20181022_BAAST2015_Appendix_G1_FY19_Final.pdf

SPECIAL OPERATIONS FORCES ACQUISITION, TECHNOLOGY, AND LOGISTICS

PROGRAM EXECUTIVE OFFICE FOR SPECIAL RECONNAISSANCE,

SURVEILLANCE AND EXPLOITATION (SOF AT&L-SR)

APPENDIX G-1 v19.1

TO

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

USSOCOM-BAAST-2015

1.0 Introduction: USSOCOM’s Program Executive Office for Special Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Exploitation (PEO-SRSE) (SOF AT&L-SR) mission is to discover, evaluate and transition technologies to provide an asymmetric advantage for Special Operations Forces (SOF). SOF AT&L-SR has identified several specific technology Areas of Interest to accelerate the delivery of innovative capabilities to the SOF warfighter.

2.0. General Information:

2.1. Agency: USSOCOM.

2.2. Program Office: PEO-SRSE (SOF AT&L-SR).

2.2.1 Scope: This BAA appendix specifically targets technologies related PEO-SRSE’s portfolio of programs and should not be used to submit to any other PEO within SOF-AT&L.

2.3. Addendum Title: SOF AT&L-SR Appendix G-1 v19.1 to USSOCOM-BAAST-2015

2.4. BAA Number: USSOCOM-BAAST-2015

2.5. Closing Date: This BAA appendix will remain open until September 30, 2019, unless superseded, amended, or cancelled. White papers may be submitted any time during this period subject to the submission process described in this BAA Appendix.

2.6. Contracting Point of Contact (POC) and Technical POC:

Contracting POC:

Primary: Donna W. Guarrera, Phone 813-826-7069, Email donna.guarrera@socom.mil Secondary: Eric N. Carlin, Phone 813-826-3124, Email eric.carlin@socom.mil Technical POC:

Mr. Robert McCaskey, Phone 813-826-5339, Email robert.mccaskey@socom.mil

2.7. Technology Areas of Interest:

USSOCOM is interested in receiving white papers from all responsible sources from industry, academia, individuals, and Government laboratories capable of providing the design, construction, and testing of SOF related technologies. The intent is to accelerate the delivery of innovative capabilities to the SOF warfighter. It is an interactive process designed to assess the viability of technologies while simultaneously refining user requirements.

mailto:donna.guarrera@socom.mil mailto:robert.mccaskey@socom.mil

Specific technologies for Appendix G-1 v19.1 include:

2.7.1 TAGS

This product line covers Tagging, Tracking and Locating (TTL) technologies that can be used on persons and objects. Technologies of interest would provide reductions in size, weight and power/price (SWaP2), improved accuracy or new capabilities to the following:

• GPS Tags for both normal and disadvantaged environments (urban, maritime, jungle, subterranean).

• Non-GPS Trackers (urban, maritime, jungle, subterranean)

• Maritime tracking devices capable of being placed at the water line and allow for

Over the Horizon (OTH) programming and exfil

• Covert audio and video devices that provide store and forward capabilities via LOS and BLOS.

• Enhancements in the ability to power TTL devices either through better power sources or improved device efficiencies.

• New techniques for hardware modification and fabrication to include means to miniaturize tags and audio devices through microelectronic fabricating techniques.

• Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGA), die harvesting, and other hardware component developments for micro processing and associated firmware, in order to reduce the overall size and weight of the sub-system.

2.7.2 BIOMETRICS

This product line covers technologies used to collect, analyze and distribute various physical parameters that can be used to identify personnel. There is particular interest in technologies with a small form factor that provide the capability to rapidly (< 2 min) identify personnel, reduce false alarm rates and/or offer novel approaches at short to long distances in all environmental conditions. Technologies of interest are:

• Touchless fingerprint capture for matching against authoritative databases and on-board watchlists

• Facial and/or iris capture for matching against authoritative databases and on-board watchlists

• Rapid, portable DNA collection and processing for matching against authoritative databases and on-board watchlists

2.7.3 FORENSICS

This product line covers collection and processing of both physical and electronic information obtained from target locations either forward or within a deployed, controlled-environment shelter.

In the short term there is a need to process media devices on or near target locations and enable rapid analysis and target development.

There is also a focus on updating equipment that can provide greater fidelity of chemicals of interest forward.

Computer media and cell phone exploitation capability:

• Simultaneously collect (image) multiple target devices,

• Conduct simultaneous automated search and triage to extract data and metadata based on multiple user-defined parameters, including, but not restricted to text, still image and video, time, location, and hashtag value, and compare to on-board watchlists

• Create an operator-configurable output that is interoperable with standard MS Office applications (i.e., Word, Excel, .txt, .rtr, .csv),

• Device should save all captured data in the event of interruption (rapid disconnect).

• Innovative transmission or transfer of large images and data pages over the internet

• Exploit multiple cellular operating systems without limitations.

Chemical exploitation capability:

• Chemical analysis capabilities that are deployable to austere conditions

• Operated in a shelter and semi temperature controlled environment

• Detect and provide fidelity for organic and inorganic materials.

2.7.4 SSE Content Management System

Special Operations Forces require a content management system (CMS) for all employed advanced exploitation (biometric and DOMEX) and scientific instrumentation (latent print, chemical, DNA). The CMS must be able to operate stand-alone or as part of a network. The CMS must be capable of operating under multiple operating systems (iOS, Windows, Android). Content may consist of but not limited to video, interactive depictions, and literature which support operating procedures, routine hardware and software maintenance, trouble shooting and repair, and manufacture's manuals and literature. While connected the CMS should recognize specific instruments and support routine hardware/software maintenance and update training aids. In addition, the CMS must have the capability to relay to a remote SME instrument maintenance history, software load, and other relevant device metadata.

2.7.5 SIGINT

These technologies concentrate on RF communications intercept and location.

Technologies of interest should provide improved performance, flexibility, SWaP-C.

Platforms and operational environments can be on land, air, sea, manned or unmanned, and manpack based. Technologies of interest are:

• Software defined radios o Readily reprogrammable and reconfigurable (to include remotely) RF sensing receivers o Data infiltration and exfiltration for payload information transport o Security features for unattended operation

• Analog and digital receivers o Improved sensitivity and efficiency o Data infiltration and exfiltration for payload information transport o Security features for unattended operation

• Advanced antennas for RX and TX o Both passive and active o Arrays and conformal o For use on various platforms, man packable and mobile o Reduced size o Simplified integration o Multiband and concealed applications o Meta-material solutions o Camouflaged

• Reduce Operator Workload o Algorithms (to include machine-learning) for detecting, classifying and exploiting signals in near real time o Human Language Technology

Speaker, Gender, Language, Voice ID, Speech to Text, etc.

o Automated processing of SIGINT data.

o Advanced data analytics (near real time and post-processing) o Improved SIGINT two-way fusion with other intelligence disciplines

• Direction Finding and Locating o Advanced signal processing algorithms and hardware o Improved fusion of different techniques

• Low-Power low noise amplifiers (LNAs) with ultra-high linearity and higher dynamic range front ends for use in command, control, and communications systems without compromising system sensitivity (noise figure)

• Network capabilities in compliance with the Airborne Overhead Integration Office [Note: now Airborne Multi-Int Office – AMO] Communications Intelligence Joint Interface Control Document (JICD) 4.1, 4.2, and follow-on’s

• Improved Graphical User Interfaces

• Improved training systems

• Enhancements in the ability to power sensors and communications either through better power sources or improved hardware/software efficiencies

• Technologies to use SIGINT systems to support TTL, Special Communications and

Unattended Sensor operations

• High resolution wideband radio frequency spectrum collection and monitoring

• Unattended and unclassified networked SIGINT sensors that are not ITAR controlled and capable of integrating with the Airborne Overhead Integration Office [Note: now Airborne Multi-Int Office – AMO] Communications Intelligence Joint Interface Control Document 4.1, 4.2, and follow-on’s.

2.7.6 GEOSPATIAL COMPUTER VISION ALGORITHMS

Technologies concentrate on game-changing interoperability of data used for battlespace visualization across SOF C2, planning, rehearsal, analysis and operations. Technologies of interest should provide new capabilities for GEOINT processing, exploitation and dissemination of imagery and spatial data. Operational use cases are primarily precision low-flying at night and ground operations in disconnected, intermittent and/or limited bandwidth environments. Technologies of interest:

• Creation of synthetic imagery, for example making Synthetic Aperture Radar images simulate electro-optical images. Techniques to synthesize short-wave infrared and near infrared imagery from electro-optical and infrared bands.

• Integration of multiple point clouds into single 3D models and scene visualizations.

• Deep learning and automated techniques for colorizing panchromatic images.

• Conversion of LIDAR and imagery-derived point cloud data into structured, vector polygon data representing building foot prints, buildings, road networks, foliage, bodies of water, and other salient features employing open, industry-standard, geospatial formats.

• Automated and semi-automated tools capable of extruding and labeling correct roofs from building footprints extracted from imagery. Output directly into OpenFlight or CityGML format.

• Collection and aggregation of mobile aerial mapping data to create urban and wide-area high resolution 3D with survey level accuracy to the sub-centimeter. Data must interoperate with other GIS data in open industry formats.

• Open source tools to quality control OpenFlight models. Automated tools should read and verify XML data in OGC CDB.

• Secure, encrypted aerial data management and imagery processing for distributed survey operations. Technologies should automate data upload, and the production and export of georeferenced maps, Digital Elevation Models (DEM), Digital Terrain Models (DTM), and derived point clouds for integration with existing GIS workflows in industry standard, high resolution formats as well as in smaller, user-friendly formats like GeoPackage.

• Early prototypes for 2D to 3D registration automation, void filling, pre-processing workflows and imagery fusion of multiple source data, and incorporation of other data types to include weather effects, change, underground, waterways, coastal areas, ports, bridges, roads, tracks, cars, rails, power, and dams.

• Prototypes that fuse geospecific modeling and simulation data with C2, ISR, and publicly available information to create near real-time mixed reality environments.

Capabilities should be able to integrate sub-centimeter 3D interior and exterior data employing open, industry-standard, geospatial formats.

• Open source tools for geo-registration to assemble enormous amounts of 3D geospatial data. Prototypes that co-register disparate data sources including imagery, full motion video, photos, point clouds, and user generated geo-referenced content.

Conflation algorithms capable of correlating data at the most accurate coordinate possible with trade-offs for simplicity, accuracy, and error estimation.

• Rapid collection and visualization of Building Information Modeling (BIM) data including lighting analysis, building properties (materials), and primary spatial dimensions with sub-centimeter accuracy employing open, industry-standard, geospatial formats.

2.7.7 OBFUSCATED DATA TRANSPORT SYSTEMS/ARCHITECTURES

This area covers secure communications transport networks used to route information, worldwide, to desired locations in a manner that takes full advantage of the trends in commercially available networks to obscure the originating source and final destination from third-party discovery. Technologies of interest would provide networks constructed potentially using a combination of co-location sites, public telecommunications service providers, and public cloud service providers and incorporate threat counter-measures.

2.7.8 LOW-VIS COMMUNICATIONS

This product line covers hardware and software solutions to provide low visibility team communication and situational awareness capabilities. Technologies of interest would provide:

• The ability to have two-way obfuscated communications between SOF personnel and allied personnel

• Allow more diverse infrastructure employments beyond those just found in

US/Western industrialized countries including low-bandwidth and high-latency disadvantaged communications channels

• Disassociation of user signatures

• End-to-End encryption

2.7.9 TECHNICAL SUPPORT SYSTEMS (TSS)

This area concentrates on items critical to mission success but is often not part of the initial design. Technologies of interest should provide improved performance, SWaP2 and ease of use. Technologies of interest are:

• Power sources for TTL, UGS and other SRSE fielded devices.

o Primary batteries o Rechargeable batteries o Solar o Fuel Cell o Energy Harvesting o Hybrid systems

• Communications in support of TTL, UGS, and other SRSE fielded devices.

o Energy efficient protocols o MANET o High bandwidth o Anti-jam o LPI/LPD/LPE o Over-the-horizon o Secure o Small form factor

• Advanced antenna designs in support of TTL, UGS, and other SRSE fielded devices.

o Conformal o Physically small o Tunable o Multi-band o Broadband o High gain o Steerable o Efficient

• High efficiency electronics in support of TTL, UGS, and other SRSE fielded devices.

o Amplifiers/transmitters o Controllers o Imagers o Displays

3.0 Submission Instructions for Appendix G-1 v19.1 to Broad Agency Announcement

USSOCOM-BAAST-2015.

3.1 Technology Development Cost and Schedule: Offerors are advised to consider a limit of not more than $1 million total cost of development and not more than 18 months to complete all efforts for each submission under Appendix G-1 v19.1. Offerors may exceed this amount, but they may or may not be considered for award due to cost and schedule constraints and/or other statutory or regulatory requirements.

3.2 Quad Chart and White Paper Submission and Review Periods: The Appendix G-1 v19.1 will open on November 2, 2018 and close on September 30, 2019 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

USSOCOM SOF AT&L-SR intends to conduct scientific and peer reviews during the submission period and up to 30 days after closing this appendix. USSOCOM will notify Offerors whether or not their quad chart/white paper was selected for submission of a proposal.

This process usually takes 6-8 weeks after submission.

3.2.1 Instructions for the Preparation and Submission of Quad Chart and White Paper

3.2.1.1 A Quad Chart and White Paper is intended to gain a preliminary assessment of the Government’s interest prior to incurring the additional expense associated with a full proposal submission. Those Quad Chart/White Papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a full technical and cost proposal. This however does not obligate the Government to award a contract. Based on the initial assessment, Offerors may be instructed to prepare a full proposal or may be informed that the prospective science or technology is not in alignment with current program interests. This is intended to reduce unnecessary handling of proposals and proposal preparation costs. All responsible organizations may submit a quad chart and white paper which shall be considered.

3.2.1.2 Proposals. Additional information regarding proposal submission requirements will be provided after the decision is made to pursue the QC/WP. The following general guidance is provided for reference: Proposals submitted under this BAA are expected to be unclassified; all proposal submissions will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with applicable federal law and DOD/USSOCOM regulations; Offerors shall appropriately mark each page of their submission that contains proprietary information or other restrictions. However, the Government prefers that information received be non-proprietary. If Offerors need to submit any classified information they should contact the Contracting Officer listed in Section 2.6.

Note – Offerors are notified that Quad Charts, White Papers, and full proposals may be reviewed by PEO-SRSE support contractors as part of the standard review process.

Note – Offerors are notified that only full proposals will be subjected to a complete proposal technical evaluation based on the criteria stated herein.

3.2.1.3 Submission Content and Formats – See below. Note that requests for alternative proposal formats may be appropriate and should be coordinated with the SOF AT&L-KI Contracting Officer.

Quad Chart (PDF Format)

• Number of pages – 1

• Font – Times New Roman, 12 Point

• Page orientation – landscape

• Paper size – 8.5 x 11 inch

• Upper left quad – Pictorial data or representation

• Upper right quad – Description of effort and perceived benefits

• Lower left quad – Summary cost data; labor, materials, subcontracting, travel, profit

• Lower right quad – Project schedule, milestones and deliverables

• Submission – QC and WP shall be submitted at the same time (same upload submission); otherwise the Government will not review. Electronic submission via web page https://www.socom.mil/SOF-ATL/Pages/baa.aspx

White Papers (PDF Format)

• Number of pages – 5 pages excluding cover page. Pages shall be numbered.

• Cover Page – Labeled “WHITE PAPER” and shall include 1) BAA number and

Appendix, 2) proposal title, 3) company information to include address, phone, fax, Cage Code, DUNS Number, and technical & contracts contact information with email address.

• Technical Concept/Narrative – a description of the effort and applicability to the identified program area mission and the objectives/benefits to be derived as a result of the effort. This shall include;

1. Brief (4 – 5 sentence) executive overview of delivered capability,

2. Technical approach (why this approach is superior to alternatives and/or current practice),

3. Effort’s perceived benefit (How will this effort enhance or replace the state-of-the-art?),

4. Technical risk areas (to include mitigation plan),

5. Performance period,

6. Pricing ROM,

7. Expected deliverables and

8. Any other technical data/information to be conveyed for consideration to include the final deliverable(s) or end item(s).

• Paper Size- 8.5 x 11 inch paper

• Margins – 1”

• Spacing – Single or double

• Font – Times New Roman, 12 Point

• Microsoft Windows or .PDF format

• Submission – QC and WP shall be submitted at the same time (same upload submission); otherwise the Government will not review. Electronic submission via web page https://www.socom.mil/SOF-ATL/Pages/baa.aspx

NOTE: Do not combine the quad chart and white paper into a single file. Submit each as a separate file. DO NOT password protect the files.

3.2.2 Proposals. Additional information regarding Proposal requirements will be provided if the Government decides to pursue the QC/WP submission.

3.3 Criteria, Relative Importance, and Method for Selecting Proposals for Award:

The Government will review each quad chart/white paper and select the Offerors that have the greatest potential to meet the needs of USSOCOM technology requirements based on the areas stated in USSOCOM-BAAST-2015 Appendix G-1 v19.1. Initially, a determination will be made if each Offeror is technically qualified and has a comprehensive understanding to undertake the development of the technology based on the information stated in the quad chart/white paper.

The Government will determine the most technically competent and capable of the qualified Offerors using the criteria below.

• Criteria (Factors) for Selecting Quad Chart/White Paper for Full Proposal Submission:

o Importance to agency programs, o Technical merit/applicability, and o Funds availability.

• Relative Importance: All Factors are of equal importance.

• Method of Evaluation: Peer or scientific review.