RIME_FOA.docx

Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA)

Overview Information

Federal Agency Name: U.S. Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG), RTP Division, on behalf of the Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD), Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy (MIBP) via its Manufacturing Technology Program.

Program Name: DoD-led Manufacturing Innovation Institutes Funding Opportunity Announcement Title: Robots in Manufacturing Environments Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RIME-MII). This FOA seeks proposals from U.S. non-profit organizations (minimum 1:1 cost share) interested in entering into a Technology Investment Agreement (TIA), pursuant to 10 USC §2371, for the purpose of establishing a state-of-the-art, end-to-end, sustainable Manufacturing Innovation Institute (MII) in support of Robots in Manufacturing Environments.

Funding Opportunity Announcement Type: This is the initial funding announcement.

Funding Opportunity Announcement Number: W911NF-16-R-0028 Appendices for Funding Opportunities Announcement: Attached to this document are Appendices provided for informational guidance only. If there are any discrepancies between the FOA and the Appendices, the FOA takes precedence.

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) Number(s): 12.630 Proposers’ Day: There will be two proposers’ days associated with this FOA. The first proposers’ Day will be conducted at the NASA Ames Conference Center, Building 3, 500 Severyns Rd., NASA Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, CA 94035 on August 10, 2016. A second proposers’ day will be conducted at the ANSER Conference Center located at 5275 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, VA 22041 on 12 August 2016 (both are scheduled to end NLT 2:00 PM local time). The purpose of the proposers’ days are to familiarize interested proposers with the concept and vision for the Robots in Manufacturing Environments Manufacturing Innovation Institute and the associated technology needs and to highlight key portions of this FOA. The proposers’ days are for informational purposes only. Attendance is not a prerequisite for submitting a proposal. However, attending one of these events will provide a valuable opportunity for interested proposers to ask questions, network in support of potential teaming arrangements, and obtain other information about the RIME-MII. There is no fee to attend. The government will not reimburse any attendee for any cost associated with participation. In addition, the government is under no obligation to award any related contract/agreement associated with this event. Further details on this event (including registration information) can be found on www.manufacturing.gov. Questions and answers from both proposers’ days will be posted on www.manufacturing.gov

This will be a two-step application process:

The application process under this FOA consists of a Concept Paper stage and a Proposal stage. The purpose of this two-step approach is to facilitate pre-screening by the U.S. Government such that detailed proposals are only sought from applicants whose concept papers demonstrate the most promise for award (this also helps to reduce unnecessary bid and proposal effort). The government’s decision to invite a Proposal will be based upon the evaluation results of a timely and compliant Concept Paper submission. Only the most highly rated Concept Papers will receive an invitation from the government to submit a Proposal. An Applicant that does NOT submit a timely and compliant Concept Paper, is NOT eligible to submit a Proposal for consideration for funding. An Applicant that does NOT receive an invitation from the Government to submit a Proposal is NOT eligible to submit a Proposal and will NOT receive any feedback or a “debriefing” on their Concept Paper. An Applicant invited to submit a Proposal will receive feedback on their Concept Paper that is expected to substantially improve their Proposal submissions.

Concept Paper Due Date and Time: The deadline for receipt of Concept Papers is no later than 3:00 PM local Durham, NC time on Thursday, 1 September 2016. See Section IV for further information.

Date for Proposal Invitation: Applicants with the most highly rated concept papers should expect to receive an invitation in mid-late September 2016 to submit a Proposal. See Section IV for further information.

FOA Key Dates

FOA Request: This publication constitutes a merit-based competition, as described in the Department of Defense Grants and Agreements Regulations (DoDGARS), 32 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) §22.315. A formal Request for Proposals (RFP) or other type of solicitation regarding this program will not be issued.

ACC-APG RTP Division is soliciting concept papers, followed by issuing invitations to submit proposals, on the endeavor described herein. Responses to this FOA shall be limited to those from U.S. non-profit organizations who will serve as the lead organization and recipient of the RIME-MII award. Per 32 CFR §37.1315, a non-profit organization is defined as:

(a) Any corporation, trust, association, cooperative or other organization that: (1) Is operated primarily for scientific, educational, service, or similar purposes in the public interest; (2) Is not organized primarily for profit; and (3) Uses its net proceeds to maintain, improve, or expand the operations of the organization.

(b) The term includes any nonprofit institution of higher education.

The government encourages businesses of all size, as well as institutions of higher education, to participate through teaming arrangements with the lead non-profit organization. Applicants must reflect the appropriate teaming structure as identified in this announcement. Applicants are responsible for reviewing and addressing, as necessary, any amendment to this FOA, to include but not limited to any adjustment on submission dates or times or other submission requirements.

Type of Contract/Instrument: The government intends to award a Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARS)-based Technology Investment Agreement (TIA) (32 CFR Part 37).

As defined by the DoDGARS, a TIA is a special class of assistance instrument used to increase involvement of commercial firms in defense research programs and for other purposes related to integrating the commercial and defense sectors of the nation’s technology and industrial base.

TIA’s are used to stimulate or support research and are designed to: (a) Reduce barriers to commercial firms’ participation in defense research, to give the Department of Defense (DoD) access to the broadest possible technology and industrial base; (b) Promote new relationships among performers in both the defense and commercial sectors of that technology and industrial base; and (c) Stimulate performers to develop, use, and disseminate improved practices.

Estimated Program Funding: The Federal government (DoD) anticipates funding $80 million ($80M) for this RIME-MII, distributed across five fiscal years (FY 17-21). It is both likely and desired that other federal government programs will seek to utilize or leverage the advanced manufacturing innovation ecosystem this MII will create and sustain. The recipient must provide a schedule that demonstrates meeting the minimum of $80M in non-federal funding cost share (1:1 minimum) by the end of the fifth year of the TIA. Given this cost-sharing requirement, the minimum total program funding is $160M. A ratio of greater than 1:1 in qualified cost share that serves to increase the capability and effectiveness of the RIME-MII will be considered favorably. The anticipated minimum federal program funding, broken out by Fiscal Year (FY), is:

Table 1: Projected Minimum Program Funding ($ in millions)

Note that federal funds obligated in one year, are likely to be expended into the following year (or two). This is the basis for the Federal Government’s direct involvement through FY23. Cost-sharing is not required to precisely align with this funding profile on a yearly or other cyclic basis. However, a realistic and defensible plan to achieve the full cost share amount presented must be provided in the proposal. The awardee’s progress towards meeting its cost share objectives will be a required and recurring report throughout the period of the TIA (See Section III. B.). Comment by Owner: Tracy had some reservations with the funding spread including FY22 and 23. I think this should make it more clear.

Anticipated Number of Awards and Award Period: The MIBP Manufacturing Technology Office intends to make a single award (i.e., to enter into a single TIA with one awardee) but reserves the right to make no award. The anticipated length of the TIA between the government and the awardee is seven (7) years (84-months) representing the initial period of operational activities associated with establishing and maturing the RIME-MII. This award period may include an initial institute ‘stand-up’ phase as established during negotiations.

Brief Program Summary: This FOA solicits proposals to initiate and sustain the RIME-MII as part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) program. The DOD to-date has awarded six institutes: (1) “America Makes – The National Additive Manufacturing Innovation Institute” in 2012; (2) Lightweight and Modern Metals Manufacturing, now referred to as Lightweight Innovations for Tomorrow (LIFT), and (3) Digital Manufacturing and Design Innovation, both established in February 2014; (4) Integrated Photonics MII, now referred to as AIM Photonics, established in July 2015; (5) Flexible Hybrid Electronics, now referred to as NextFlex, established in August 2015, and (6) Revolutionary Fibers and Textiles, now referred to as Advanced Functional Fabrics Of America (AFFOA), established in April 2016. This FOA is for one of two planned DoD-led Institutes planned for award in FY17. The anticipated seventh DoD-led Institute, focused on Advanced Tissue Biofabrication, is under solicitation. The RIME-MII will be the eighth DoD-led Manufacturing Innovation Institute.

These Manufacturing Innovation Institutes (MII) bring together industry, institutions of higher education (four-and two-year universities, community colleges, technical institutes, etc.), and federal and state agencies to accelerate innovation by investing in industrially relevant manufacturing technologies with broad applications. These MIIs help bridge the gap between basic/early research and product development by developing and scaling critical technologies in the manufacturing readiness level 4 to 7 ranges. In addition to facilitating robust applied manufacturing research and development (R&D), these MIIs provide shared assets to help companies – particularly small manufacturers – access cutting-edge capabilities and equipment. They also can create an unparalleled environment to educate and train students and workers in advanced manufacturing skills. Each Institute is to have a specific technical and market focus, serving as a regional hub of manufacturing excellence, providing the critically important infrastructure necessary to create a dynamic, highly collaborative environment spurring manufacturing technology innovations and technology transfer leading to domestic production scale-up and commercialization. Each established MII represents a public–private partnership and a key part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation (NNMI) network of institutes. Key design tenets of the NNMI are captured within National Network for Manufacturing Innovation: A Preliminary Design, a report issued by the White House National Science and Technology Council on Jan. 16, 2013. The NNMI Annual Report can be found at this link https://www.manufacturing.gov/news-2/news/reports/-NNMI-Annual-Report.pdf and the current NNMI Strategic Plan can be found at: https://www.manufacturing.gov/news-2/news/reports/-NNMI-Strategic-Plan.pdf Comment by Owner: Two separate advantages.

The government intends for this FOA to support the establishment of a RIME-MII to advance state-of-the-art application of collaborative robotic technologies in manufacturing environments. The motivation for the RIME-MII is to increase U.S. competitiveness in robotics applied primarily in manufacturing environments by: 1) encouraging the development and scale-up for commercialization of critical enabling technologies such as; human-robot/robot-robot collaboration; perception and sensing; robot control to include adaptation, learning, and repurposing; autonomy and mobility; and dexterous manipulation; 2) establishing common standards and testing protocols allowing the integration of multiple robotics technologies; 3) creating a robotic technology solution repository (to include modelling tools, databases, catalog of technology demonstrations and concept sharing mechanisms ); and 4) providing workforce training and education programs to ensure the U.S. workforce can effectively utilize and collaborate with robots in a broad spectrum of manufacturing environments.

The cost of labor drives low skilled manufacturing jobs to low-wage nations around the world. The insertion of agile, collaborative robotics into U.S. manufacturing has the potential to alter the current paradigm by changing the cost, quality and efficiency equations. The vision of this institute includes robots working collaboratively with humans on the assembly line and in material handling, increasing productivity and precision while freeing humans from low-value added activities. The integration of advancements in collaborative robotic capabilities could create new opportunities to U.S. manufacturers. This opportunity is designed to help reverse the global manufacturing trend of off-shoring production of innovative products, based primarily upon the lowest labor cost.

This Institute is envisioned to bring together a diverse collection of relevant industry technologies, innovations, and institutional knowledge to help ensure that robotics is a fully deployed and effective tool in strengthening U.S. manufacturing competitiveness in the global market. The RIME-MII will need to create a shared collaborative environment or ‘industrial commons’ to advance and synergize emerging technologies that accelerate the development of agile, collaborative robots for manufacturing. The RIME-MII will need to provide the facilities and institutional knowledge for leading-edge applied manufacturing R&D, including prototype integration and development, testing, evaluation, validation, and verification of robotic technologies. This Institute must synthesize industry concepts and practices to develop and support standards and a robotic technology repository, compressing learning curves for both manufacturers and users.

To be successful, this RIME-MII must bring together, engineering, computer science, materials science and human-machine behavioral research and manufacturing expertise from industrial businesses, universities and other research organizations, along with federal, state and local governments. Innovative multi-disciplinary approaches to manufacturing technologies specific to robotic capability gaps and challenges can enable enhanced performance and affordability of future robot platforms. The ultimate goal is to establish an industrial commons and lasting collaboration that will serve to mature robotics-related technologies across the range of manufacturing readiness levels (MRL) 4-7, meeting key defense needs and enhancing U.S. manufacturing competitiveness well into the future. The government seeks proposals to this FOA that clearly articulate the proposed vision, governance model, infrastructure, technical applications and a sustainable business plan for the RIME-MII in support of this national goal.

This FOA, as well as the anticipated award and subsequent management of the RIME-MII is a cross-agency effort. The Office of the Secretary of Defense (OSD) Manufacturing and Industrial Base Policy (MIBP), Manufacturing Technology Program is overseeing the overall initiative, the U.S. ACC-APG (RTP Division) has lead responsibilities to execute the FOA and business award functions and the US Army Research, Development, and Engineering Command (TARDEC) and the Air Force Research Laboratory has the programmatic lead to manage the work performance.

Proposals Point of Contact (POC):

Mr. Kevin Bassler usarmy.rtp.rdecom-arl.list.RIME-foa@mail.mil

ALL INQUIRIES REGARDING THIS FOA MUST BE SUBMITTED TO THE ABOVE EMAIL ADDRESS.

Full Text Announcement

I. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

The U.S. ACC-APG (RTP Division), on behalf of the OSD Manufacturing Technology Program, is soliciting concept papers and, upon invitation, proposals consisting of Volume I, Technical and Volume II, Cost on the research effort described below:

A. STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVE/NEEDS:

The objective of this FOA is to select an award recipient to establish a Robots in Manufacturing Environments Manufacturing Innovation Institute (RIME-MII). This RIME-MII will accelerate research, development and demonstration in the application of collaborative robotic technologies in the manufacturing environment.

The use of robotics is becoming widespread in manufacturing environments but the robots are typically expensive, singularly purposed, challenging to reprogram, and require isolation from humans for safety. Robotics are increasingly necessary to achieve the level of precision necessary for defense and other industrial manufacturing requirements which limits the participation of mid-size to small manufacturers due to capital cost and complexity of use. What is needed are smart, perceptive, collaborative robots which can perform multiple tasks efficiently and with great precision and be quickly repurposed. They also need to be available at a cost which makes them accessible for small to medium sized businesses. Different elements of the desired robotic capabilities are under development in the private sector but there is limited coordination to bring these disparate elements together within a larger community with common standards to promote integration. Progress is also hampered by the fragmented nature of the current robotic technology base, proprietary intellectual property, and a lack of resources for applied research and development.

The RIME-MII should enable the rapid scale-up and affordable manufacture of technologies that could enable and expand the market for robot platforms themselves. Currently, both the recurring and non-recurring cost of many robot platforms remain high due to the: complexity of research and development needed to enable unique robotic technology, a lack of innovation, small economies of scale, and a lack of market pressure to rapidly reduce production costs over time. These platforms lack price elasticity due to customized designs.

The RIME-MII will integrate the diverse collection of industry practices and institutional knowledge across many disciplines (sensor technologies, the development of end-effector technologies, software development and artificial intelligence, materials science, human and machine behavior modeling, and quality assurance) to realize the promises of a robust manufacturing innovation ecosystem. To this end, the technical focus of the RIME-MII at a minimum will be comprised of six thrust areas:

1. Collaborative Robotics - Robots working in close proximity with each other and humans in a peer-like partnership will require the capability to recognize the potential for physical contact and plan avoidance actions when possible. Conceding that contact with humans and other machinery is inevitable in a collaborative environment; the robot must be designed to ensure the safety of humans, the process and other machines. With recent advances in topology optimization and materials, future designs of robots can incorporate soft control techniques, novel high-performance actuation, and advanced materials to allow for the potential of physical contact with human co-workers while maintaining operations tempo during the execution of a given set of tasks. Beyond physically safe interactions, robots will need to communicate effectively with their human partners through intuitive interfaces. They will need to be given instructions verbally or via gestures, recognize human activities to maintain synchrony, and make their own intentions clear to the humans. Robots will have to be easy to train, operationalize, and be able to collaborate with other robots and human.

2. Robot Control: Learning, Adaptation and Repurposing - Having robots that can learn by demonstration and adjust their performance based on their observations could mitigate the high costs of engineering work cells utilizing robots. Advances in adaptability will lead to safe effective and highly productive robotic systems. Agile re-purposing will improve the utility of robots in small batch production, particularly in small companies who cannot afford to have dedicated robots. Advance control techniques and artificial intelligence are enabling technologies for future advances in this area.

3. Dexterous Manipulation - Hardware and object oriented algorithms for complex end-effectors-with tactile array densities approaching that of humans need to be developed to enable robust grasp acquisition and dexterous manipulation of diverse objects. As degrees of freedom increase, the programming becomes more complex and time consuming so adaptable learning is a closely related enabler.

4. Autonomous Navigation and Mobility - Similar to human navigation in the manufacturing environments, robots should be quick in their response to path planning and agile to dynamic obstacles in their intended path. Robotic vehicles need to be able to autonomously move within manufacturing environments in which humans and other machines are active. Dexterous arms mounted on mobile autonomous platforms can provide multi-purpose manipulation capabilities. Autonomy is closely related to perception. The robot can be autonomous and mobile only if it has good situation awareness and capability to process sensor information into an actionable movement plan (navigation, and path planning capabilities etc.).

5. Perception and Sensing- Perception is a key competence that requires significant advancements. Sensing modalities such as vision, range, touch, temperature, force, torque and others must be advanced, analyzed, and fused to provide the robots with appropriate situational awareness. Much more capable perception systems will be needed for factory robots to monitor their progress and that of those around them (humans, other robots or equipment).These systems will need to inspect parts and assemblies for defects; estimate the emotional and physical state of humans to maintain safety and productivity; and perform a broader range of grasping and assembly strategies based on tactile and other feedback.

6. Testing, Verification, and Validation (TV&V) – Virtual and physical methods and tools assisting in robotics development and analysis, including modeling & simulation, are critical to validate prototypes and processes. This includes evidence-based design, implementation and analysis and a software testbed and resultant data repositories available to all members. Independent validation capability is critical to this thrust area.

While the benefits of these technology areas are critical for the manufacturing realm, the spillover to other fields resulting from advancement and commercialization of agile, collaborative robotic technologies can impact the U.S. economy far beyond the robotic field. Robotic applications are already a growth market in material handling, healthcare, defense and consumer use. A crucial component of the RIME-MII will be the successful commercialization of collaborative robotic technologies. The RIME-MII must be designed to help U.S. robotics manufacturers compete in domestic and international markets.

An overview of the essential technology elements of this Manufacturing Innovation Institute, including a conceptual RIME-MII innovation ecosystem, is provided in Appendix A (Project Definitions, Overview, and Technical Objectives).

RIME-MII Schedule The period of performance is eighty four (84) months for activities associated with the RIME-MII which may include a period for stand-up activities. The RIME-MII must also develop plans for long-term financial self-sufficiency, without receipt of additional federal funding for management and operation beyond the seven years of the TIA. It is also essential that the RIME-MII have plans for the creation, assessment, and completion of technical projects it undertakes, along with the various educational and training programs.

The stand-up period should allow the recipient sufficient time to establish an operational headquarters for the RIME-MII, including performing initial staff hiring, establishing a governance structure, entering into membership agreements, finalizing cost share commitments, opening manufacturing facilities, developing an intellectual property plan, hosting a prospective members meeting, conducting an initial technology road map leading to a first project call, conducting at least one Stakeholders Council meeting, and any other precursor activities required to launch the RIME-MII. The government anticipates funding in the amount of up to $4M will be made available for stand-up activities. This amount will count as part of the $80M overall federal government funding for the RIME-MII.

B. REPORTING ITEMS

1. Quarterly Business Reports

a) Funds Expenditure Report

b) Inventions, patent applications and awards

c) RIME-MII Recipient Progress, Status, and Management Report

2. Technical Reports

a) Quarterly Technical Project Status and Management Report

b) Presentations from Program Reviews, semi-annually

c) Technical Roadmap, six months after award and updated annually

3. Sustainment Reports (One year after award, then semi-annually)

a) Strategic Business, Marketing, and Sustainment Plan

b) Cost Share Plan

4. Standard Form 425 (SF 425) “Federal Financial Report”

5. TIA Final Report

C. OTHER REQUIREMENTS

1. Program security classification: Unclassified

2. Program Protection Plan. The government will address any critical program information (CPI) with a potential requirement for a program protection plan (PPP) generated as part of this effort as needed.

3. Export Control: It is not anticipated that Export Control (International Traffic In Arms Regulation (ITAR) 22 CFR 120-131, or Export Administration Regulations (EAR) 15 CFR 710-774) will apply to the RIME-MII. However, it is the RIME-MII’s responsibility to determine applicability with Export Control laws and regulations and ensure compliance. Export Control laws and regulations may apply to individual applied research projects, depending on the nature of the research tasks.

D. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY (GFP) AVAILABILITY

The government does not anticipate making GFP available under this award.

E. RIGHTS IN TECHNICAL DATA AND COMPUTER SOFTWARE

Given the cost sharing requirements for this award, the mixed funding for the projects developed under this award will provide for the following rights in technical data and software:

1. Technical Data: Government Purpose Rights

2. Non-Commercial Software (NCS): Government Purpose Rights

3. Non-Commercial Software (NCS) Documentation: Government Purpose Rights

4. Commercial Computer Software Rights: Customary License

Technical data, NCS and NCS documentation developed with mixed funding are expected to be delivered with at least government Purpose Rights. Proposals that propose delivery of technical data, NCS and NCS documentation subject to Government Purpose Rights should fully explain what technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a government contract will be incorporated, how the incorporation will benefit the program, and address whether those portions or processes are segregable. The government expects that delivery of technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation subject to Government Purpose Rights will fully meet program needs.

Offers that propose delivery of technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation subject to Limited Rights, Restricted Rights, or Specifically Negotiated License Rights will be considered. However, a Proposal should fully explain what technical data, NCS, or NCS documentation developed with costs charged to indirect cost pools and/or costs not allocated to a Government contract will be incorporated and how the incorporation will benefit the program.

The government will, therefore, carefully consider any restrictions on the use of technical data, NCS, and NCS documentation which could result in transition difficulty or less than full-and-open competition for subsequent development of technology.

AWARD INFORMATION

The government intends to award a Technology Investment Agreement (TIA) under the authority of 10 USC §2371, as implemented by the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGARS) and defined in the Overview Section of this FOA. The complete version of the DoDGARS can be found online at the link below, including Part 37 “Technology Investment Agreements”: https://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/CFR-2012-title32-vol1/pdf/CFR-2012-title32-vol1-subtitleA-chapI-subchapC.pdf

A. ANTICIPATED AWARD DATE

The anticipated award date will be in the mid to end January 2017 timeframe.

B. ANTICIPATED FUNDING FOR THE PROGRAM

1) FY17/$18M; FY18/$18M; FY19/$18M; FY20/$18M; FY21/$8M; FY22/$0M; FY23/$0M; Federal Total: $80M, with non-federal government cost share funds applied at a minimum ratio of 1:1 for a minimum total of $160M. Additional cost share beyond 1:1 is encouraged in order to support a more robust RIME-MII.

2) This FOA is issued subject to the availability of funds. DoD has submitted the requisite documents to request continued funding for a five-year period. However, Applicants are reminded that this request is subject to Presidential, Congressional, and Departmental approval.

C. NUMBER OF AWARDS ANTICIPATED

The government anticipates making a single award, but reserves the right to make no award resulting from this FOA.

D. NON-GOVERNMENT TECHNICAL ADVISORS: Any concept paper or proposal submitted in response to this FOA may be accessed by non-government personnel. The role of these non-governmental personnel will be to function as technical advisors to the government. These support contracts include nondisclosure agreements prohibiting contractor employees from disclosing any information submitted by other firms for government purposes or using such information for any purpose other than that for which it was furnished. Only government employees will participate in the actual award decision. Contractors employing these individuals are identified below.

CONTRACTOR SUPPORT COMPANIES

Analytic Services Inc. (ANSER) 5275 Leesburg Pike Suite N-5000 Falls Church, Virginia 22041

ByteCubed 2231 Crystal Drive Suite #401 Arlington, VA 22202

Mfg. Strategy Inc.

812 Ben Lomond Drive., Tampa, FL 33617

Analytic Strategies LLC 8000 Jefferson Davis Hwy Richmond, VA 23297

SGT, Inc.

7701 Greenbelt Road Suite 400 Greenbelt, MD 20770

Savannah River Nuclear Solutions People Support Service Center Building 730-1B, Savannah River Site Aiken, SC 29808

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. ELIGIBLE APPLICANTS

Eligibility to respond to this FOA is limited to U.S. non-profit organizations who will serve as the lead organization and recipient of the RIME-MII award. The lead organization will propose a partnership that may include a cluster of businesses, manufacturing firms, academic institutions, and non-profit industry consortia. Businesses of all sizes and structures are encouraged to participate as part of a teaming arrangement to capitalize on potential niche expertise.

The awardee is expected to lead a program that will be of both regional importance and national prominence. The lead organization must be able to command and engage key stakeholders across disciplines and organizations. Effective management of this effort will require a unique blend of organizational, technical, leadership, cultural, and personal skills that are unparalleled. The lead organization will be responsible for quickly pulling together the necessary agreements and funding commitments to establish a vibrant advanced manufacturing innovation ecosystem that will support domestic competitiveness. This ecosystem must also develop sustainable programs and practices that continue to attract industry and other membership beyond the seven (7) year period of this agreement.

B. COST SHARING OR MATCHING

The government requires at least a 1:1 recipient cost share. The government will consider any non-federal funds, to include state and local funding (not originating from Federal funds), as well as private-sector investment and donations from foundations provided in support of the RIME-MII as qualifying for the cost share ratio. Cost sharing includes cash and third-party in-kind resources such as equipment, facilities, and manpower. All cost share should be relevant to the objectives of the institute. Cost-sharing is not required to precisely align with this funding profile on a yearly basis. Ultimately, the government does require a schedule to meet the minimum of $80M of non-federal government funding cost share by September 2021 within the proposal and updated progress towards that plan will be a required report (See Section I. B.).

For more detailed information on cost sharing, refer to DoDGARS 32 CFR §37.215 and §§37.525-37.555.

C. FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS

Federally Funded Research & Development Centers (FFRDCs) are not eligible to receive an award under this FOA or team with an Applicant.

It is recognized the RIME-MII may indeed benefit from an ongoing relationship with FFRDCs, especially in instances where FFRDCs provide unique capability not found in industry/academia. To that end, a proposal’s plan for the RIME-MII ecosystem may discuss a vision that would include an FFRDC post-award. Any work with the FFRDC will be coordinated by their Government sponsors.

D. FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATIONS

The DoD recognizes federal government organizations may have unique facilities, capabilities, and expertise that may provide benefit to the RIME-MII innovation ecosystem and/or on specific technical projects. Federal government organizations may not, however, serve as technical project leads, be involved in the management or administration of the RIME-MII, or be involved with the concept paper or proposal development. As the RIME-MII evolves, federal government organizations may interact with the RIME-MII in a manner compatible with their respective purpose/missions. A proposal’s plan for the RIME-MII ecosystem may discuss a vision that would include a federal government organization post-award. Any work with a federal government organization will be government coordinated.

E. EXISTING MANUFACTURING INNOVATION INSTITUTES

The lead U.S. non-profit organizations that have been awarded one of the existing six (6) MIIs are eligible to receive an award under this FOA. However, any such award would constitute a new MII and would not be an expansion of a current MII.

F. FOREIGN PARTICIPATION

The recipient of the award must be registered as a U.S. organization. U.S. incorporated companies that are wholly or majority owned subsidiaries of foreign companies or foreign sister universities may be eligible to be members of the RIME-MII, and sub-awardees of federal support if they are able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the RIME-MII and the DoD that: 1) their participation is in the best interest of the RIME-MII, U.S. industry, and U.S. economic development; 2) adequate Intellectual Property and data protection protocols exist between the U.S. subsidiary and its foreign parent organization; 3) the RIME-MII work is conducted in the U.S.; 4) other conditions deemed necessary by the RIME-MII and the government to protect U.S. government interests are met; and 5) the RIME-MII and its members are in compliance with 8 USC§ 1324a and 8 CFR §274a.2.

Some projects within the RIME-MII may be subject to export control laws and regulations. Under no circumstances may any foreign entity (i.e., organizations, companies or persons) receive access to export controlled information unless proper export procedures have been satisfied. The RIME-MII will address participation by a foreign entity (i.e., organizations, companies or persons) on a case-by-case basis, and will ensure measures are implemented that properly protect Export Controlled information.

G. OTHER:

An Applicant may only submit one Concept Paper and, if invited, one Proposal, but proposed sub-recipients may team on multiple Concept Papers/Proposals. An Applicant of a Concept Paper who is not invited to submit a proposal is encouraged to attempt to re-team with an Applicant(s) who has been invited to submit a proposal.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

OVERVIEW

The application process consists of a Concept Paper stage and a Proposal stage. The purpose of requesting a Concept Paper is to minimize the effort associated with the production of a detailed Proposal for an Applicant that has little chance of being selected for funding. The government’s decision to invite a Proposal will be based upon the evaluation results of a timely and compliant Concept Paper submission. An Applicant that does NOT submit a timely and compliant Concept Paper is NOT eligible to submit a Proposal for consideration for funding. Only the most highly rated Concept Papers will receive an invitation from the government to submit a Proposal. An Applicant that does NOT receive an invitation from the government to submit a Proposal is NOT eligible to submit a Proposal and will NOT receive any feedback or a debriefing on their Concept Paper. An Applicant invited to submit a Proposal will receive feedback on their Concept Paper that is expected to substantially improve their Proposal submissions. The Proposal process may also include face-to-face meetings expected to be conducted in the Washington, DC area. Any Concept Paper/Proposal submission must be in accordance with this FOA to be considered for evaluation. The deadline for receipt of a Concept Paper is no later than 3:00 PM local Durham, NC time on Thursday, 01 September 2016. The Proposal due date and time will be specified in the Proposal Invitation, but is currently anticipated to be due in mid - late November 2016. There will be no other FOA issued in regard to the RIME-MII.

Concept Papers and Proposals must be submitted in accordance with this FOA. An Applicant may submit only one Concept Paper and, if invited, one full Proposal. Proposed sub-recipients may, however, team on multiple Proposals. The Proposal must be valid for at least 180 days from submission. Applicants should be alert for any amendment to this FOA that may adjust submission dates, times or other submission requirements. All submissions must be unclassified. The government will not reimburse any cost associated with participation in the RIME-MII Proposal process. The cost of preparing Concept Papers and Proposals in response to this FOA is not an allowable direct charge to any resulting award (or any other federal award/contract).

The government reminds Applicants that only warranted Agreements Officers can contractually bind or otherwise commit the government.

A. ADDRESS TO REQUEST APPLICATION PACKAGE

This FOA may be accessed at FedBizOpps (www.fbo.gov) and Grants.gov (www.grants.gov)

B. CONTENT AND FORM OF APPLICATION SUBMISSION

1. General Format All Applicants should note that these submission instructions require the use of Microsoft Office, version 2007 or newer, and/or Adobe Acrobat, version 8.1.3 or later – or their fully compatible equivalents. At this time, the government knows of no fully compatible equivalents. The file name must have the form RIME_Concept_Paper_orgname.doc (or .docx) or RIME_Concept_Paper_orgname.pdf, where orgname is replaced to provide a unique identifier for the submission. Applicants must submit their concept paper to usarmy.rtp.rdecom-arl.list.RIME-foa@mail.mil Also .ZIP files, other compressed archive files, or password-protected files will not be accepted or evaluated.

A Concept Paper or Proposal received after the due date and time will NOT be evaluated or considered for an award by the government.

The format requirements for all documents are as follows:

• Page Size – 8.5 x 11 inch paper

• Margins – 1 inch

• Spacing – double spaced

• Font –Times New Roman in 12 point These requirements are to ensure the readability of the document by the evaluation team. The Concept Paper and Proposal should not contain any hyperlink references to circumvent the page restrictions called out below.

Page Count Guidance

This FOA identifies strict limitations on page counts for the Concept Paper and Proposal. To assist Applicants in complying with the page limitations while providing adequate detail on each topic, a “notional page count” is provided for each section of the outline in the table below. The two volumes are NOT required to comply with the notional page counts for each section. Each volume is required to comply with the limitation for total page count.

The government will check the Concept Paper and Proposal for conformance to the stated requirements. Any pages in excess of the stated page limitation after the format check will not be considered for evaluation.

2. First Step (Concept Paper) Instructions:

An Applicant is responsible for submitting an electronic Concept Paper so as to be received at the government site indicated in this FOA no later than the date and time specified in the Overview Information section of this FOA. The Concept Paper must be emailed to usarmy.rtp.rdecom-arl.list.RIME-foa@mail.mil and must include a subject line of “CONCEPT PAPER – RIME-MII” in order for the Concept Paper to be properly received. When sending electronic files, an Applicant is to account for potential delays in file transfer from the originator’s computer server to the government website/computer server. An Applicant is encouraged to submit their response early to avoid potential file transfer delays due to high demand or problems encountered in the course of the submission.

An Applicant will receive confirmation of delivery at the government site via email, not just successful relay from the Applicant’s system. Acceptable evidence to establish the time of receipt of the Concept Paper at the government site includes documentary and electronic evidence of receipt maintained by the government site. All submissions must be emailed before the cutoff time/date in order to be considered – NO exceptions.

If an emergency or unanticipated event interrupts normal government processes so that a Concept Paper cannot be received at the site designated for receipt by the date and time specified, then the date and time specified for receipt will be deemed to be extended to the same time of day specified in this FOA on the first work day on which normal government processes resume.

A Concept Paper sent by any other means (e.g., submitted to other email addresses, hand-carried, postal service mail, commercial carrier or fax) will not be considered. An Applicant will receive an email confirmation that their Concept Paper has been received.

a. General: The FIRST STEP requests a Concept Paper and a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost. The Concept Paper must include a discussion of the nature and scope of the RIME-MII design and the Applicant’s proposed technical approach. The government will evaluate the Concept Paper in accordance with the evaluation criteria, set forth in Section V below. It is recognized the Concept Paper will not be at the level of a Proposal, but will describe the vision and outline of the Applicant’s proposed plan. Based on this evaluation, the government will determine if a Concept Paper is most highly rated in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria in Section V below. An Applicant will be notified of the disposition of their Concept Paper. It is anticipated that government review of the timely Concept Papers submitted will take approximately 19 calendar days. Those Applicants with the most highly rated Concept Papers should expect to receive invitations to submit Proposals in mid-late September 2016. Those Applicants not invited to submit a Proposal will also be notified. An Applicant submitting a Proposal without first submitting a Concept Paper will not have their Proposal evaluated and will not be eligible for an award. The cost of preparing a Concept Paper in response to this FOA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting award.

b. Page Limitation: The Concept Paper is limited to 50 pages, prepared and submitted in Microsoft Word or Adobe format. Font must be standard 12-point business font Times New Roman. Character spacing must be “normal,” not condensed in any manner. Pages must be double-spaced (must use standard double-space function in Microsoft Word), double-sided (each side counts as one page), 8.5 by 11 inches, with at least one-inch margins on both sides, top and bottom. All text, including text in tables and charts, must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. Font and line spacing requirements do not have to be followed for illustrations, flowcharts, drawings, and diagrams. These exceptions will not be used to circumvent formatting requirements and page count limitations by including lengthy narratives in such items. Pages must be numbered starting with the first page of the paper being Page 1, and the last page being no greater than Page 50. The page limitation covers all information excluding cover page, appendices, and biographies. The government will not consider pages in excess of these limitations for evaluation.

c. Format: The Concept Paper will be formatted as set forth below.

i. Section 1: FOA Number, Title of Program, Name of Company, Business Size, Company’s Commercial and government Entity (CAGE) number, Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, Contracting POC and Technical POC with appropriate telephone numbers, and email addresses for the POCs.

ii. Section 2: Business plan, period of performance and task objectives.

iii. Section 3: Technical Plan.

iv. Section 4: Educational & Workforce Development Plan.

v. Section 5: Technical references.

vi. Section 6: Biographies of Key Personnel.

vii. Section 7: Cost (Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM)).

d. Technical Portion: The Concept Paper consists of a summary (or initial layout) of the Business Plan and structure for the RIME-MII; the Technical Plan to include a technical strategy, description of proposed innovations beyond current practice to advance industry, and initial drafts of plans for four notional technical projects that illustrate how the Applicant will generate and execute projects. The Concept Paper must also include a draft Education and Workforce Development Plan. The main text of the Concept Paper, contained in Sections 2 through 4, is limited to fifty (50) pages in length, exclusive of cover page, bios, and appendices. The organization and content requirements for the Concept Paper are summarized in Table 2. A proposed Statement of Work is not required at this point.

e. Cost Portion: The cost portion of the Concept Paper shall include a ROM cost estimate. No detailed price or cost support information should be forwarded; only a time-phased bottom line figure should be provided.

0. Concept Paper Summary: Reference Section VI for a Checklist of the requirements.

TABLE 1 – CONCEPT PAPER FORMAT

(Maximum = 50 Pages)

SECTION 1 – Cover Page, Table of Contents (Excluded from the Page Count)

SECTION 2 – Business Plan (Maximum 20 pages). Cost share Commitment Letters are excluded from the Page Count)

SECTION 3 – Technical Plan (three pages per example project)

SECTION 4 – Educational & Workforce Development Plan (Maximum three pages)

SECTION 5 – Technical References (Excluded from the Page Count)

SECTION 6 – Biographies of key personnel (Two page each max, excluded from page count)

SECTION 7 – Rough order of magnitude cost (Excluded from the Page Count)

ONLY CONCEPT PAPERS ARE BEING SOLICITED AT THIS TIME

3. Second Step (Proposal) Instructions:

UPON WRITTEN INVITATION ONLY by the government, a Proposal MUST be submitted electronically through the www.grants.gov portal. A Proposal sent by fax or email will not be considered. A Proposal sent by an Applicant that has NOT been provided a written invitation to do so will NOT be considered. An Applicant is responsible for submitting electronic Proposals so as to be received at the government site indicated in this NOA no later than the date and time specified in Proposal Invitation.

a. General:

i. The SECOND STEP consists of Applicants submitting a Proposal by the date specified in the invitation from the government to submit a Proposal. After receipt, Proposals will be evaluated in accordance with the Evaluation Criteria in Section V below.

ii. Technical and cost volumes of the Proposal should be submitted in separate volumes, and must be valid for 180 calendar days from the submission date.

iii. A Proposal must reference the announcement number: W911NF-16-R-0028

iv. Applicants MUST submit their proposal via Grants.gov.

v. Applicants are advised that only Agreements Officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit…