SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Brood of Spectrum Supremacy (BOSS)
- Notice Date
- 4/5/2005
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541710
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Contracts Management Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, 22203-1714
- ZIP Code
- 22203-1714
- Solicitation Number
- BAA05-30
- Response Due
- 4/6/2006
- Archive Date
- 4/21/2006
- Description
- A. Overview Information I. Federal Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Information Processing Technology Office II. Funding Opportunity Title: Brood of Spectrum Supremacy (BOSS) III. Announcement Type: Initial Broad Agency Announcement IV. Funding Opportunity Number: BAA 05-30 V. CFDA Number: 12.910 VI. Key Dates a. Initial Closing: 12:00 Noon (ET), May 19, 2005 b. Final Closing: 12:00 Noon (ET), April 6, 2006 c. All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal to this BAA, must be received at one of the administrative addresses below by 12:00 Noon (ET) March 23, 2006 d. DARPA will hold an Industry Day for qualified proposers on April 12, 2005, at 8:00 AM (ET). Details and registration information can be found at https://www.schafertmd.com/boss/ B. Full text of announcement The Information Processing Technology Office (IPTO) of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals for Brood of Spectrum Supremacy (BOSS), a new program to develop software coordination managers that provide coordination support to fielded human units, e.g., tactical teams. In addition to this BAA and before submitting proposals, a prospective offeror MUST refer to the BOSS Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP) located at the DARPA website, http://www.darpa.mil/ipto/solicitations/solicitations.htm for further information. The BOSS PIP contains additional details on the program objectives, application space, program description, evaluation plans and metrics, program scope, general information, submission process, reporting requirements and procedures, proposal format, evaluation and funding processes, and administrative addresses. Additionally, all information MUST be handled in accordance with the BOSS Security Classification Guide (SCG), which is available to eligible contractors. Refer herein to paragraph IV. 2. c. or the BOSS PIP for instructions on how to obtain a copy of the BOSS SCG. I. Funding Opportunity Description PROGRAM SCOPE DARPA. 1.1 BROOD OF SPECTRUM SUPREMACY (BOSS) Cooperative use of computational and software-defined radio capabilities, in aggregate, offer the potential for breakthrough capabilities in warfighter situational awareness. Therefore, by using software-defined radios, the goal of the BOSS program is to provide a radio frequency (RF) spectrum analogue to night vision capabilities for the tactical warfighter, with a particular focus on RF-rich urban operations. 1.1.1 BOSS TECHNICAL AREAS. The capabilities of interest to DARPA are: a. Mobile Distributed Receivers for military applications, e.g., local-area radars, local-area bistatic radars and geolocation. b. Cooperative close-in detection, location and characterization of RF emitters in an urban environment. c. Network understanding, based on cooperative observation and analysis of adversary communications by multiple distributed nodes. While these capabilities are of interest, other imaginative proposals for mobile software radios operating as an aggregate are strongly encouraged in this initial solicitation. 1.1.2 BOSS CHALLENGES: a. Developing a theoretical analysis of the tradespace for the proposed capability in the face of varying numbers of moving elements of varying capabilities (e.g., RF and processing) at varying distances and locations. b. Working within the software-defined radio tradespace to refine the capabilities of Software Communications Architecture (SCA) compliant platforms. c. Validating algorithms and implementations for network understanding tasks that could, for example, identify likely commanders and command posts. 1.1.3 BOSS PROGRAMMATICS AND SCHEDULING. Proposals should be for a base period of 12 months (Phase I). Proposers are encouraged to provide for optional tasks to pursue efforts in Phase II (18 months), Phase III (18 months) and Phase IV (12 months). Funding beyond Phase I will be subject to satisfactory progress of BOSS research toward achieving goal metrics described below, and DARPA priorities. BOSS Phase I activities will be focused on modeling and simulation, resulting in hardware independent executable specifications of waveforms in a MATLAB format. These waveform specifications will be evaluated as a basis for the BOSS program entering Phase II. Phase II is focused on implementing a prototype demonstration capability for an RF platform chosen by the proposer, with the implementation accompanied by hardware independent executable specifications of the waveforms. The demonstrated capability will serve as the basis for the BOSS program entering Phase III. Phase III will focus on SCA compliant waveforms suitable for implementation on a tactical software radio system. Based on performance of the capability, one or more of the capabilities will be integrated and transitioned as a set in Phase IV. To support the evaluation of program metrics, offerors must explicitly state in their proposals a plan for providing deliverables including, but not limited to, documentation for building and installation, user manuals, and support for evaluation by the Independent Test and Evaluation (ITE) Team. 1.1.4 BOSS INTEGRATION. The BOSS Program will have one or more systems integrators whose tasks will focus on software portability, maintenance, validation and partnering in merging of the software capabilities onto a common platform (if the earlier phases of the effort are successful). Since technical performer software deliverables will be covered by the BOSS Program security classification guide, the system integrator must possess facilities appropriate for storage of documents and software at the Top Secret level. 1.2 BOSS SECURITY CONSIDERATIONS The BOSS program will require access up to U.S. TOP SECRET information. A program Security Classification Guide (SCG) for this program is available on request and required for guidance on proposal preparation. Performers must have required U.S. personnel clearances, cleared facilities, storage, and processing capabilities to bid on this solicitation. Please see administrative contact information in the PIP for details on receiving the SCG. Performers should include a plan for secure communications between team members and the government to include secure voice and data as necessary. Plans should detail what equipment will be requisitioned or purchased, the timeframes for obtaining and setting up secure communications networks and contingency plans. Proposals containing classified information from another sponsor must seek prior approval from the sponsor before including the information. Instructions for sending classified material to DARPA are included in the PIP. Additionally, innovative proposals dealing with non-collateral classification levels will be considered on a case by case basis. Offerors desiring to submit proposals that are classified at non-collateral levels should contact the BOSS Government Security Officer listed below. 1.3 BOSS PUBLIC RELEASE Any public release of information will be governed by the DD Form 254 invoked by an award, the requirements of which will be levied upon all sub-contractors or consultants. 1.4 BOSS GOAL METRICS The metrics for the BOSS Program will be discussed at the BOSS Industry Day. 1.5 INDEPENDENT TEST AND EVALUATION (ITE) The independent test and evaluator will be responsible for assessing progress toward the BOSS goal metrics for each phase of the program. This is not a solicitation for proposals to perform independent test and evaluation tasks. II. Award Information The Government reserves the right to select all, some portion, or none of the proposals received in response to this solicitation and to make awards without discussions with offerors; however, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Source Selection Authority later determines them to be necessary. Proposals identified for funding may result in a contract or other transaction depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between the parties, and other factors. If warranted, portions of resulting awards may be segregated into pre-priced options. III. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible Applicants This BAA solicits proposals from all interested and qualified sources. All participants and/or individuals must meet security clearance requirements as determined in the program Security Classification Guide (SCG) for the BOSS Program and comply with any necessary non-disclosure agreements, security regulations, export laws, and other governing statutes that would be applicable under the circumstances. Finally, the SCG for the BOSS Program is authoritative on all security requirements and guidance. In the event of discrepancies between information presented in this announcement and the BOSS SCG, the BOSS SCG takes precedence. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal that shall be considered by DARPA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals. However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of this research for exclusive competition among these entities. Awards made under this BAA may be subject to the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 9.5, Organizational Conflict of Interest. All offerors and proposed subcontractors must affirmatively state whether they are supporting any DARPA technical office(s) through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the offeror supports, and identify the prime contract number. Affirmations should be furnished at the time of proposal submission. All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest, as that term is defined in FAR 2.101, must be disclosed in Section I (Technical Volume I) of the proposal, organized by task and year. This disclosure shall include a description of the action the Contractor has taken, or proposes to take, to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate such conflict. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing is not required for this particular program; however, cost sharing will be carefully considered where there is an applicable statutory condition relating to the selected funding instrument (e.g., for any Technology Investment Agreement under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2371). IV. Application and Submission Information 1. Address to Request Application Package This announcement contains or refers to all information required to submit a proposal. No additional forms, kits, or other materials are needed. [NOTE: See paragraph 6, Other Submission Requirements, for reference to the PIP.] 2. Content and Form of Application Submission a. This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) requires completion of a BAA Cover Sheet for each Proposal prior to submission. This cover sheet can be accessed at the following URL: http://www.dyncorp-is.com/BAA/index.asp?BAAid=05-30 After finalizing the BAA Cover Sheet, the proposer must print the BAA Confirmation Sheet that will automatically appear on the web page. Each proposer is responsible for printing the BAA Confirmation Sheet and attaching it to every copy. The Confirmation Sheet should be the first page of the Proposal. If a proposer intends on submitting more than one Proposal, a unique UserId and password must be used in creating each BAA Cover Sheet. Failure to comply with these submission procedures may result in the submission not being evaluated. b. DD Form 254. Contract award is expected to result in access to classified U.S. TOP SECRET information. A DD Form 254 will be issued upon contract award. If you choose to submit a classified proposal you must first receive the permission of the Original Classification Authority to use their information in replying to this BAA. c. Security Classification Guide. A Security Classification Guide (SCG) from DARPA is available to eligible contractors in order to properly protect any information submitted into this program solicitation. To obtain a copy of the Security Classification Guide, (which is For Official Use Only), please contact: Eugene E. McGoldrick Government Security Officer, Brood of Spectrum Supremacy (BOSS) emcgoldrick@darpa.mil d. New Requirements/Procedures. The Award Document for each proposal selected and funded will contain a mandatory requirement for submission of DARPA/IPTO Quarterly Status Reports and an Annual Project Summary Report. All unclassified reports will be submitted electronically via the DARPA/IPTO Technical-Financial Information Management System (T-FIMS), utilizing the government-furnished Uniform Resource Locator (URL) on the World Wide Web (WWW). Further details may be found in the Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP). e. Proposal Format. Proposers must submit an original and 4 copies of the full proposal and 2 electronic copies (i.e., 2 separate disks) of the full proposal (in PDF or Microsoft Word 2000 for IBM-compatible format on a 3.5-inch floppy disk or CD-R). Mac-formatted disks will not be accepted. Each disk must be clearly labeled with BAA 05-30, proposer organization, proposal title (short title recommended) and Copy number of 2. Refer to the PIP for classified proposal requirements. 3. Submission Dates and Times The full proposal (original and designated number of hard and electronic copies) must be submitted in time to reach DARPA by 12:00 NOON (ET) May 19, 2005, in order to be considered during the initial evaluation phase. However, BAA 05-30, Brood of Spectrum Supremacy (BOSS) will remain open until 12:00 NOON (ET) April 6, 2006. Thus, proposals may be submitted at any time from issuance of this BAA through April 6, 2006. While the proposals submitted after the May 19, 2005, deadline will be evaluated by the Government, proposers should keep in mind that the likelihood of funding such proposals is less than for those proposals submitted in connection with the initial evaluation and award schedule. DARPA will acknowledge receipt of submissions and assign control numbers that should be used in all further correspondence regarding proposals. 4. Intergovernmental Review ? N/A 5. Funding Restrictions Authorization of precontract costs will be considered in situations of genuine urgency where programmatic benefits will accrue from their use. 6. Other Submission Requirements Proposers must obtain the BAA 05-30 Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP), which provides further information on the areas of interest, submission, evaluation, funding processes, proposal formats, and instructions on how to obtain a copy of the BOSS SCG. This PIP will be posted directly to FedBizOpps.gov and may also be obtained at URL address http://www.darpa.mil/ipto/Solicitations/solicitations.htm. Proposals not meeting the format described in the pamphlet may not be reviewed. This notice, in conjunction with the BAA 05-30 PIP and all references, constitutes the total BAA. No additional information is available, nor will a formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded. V. Application Review Information 1. Criteria (listed in descending order of relative importance): (1) Overall Scientific, Technical Merit and Soundness of Approach: The overall scientific and technical merit must be clearly identifiable and compelling. The technical concepts should be clearly defined and developed. The technical approach must be sufficiently detailed to support the proposed concepts and technical claims. Proposals for integration and independent test and evaluation tasks must present a concise methodology for their approach. Evaluation will also consider the effectiveness of the system integration and management plan. (2) Innovative Technical Solution to the Problem: Offerors should apply new and/or existing technology in an innovative way that supports the objectives of the proposed effort. The proposed concepts and systems should show breadth of innovation across all the dimensions of the proposed solution. Offerors must also specify quantitative experimental methods and metrics for measuring progress of the effort. (3) Offeror's Capabilities and Related Experience: The qualifications, capabilities, and demonstrated achievements of the proposed principals and other key personnel for the primary and subcontractor organizations must be clearly shown. (4) Plans and Capability to Accomplish Technology Transition: The offeror should consider involving potential military transition partners, as appropriate, in any proposed experiments, tests and demonstrations. Offerors should also provide a plan for transition of appropriate technology components and information to the user community. (5) Cost Realism: The overall estimated costs should be clearly justified and appropriate for the technical complexity of the effort. Evaluation will consider the value of the research to the government and the extent to which the proposed management plan will effectively allocate resources to achieve the capabilities proposed 2. Review and Selection Process It is the policy of DARPA to ensure impartial, equitable, comprehensive evaluation of all proposals and to select the source (or sources) whose offer meets the Government?s technical and policy goals. Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished through a scientific review of each proposal, using the above criteria. Proposals will not be evaluated against each other, since they are not submitted in accordance with a common work statement. DARPA's intent is to review proposals as soon as possible after they arrive; however, proposals may be reviewed periodically for administrative reasons. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, proposals may be handled for administrative purposes by support contractors. These support contractors are prohibited from competition in DARPA technical research and are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. Input on technical aspects of the proposals may be solicited by DARPA from non-Government consultants /experts who are also bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. However, non-Government technical consultants/experts will not have access to proposals that are labeled by their offerors as Government Only. Use of non-government personnel is covered in FAR 37.203(d). VI. Award Information Administration 1. Award Notices Principal Investigators will receive a letter informing them of the disposition of their proposal via U.S. mail. 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements - N/A 3. Reporting Post-award reporting requirements are set forth in Section B.I, Funding Opportunity Description. Additional details are contained in the Proposer Information Pamphlet. VII. Agency Contacts Fax: (703) 741-7804 Addressed to: DARPA/IPTO, BAA 05-30 Electronic Mail: BAA05-30@darpa.mil Electronic File Retrieval: http://www.darpa.mil/ipto/Solicitations/solicitations.htm Mail to: DARPA/IPTO ATTN: BAA 05-30 3701 N. Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22203-1714
- Record
- SN00782451-W 20050407/050405213254 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
-
FedBizOpps.gov Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)
| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |