SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Cyber Asymmetric Force Applications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems
- Notice Date
- 11/10/2016
- Notice Type
- Presolicitation
- NAICS
- 541712
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences (except Biotechnology)
- Contracting Office
- Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL/RIK - Rome, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, New York, 13441-4514, United States
- ZIP Code
- 13441-4514
- Solicitation Number
- FA8750-17-S-7001
- Point of Contact
- Gail E. Marsh, Phone: 315-330-7518
- E-Mail Address
-
Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil
(Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil)
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- NAICS CODE: 541712 FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) TITLE: Cyber Asymmetric Force Applications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems BAA ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement BAA NUMBER: FA8750-17-S-7001 CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) Number: 12.800 & 12.910 I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION: The Air Force Research Laboratory is soliciting white papers under this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for research, development, integration, test and evaluation of technologies/techniques to advance the technology and/or increase the knowledge, understanding and capability of cyber operations technologies that can address current Department of Defense (DoD) gaps in operational asymmetric campaigns and force protection capabilities through rapid prototyping efforts. This includes integration research into technology and approaches to better equip the warfighter. Concepts at the intersection of the areas of Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), Electronic Warfare (EW) and Cyber Operations technologies are sought in this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). Development proposals, specifically as applies to new ideas/concepts for practical application, are of interest. Research efforts under this program are expected to result in experimental capabilities, concepts, theory, and applications addressing cyber operations problems and asymmetric threats to support the future needs of units including 1st Air Force - AFNORTH, 24th Air Force, 25th Air Force, Air Force Global Strike Command, Air Force Security Forces Center, and other government agencies. Projects specializing in highly novel, interesting, and applicable techniques will also be considered if deemed to be of "breakthrough" quality and importance. The effectiveness of the developed technologies for potential operational use will be assessed through preplanned testing and evaluation activities. Rapid prototyping of technologies that can be transitioned for operational use are of high interest, and will be assessed for transition through other contract vehicles; this BAA is for the research and development phases. Offerors are encouraged to describe the pre-conditions and assumptions that are necessary for the proposed techniques to work effectively. Broad topics of interest include: maturing, integrating, and testing C2 and detection capabilities of unmanned aircraft systems; developing new and applying currently available cyber operations technologies for use in airborne and ground platforms; developing technologies to better equip the warfighter for force and materiel protection operations; automatic decision making and enabling autonomy in cyberspace operations; developing concepts and capabilities that intersect the areas of SIGINT, EW and Cyber for asymmetric force applications; and developing big data analytics methods for asymmetric for non-traditional technologies and weapon systems. As stated above, breakthrough research will be considered outside these focus areas if compatible with BAA goals. Additional technical information relevant to this BAA is contained in a 6-page classified addendum dated 13 Sep 2016. The addendum's classification level is SECRET. If you wish to review the classified addendum prior to submission, please follow the guidance below. A DD 254 is attached to this BAA for further guidance. To obtain a copy of the classified addendum and the appropriate Security Classification Guide, which provides instructions and guidelines on the classification/declassification of information and submission materials, offerors must send a request to the BAA cognizant technical point of contacts listed in Section VII, and provide the following information: Full Company Name Classified mailing address Cage Code Facility Security Officer (FSO) name and phone number Technical POC name and phone number Classified Email Address, if applicable POSSIBLE BASE SUPPORT OPPORTUNITIES: Successful Offerors may be provided access to the AFRL/RI Stockbridge Experimentation and Test Facility on a non-interference basis, during normal duty hours. The Stockbridge Facility is a 300 acre world class facility providing a truly unique capability to support real world, outdoor and tactical edge experimentation for a wide range of technologies. Our certification by the FAA provides us the ability to conduct airborne testing utilizing our fleet of small unmanned aerial systems, providing the ability for controlled experiments in a dynamic environment. This infrastructure supports the cost effective testing and development of technologies envisioned for use in ground based and/or airborne configurations. Additionally access may include office and laboratory space within the AFRL/RI (Information Directorate) Rome NY, Building 3, if required. All requests for access will be considered on a case-by-case basis. II. AWARD INFORMATION: 1. FUNDING: Total funding for this BAA is approximately $49.9M. The anticipated funding to be obligated under this BAA is broken out by fiscal year as follows: FY17 - $10M FY18 - $10M FY19 - $10M FY20 - $10M FY21 - $9.9M Individual awards will not normally exceed 36 months with dollar amounts normally ranging from $250K to $3M. There is also the potential to make awards up to any dollar value. The Government reserves the right to select all, part, or none of the proposals received, subject to the availability of funds. All potential Offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations, funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice. 2. FORM. Awards of efforts as a result of this announcement will be in the form of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements or other transactions depending upon the nature of the work proposed. 3. BAA TYPE: This is a two-step open broad agency announcement. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. As STEP ONE - The Government is only soliciting white papers at this time. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL. Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal, see Section VI of this announcement for further details regarding the proposal. III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: All qualified offerors who meet the requirements of this BAA may apply. This BAA is closed to foreign participation at the Prime Contractor level. Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) companies who have mitigated FOCI may inquire as to eligibility by contacting the contracting office focal point, Gail E. Marsh, Contracting Officer, telephone (315) 330-7518 or e-mail Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil for verification prior to submitting a white paper. Please reference BAA #: FA8750-17-S-7001. IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION: All responses to this announcement must be addressed to the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) listed in SECTION VII. DO NOT send white papers to the Contracting Officer. 1. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES: It is recommended that white papers be received by 2 PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the following dates to maximize the possibility of award: FY17 by 31 Jan 2017 FY18 by 31 Jan 2018 FY19 by 31 Jan 2019 FY20 by 31 Jan 2020 FY21 by 29 Jan 2021 White papers will be accepted until 2 PM EST on 30 Sep 2021, but it is less likely that funding will be available in each respective fiscal year after the dates cited. This BAA will close on 30 Sep 2021. All offerors submitting white papers will be contacted by the TPOC, referenced in Section VII of this announcement. Offerors can email the TPOC for status of their white paper/proposal no earlier than 45 days after submission. 2. CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit three (3) copies of a 3 to 5 page white paper summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government. The white paper will be formatted as follows: a. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact (phone, fax and email)(this section is NOT included in the page count); b. Section B: Task Objective; and c. Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables. All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, their Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, a fax number, an e-mail address, and reference BAA #: FA8750-17-S-7001 with their submission. Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b). 3. HANDLING AND MAILING INSTRUCTIONS: a. CLASSIFICATION GUIDANCE. All Proposers should review the NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY PROGRAM OPERATING MANUAL, (NISPOM), dated February 28, 2006 and incorporating Change 1, dated March 28, 2013, as it provides baseline standards for the protection of classified information and prescribes the requirements concerning Contractor Developed Information under paragraph 4-105. Defense Security Service (DSS) Site for the NISPOM is: http://www.dss.mil/. In the event of a possible or actual compromise of classified information in the submission of your white paper or proposal, immediately but no later than 24 hours, bring this to the attention of your cognizant security authority and AFRL Rome Research Site Information Protection Office (IPO): Vincent Guza, IPO 315-330-4048 0730-1630 Monday-Friday 315-330-2961 Evenings and Weekends Email: vincent.guza@us.af.mil b. CLASSIFIED SUBMISSIONS. AFRL/RIGB will accept classified responses to this BAA when the classification is mandated by classification guidance provided by an Original Classification Authority of the U.S. Government, or when the offeror believes the work, if successful, would merit classification. Security classification guidance in the form of a DD Form 254 (DoD Contract Security Classification Specification) will not be provided at this time since AFRL is soliciting ideas only. Offerors that intend to include classified information or data in their white paper submission or who are unsure about the appropriate classification of their white papers should contact the technical point of contact listed in Section VII for guidance and direction in advance of preparation. c. MAILING INSTRUCTIONS. All classified responses to this announcement must be sent U.S. Postal Service, registered mail to the address below and reference BAA #: FA8750-17-S-7001 and TPOC on the inner envelope. Use classification and marking guidance provided by previously issued security classification guides, the Information Security Regulation (DoD 5200.1-R), and the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (DoD 5220.22-M) when marking and transmitting information previously classified by another original classification authority. Classified information at the Confidential and Secret level may be mailed via U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Registered Mail. For proposals of higher classification levels or for alternate submission mechanisms please contact the technical POC listed in Section VII. When mailing, ensure the response is appropriately marked, sealed, and mailed in accordance with the classified material handling procedures. The classified mailing address is: AFRL/RIGB 525 Brooks Road Rome NY 13441-4505 Reference BAA #: FA8750-17-S-7001. When mailing either classified or unclassified documentation, follow the directions regarding the number of copies required. If the offeror has a secure email system, they may submit their papers via it to usaf.rome.afrl-information-directorate.mbx.afrl-rigb-baa17-01@mail.smil.mil. Please contact the TPOC in Section VII prior to sending. All unclassified electronic submission shall be emailed to afrl.rigb.baa17-01@us.af.mil. Encrypt or password-protect all proprietary information prior to sending. If electronic submission is used, only one (1) copy of all the documentation is required. For all electronic submissions: Offerors are responsible to confirm receipt with the technical POC listed in Section VII. AFRL is not responsible for undelivered documents. Questions can be directed to the technical POC listed in Section VII. 4. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS/CONSIDERATIONS: a. COST SHARING OR MATCHING: Cost sharing is not a requirement. b. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM). Offerors must be registered in the SAM database to receive a contract award, and remain registered during performance and through final payment of any contract or agreement. Processing time for registration in SAM, which normally takes forty-eight hours, should be taken into consideration when registering. Offerors who are not already registered should consider applying for registration before submitting a proposal. The provision at FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Jul 2013) applies. c. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND FIRST-TIER SUBCONTRACT/ SUBRECIPIENT AWARDS: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at FAR 52.204-10 - Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Oct 2015). Any grant or agreement award resulting from this announcement may contain the award term set forth in 2 CFR, Appendix A to Part 25 which can be viewed at: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8fb6c83606df57968c3e7e145e7d683c&mc=true&node=ap2.1.25_1360.a&rgn= div9 d. ALLOWABLE CHARGES: The cost of preparing white papers/proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract, but may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18. Incurring pre-award costs for ASSISTANCE INSTRUMENTS ONLY are regulated by the DoD Grant and Agreements Regulations (DODGARS). e. GOVERNMENT APPROVED ACCOUNTING SYSTEM: An offeror must have a government approved accounting system prior to award of a cost-reimbursement contract per limitations set forth in FAR 16.301-3(a) to ensure the system is adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract. The acceptability of an accounting system is determined based upon an audit performed by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). IMPORTANT: If you do not have a DCAA approved accounting system access the following link for instructions: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab= core&_cview=1 V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION: 1. CRITERIA: The following criteria, which are of equal importance and will be used to determine whether white papers and proposals submitted are consistent with the intent of this BAA and of interest to the Government: a. Overall Scientific and Technical Merit - The soundness of approach for the development and/or enhancement of the proposed technology, b. The potential contributions of the effort to the U.S. Air Force Cyber Asymmetric Force Applications for Unmanned Aircraft Systems mission, c. Related Experience - The extent to which the offeror demonstrates relevant technology and domain knowledge including experience and qualification of the types of personnel proposed and the quantity and quality of the offeror's experience relevant to the requirements. This include an understanding of Air Force and/or Joint cyber operations, and SIGINT/EW tools, platforms, and processes, d. Openness, Maturity and Assurance of Solution - The extent to which existing capabilities and standards are leveraged and the relative maturity of the proposed technology, and e. Reasonableness and Realism of Proposed Costs and Fees (if any). No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting white papers/proposals. White papers and proposals submitted will be evaluated as they are received. 2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS: Only Government employees will evaluate the white papers/proposals for selection. The Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate has contracted for various business and staff support services, some of which require contractors to obtain administrative access to proprietary information submitted by other contractors. Administrative access is defined as "handling or having physical control over information for the sole purpose of accomplishing the administrative functions specified in the administrative support contract, which do not require the review, reading, and comprehension of the content of the information on the part of non-technical professionals assigned to accomplish the specified administrative tasks." These contractors have signed general non-disclosure agreements and organizational conflict of interest statements. The required administrative access will be granted to non-technical professionals. Examples of the administrative tasks performed include: a. Assembling and organizing information for R&D case files; b. Accessing library files for use by government personnel; and c. Handling and administration of proposals, contracts, contract funding and queries. Any objection to administrative access must be in writing to the Contracting Officer and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection. 3. ADEQUATE PRICE COMPETITION: The Government may simultaneously evaluate proposals received under this BAA with a common cutoff date for multiple offerors. In this case, the Government may make award based on adequate price competition, and offerors must be aware that there is a possibility of non-selection due to a proposal of similar but higher-priced technical approach as compared to another offeror. 4. FEDERAL AWARDEE PERFORMANCE AND INTEGRITY INFORMATION SYSTEM (FAPIIS) PUBLIC ACCESS: As required by 2 CFR 200 of the Uniform Guidance and FAR 9.104-6, the Government is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the FAPIIS before making any award in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $150,000) over the period of performance. An applicant may review and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding agency previously entered. The Government will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR § 200.205 Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants. VI. STEP TWO INFORMATION - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL & AWARD: 1. AWARD NOTICES: Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. Notification by email or letter will be sent by the TPOC. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a contract. Those white papers not selected to submit a proposal will be notified in the same manner. Prospective offerors are advised that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. For additional information, a copy of the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and Proposal Preparation Instructions, Dec 2014, may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab= core&_cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents. 2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS: Depending on the work to be performed, the offeror may require a SECRET or TOP SECRET/SCI facility clearance and safeguarding capability; therefore, personnel identified for assignment to a classified effort must be cleared for access to SECRET or TOP SECRET/SCI information at the time of award. In addition, the offeror may be required to have, or have access to, a certified and Government-approved facility to support work under this BAA. This acquisition may involve data that is subject to export control laws and regulations. Only contractors who are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp/ and have a legitimate business purpose may participate in this solicitation. For questions, contact DLIS on-line at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp or at the DLA Logistics Information Service, 74 Washington Avenue North, Battle Creek, Michigan 49037-3084, and telephone number 1-800-352-3572. You must submit a copy of your approved DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with your white paper/proposal. 3. DATA RIGHTS: a. SBIR RIGHTS. The potential for inclusion of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or data rights other than unlimited on awards is recognized. In accordance with (IAW) the Small Business Administration (SBA) SBIR Policy Directive, Section 8(b), SBIR data rights clauses are non-negotiable and must not be the subject of negotiations pertaining to an award, or diminished or removed during award administration. Issuance of an award will not be made conditional based on forfeit of data rights. If the SBIR awardee wishes to transfer its SBIR data rights to the Air Force or to a third party, it must do so in writing under a separate agreement. A decision by the awardee to relinquish, transfer, or modify in any way its SBIR data rights must be made without pressure or coercion by the agency or any other party. b. NON-SBIR RIGHTS. Non-SBIR data rights less than unlimited will be evaluated and negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Government Purpose Rights are anticipated for data developed with DoD-reimbursed Independent Research and Development (IR&D) funding. 4. REPORTING: a. Contract Applicable: Once a proposal has been selected for award, offerors will be given complete instructions on the submission process for the reports. b. FAPIIS Applicable: As required by 2 CFR 200 Appendix XII of the Uniform Guidance and FAR 9.104(c), non-federal entities (NFEs) are required to disclose in FAPIIS any information about criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings, and/or affirm that there is no new information to provide. This applies to NFEs that receive federal awards (currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts) greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of an award/project. 5. NOTICE: The following provisions* apply: (a) FAR 52.209-11, Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law (b) DFARS 252.239-7017, Notice of Supply Chain Risk (c) DFARS 252.204-7008, Compliance with Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Controls (d) DFARS 252.203-7996, Prohibition on Contracting with Entities that Requirement Certain Internal Confidentiality Agreements-Representation * Please note that the current versions or deviations of the related clauses will be included in any resulting contract. 6. GRANT AWARDS ONLY : For efforts proposed as grant awards, offerors must provide an abstract in their proposal (not to exceed one page) that is publically releasable and that describes - in terms the public may understand - the project or program supported by the grant. If the proposal is selected for award, the DoD will publically post the abstract to comply with Section 8123 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235). VII. AGENCY CONTACTS: All white paper and proposal submissions and any questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the cognizant TPOC as specified below (unless otherwise specified in the technical area): BAA Manger Deputy BAA Manager Philip J. Zaleski Brendon J. Poland Telephone: (315) 330-3218 Telephone: (315) 330-2838 Email: afrl.rigb.baa17-01@us.af.mil Email: afrl.rigb.baa17-01@us.af.mil Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant contracting officer, as specified below (email requests are preferred): Gail Marsh Telephone (315) 330-7518 Email: Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil Emails must reference the solicitation (BAA) number and title of the acquisition. In accordance with AFFARS 5301.91, an Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition announcement. Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer for resolution. AFFARS Clause 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman (Jun 2016) will be incorporated into all contracts awarded under this BAA. The AFRL Ombudsman is as follows: Ms. Barbara Gehrs AFRL/PK 1864 4th Street Building 15, Room 225 Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7130 FAX: (937) 656-7321; Comm: (937) 904-4407 Email: barbara.gehrs@us.af.mil All responsible organizations may submit a white paper which shall be considered.
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