SPECIAL NOTICE
A -- Key Verification Assets Fund Program 2013 - BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN
- Notice Date
- 5/6/2013
- Notice Type
- Special Notice
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of State, Office of Acquisitions, Acquisition Management, 1735 N. Lynn St., Arlington, Virginia, 22209, United States
- ZIP Code
- 22209
- Solicitation Number
- BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN
- Archive Date
- 3/2/2014
- Point of Contact
- Benjamin Sherrill, Phone: 7038754983
- E-Mail Address
-
sherrillbd2@state.gov
(sherrillbd2@state.gov)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- VERIFICATION TECHNOLOGY RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT NEEDS BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN Note: This is an update of BAA-2012-DOS-AVC-VTRDN BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) FOR THE KEY VERIFICATION ASSETS FUND PROGRAM FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Broad Agency Announcement - annual update. Any updates or possible cancellation will be issued as an amendment to the BAA. This annual review and subsequent amendments to the BAA shall meet the requirement of FAR 35.016 to update the BAA notice no less frequently than annually. SECURITY: All submissions shall remain at the UNCLASSIFIED level. I. GENERAL INFORMATION 1. Requiring Agency: United States Department of State 2. Broad Agency Announcement Title: Key Verification Assets Fund Program 3. Broad Agency Announcement Number: BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN 4. Response Date: This announcement will remain open until 2400 hours Eastern Time on the closing date, 1 year from public posting. Proposals received after the closing date will not be reviewed or evaluated, please see the submission deadlines in Section IV Paragraph 4. 5. Program Summary: Background: The Department of State (DOS), Bureau of Arms Control, Verification and Compliance (AVC) through the Key Verification Assets Fund (V Fund) Program seeks ambitious, innovative research proposals to address requirements outlined in the UNCLASSIFIED Verification Technology Research and Development Needs (VTRDN) Document. AVC invites researchers and project managers to submit white papers for sustaining, researching, developing, or acquiring technologies or programs relating to the verification of chemical, biological, nuclear and missiles arms control, nonproliferation, and disarmament agreements or commitments. The V Fund program continues the Department of State's objective to find innovative approaches to current and future arms control, and nonproliferation policy implementation challenges through exchanges between the science and technology, policy and intelligence communities. The program supports and preserves critical verification assets and promotes the development of new technologies, improves and expands analytical tools, models, data and metrics applicable in the science and policy decision-making process. The intent of the V Fund is to be "seed money" for the Department to encourage other agencies either to develop new technologies or to adapt existing projects to the needs of arms control verification, and therefore its resources are, by design, modest relative to the scope of its mission. The program requests annual project white papers ranging from the basic science level to assistance for the operation of a fully developed capability. The V Fund program welcomes white papers from individuals or multi-investigator research projects, experimental and on-going research by government organizations, national laboratories, academia, and industry. White papers must consider issues affecting arms control and nonproliferation. 6. FY14 Requirements: The V Fund will select a number of proposals for FY2013 and FY2014 funding. The number will depend on resources available and on the quantity/quality of proposals responsive to this BAA. Offerors are invited to propose research and technologies that address topics within the UNCLASSIFIED Verification Technology Research and Development Needs (VTRDN) Document, located with this announcement. 7. Communications: Prospective offerors may contact the technical points of contact (listed below) to verify interest in the effort to be proposed PRIOR to committing any resources to the preparation of any white papers in response to the BAA. Discussions shall not include content or rating information of other offeror's proposals or White Papers. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Questions outside the scope of the technical focal point, such as contract terms and conditions, or projected award schedule, should be referred to the contracting officer (CO). Only COs are legally authorized to commit the Government. 8. Points of Contact: Any questions regarding this announcement must be provided to the points of contact below. All questions shall be submitted in writing by e-mail. Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to: Contracting Officer: Benjamin Sherrill 1701 N. Ft. Meyer Drive Rosslyn, VA 22209 703-875-4983 E-mail: sherrillbd2@state.gov Questions of a technical nature shall be directed to: V-Fund Program Manager: Astrid Lewis Email: VFund@state.gov 202-647-5075 Requirements/Needs: Daniel Wurmser Email: wurmserda@state.gov 202-647-0854 9. Contract Instruments/Awards: Multiple awards are anticipated. Awards under this BAA will be made to offerors on the basis of the evaluation criteria contained in Section IV, paragraph 5. Awards will be subject to the availability of funds. The State Department anticipates that Awards because of this BAA will be in the form of negotiated contracts, purchase orders or Interagency Acquisition Agreement through existing contract vehicles from the Department of Defense, Department of Energy, or any agency, entity, or other component of the intelligence community. II. AWARD INFORMATION The amount and period of performance of each selected proposal may vary depending on the research area and the technical approach pursued by the selected offeror. The period of performance is typically twelve (12) months from the effective date of award by the contracting officer. The Department of State plans to make multiple awards under this BAA, which represents the best value to the Government in accordance with the evaluation criteria contained in Section III, Evaluation Criteria of BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN. DOS is seeking institutions and participants for this program that are capable of supporting the goals and desired outcomes as described in this BAA. Offerors have the opportunity to be creative in the selection of the technical and management processes and approaches to address the areas of interest described in the UNCLASSIFIED Verification Technology Research and Development Needs Document. DOS anticipates approximately $1.8 million will be available to make V Fund approved awards. This information is only an estimate and does not obligate the Government in any way. Estimated funding amounts may increase or decrease at anytime based on current and future appropriations. There is no set limit on the award levels for each proposal: however, approved cost proposals are generally anticipated to fall between $500 and $150,000. III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: This BAA is open to all interested parties, including Federally Funded Research Development Centers (FFRDC), government, national, academic (college and university) laboratories and non-government organizations. IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 1. Application and Submission Process: White papers that do not meet format requirements may be rejected without further review or evaluation. An individual at a qualified institution wishing to apply for an award must submit a white paper and quad chart as described in Section II. The submission shall follow the procedures and formats described under the proposal preparation guidance found in Section IV Paragraph 2 "Form of Proposal" and Section IV Paragraph 3 "Form and Content of White Papers." Offerors must identify on each page information considered proprietary by marking their submissions with the restrictive language contained in FAR 52.215-1(e), Instructions to Offerors - Competitive Acquisition. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number, a fax number, and an e-mail address. Individual white paper evaluations will be based on acceptability or unacceptability without regard to other information submitted under this BAA. No further notice will be provided to offerors submitting offers responsive to this BAA. All submissions shall remain at the unclassified level. 2. Form of Proposals White Paper/Quad Chart: This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. Do not submit a formal proposal at this time. The purpose of the white paper and quad chart (referred to as white paper throughout) is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government. A rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost estimate is needed in the white paper, although not at the level of detail as required in response to a request for proposal (RFP) issued by the Contracting Officer (CO) at a later stage of the process. The ROM cost estimate should be consistent with any dollar value or ranges specified in the announcement, as well as the level of work being proposed. White papers must sufficiently detail the concept's technical merit and its potential contributions to the AVC's mission. White papers will be accepted at any time. Technical reviews/selection points may be conducted based on the needs of AVC at anytime. However, white papers are estimated to be evaluated bi-annually on February 15 and June 15. Selectee(s) will be requested to provide full proposals upon completion of the technical review. Other than white papers, no proposals should be submitted. A letter requesting a proposal (RFP) will be issued by the Contracting Officer (CO) as determined by a peer or scientific review of a white paper. Due dates and times will be specified in each letter requesting a proposal issued by the CO. White papers found to be consistent with the requirements of the BAA may be invited to submit a formal technical and cost proposal. An invitation to submit a proposal does not assure that the offeror will be awarded a subsequent contract. If requested to submit a formal proposal the offeror will be requested to do so in accordance with the RFP. There will be no other announcement issued for this requirement. Offerors MUST monitor Federal Business Opportunities website at http://www.fbo.gov in the event this announcement is amended. 3. Form and Content of White Papers White papers submitted under this BAA are expected to be unclassified. Titles given to the White Papers/Full Proposals should be descriptive of the work they cover and not be merely a copy of the title of this solicitation. White papers that do not meet format requirements may be rejected without further review or evaluation. Offerors must be registered in the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) in order to be eligible for contract award. White Papers Format - All Pages: • Paper size - 8.5 X 11 inch paper with type not smaller than 12 point. Smaller font may be used for figures, tables and charts. The page limitation for abstracts includes all figures, tables, and charts. • Margins - 1 inch • Spacing - single spaced • Maximum number of pages Permitted: 6 pages (excluding cover page and quad chart) White Paper Content: White paper shall be submitted by e-mail ONLY to VCI-BAA@state.gov and contain the following information. • BAA Number "BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN" • Proposal Title: Name of the project. • Proposal Summary: Use the attached quad chart format. This is separate from the project description below. • Project Description: 3 single spaced pages is the maximum length of the project description. • Project Duration: 12 months or less. • Project Projection: $500.00 - $150,000.00: Proposals must provide a rough order of magnitude (ROM) cost estimate. The ROM cost estimate should be consistent with any dollar value or ranges specified in the announcement, as well as the level of work being proposed. White papers should avoid proprietary or data not critical to the idea being presented. The V fund program provides modest funds for science and technology projects that have applicability towards arms control verification and transparency technologies. • Principal Investigator(s): List all principal investigators and organizations and the role of each investigator in the project. • Partner, Collaborator and End User: List all partners and collaborators along with their respective organizations and potential end users. It should be clear which individual(s) are conducting what phase or portions of the research AND/OR are funding aspects of the proposal. Any information relating to the transition to an end user(s) should be identified. • Administrative and Financial Contact: Provide the name, address, phone/fax, e-mail address of the points of contact. Quad Chart Format: (See PDF Version) 4. Timeline for Proposal Submission and Selection: This announcement will remain open until 2400 Eastern Time on the closing date. White papers and proposals will be accepted throughout the open period of BAA-2013-DOS-AVC-VTRDN. This announcement will remain open until replaced by a successor BAA, whichever occurs first. White papers evaluation occurs bi-annually. Selectee will provide full proposal within six weeks of selection process. PROPOSAL ACTIVITIES DATE White Paper Submission Ongoing White Paper Evaluation Tranche 1 15 June 2013 White Paper Evaluation Tranche 2 15 February 2014 BAA Update 17 Annually 5. Evaluation Criteria: The white paper will be evaluated utilizing a peer or scientific review process and shall be evaluated based on the following criteria that are listed in "DESCENDING" order of importance: • Overall scientific and technical merits; • Importance/potential to the AVC's mission areas; • Fund availability/affordability White papers will be evaluated based on the evaluation criteria, for the likelihood of providing solutions for requirements in the annual UNCLASSIFIED Verification Technology Research and Development Needs (VTRDN) Document. The VTRDN outlines the capabilities that need to be developed to assist the Department of State and other policymakers in evaluating compliance activities, developing transparency initiatives, or enabling verification of treaties and agreements. V. OTHER INFORMATION FULL AND OPEN COMPETITION: This acquisition is unrestricted. This BAA is issued under the provisions of Federal Acquisition Regulation paragraph 6.102(d)(2) that provides for the competitive selection of research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to approved whitepapers issued pursuant to this BAA that are selected for award are considered to be the results of full and open competition and in full compliance with the provisions of PL 98-369, the Competition In Contracting Act of 1984. ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Organizational Conflict of Interest may apply to this action but cannot be determined prior to issuance of this announcement. This issue and the need for applicable clauses will be resolved prior to the award of any instrument resulting from an offeror's proposal. ASSOCIATE CONTRACTOR AGREEMENTS: Associate Contractor Agreements (ACAs) are agreements between contractors working on government contract projects that specify requirements for them to share information, data, technical knowledge, expertise, or resources. The contracting officer may require ACAs when contractors working on separate government contracts must cooperate, share resources or otherwise jointly participate in working on contracts or projects. Prime contractor to subcontractor relationships do not constitute ACAs. For each award, the contracting officer will identify associate contractors with whom agreements are required. FORWARD PRICING RATE AGREEMENTS: Offerors who have forward pricing rate agreements (FPRA's) and forward pricing rate recommendations (FPRR's) should submit them with their proposal. NON-GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL: All proprietary material should be clearly marked and will be held in strict confidence. The program office has contracted for various non-government scientific, engineering, technical and administrative staff support services, some of which require contractors to obtain access to proprietary information submitted by other contractors. All non-government contractor support personnel have signed and are bound by the appropriate non-disclosure agreements and organizational conflict of interest statements. FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS (FFRDCS): FFRDCs may submit proposals in response to this announcement. FFRDCs or contractors that propose using FFRDCs shall provide rationale in its proposal that the research is within the purpose, mission, general scope of effort or special competency of the FFRDC and that research to be performed would not place the FFRDC in direct competition with the private sector. The Government does not intend that FFRDCs use privileged information or access to facilities to compete with the private sector. NAICS CODE: The applicable NAICS code for this announcement is 541712 -- Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology), with a size standard of 500.
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