting contract or OTP agreement but will be determined for each award. In accordance with FAR 45.201(b), the contractor is responsible for all costs related to making the property available for use, such as payment of all transportation, installation, or rehabilitation costs.

10.6 Base Support/Network Access: Base support will be determined for each award for testing, validation, and demonstration.

10.7 Foreign Participation: Participation at the prime level is prohibited.

Subcontracting arrangements will be handled in accordance with the International Traffic and Arms Regulation. In addition, foreign national participation will be limited to public domain information only.

11.0 ATTACHMENT:

ATTACHMENT 1 - TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS