SCO-BAA-16-01_30_Jan_2018.docx

Broad Agency Announcement Office of the Secretary of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO)

SCO-BAA-16-01

Amended 30 January 2018 (all changes highlighted YELLOW)

Table of Contents

PART I: OVERVIEW INFORMATION

· Federal Agency Name: Office of the Secretary of Defense Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO)

· Funding Opportunity Title: SCO Broad Agency Announcement (BAA)

· Announcement Type: Initial Announcement

· Funding Opportunity Number: SCO-BAA-16-01

· Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance Numbers (CFDA): 12.630 - "Basic, Applied, and Advanced Research in Science and Engineering" Dates

· Posting Date: 09 August 2017,

· BAA Closing Date: 16 June 2021, 12:00pm (ET)

· Concise description of the funding opportunity: The Strategic Capabilities Office of the Office of the Secretary of Defense is soliciting White Papers and Proposals that describe new and unconventional uses of existing systems and/or near-term emerging technologies that can be rapidly fielded to deter or defeat U.S. adversaries.

· Anticipated individual awards: Multiple awards are anticipated.

· Types of instruments that may be awarded: Procurement Contracts and Other Transaction Authority.

· BAA Email: SCO-BAA-16-01@sco.mil

· BAA Mailing Address:

Strategic Capabilities Office

ATTN: SCO-BAA-16-01

675 North Randolph Street Arlington, VA 22203-2114

· Agency contact

· Contracting Officer: Fatimata Diallo

· Contracting Agency: Army Research Lab (ARL)

· PHONE: 301-394-5501

· EMAIL: fatimata.diallo.civ@mail.mil

PART II: FULL TEXT OF ANNOUNCEMENT

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

The Office of the Secretary of Defense – Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) is soliciting White Papers and proposals for innovative uses of novel concepts that could be rapidly fielded and provide cost-effective, strategic alternatives for shaping and countering emerging near-peer threats. Concepts of interest to SCO should investigate the re-purposing of existing systems and sub-systems, leveraging high technology readiness level (TRL) technologies. Re-purposing of existing systems and/or near-term emerging technologies may be achieved by application to new missions, integration with other systems, incorporation of recent technology, or adoption of non-traditional or operational concepts. Specifically excluded are basic (6.1) or applied research (6.2) initiatives.

The SCO mission is to identify, analyze, demonstrate and transition disruptive applications of existing systems and near-term emerging technologies to create operational strategic effects. These operational strategic effects include deterrence, power projection, cost imposition, surprise and/or overmatch. Responsive submissions to this solicitation will describe 6-12 month Phase I feasibility studies focused on innovative application(s) of existing systems and/or near-term emerging technologies to produce desired operational strategic effect. Proposed Phase I efforts must include detailed analysis, through modeling and simulation or other technical means, to support the technical feasibility, potential for near term fielding, and operational utility of the proposed concept. Proposals may also include an optional 18-24 month Phase II prototype development and demonstration effort. Phase II efforts should describe an approach to overcome any technical challenges associated with designing and fielding the proposed concept, identify operational risk factors, and include an estimate of the hardware/software system and life cycle cost. Additionally, proposals including optional Phase II efforts should provide a high-level timeline to execute the proposed innovation through design, test and in-field demonstrations.

A. Areas of Interest

The SCO is interested in submissions aligned to their mission that provide advanced capabilities in the following primary categories:

Proposers desiring to submit under multiple primary categories must submit separate proposals. Included in the following detailed primary category descriptions are recommended sub-categories; however, proposers may submit a concept that falls under one of the primary categories, but does not fall under any of the listed subcategories. Concepts that have application across multiple military services or defense/intelligence operations are strongly preferred. Working with CCMDs and Services, SCO has also identified a set of operational problem statements as a focus for this year. These problem statements are available at the SECRET Collateral level and can be requested by providing a SIPRnet email address to SCO-BAA-16-01@sco.mil.

1. Autonomous Systems: The use of autonomous systems in military operations provides several advantages, including allowing soldiers to avoid performing overly tedious or hazardous tasks and improved decision making for time-critical operations. The SCO is interested in technologies that can help accelerate and expand the Department of Defense’s (DOD’s) use of autonomous systems as well as concepts for deterring or defeating an adversary’s attempts to do the same. Recognizing the rapid advance of commercial autonomy applications, SCO particularly encourages concepts that leverage commercial investments in autonomy technologies. Sub-categories of interest under Autonomous Systems include, but are not limited to, the following:

2. Deep Learning: The ability to analyze large datasets quickly using deep learning algorithms could potentially provide significant military capabilities in the areas of indications and warnings (I&W) and automatic target recognition (ATR). Recent advances in computer vision, natural language processing, and neural networks, as well as the availability of massive amounts of computational power have made the prospect of fielding military systems that leverage deep learning in the near term a real possibility. SCO is interested in innovative concepts that benefit the warfighter by leveraging deep learning approaches. Sub-categories of interest under Deep Learning include, but are not limited to, the following:

3. Cyber: As U.S. adversaries have invested heavily in developing offensive cyber capabilities, the Department of Defense (DoD) has implemented a cyber-defense strategy designed to deter adversaries by ensuring that the military can detect, respond and remain resilient under cyber-attack. SCO is interested in leveraging advanced cyber related technologies that will enable the U.S. military to stay ahead of the evolving cyber threat. Sub-categories of interest under Cyber include, but are not limited to, the following:

4. Cross-Domain Kill Chains: Finding new ways to connect sensors with weapons to complete kill chains across the air, surface, and undersea domains is critical to countering near peer adversaries. The ability to link any capable sensor with any weapon transforms the concept of a “kill chain”, where any individual link is a single point of failure, to that of a “kill web”, where it will be difficult for an adversary to prevent a successful engagement. SCO is interested in exploring alternative combinations of existing or near term sensors, communications, and weapons. Sub-categories of interest under Cross-Domain Kill Chains include, but are not limited to, the following:

5. Non-traditional defense technologies: This category is intended to allow proposers to submit technology concepts that, while not originally developed for defense/military purposes, might be repurposed to create or enhance military capabilities. The development for many non-traditional DoD technologies is largely driven by a fast-paced and rapidly evolving commercial market. Therefore, leveraging commercial innovation is a key element of DoD’s strategy for ensuring emerging needs for technology innovation are met. Proposers wishing to submit a concept under this primary category are encouraged to consider a wide range of enhanced or new DoD relevant capabilities enabled by repurposing technologies that are not primarily used in defense applications. Examples of concepts that would be appropriate under this category include, but are not limited to, the following:

B. Submissions and Contract Phases

Proposers are required to submit a white paper prior to a full proposal. The purpose of the white paper is to provide a timely indication of the SCO’s interest in the proposed topic. The white paper must conform to the guidelines outlined in Section VII. The SCO will notify proposers of their white paper status per the guidance in Section VI. Offerors submitting successful BAA white papers will be invited to submit a full proposal. Full proposals submitted without invitation will not be evaluated.

Proposals must include two (2) phases as described below:

· Phase I (six-twelve months): Detailed analysis, through modeling and simulation or other technical means, to prove feasibility of the proposed advanced warfighting innovative concept with an interim report at four, six and eight months and final report at twelve months. The objective is for the proposed system concept to have applications across military services or Defense/Intelligence operations.

· Phase II (24 months): Upon successfully completing Phase I and subject to the availability of funds, the proposal should identify the technical challenges of designing and fielding the improved system. The proposal should identify an approach to overcome the technical challenges. The proposal should identify a concept of operational risk factors. The proposal should provide an estimate of the hardware/software system and life cycle cost. The proposal should provide a high level timeline to execute the proposed innovation through design, test and in-field demonstrations.

Applicants are advised that invitations for proposals will be made based on the white paper submissions that are in compliance with the requirements of this BAA (IV APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION) and the availability of funding. The white paper will be evaluated for the concept's technical merit and potential contributions of the effort to the SCO’s mission. White papers not considered having sufficient technical merit or relevance to the SCO's needs or those in areas for which funds are not expected to be available will be declined without further review.

Proposals that are in compliance with the requirements of this BAA (IV APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION) will be evaluated in accordance with the evaluation factors 1, 2, and 3 (Technical, Proposers Capability and Related Experience, and Cost Realism) set forth in this BAA.

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is being issued, and any resultant selection will be made, using procedures under Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 35.016. Any negotiations and/or awards will use procedures under FAR 15.4. The Strategic Capabilities Office (SCO) BAAs are posted on the Federal Business Opportunities (FBO) website (https://www.fbo.gov/). The following information is for those wishing to respond to the BAA.

AWARD INFORMATION

A. General Award Information

Multiple awards are anticipated. The SCO anticipates funding a limited number of proposals under this announcement. The level of funding has not been predetermined and will depend on the quality of the proposals and the availability of funds. Awards will be made to proposers whose proposals are determined to be the most advantageous and provide the best value to the Government, all factors considered, including the potential contributions of the proposed work, overall funding strategy, and availability of funding.

The Government reserves the right to:

· select for negotiation all, some, one, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement;

· accept proposals in their entirety or to select only portions of proposals for award;

· fund proposals in increments and/or with options for continued work at the end of one or more phases;

· remove proposers from award consideration should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms within a reasonable time or the proposer fails to provide requested additional information in a timely manner.

Proposals selected for award negotiation may result in a procurement contract, or other transaction, depending upon the nature of the work proposed and the required degree of interaction between parties. In all cases, the Government contracting officer shall have sole discretion to select award contract type and to negotiate all contract terms and conditions with selectees. Publication or other restrictions will be applied, as necessary, if SCO determines that the research resulting from the proposed effort will present a high likelihood of disclosing performance characteristics of military systems or manufacturing technologies that are unique and critical to defense. Any award resulting from such a determination will include a requirement for SCO permission before publishing any information or results on the program.

The Government reserves the right to request any additional necessary documentation once it makes the award instrument determination. Such additional information may include but is not limited to Representations and Certifications (see Section VI “Required Certifications”). The Government reserves the right to remove proposers from award consideration should the parties fail to reach agreement on award terms, conditions, and/or cost/price within a reasonable time.

B. Publication Criteria

There shall be no dissemination of publication, except within and between the contractor and any sub awardees, of information developed under this contract or contained in the reports to be furnished pursuant to this contract or without prior written approval of SCO’s Public Affairs Office. All technical reports will be given proper review by the appropriate authority to determine which Distribution Statement is to be applied prior to the initial distribution of these reports by the Contractor.

When submitting material for written approval for open publication, the contractor/awardee must submit a request for public release to the SCO Public Affairs Office and include the following information: (1) Document Information: document title, document author, short plain language description of technology discussed in the material (approx. 30 words), number of pages (or minutes of video) and document type (e.g., briefing, report, abstract, article or paper), event date, desired date for SCO’s approval; (2) SCO Sponsor: SCO Program Manager and contract number; and (3) Contractor/Awardee’s Information: POC name, email and phone. Allow four weeks for processing; due dates under four weeks require a justification. Unusual electronic file formats may require additional processing time. Requests may be sent either via email to public.release@sco.mil or by mail at 675 North Randolph St, Arlington VA 22203-2114.

ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION

A. Eligible Applicants

All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal that shall be considered by OSD (SCO). Performance of these efforts may require a Secret or higher facility clearance/storage capabilities. Also, access to accredited facilities and systems to process information at these classification levels may also be required.

B. FAPIIS Disclosures

1. The Federal Awardee Performance and Integrity Information System (FAPIIS) will be checked prior to making an award. The web address is: http://www.fapiis.gov/fapiis/index.jsp. The applicant representing the entity may comment in this system on any information about itself that a Federal Government Official entered. The information in FAPIIS will be used in making a judgment about the entity’s integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under Federal awards that may affect the official’s determination that the applicant is qualified to receive an award.

2. 52.209-11 –Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law (Feb 2016)

(a) As required by sections 744 and 745 of Division E of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L 113-235), and similar provisions, if contained in subsequent appropriations acts, the Government will not enter into a contract with any corporation that--

(1) Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that suspension or debarment is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

(2) Was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless an agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

(b) The Offeror represents that—

(1) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability; and

(2) It is [ ] is not [ ] a corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

(End of provision)

3. 252.209-7992 Representation by Corporations Regarding an Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law- Fiscal Year 2015 Appropriations.

See DoD Class Deviation 2015-O0005, Prohibition Against Using FY 2015 Funds to Contract with Corporations that Have an Unpaid Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under Federal Law, issued December 29, 2014. Contracting officers shall include the attached provision in all solicitations that will use funds made available by the Consolidated and Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235}, including solicitations for the acquisition of commercial items under FAR part 12.

REPRESENTATION BY CORPORATIONS REGARDING AN UNPAID

DELINQUENT TAX LIABILITY OR A FELONY CONVICTION UNDER ANY

FEDERAL LAW-FISCAL YEAR 2015 APPROPRIATIONS

(DEVIATION 2015-O0005) (DEC 2014)

(a) In accordance with sections 744 and 745 of Division E, Title VII, of the Consolidated and Further Continuing Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235), none of the funds made available by this or any other Act may be used to enter into a contract with any corporation that-

(1) Has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability, where the awarding agency is aware of the unpaid tax liability, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this further action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government; or

(2) Was convicted of a felony criminal violation under any Federal law within the preceding 24 months, where the awarding agency is aware of the conviction, unless the agency has considered suspension or debarment of the corporation and made a determination that this action is not necessary to protect the interests of the Government.

(b) The Offeror represents that-

(1) It is [] is not [] a corporation that has any unpaid Federal tax liability that has been assessed, for which all judicial and administrative remedies have been exhausted or have lapsed, and that is not being paid in a timely manner pursuant to an agreement with the authority responsible for collecting the tax liability,

(2) It is [] is not [] a corporation that was convicted of a felony criminal violation under a Federal law within the preceding 24 months.

C. Procurement Integrity, Standards of Conduct, Ethical Considerations, and Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI)

Current Federal employees are prohibited from participating in particular matters involving conflicting financial, employment, and representational interests (18 U.S.C. §§ 203, 205, and 208). Prior to the start of proposal evaluation, the Government will assess potential conflicts of interest (COIs) and will promptly notify the proposer if any appear to exist. The Government assessment does not affect, offset, or mitigate the proposer’s responsibility to give full notice and planned mitigation for all potential organizational conflicts, as discussed below.

In accordance with FAR 9.5 and without prior approval or a waiver from the SCO Director, a contractor cannot simultaneously provide scientific, engineering, and technical assistance (SETA) or similar support and be a technical performer. As part of the proposal submission (not required for White Papers), all members of a proposed team (prime proposers, proposed subcontractors and consultants) must affirm whether they (individuals and organizations) are providing SETA or similar support to SCO through an active contract or subcontract.

All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of OCIs must be disclosed. The disclosure shall include a description of the action the proposer has taken or proposes to take to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate such conflict. If, in the sole opinion of the Government after full consideration of the circumstances, a proposal fails to fully disclose potential conflicts of interest and/or any identified conflict situation cannot be effectively mitigated, the proposal will be rejected without technical evaluation and withdrawn from further consideration for award.

If a prospective proposer believes a conflict of interest exists or may exist (whether organizational or otherwise) or has a question as to what constitutes a conflict, a summary of the potential conflict should be sent to SCO-BAA-16-01@sco.mil before preparing a proposal and mitigation plan.

D. Agency Supplemental OCI Policy

In addition, SCO has a supplemental OCI policy that prohibits contractors/performers from concurrently providing Scientific Engineering Technical Assistance (SETA), Advisory and Assistance Services (A&AS) or similar support services and functioning as a technical performer. Therefore, as part of the FAR 9.5 disclosure requirement above, a proposer must affirm whether the proposer or any proposed team member (sub awardee, consultant) is providing SETA, A&AS, or similar support to SCO under: (a) a current award or sub award; or (b) a past award or sub award that ended within one calendar year prior to the proposal’s submission date.

If SETA, A&AS, or similar support was provided to SCO and satisfies the time requirements in the preceding paragraph, the proposal must include:

E. Cost Sharing/Collaborative Efforts

Cost sharing is not required; however, it will be carefully considered where there is an applicable statutory condition relating to the selected funding instrument. Cost sharing is encouraged where there is a reasonable probability of a potential commercial application related to the proposed effort. Collaborative efforts/teaming are acceptable where appropriate.

APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION

A. Address to Request Application Package

This document contains all information required to submit a response to this BAA. No additional forms, kits, or other materials are needed except as referenced herein. No request for proposal (RFP) or additional announcement regarding this opportunity will be issued.

Federal Business Opportunities website (www.fbo.gov) contains the BAA. The proposer may request that SCO mail a copy of the BAA.

Submissions will not be returned. An electronic copy of each submission received will be retained at SCO and all other non-required copies destroyed. A certification of destruction may be requested, provided the formal request is received by SCO within 5 days after notification that a submission was not selected.

B. Content and Form of Application Submission

1. The application process is in two (2) stages as follows:

Stage 1: White Papers — White Papers that are in compliance with the requirements of this BAA (see section IV.B.2) will be evaluated for the concept's technical merit and potential contributions of the effort to the SCO’s mission. The purpose of the requesting White Papers is to minimize the labor and cost associated with the production of detailed proposals that have very little chance of being selected for funding.

Successful White Papers will be invited to submit Proposals. White Papers that are not determined to be relevant to SCO will receive a “No Interest” letter. Responses will be sent by email to the point of contact listed on the cover sheet and SCO will make every effort to return responses within 30 days. A favorable response to a White Paper is not an assurance that a full proposal on the White Paper’s topic will ultimately be selected for award negotiation.

NOTE: If an offeror is discouraged from providing a full proposal after the Stage 1 review of White Papers, the offeror should understand that the proposed research has such a negligible chance of being funded it would be considered poor use of resources to submit a full proposal.

Stage 2: Full Proposals—After Stage 1 reviews are completed, and an offeror has received an invitation to submit a proposal, the offeror should submit full proposal in accordance with the requirements set forth in this BAA (see section IV.B.3).

NOTE: Full proposals must be submitted in order for the offeror to receive consideration for funding.

2. White Paper Format:

Proposers are required to submit a White Paper in advance of a full proposal. White papers should consist of Sections I, II and III as described below and must include a statement of the anticipated Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost and the anticipated duration of the proposed effort. The cover sheet should be clearly marked “WHITE PAPER,” and the total length should not exceed six (6) pages. The maximum page count excludes the cover page and official transmittal letter (optional) but does include any figures, tables, and charts. All pages should be formatted for printing on 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper with 1-inch margins and font size not smaller than 12 point. Font sizes of 8 or 10 point may be used for figures, tables and charts. Document files must be in English and in .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx or .pdf formats.

Section I. Administrative [Not included in the page count]

Cover Sheet [no page limit]

· BAA number (SCO-BAA-16-01);

· Technical area;

· Lead Organization and organization division submitting white paper;

· Type of organization, selected among the following categories: “LARGE BUSINESS”, “SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS”, “OTHER SMALL BUSINESS”, “HBCU”, “MI”, “OTHER EDUCATIONAL”, OR “OTHER NONPROFIT”;

· Proposer’s reference number (if any);

· Other team members (if applicable) and type of organization for each;

· White paper title;

· Technical point of contact to include: salutation, last name, first name, street address, city, state, 9 digit zip code, telephone, fax (if available), electronic mail (if available);

· Administrative point of contact to include: salutation, last name, first name, street address, city, state, 9 digit zip code, telephone, fax (if available), electronic mail (if available);

· Total funds requested from SCO, and the amount of cost share (if any); AND

· Date white paper was submitted.

Table of Contents [no page limit]

Section II. Technical Approach [Recommended maximum page counts are provided for each sub-section; however total page count for Section II must not exceed six (6) pages]

Executive Summary [no more than 1 page] Provide a synopsis of the proposed effort, including brief answers to the following questions:

· What is your novel concept?

· What is the anticipated benefit to the warfighter? Be as quantitative as possible.

· What existing systems/sub-systems or near-term technologies does the concept employ?

· What technical risks must be resolved to demonstrate operational feasibility of the concept?

· How rapidly can the enhancement be fielded?

· How much will it cost and what is the projected cost across its life cycle?

· If proposing an (optional) prototype development and demonstration phase, how will the anticipated warfighter benefit(s) be highlighted in a final demonstration?

Summary of Technical Approach This section should describe a 6-12 month Phase I study to demonstrate the technical feasibility, potential for near term fielding and operational utility of the proposed concept via detailed analysis, modeling and simulation or other technical means. Major tasks should be identified and task descriptions should include major milestones and deliverables. This section should also include a concise statement of project risk and mitigation strategies.

If an optional Phase II prototype development and demonstration is being proposed, information for Phase II tasks, milestones, deliverables, risks and mitigation strategies should also be provided.

Intellectual Property [no more than ½ page] To assess the potential for a future transition, SCO must understand the proposer’s plan for Intellectual Property (IP) management. This section should list IP that may be used in the conduct of the proposed effort and proposers must provide a good faith representation of either ownership or possession of the appropriate licensing rights for this IP.

Capabilities and Management Plan [no more than 1 page] This section should provide a brief summary of the expertise of the team, including subcontractors and key personnel. Teaming arrangements do not need to be finalized at the time of white paper submission; however, mention discussion of potential teaming and/or collaboration arrangements is encouraged. A principal investigator for the proposed project should be identified and a description of the team’s organization, including roles and responsibilities, should be provided.

Cost and Schedule Table [no more than ½ page] Provide a cost estimate for resources (e.g., labor, materials) and any subcontractors over the proposed timeline of the project, broken down by Government fiscal year. Base period and option period should be displayed in separate tables.

Section III. Quad Chart [not included in page count] A template for the required summary Quad Chart is provided in Appendix A of this BAA.

NOTE: Non-conforming submissions that do not follow the instructions herein may be rejected without further review.

3. Proposal Format:

Proposals consist of Volume 1: Technical, Volume 2: Past Performance, and Volume 3: Cost.

Proposers are encouraged to submit concise, but descriptive, proposals. Specific examples of problems, approaches, or goals are preferred to qualitative generalities. Information incorporated into Volume 3: Cost Proposal which is not related to cost will not be considered.

All pages shall be formatted for printing on 8‐1/2 by 11‐inch paper with 1‐inch margins, single‐line spacing, and a font size not smaller than 12 point. Font sizes of 8 or 10 point may be used for figures, tables, and charts. Document files must be in .odx, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx or .pdf formats. Submissions must be written in English. Total page limit should not exceed 30 pages.

Proposals not meeting the format prescribed herein may not be reviewed.

Volume 1: Technical Proposal Volume 1 must include the following components:

Cover Sheet [no page limit]:

· Label: “Volume 1: Technical and Management Proposal”;

· BAA number (SCO‐BAA‐16‐01);

· Proposal title;

· Technical area;

· Lead organization (prime contractor) name;

· Type of organization, selected among the following categories: “LARGE BUSINESS”, “SMALL DISADVANTAGED BUSINESS”, “OTHER SMALL BUSINESS”, “HBCU”, “MI”, “OTHER EDUCATIONAL”, OR “OTHER NONPROFIT”;

· Technical point of contact (POC) including name, mailing address, telephone, and email;

· Administrative POC including name, mailing address, telephone number, and email address;

· Place(s) and period(s) of performance;

· Other team member (subcontractors and consultants) information ;

· Proposal validity period (minimum 120 days);

· Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code;

· Proposer’s reference number (if any);

· Total funds requested from SCO, and amount of cost share, (if any);

· Date proposal was submitted;

· DUNS number;

· TIN number.

Table of Contents [no page limit]: Proposals must include a Table of Contents (TOC). The order of the contents within the proposal and the level of details of the TOC is at the discretion of the proposer.

Executive Summary [No more than 2 pages]: Provide a synopsis of the proposed project, including:

· Technical rationale, technical approach, and constructive plan for accomplishment of capability and technical goals in support of innovative claims and deliverable creation. (This section should be supplemented by a more detailed plan in Section iv of the Technical and Management Proposal.)

· Innovative claims for the proposed approach/concept. This section is the centerpiece of the proposal and should succinctly describe the uniqueness and benefits of the proposed approach relative to the current operations.

· What Warfighter operational problem with this solve?

Detailed Proposal Information

Goals and Impact: Describe what the proposed team is trying to achieve and the difference it will make (qualitatively and quantitatively) if successful. Describe the innovative aspects of the project in the context of novel capabilities and approaches, clearly delineating the uniqueness and benefits of this project in the context of the state of the art, alternative approaches, and other projects from the past and present. Describe how the proposed project is revolutionary.

Describe the deliverables associated with the proposals and any plans to transition it to a customer or further the work. Discuss the mitigation of any issues related to sustainment of the technology over its entire lifecycle, assuming the technology transition plan is successful.

Technical Plan: Outline and address technical and systems challenges inherent in the approach and possible solutions for overcoming potential problems. Demonstrate a deep understanding of the challenges and present a credible (even if risky) plan to achieve the project’s goal. Discuss mitigation of technical risk. Provide appropriate measurable milestones (quantitative if possible) at intermediate stages of the project to demonstrate progress, and a plan for achieving the milestones.

Management Plan: Provide a summary of expertise of the proposed team, including any subcontractors/consultants and key personnel who will be executing the work. Identify a principal investigator (PI) for the project. Provide a clear description of the team’s organization including an organization chart that includes, as applicable, the relationship of team members; unique capabilities of team members; task responsibilities of team members; teaming strategy among the team members; and key personnel with the amount of effort to be expended by each person during the project. Provide a detailed plan for coordination including explicit guidelines for interaction among collaborators/subcontractors of the proposed project. Include risk management approaches. Describe any formal teaming agreements that are required to execute this project. List Government‐furnished materials or data assumed to be available.

Schedule and Milestones: Provide a detailed schedule showing tasks (task name, duration, work breakdown structure element as applicable, performing organization), milestones, and the interrelationships among tasks. The task structure must be consistent with that in the SOW. Measurable milestones should be clearly articulated and defined in time relative to the start of the project.

Deliverables: Deliverables associated with the proposed concept and the plans and capability to accomplish technology transition and commercialization. Include in this section all proprietary claims to the results, prototypes, intellectual property, or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research, results, and/or prototype. If there are no proprietary claims, this should be stated. There will be no page limit for the listed forms.

Personnel, Qualifications, and Commitments: List key personnel (no more than one page per person), showing a concise summary of their qualifications, discussion of previous accomplishments, and work in this or closely related research areas. Indicate the level of effort in terms of hours to be expended by each person during each contract year and other (current and proposed) major sources of support for them and/or commitments of their efforts. SCO expects all key personnel associated with a proposal to make substantial time commitment to the proposed activity and the proposal will be evaluated accordingly. It is SCO’s intention to put key personnel conditions into the awards, so proposers should not propose personnel that are not anticipated to execute the award.

Also include a table of key individual time commitments as follows:

Individual Name 1

Capabilities: Describe organizational experience in relevant subject area(s), existing intellectual property, or specialized facilities. Discuss any work in closely related research areas and previous accomplishments.

Security Management: Description of Security Management architecture and/or approach for the proposed effort. Detail unique additional security requirements regarding OPSEC, program protection planning, test planning, transportation plans, work being performed at different classification levels, and/or utilizing test equipment not approved at appropriate classification level (as applicable).

Statement of Work (SOW): The SOW must provide a detailed task breakdown, citing specific tasks and their connection to the interim milestones and metrics, as applicable. Each year of the project should be separately defined, separating Phase I tasks from optional Phase II tasks, if proposed. The SOW must not include proprietary information. For each defined task/subtask, provide the following six sections:

1) A general description of the objective (for each defined task/activity).

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

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

4) The completion criteria for each task/activity - a product, event or milestone that defines its completion.

5) A definition of all deliverables (e.g., data, reports, software) to be provided to the Government in support of the proposed tasks/subtasks.

6) Clearly identify any tasks/subtasks (to be performed by either an awardee or sub awardee) that will be accomplished on-campus at a university, if applicable.

Other: This section is mandatory and must include all of the following components. If a particular subsection is not applicable, state “NONE”.

1) Team Member Identification: Provide a list of all team members including the prime, subcontractor(s), and consultant(s), as applicable. Identify specifically whether any are a non‐US organization or individual, FFRDC and/or Government entity. Use the following format for this list:

Org. | Ind.

FFRDC or Govt?

2) Organizational Conflict of Interest Affirmations and Disclosure: If none of the proposed team members is currently providing SETA or similar support as described in Section III.B, state “NONE”.

If any of the proposed team members (individual or organization) is currently performing SETA or similar support, furnish the following information:

3) Intellectual Property (IP): If no IP restrictions are intended, state “NONE”. The Government will assume unlimited rights to all IP not explicitly identified as having less than unlimited rights in the proposal.

For all technical data or computer software that will be furnished to the Government with other than unlimited rights, provide (per Section VI.B.1) a list describing all proprietary claims to results, prototypes, deliverables or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research, results, prototypes and/or deliverables. Provide documentation proving ownership or possession of appropriate licensing rights to all patented inventions (or inventions for which a patent application has been filed) to be used for the proposed project.

Use the following format for these lists:

NONCOMMERCIAL

Technical Data and/or Computer Software To be Furnished With Restrictions

Summary of Intended Use in the Conduct of the Research

Basis for Assertion

Asserted Rights Category

Name of Person Asserting Restrictions

COMMERCIAL

Technical Data and/or Computer Software To be Furnished With Restrictions

Summary of Intended Use in the Conduct of the Research

Basis for Assertion

Asserted Rights Category

Name of Person Asserting Restrictions

4) Cost Accounting Standards (CAS) Notices and Certification: Per Section VI.B.10, any proposer who submits a proposal which, if accepted, will result in a CAS-compliant contract, must include a Disclosure Statement as required by 48 CFR 9903.202. The disclosure forms may be found at http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/procurement_casb.

If this section is not applicable, state “NONE”.

Volume 2 ‐ Past Performance Proposal:

This volume shall contain past performance information regarding similar contracts. In the case of a Joint Venture, the Government will consider the relevant experience and past performance history of the stated primary Joint Venture Partner (if a primary joint venture partner is assigned) and will evaluate the individual venture partners of the proposed Joint Venture that are expected to perform a meaningful role (10 percent or more of the proposed effort) in evaluating the past performance. This volume shall not exceed 25 pages plus five (5) pages for each major subcontractor, and if applicable each Joint Venture Partner. Offerors shall submit the first page of Government and/or commercial contracts for the prime offeror and each major Subcontractor in performance or awarded during the past three (3) years, from the issue date of this RFP, that is the same as or similar to, the scope, magnitude, and complexity of the work described by this solicitation. Relevant efforts are defined as services/efforts that are the same as or similar to the effort (as compared to NAICS code 541712) required by the RFP. Data concerning the offeror shall be provided first, followed by each proposed major subcontractor, in alphabetical order. The offeror shall demonstrate relevant past performance or affirmatively state that it possesses no relevant past performance. The Offeror shall also submit the written consent (in the offeror’s preferred format) of its major Subcontractors to allow the disclosure of its Subcontractor’s past performance information to the Offeror. In addition, letters of commitment (in the offeror’s preferred format) shall be included for all major Subcontractors for their past performance to be considered ( the first page of each referenced Government and/or commercial contracts, letters of commitment and written consent do not count against the allotted page count for this section). This volume shall be organized into the following sections:

1) Section 1 – Contract Descriptions. This section shall include the following information in the following format.

(a) Contractor place of performance, CAGE Code and DUNS Number. If the work was performed as a subcontractor, also provide the name of the prime contractor and Point of Contact (POC) within the prime contractor organization (name, and current address, e-mail address, and telephone and fax numbers).

(b) Government contracting activity, and current address, Procuring Contracting Officer’s name, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers.

(c) Government’s technical representative/COR and current email address, telephone and fax numbers.

(d) Contract Number and, in the case of Indefinite Delivery type contracts, GSA contracts, and Blanket Purchase Agreements, include Delivery Order Numbers. (g) Contract Type (specific type such as Fixed-Price (FP), Cost Reimbursement (CR), Time & Material (T&M), etc.). In the case of Indefinite Delivery contracts, indicate specific type (Requirements, Definite Quantity, and Indefinite Quantity) and secondary contract type (FP, CR, T&M, etc.).

(e) Awarded price/cost.

(f) Original delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion or work.

(g) Final or projected final, delivery schedule, including dates of start and completion of work.

2) Section 2 – Performance. Offerors shall provide a specific narrative explanation of each contract listed in Section 1, Contract Description, describing the objectives achieved and detailing how the effort is relevant to the requirement of this BAA.

Volume 3 - Cost Proposal [No page limit]:

This volume must include all the listed components. No page limit is specified for this volume.

The cost proposal should include a working spreadsheet file (.xls) that provides formula traceability among all components of the cost proposal. The spreadsheet file should be included as a separate component of the full proposal package. Costs must be traceable between the prime and subcontractors/consultants, as well as between the cost proposal and the SOW.

Pre‐award costs will not be reimbursed unless a pre‐award cost agreement is negotiated prior to award.

Cover Sheet: Include the same information as the cover sheet for Volume 1, but with the label “Volume 3: Cost Proposal”

Cost Summary: Provide a single‐page summary broken down by fiscal year listing cost totals for labor, materials, other direct charges (ODCs), indirect costs (overhead, fringe, general and administrative (G&A), etc.), and any proposed fee for the project. Include costs for each task in each year of the project by prime and major subcontractors, total cost and proposed cost share, if applicable.

DCAA-Accepted Accounting System:

· Before a contract can be awarded, the Contracting Officer must confirm that the offeror has a Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA)-accepted accounting system in place for accumulating and billing costs under Government contracts [FAR 53.209-1(f)].