B08.01 FY25_EW_ESTCP_Supplemental_BAA_Proposal_Instructions - FINAL - R1 13MAR25.docx

PROGRAM ANNOUNCEMENT FOR FY 2025 ENVIRONMENTAL

SECURITY TECHNOLOGY CERTIFICATION PROGRAM (ESTCP)

ESTCP Supplemental Broad Agency Announcement for Installation Energy and Water Proposal Submittal Instructions

Reference: Broad Agency Announcement (BAA), March 13, 2025, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity

INTRODUCTION

The Environmental Security Technology Certification Program (ESTCP) is the Department of Defense’s (DoD’s) demonstration and validation program for environmental and installation energy technologies. Throughout this document, “technology” refers broadly to integrated systems based on any combination of hardware (equipment) and software (processing), materials engineering processes, and resource management devices, methods, tools, or models based on scientific principles. Technologies appropriate for demonstration and validation will be sufficiently mature that all required laboratory or other proof-of-concept work has been completed. Commercial technologies already in broad use are not considered appropriate for demonstration and validation.

ESTCP is seeking proposals for innovative demonstrations of installation energy and water technologies as candidates for funding beginning in Fiscal Year (FY) 2025. Descriptions of the topic areas and complete solicitation details are on the ESTCP website.

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is for Private Sector organizations. DoD organizations (Services and Defense Agencies) wishing to submit proposals to ESTCP should refer to the FY25 DoD Supplemental Call for Proposals for Installation Energy and Water Technologies. Federal agencies outside DoD should refer to the FY25 Supplemental Call for Proposals for Installation Energy and Water Technologies for Federal Organizations Outside DoD. Instructions for the DoD and Other Federal Calls for Proposals may be found on the ESTCP website.

Background The purpose of ESTCP is to demonstrate and validate promising innovative technologies that target DoD’s most urgent environmental and installation energy needs and are projected to pay back the investment through cost savings, improved efficiencies, or improved outcomes. ESTCP responds to high priority DoD environmental and installation energy technology requirements and the need to improve defense readiness by reducing the drain on the DoD’s operation and maintenance dollars caused by real world commitments such as environmental restoration, waste and facility management, range sustainability, energy security, and water conservation. The goal is to enable promising technologies to receive regulatory and end-user acceptance and be fielded and commercialized more rapidly. To achieve this goal, ESTCP projects create partnerships between technology developers, responsible DoD organizations, and the regulatory community. This program announcement is seeking proposals from the technology development community.

ESTCP demonstrations are conducted under operational conditions at DoD facilities or locations for which DoD holds environmental responsibility. Candidate technologies are expected to have successfully completed laboratory testing and, when applicable, initial small-scale field testing. The demonstrations are intended to generate supporting cost and performance data for acceptance or validation of the technology. ESTCP demonstration projects also are required to support the future implementation of the tested technology through the development of appropriate guidance, design, and/or protocol documents. ESTCP will not support full-scale demonstrations that are primarily intended to solve an individual installation’s problem. ESTCP gives priority to those projects that address multi-Service or DoD environmental requirements.

ESTCP projects must:

1. Execute the technology demonstration to validate the technology’s performance and expected operational costs:

· Each project develops one or more Demonstration Plans, as appropriate to the project, to govern the technical execution and management of the demonstration. Guidance describing the requirements of the ESTCP Demonstration Plan can be found on the ESTCP website. The Demonstration Plan is reviewed and must be approved by the ESTCP Office prior to beginning any fieldwork.

· Each project is expected to generate sufficient pertinent and high-quality data to scientifically validate all claims made for the technology.

· Cost and performance data will be collected during the demonstration(s) to allow realistic estimates to be derived for full-scale implementation of the technology at the demonstration site and other DoD sites.

2. Transfer the technology:

· Identify and work with the intended DoD user community to achieve their acceptance and feedback on the usefulness of the technology.

· Publish appropriate user guidance, design, and/or protocol documents to assist the future implementation of the technology.

· Publish a Final Report based on the ESTCP Final Report guidance.

· Publish the results of the demonstration in the scientific peer reviewed literature and present results at technical conferences, as appropriate.

· Identify pathways to implementation of the technology.

3. Provide data and support to achieve regulatory and end-user acceptance:

· Technologies needing regulatory approval for use will be required to engage the regulatory community at the outset of project execution. Feedback from regulators must be solicited and incorporated into the project’s Demonstration Plan.

· No single approach for working with the regulatory community is prescribed by the program. Interaction with individual state regulatory organizations, interstate groups, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is encouraged. The approach taken should be appropriate for the technology being demonstrated and the regulatory issues associated with implementing the technology.

Proposers selected for demonstration will be teamed with a DoD liaison who will be responsible for assisting in selecting the demonstration site, validating the technology’s cost and performance, interfacing with the regulatory and user community, and supporting the transfer of the technology across DoD.

General Information for Private Sector Proposers The solicitation will be managed by the ESTCP Office along with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity (HECSA) in Alexandria, Virginia. For contracting or small business information regarding this BAA solicitation, contact Shannon N. Benson (703-428-7407; shannon.n.benson@usace.army.mil), Aimee N. Johnson (703-428-6551; aimee.n.johnson@usace.army.mil), or the HECSA Small Business Representative, Monique Holmes (202-934-1816; HECSASmallBusinessProgram@usace.army.mil). General procedural questions may be referred to the ESTCP Office at 571-372-6565. For technical questions regarding this announcement, contact the individual listed within the topic area description.

Awardees under this BAA will be selected through a multi-stage review process. Proposals marked with ITAR, EAR, a limited distribution statement, Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), or as company proprietary are not accepted. Please note, only government employees or DoD contractors who have signed non-disclosure agreements have access to ESTCP proposals.

Based on evaluation of the written proposal, each proposer will be notified whether they are requested to present their proposal in person to the ESTCP Technical Committee. All presenters will be notified as to whether the Government wishes to enter into negotiations for the award of a contract. Proposers are advised that only the Contracting Officer is legally authorized to commit the Government. ESTCP reserves the right to recommend for award any, all, or none of the proposals received. ESTCP also reserves the right to recommend a portion of the work proposed in any single proposal for award. There is no commitment by ESTCP or the HECSA Contracting Officer to make any contract awards, nor shall the Government be responsible for any money expended by the proposer before contract award is made. Due to the volume of proposals anticipated to be received, the Government will not provide debriefs on those that are not selected.

Cost realism and reasonableness may also be considered during the selection of acceptable proposals in accordance with FAR 35.016(e).

Evaluation Schedule Proposals will be evaluated based on the following schedules.

Table 1: Evaluation Schedule

ACTIVITY

* Proposal packages will be sent to contracting in the third quarter of FY2025. Contract award is expected in the first quarter of 2026, but not guaranteed.

PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals shall contain four sections, Abstract, Technical Section, Cost Section, and Appendices, submitted as one document. Each section is described in detail below. Proposals shall be prepared in accordance with the following:

· Type size should not be less than 11 point, any font.

· All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) should not be less than 1 inch.

· Pages should be numbered.

· Proposals should use the section headers provided in Section 1.2. These section headers correspond to evaluation criteria that will be used to review, evaluate, and select proposals.

· Table of contents, introduction, executive summary, or any other elements not prescribed by this guidance are neither required nor desired.

You must submit your proposal via the SERDP and ESTCP Management System (SEMS). No electronic mail, faxed, or hard copy proposals will be accepted. All proposals must be submitted prior to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 22, 2025. All proposals must be accompanied by the signature of an individual authorized to commit the lead organization to execute the proposed work. Complete submittal instructions can be found in Section 3 of this document.

Abstract In one page or less, provide a brief summary of the proposed effort following the structure outlined below. The abstract is not included in the page limitation. If your proposal is selected for funding, the abstract will serve as the basis for a project overview to be posted on the ESTCP website. Therefore, please ensure it is written as a public-facing document. Items 1-4 must be located at the top of the first page:

1. Proposal Number: The proposal number is generated by SEMS when the proposal details are entered.

2. Proposal Title

3. Lead Principal Investigator

4. Lead Organization

5. Objective: Provide a succinct statement of the project’s overall objective in the context of the energy, water, or resilience problem that the proposed technology will address. Indicate the relevance and importance of this problem to the Department of Defense (DoD). Include specific technical objectives if relevant.

6. Technology Description: Describe the proposed technology, in particular the innovative aspects of the technology that will be demonstrated in the project. Summarize what the project will attempt to demonstrate and what will constitute success.

7. Expected Benefits: Briefly describe the anticipated cost and performance benefits of the technology to the DoD as compared to current practice or state-of-the-art technology, if one exists.

Technical Section The technical section must contain all content elements outlined here and must not exceed 10 pages. It is expected that each section will provide sufficient information that responds directly to the evaluation criteria. The emphasis should be on the technical approach. Throughout this document, “technology” refers broadly to integrated systems based on any combination of hardware (equipment) and software (processing), materials engineering processes, and resource management devices, methods, tools, or models based on scientific principles.

Short Descriptive Title

2. ESTCP Topic Area: Indicate the ESTCP topic area the proposal addresses.

3. Lead Organization: Project lead, organization, address, telephone number, and e-mail address.

4. DoD Installation Point of Contact: Installation POC, Organization, telephone number, and email address. Provide POCs for each installation involved in the demonstration if known.

5. Problem Statement: Clearly state the problem the technology demonstration will address and its relevance and importance to DoD. Identify the current approach (if one exists) to this problem and discuss its shortcomings.

6. Technology Demonstration: The technology description should include the following information:

a. Technical Objectives: Discuss the objective(s) of the proposed effort. Fundamentally, the objective is to demonstrate how a new technology or methodology is superior to an existing practice or technology.

b. Technology Description: Describe the technology in sufficient detail to provide an accurate and factual understanding of its theory, functionality, and operation. If appropriate, provide an overall schematic of the technology. Discuss how the technology is innovative. Compare it to the state-of-the-art, if relevant, or current DoD practices.

c. Technology Maturity: Provide evidence that the technology is mature enough for demonstration. Include references and past funding history. Discuss any development or design work required prior to demonstration and the approximate development timeline.

d. Technical Approach: Provide a detailed overview of how the project will address the technical objectives. Describe the specific tasks that will occur to demonstrate a comparison of a baseline to the proposed alternative. Address the following:

· Describe the test design. Discuss the scope of the proposed demonstration in terms of a hypothesis, the independent variable and the dependent variables. Refer to the ESTCP Demonstration Plan guidance located on the ESTCP website for the general approach to the conceptual test design. Provide the performance objectives for the technology. These are the primary criteria established by the investigator for evaluating the performance and costs of the technology. There must be quantitative performance objectives and there may be qualitative performance objectives. The performance objectives are essentially the dependent variables for the test design. Discuss data required to evaluate the performance objectives and the criteria to determine when the objectives are met. Refer to the ESTCP demonstration plan guidance located on the ESTCP website for more detailed information and examples for use in developing performance objectives, metrics, data requirements and success criteria.

· Include a brief description of a proposed demonstration site(s). Discuss why this site is appropriate to meet the demonstration objectives.

· Include a description of the data analyses used to determine whether the success criteria for the performance objectives have been met. Refer to the ESTCP Demonstration Plan guidance located on the ESTCP website for the general approach to the performance and cost assessments.

e. Technical Risks: Identify potential issues of concern and technical risks in taking the technology from its current phase of development to the proposed scale of the demonstration. Identify any assumptions regarding equipment, procedures, materials, product development or site characteristics that, if not realized, could impact the successful implementation of the project. Discuss how the project team will manage risks associated with the assumptions. Discuss any scale-up issues that will remain at the conclusion of a successful demonstration.

f. Related Efforts: Provide a description and funding sources for any similar or related projects.

7. Expected DoD Benefit: To the extent possible, include the following: (1) describe the expected benefit in terms of energy resilience, energy savings, water savings, environmental impact, and/or reduced costs; (2) assess the benefit per site or implementation; (3) provide projections of the number of DoD sites or facilities where the technology may be applicable; (4) discuss how the information obtained from the demonstration will enable adoption of the technology throughout DoD, particularly by attracting private sector investments, such as Energy Service Companies; (5) estimate the expected return on investment and the time for payback; and (6) discuss the life cycle cost advantages over current approaches.

Provide a preliminary analysis of the projected economic benefit of the project in terms of simple payback and savings-to-investment ratio over a 5-, 10-, and 20-year period using the NIST BLCCA process (NIST Handbook 135). Provide adequate justification for any assumptions about cost of energy and list relevant references supporting the assumptions.

8. Schedule of Milestones: Provide a project schedule with expected milestones and deliverables for the duration of the project in the form of a Gantt chart. Include all required ESTCP deliverables in the Gantt chart. Reporting requirements are found on the ESTCP website. Include an additional, zero-cost contingency year in the Gantt chart following the completion of all project tasks and deliverables. There should be no tasks during this contingency period.

· Identify any development, design or, baseline characterization required prior to demonstration.

· Projects requiring emissions, environmental, operational or other permits must include appropriate milestones to reflect the permitting process.

· Projects requiring an electrical or other interconnection agreement must include appropriate milestones for the development and approval of the agreement.

· Projects requiring information assurance approvals through Risk Management Framework must include appropriate milestones to reflect the approval processes.

· Estimate the time required for the demonstration. Include the planned initiation and completion dates for critical events, including but not limited to coordination with military installation staff, baseline measurement, equipment installation, monitoring, data analysis, and other key activities.

· Include expected submission dates to the ESTCP Office for the Pre-Demonstration Plan, Demonstration Plan, Technology Overview Fact Sheet, and Final Report.

· Include a Project Outbrief event, such as a webinar, and other technology transfer activities as appropriate.

9. Technology Stage: (For proposals to conduct studies, this section may not be applicable) Technology typically moves from the stage of invention through a series of steps (translation, adoption, diffusion) until it is widely deployed. Describe in a paragraph the current maturity of the technology (translation, adoption, diffusion) in accordance with the definitions below.

· Translation is the creation of a product or process. It represents pre- commercial products or early commercial development depending on the characteristics of the industry. Value proposition or price is usually unclear or ill-defined, the technology developers are required for demonstration, and the building industry is not routinely engaged.

· Adoption represents the early deployment and initial use of new technology by early adopters. Value and risks are understood by specialists or for some applications. There is limited or no independent validation of the technology’s performance, limited commercial availability and support, and distribution partnerships are not well developed.

· Diffusion corresponds to increasing adoption and use of a commercial product or technology that has sub-optimal market penetration. Risks and value are understood for most applications, education of broader community is needed, and the technology is available and sustainable, but not typically specified by A&E firms in their designs.

10. Technology Transfer Plan: The full impact and savings of ESTCP demonstrations are realized when the demonstrated technologies are widely adopted across DoD. A technology transfer plan facilitates successful technology transfer through early planning and identification of specific goals and needs. Describe the Technology Transfer Plan by addressing each of the following:

1. Identify the lead individual designated to manage the Technology Transfer and Commercialization Planning. Describe the level of effort needed to develop and implement the Technology Transfer Plan. Identify any additional resources needed to accomplish the technology transfer objectives. Note that project teams will be required to develop a Technology Transfer Plan as part of their demonstration. Please refer to the Technology Transfer (T2) Plan for Non-Federal PIs document on the SERDP and ESTCP website for additional guidance.

2. Describe the methods and activities that will be used to reach stakeholder audiences (e.g., DoD Energy Managers, commercial companies, and energy services companies, etc.) and to commercialize or move the technology to a more mature stage.

3. Identify any DoD or service programs that are responsible for technology implementation or relevant requirements or regulations and will affect transition.

4. Describe Unified Facilities Criteria[footnoteRef:2] (www.wbdg.org), MILSPEC, or guidance, design, and/or protocol documents (ASHRAE or IEEE standards) that address the technology. Discuss how these will assist in future implementation. If the technology is not currently covered, please explain. [2: See: www.wbdg.org UFC documents provide planning, design, construction, sustainment, restoration, and modernization criteria, and apply to the Military Departments, the Defense Agencies, and the DoD Field Activities in accordance with DoD Directive 4270.5 (Military Construction) and USD(AT&L) Memorandum dated 29 May 2002.]

5. Discuss the timeline required to transition a product or service suitable for acquisition or implementation by DoD installations following completion of a successful demonstration.

6. Explicitly identify potential opportunities for implementation within DoD following successful completion of the demonstration. Discuss any operational, maintenance, and training requirements that are critical to the implementation of the new technology.

7. Describe how the demonstrated product will be commercialized and identify how the commercialization will be funded (e.g., Self, sponsor, VC, or angel).

8. Provide a description of any incubator or technology accelerator programs or start up services that may be included in the project to assist in commercialization of the technology. Include detail on the benefits of these programs to the technology transfer objectives of the demonstration. If applicable, include as a costed option.

9. Describe any institutional, regulatory, or intellectual property (IP) barriers that affect the transition and how they will be addressed.

11. Disposition of Equipment: Identify any major equipment purchases planned for the demonstration. Verify that equipment purchased with government funding will become government property in accordance with property transfer procedures associated with DD Form 1354. The government may waive its property rights at the conclusion of the project.

If relevant, provide a costed option to remove the equipment associated with the demonstration in the event the government facility managers at the military installation request removal. In the costed option, include plans to return the demonstration site to its pre-demonstration configuration (See Appendix A, Checklist for Equipment Removal).

12. Installation Support: Discuss support needed from the military installation personnel to conduct a successful demonstration. Include requirements for access, documentation, maintenance, and other incidental support. Include the costs to support the participation of installation personnel, on-site contractors, and any travel in the budget. If needed, the ESTCP Office provides project funding directly to the military installation staff.

13. Performers: List the name and organization of the lead person(s) for each organization involved in the proposed demonstration and summarize their expected contributions.

14. Acronym List: Include a list defining all acronyms used in the proposal. This section is not included in the page limitation.

Cost Section The cost section of the proposal is an estimate of the total project cost. The cost spreadsheet template is found on the ESTCP website. Cost sections in formats other than this template will not be accepted. The cost spreadsheet for the lead organization should reflect the entire project costs. Separate cost spreadsheets are required for each co-performer or sub-contractor whose costs exceed $50,000. Co-performers and sub-contractors are only required to complete the first tab in the cost spreadsheet located on the ESTCP website. An accompanying cost breakdown narrative is required as an appendix. The narrative should include the rationale for purchase of Contractor Acquired Property (CAP), as well as its final disposition. Cost information must be rounded to the nearest dollar.

If selected for funding, proposers will be required to provide a certificate of current cost or pricing data prior to award in accordance with Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.403-4(a)(1) if the total contract value is expected to exceed $2,000,000.00 to the cognizant contracting office.

All ESTCP projects are funded incrementally, with funds provided in the year in which they are expected to be expended. The cost section should be structured to indicate annual, incremental funding required. For planning purposes, proposers should assume a project initiation date of October 1, 2025. The first year’s planned funding should run through January 31, 2026, and each subsequent year should span February 1-January 31, until anticipated project completion. Include an additional, zero-cost contingency year in the cost spreadsheet following the final year of planned project execution. The contingency year must also be included on the proposal signature page generated in SEMS.

1. Labor Costs: Show the projected labor rates in units of hourly rate or annual salary to be charged by the PI(s), associates, and assistants. Indicate in the footnote to the cost table the units you are using. In the units column, indicate the number of hours or the fraction of annual salary to be charged. The total column is the amount per year to be paid to each performer on the project. Labor costs should be unburdened.

2. Indirect Charge #1: Indicate burden or fringe rate applied to salaries and the total cost per year. Provide an explanation in the table footnote of what is included in this indirect charge.

3. Indirect Charge #2: Indicate other relevant indirect charges such as G&A. Provide an explanation in the table footnote of what is included in this indirect charge and to which cost elements it will be applied.

4. Contractor Acquired Property: Provide an itemized list of CAP, if any, to be acquired in support of the project, showing the cost for each item. Use the second tab in the cost spreadsheet located on the ESTCP website as a template. CAP is any article of non-expendable, tangible property having a useful life of more than two years and an acquisition cost of $5,000 or more per unit. The rationale for the purchase of CAP as well as its final disposition should be stated in the Cost Section narrative.

5. Materials, Supplies and Consumables: Provide a general description and total estimated cost of expendable equipment and supplies. Include a separate itemized list using the third tab of the cost spreadsheet template located on the ESTCP website.

6. Subcontracts and Government Partners: For any co-performer or subcontract totaling $50,000 or more, provide a breakout of the tasks and associated costs in a separate cost estimate using the cost spreadsheet template on the ESTCP website. Government partners will be provided a separate allocation of funds directly based upon this separate estimate. Funds provided directly from ESTCP to government partners are not to be subject to contractor indirect charges or fees. The lead organization should plan to manage all subcontracts to non-government partners. If the subcontractor will be purchasing CAP, include the rationale for such a purchase and the final disposition in the Cost Section narrative.

7. Travel Costs: Estimate total travel costs. List the number of trips, the destinations, purposes, and costs per trip using reasonable and allowable rates in accordance with FAR 31.205-46 for all proposed travel. Rates for lodging and per-diem should not exceed the rates found in the General Service Administration’s data for destinations within the United States, or exceed rates found in the US State Department data for destinations outside the United States. Offerors are not entitled to fee or profit on travel. Use the fourth tab in the cost spreadsheet located on the ESTCP website as a template for the travel budget breakdown. For trips where the specific destination has not yet been determined, budget for a representative location. For planning purposes, consider the following:

· ESTCP conducts an annual in-progress review of management and technical status of each project in the Arlington, VA area. New start projects funded to begin in 2025 generally will be reviewed 6 – 8 months after contract award, with additional annual reviews in 10 – 12 months increments; actual review dates may change based on the progress of the project.

· ESTCP will support attendance at one domestic technical meeting each year.

· ESTCP intends to sponsor an annual technical Symposium in the Washington, D.C. area. Investigators are encouraged to budget for students working on the project to attend the Symposium in the total travel costs. In years when the Symposium takes place, investigators are expected to attend. In the event the Symposium is not held, investigators may attend an appropriate meeting of their choice at comparable cost.

8. Publication and Report Costs: Estimate the costs of publishing and reporting results, including the direct charges for clerical preparation, page or illustration charges, and distribution. The ESTCP reporting requirements are found on the ESTCP website. Include a separate itemized list using the fifth tab of the cost spreadsheet template located on the ESTCP website.

9. Service Contract Reporting (SCR): In accordance with DFARS 204.1703 Reporting requirements, DoD contractors with contracts in excess of $3,000,000.00 will begin reporting manpower data under applicable service contracts in the Service Contract Reporting (SCR) section of the System for Award Management (SAM) (http://sam.gov) to support the requirements of title 10, U.S.C, section 235 and 2330a. Contracts subject to reporting requirements will have DFARS 252.204-7023 Reporting Requirements for Contracted Services added into to the contract. Please see the “Guidebook for Service Contract Reporting in the System for Award Management” Version 2.0 dated 21 October 2020 for additional information. Contracts under $3,000,000.00 are not subject to Service Contract Reporting requirements.

10. Fixed Fee: Eligible organizations shall list the fixed fee, if any, applied to the demonstration project. Indicate in the footnote to the table the cost elements included in the basis for the fixed fee.

11. Cost by Task Summary Table: Provide a breakout of cost per task. The sixth tab in the cost spreadsheet located on the ESTCP website provides a template. These numbers must match those on the main cost spreadsheet.

12. Leveraged Funds: Identify the source and amount of any funding for costs that are part of the project but not funded through the ESTCP budget.

13. Costed Options: Proposals should include costed options addressing transition of the projects to Installation control after the demonstration or removal of equipment at the conclusion of the demonstration. Costs associated with transition could include the provision of operator’s manuals, engineering drawings, guidance documents, service agreements, and the like.

Appendices Appendices are not included in the page count for the proposal.

1. Required: Letters of Support: If a site has been identified, obtain a memo, letter, or email from the Commander, Director of Public Works, Base Civil Engineer or someone of an equivalent position from each Installation who can commit to hosting the demonstration at their facility. The letter should designate a point-of-contact (POC) at the installation who will work with the project team and ESTCP staff to help coordinate the project and participate in occasional meetings or teleconferences. The POC must be able to coordinate with other installation staff to address public works, engineering, range control, health and safety, environmental or security issues associated with the project.

2. Required: POC Email or Memo: The POC at the military installation must indicate that he/she alerted the following staff offices at the potential host military installation about the possible ESTCP demonstration project – Public Works/Base Civil Engineer, Energy Manager, Resource Efficiency Manager, Environmental, Security, Master Planner and Information Assurance Office (Communications Squadron, NETCOM, etc.). The POC should indicate if there are any potential issues identified by the military installation staff that will require resolution to conduct the demonstration.

3. Optional: Supporting Technical Data: (limited to 5 pages) Include data sheets, charts, and excerpts from referenced research.

4. Required, if literature is cited: Literature Citations: Provide literature citations for any material cited in the technical section or the supporting technical data.

5. Required: Abbreviated Curricula Vitae (CV) (3 pages or less per CV) are required for all key technical personnel at the lead organization and the lead individual for all key co- performers or subcontractors.

6. Required, Cost Breakdown Narrative: Provide a 1-2 page narrative discussing each cost element in sufficient detail to explain why the cost proposed is considered fair and reasonable, including the techniques used to determine that subcontractor costs are fair and reasonable.

1. SUBMITTAL INSTRUCTIONS

Proposals are submitted via SEMS. No electronic mail, faxed, or hard copy proposals will be accepted. Proposals must be submitted prior to 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time on April 22, 2025.

Complete all steps below in order to submit a proposal.

· Log in to SEMS.

· Enter all required proposal details into SEMS. Proposal details may be saved and edited prior to final submission.

· Download or print the “Proposal Details” page. This must be signed by an individual with the authority to commit the lead organization to execute the proposed work. The document may be electronically or hand-signed. Ensure all information on the signed summary matches the proposal file. Please note, the contracting process is subject to a number of delays and may not be completed until late June in the year following selection. If possible, pricing valid until June 30, 2026 will minimize requests for new cost information before contract award. The “Proposal Details” page must include the zero-cost contingency year requested in Section 1.3.

· Upload the signed “Proposal Details” page.

· Add the system-generated proposal number, project title, lead PI name and organization to first page of proposal as instructed in Section 1.1 above.

· Create a single PDF file that contains all required sections outlined in the proposal guidance.

· Upload the final proposal file.

· Submit the proposal. Only proposals that have been submitted will be considered. Proposals with a “Saved” status will not be reviewed.

Once the proposal has been submitted, SEMS will display an on-line confirmation message and will send an email notification to the proposer. It is the sole responsibility of the proposer to verify the proposal is properly received by ESTCP.

The proposer may continue to modify proposal details and upload revised proposal files until the due date. Prior versions of the proposal will be over-written and only the last version uploaded will remain in the system. Ensure the proposal details entered into the system match the contents of the PDF proposal file. It is recommended that proposals are uploaded as early as possible prior to the deadline to ensure a successful and timely submission.

For proposal upload questions, contact the ESTCP Office at 571-372-6565.

Evaluation Factors for Proposals The following evaluation factors will be the sole basis for reviewing proposals submitted in response to this BAA. Among the evaluation factors, Technical Merit is more important than Cost/Benefit of Technology and Transition Potential, which are more important than Cost of Proposal.

TECHNICAL MERIT

Proposal reviewers will assess the technical merit of the proposal. Factors to be considered include: (a) the methodology is scientifically sound; (b) the technology is innovative and is the current state-of-the-art; (c) the technical risks are well characterized; and (d) the technical team is qualified to execute the proposed project.

COST/BENEFIT OF TECHNOLOGY

Proposal reviewers will assess the cost/benefit of the proposed technology, if it were deployed. Factors to be considered include: (a) the projected cost savings and/or risk reduction are significant; (b) the projected benefits are reasonable and consistent with the proposed technology; and (c) the payoffs from the proposed technology are commensurate with the projected costs and risks.

TRANSITION POTENTIAL

Proposal reviewers will assess the potential for a successful transfer of the technology to the DoD user. Factors to be considered include: (a) there is a well-defined DoD user for the technology; (b) there are clearly identified activities that will support and enhance the transfer of the technology; and (c) the technology can be implemented within DoD.

COST OF PROPOSAL

Proposal reviewers will assess the reasonableness of the proposed cost. Costs should be appropriate and traceable to the level of effort required to execute the project.

Requirements for proposals Selected for Funding Please be aware of the following requirements for proposals that are selected for funding. These requirements are considered part of the proposal process and the associated costs are to be borne by the proposer.

Revised Proposal Proposals selected for funding may require revision following the selection process and prior to contract award. Common revisions include adjustments to schedule, task structure, funding profile, or specification of required deliverables. A Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) and System for Award Management (SAM) expiration date will be required for revised proposals. These are obtained at https://sam.gov.

Subcontracting Plan The Subcontracting Plan is not required at the proposal stage. If your proposal is selected for funding, you may be required to submit a Subcontracting Plan if the criteria below apply to your proposal. In accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 19.7, all businesses, other than small business concerns are required to submit a subcontracting plan for contract proposals that exceed $750,000. The subcontracting plan should reflect realistic, challenging, achievable positive percentage and dollars goals for subcontracting with Small Business concerns. The subcontracting plan must address a goal for each of the statutory required elements: Small Business, Small Disadvantaged Business, Woman-Owned Small Business, Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business, Veteran-Owned Small Business, and Historically Underutilized Business Zones. If the subcontracting plan contains zero percent goals for any of the respective elements listed above, an explanation must be provided as to why a goal greater than zero cannot be achieved.

The Subcontracting plan must be reviewed, negotiated and accepted by the Contracting Officer and is subject to review by the DoD’s Office of Small Business and the Small Business Administration prior to contract award. The Small Business Subcontracting Plan shall be prepared in accordance with FAR 52.219-9 Small Business Subcontracting Plan and elements as described in the checklist in DFARS PGI 219.705-4. Additional information can be found on the Department of Defense Office of Small Business Programs website. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Humphreys Engineer Center Support Activity (HECSA) Small Business Office website provides information on how to prepare a subcontracting plan, along with links to find small businesses to participate. For guidance on creating an acceptable subcontracting plan or for information on locating small business concerns, contact the HECSA Small Business Representative at HECSASmallBusinessProgram@usace.army.mil or 703-428-7385.

Accounting and Auditing Requirements ESTCP projects are generally awarded as cost-type contracts. To be eligible for such an award, a contractor must have an approved accounting system and an accepted up-to-date government audit. Details on these requirements can be found at the web sites for Defense Contract Audit Agency and Defense Contract Management Agency. Contractors selected for award who do not meet these requirements should inform their ESTCP Program Manager immediately, as the process for approval can be time consuming. In some cases, if the work is appropriate to a firm fixed price contract and requirements for a cost-type contract cannot be fulfilled, successful proposers will be given the opportunity to enter into a firm fixed price contract.

Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting DFARS Clause 252.204-7012 Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting (OCT 2016) as prescribed in DFARS 204.7304(c) is a mandatory clause that will be included in all ESTCP contracts. DFARS 204.7304(c) reads:

“(c) Use the clause at 252.204-7012, Safeguarding Covered Defense Information and Cyber Incident Reporting, in all solicitations and contracts, including solicitations and contracts using FAR part 12 procedures for the acquisition of commercial items, except for solicitations and contracts solely for the acquisition of commercially available off-the-shelf (COTS) items.”

Most ESTCP projects do not result in defense covered information. A written determination will be made by the ESTCP Office at final project acceptance for those that do. However, any resultant contract will not include addendums or local text regarding this mandatory clause. DFARS 252.204-7012 is a mandatory clause that will not be removed from any contract for an ESTCP project, nor will DFARS 252.204-7012 be altered in any way. For more information, please see https://business.defense.gov/Small-Business/Cybersecurity/.

Covered Telecommunications Equipment In accordance with Section 889(a)(1)(B) of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2019 the provision at FAR 52.204–24, Representation Regarding Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment, and the clause at FAR 52.204–25, Prohibition on Contracting for Certain Telecommunications and Video Surveillance Services or Equipment will be included with all contracts issued in connection with this Broad Agency Announcement. Additionally, all contracts awarded under this Broad Agency Announcement will include the clause at FAR 52.-204-26 Covered Telecommunications Equipment or Services. Contractors submitting proposals shall ensure their representations are up to date in SAM (http://sam.gov) as applicable IAW FAR 52.204-24, FAR 52.204-25 and, or FAR 52.204-26. Contracts WILL NOT be issued to contractors who do not have their representations and certifications updated in SAM.gov.

Service Contract Reporting (SCR) In accordance with DFARS 204.1703 Reporting requirements, DoD contractors with contracts in excess of $3,000,000.00 will begin reporting manpower data under applicable service contracts in the SCR section of the SAM (http://sam.gov) to support the requirements of title 10, U.S.C, section 235 and 2330a. Contracts subject to reporting requirements will have DFARS 252.204-7023 Reporting Requirements for Contracted Services added into to the contract. Please see the “Guidebook for Service Contract Reporting in the System for Award Management” Version 2.0 dated 21 October 2020 for additional information.

***Contracts under $3,000,000.00 are not subject to Service Contract Reporting requirements.*** Effective Dates Of Awarded Contracts All contracts awarded from this BAA require bilateral execution and will be executed in counterparts. Any contract awarded from this BAA will first be sent to the successful offeror(s) for signature and execution of the offeror’s counterpart. No contracts which are executed solely by the successful offeror(s) are effective. Offerors shall not begin performance prior to the receipt of a fully executed contract. Offeror(s) who begin performance prior to receipt of a fully executed contract are performing at their own cost and at their own risk.

***Contracts are not effective until the Government’s Contracting Officer signs and executes the Government’s counterpart and the counterpart with the Government’s Contracting Officer’s signature is distributed to the successful offeror(s).*** Other Cost And Pricing Data All successful offeror(s) will be required to submit Other Cost and Pricing Data for the Government’s required pre-award contract price/cost analysis. Submitting this data along with the final proposal will help expedite the contract process. Successful offers with expected contract values above $2,000,000 must provide certified data (see Section 2.3 above). Other Cost and Pricing Data includes:

1. For contractors requesting a cost type contract, provide a recent audit report documenting the contractor’s accounting system adequacy for determining costs applicable to cost type contracts. Contractors lacking an accounting system adequacy determination shall submit firm-fixed price proposals.

2. Cost Proposal Backup Documents including:

a. Payroll backup documents which show wages and fringe;

b. Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA) Rate Agreement, Forward Pricing Rate Agreement (FPRA), Forward Pricing Rate Recommendations, Department of Health and Human Services College Rate Agreement, or Navy Rate Agreement, and the point of contact for the same. In the event of no established rate agreement, submit the last three years of actual incurred rate data (cost base and cost pool) for analysis;

c. Details with respect to Materials, Supplies, and Consumables (MSCs) or Contract Acquired Property (CAP) including quantities and type of MSCs (ex. 500 gal. hydrogen peroxide at $2/gal or, 20 large columns at $50/column, etc.) which includes evidence of quotes for MSCs (actual quotes are preferred);

d. Quotes for any subcontracted services detailed as Other Direct Costs and not directly allocable to subcontractor expenses (i.e. if lab costs are listed, the lab pricing info);

e. Travel specifics (who, where, when, purpose, mode of transportation), etc. *GSA per-diem and lodging rates are the maximum rates that may be used for the destination cities*