National Institute of Standards and Technology, Bldg. 101, Rm. A430, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001

A -- PUBLIC MEETING SOL Q- POC Customer Representative 1-800-287-3863 Department of Commerce Technology Administration National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) Bldg. 101, Rm. A430, Gaithersburg, MD Date: February 13, 1995 REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS AND NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING: The NIST Advanced Technology Program (ATP) is soliciting proposals under its focused program competition, Component-Based Software (95-09) and announces a public meeting (Proposers' Conference) for all interested parties. This program addresses component-based software and semantic based automation in the software development process. An estimated $20 million in ATP funding is available under focused program competition 95-09. The ATP reserves the right to utilize for this competition more or less funding than the amount stated above, depending on the quality of the proposals received. The actual number of proposals funded will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the amount of funding requested in the highest ranked proposals. Outyear funding is contingent on the approval of future Congressional appropriations and satisfactory program performance. This is the second of three competitions planned for this ATP focused program. The third competition for this focused program is planned in 12-18 months. Award recipients will be required to share non-proprietary information at workshops which will be held throughout the duration of the program. The ATP operates under program procedures published at Part 295, Title 15, of the Code of Federal Regulations. The ATP Proposal Preparation Kit reprints these regulations and provides the proposal cover sheets, other required forms, background material, and instructions for submission of proposals. The ATP Proposal Preparation Kit is included in the ''Information Package for Component-Based Software'' which includes additional information on this focused program. Requests for the information package may be made by: phone (1-800-ATP-FUND), fax (301-926-9524), e-mail (atp@micf.nist.gov), or written request at the address shown below. Include your complete contact information and mailing address when ordering ATP documents. Abbreviated/Pre-Proposals are allowed but are optional for this focused program competition 95-09. Feedback on pre-proposals will have no effect on the review of full proposals. The instructions for submitting pre-proposals under this focused program competition are provided in the Information Package for Component-Based Software. Pre-proposals are due no later than 3:00 p.m. eastern time on Wednesday, April 5, 1995, at the address shown below with written feedback expected within 2 weeks of receipt. No other form of debriefing will be provided for pre-proposals. Only one pre-proposal per project is allowed. The body of pre-proposals will generally include proprietary information and should be so marked. Full proposals must follow the instructions in the ATP Proposal Preparation Kit. Pre- proposals and/or full proposals submitted by fax or electronic mail WILL NOT be accepted. Full proposals are due no later than 3:00 p.m. eastern time on Wednesday, May 17, 1995. Should the NIST facility be closed on the specified due date, ATP proposals will be due at 3:00 p.m. eastern time on the next business day that the NIST facility is open. Proposals received after the specified due dates will not be considered. If a full proposal is judged to be of high enough quality to be invited in for an oral review, ATP reserves the right to submit a list of questions to the proposer that must be addressed at the oral review. Announcement of awards is expected in mid August 1995. Send proposals to: Advanced Technology Program, National Institute of Standards and Technology, Administration Bldg. 101, Rm. A430, Quince Orchard & Clopper Roads, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-0001. Mark envelope Focused Program 95-09. The business goals of this program are to increase productivity in software development, to increase productivity of software users in software intensive industries, and to broaden the software markets which are commercially addressable. These goals represent the anticipated combined synergistic and cumulative effects of all projects of the program and will not necessarily correspond to the business goals of individual projects. The technical scope and goals of this program include (1) high risk generic research and development projects leading to practical technology for automated software component selection and composition, (2) projects developing enabling technologies that will increase the portion of the software process subject to automation and will reduce the direct involvement of software experts in custom developments, and (3) projects to develop technology that will overcome other potential barriers to a viable commerce in independently developed software components. This competition solicits proposals addressing any of these goals as elaborated in the Information Package for Component-Based Software, particularly those that are potentially paradigm shifting. Because of inadequate response in the previous competition (i.e. 94-06), proposals addressing the third program goal including practical technologies for software revenue collection, technology to satisfy commercial security needs, techniques for building robust systems in the presence of design errors, and linguistic mechanisms for identifying incomplete and imprecise specification are especially sought. A public meeting (Proposers' Conference) will be held from 9 a.m.-12 p.m. and 2-5 p.m. eastern time on Monday, March 27, 1995, at the Gaithersburg Hilton, 620 Perry Parkway, Gaithersburg, MD (Interstate I-270, Exit 11). The morning session will provide general information on the ATP and hints on preparing good proposals (covering the same material presented at previous ATP Proposers' Conferences). The afternoon breakout sessions will provide an opportunity for attendees to ask questions on the scope and technical and business goals of this focused program. Attendance at these public meetings is not required. All information provided at the Proposers' Conference is available in the Information Package for Component-Based Software. No registration fee will be charged. In case of severe weather, please call NIST's Facilities Status Line 301-975-6748, for a pre-recorded message of the status of NIST opening. If NIST is closed, there will be no meeting, but it will be rescheduled. To register for this public meeting or for further information, contact ATP by phone: 1-800-ATP-FUND, fax: 301-926-9524, or e-mail: atp@micf.nist.gov. (0040)

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