Questions_and_Answers_Document_12_Aug_2016.pdf

The following questions and answers are provided for informational purposes only:

Question 1: Where is the work located?

Answer: This is a Broad Agency Announcement under FAR Part 35. It is up to the offeror to how to propose against the research topics identified in the announcement.

Question 2: Is there an incumbent or is this new work?

Answer: This is a Broad Agency Announcement under FAR Part 35.

Question 3: Reading through the proposal, are you looking for only universities to apply or is this open to all?

Answer: This is a Broad Agency Announcement under FAR Part 35. This is a full and open announcement and all proposals received will be evaluated in accordance with evaluation criteria specified in the announcement.

Question 4: Has a contractor performed similar work to this for the government in the past? If available, please provide the incumbent contract number.

Answer: Please see Question 2.

Question 5: If you are unable to provide a contract number, is it safe to assume this is a new requirement for the government?

Answer: Please see Question 2.

Question 6: Is the list in the last sentence topics that should not be addressed because there are existing solutions?

Answer: The list in the last sentence of Topic 1 provides examples of topic areas of interest where advancement is desired.

Question 7: Or, based on the third sentence “…provide a holistic cybersecurity defense approach…”, is this asking for a solution that addresses every capability, including those in the last sentence?

Answer: Please see the revised paragraph for Topic 1. It is up to the offeror how to propose solutions under any areas of this topic.

Question 8: Or is this asking for a solution that integrates the capabilities of existing solutions that cover the capabilities in the last sentence in order to provide a holistic solution?

Answer: It is up to the offeror how to propose solutions under any areas of this topic.

Question 9: I was wondering if we’d need to submit Attachment C Representations and Certifications with the pre-proposal, and if so, if Attachment C counts towards the five-page limit for the pre-proposal.

Answer: Please see page 13. Pre-proposals should contain Attachment C. No, Attachment C does not count towards the five page limitation.

Question 10: I wanted to ask what the program budget was for this BAA, how many awards you were planning to issue, and implicitly, the size of a typical award.

Answer: All proposals received will be evaluated in accordance with criteria provided in the BAA announcement. Award decisions will be based on the evaluations conducted. Program budget information is not releasable.

Question 11: Can we propose an investigation which addresses topic 1 and topic 2 and provides either a big data analytics solution to cybersecurity or an architecture which facilitates both the performance and the security of your big data analytics systems?

Answer: It is up the offeror to propose solutions under topic or combination of topics under the

BAA.

Question 12: Will the due date for full proposals be adjusted to accommodate time for review and feedback on the pre-proposal, or is the August 29 date firm for all full proposals?

Answer: August 29 is firm for all proposals.

Question 13: I’m unable to determine from BAA W912HZ-16-BAA-02 whether or not Attachment C should be provided with pre-proposals. Can you please clarify?

Answer: Please see Question 9.

Question 14: In the BAA at https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=86a361b643f68c38c9b666b45df99c78, topic 2 ("Big Data Analytics") describes the use of "extreme data sets created by physics based, high-fidelity model processes." Would it be possible to learn more about the nature of these extreme data sets, such as where typical examples come from and what they are used for?

Answer: The data sets can be comprised of structured or unstructured data and will vary based on the specific R&D program. Data sets could include air or ground vehicle information. Examples of ground vehicle data would include vehicle subsystems, tire, track and soil models, powertrain data, etc. that would be aggregated to assist in trade space analysis. The data sets are typically generated from high performance computing codes but could be taken from other government databases. Similar data sets would be generated for rotary wing and fixed wing analysis.

Currently, example data sets are not available.

https://www.fbo.gov/utils/view?id=86a361b643f68c38c9b666b45df99c78

Question 15: Do you envision the results of topic 1 to be solutions which protect your lab, including your High Performance Computing Center, or solutions which use the High Performance Computing Center resources to run algorithms that enhance the security of the lab?

Answer: It’s the offeror's discretion of proposing solutions that can protect the ERDC, ITL and the HPCMP or to propose solutions that use HPCMP resources to enhance security of the HPCMP ecosystem.

Question 16: While the document states that the USACE ERDC will entertain Firm Fixed Price proposals, the preference is for a cost-reimbursable type contract. Will a submission of Firm Fixed price be unfavorably received?

Answer: It is up to the Offeror to propose a contract type.

Question 17: Our firm is a commercial software firm that has developed a robust cyber security platform (also called ColorTokens). We believe our technology has applicability in supporting distributed research on topics of national security sensitivity. We understand that we will submit reports to the Government as part of the funded research. On page 9 of the BAA, the document request submitters to distinguish between fundwhile the amental versus proprietary, industrial development, design, production and product utilization. We will submit White Paper for proprietary research, and as such expect results to be restricted in order to protect our intellectual property. Is proprietary research to be funded as part of this BAA?

Answer: All proposals received will be evaluated in accordance with criteria provided in the BAA announcement. Award decisions will be based on the evaluation criteria and funding availability. IP rights will be administered in accordance with DFARs clauses.