Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA), Contracts Management Office (CMO), 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714

A -- AGILE MANUFACTURING PILOT PROGRAMS SOL BAA94-31A DUE 052395 POC Dr. Michael McGrath, ARPA/SSTO, and Dr. Kaigham Gabriel, ARPA/ESTO, FAX: (703)522-6367. The Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA) is revising its solicitation for proposals in the area of agile manufacturing pilot programs. The original solicitation, BAA 94-31, was published in the CBD May 6, 1994. This revised BAA 94-31A supersedes the original BAA. Full proposals are due 4:00 PM, May 23, 1995, proposal abstracts are not required in advance. ARPA is particularly interested in pilot program proposals that include demonstrations of agile manufacturing concepts for military applications of next generation computing and communications products (''electronic information products'') which will make use of the rapidly evolving global information infrastructure. Proposed research should investigate innovative approaches to overcoming technical and business barriers and thereby enabling revolutionary advances, research which merely evolves the existing state of practice will be considered only if it supports the revolutionary overall change. A total of approximately $25 million is available in FY 95-96 for funding multiple efforts selected from this revised BAA. The Air Force Wright Laboratories will serve as ARPA's agent in making awards. Size of awards and duration of efforts will vary according to the type of effort undertaken (see below). Teaming is strongly encouraged, and cost sharing is required in some efforts. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: The purpose of the Agile Manufacturing Initiative is to develop, demonstrate, and evaluate the advanced design, manufacturing and business transaction processes needed for an agile manufacturing base that can respond to future DoD needs. Agility in manufacturing is the ability to thrive in an environment of continuous and often unanticipated change and to be fast to market with customized products using enterprise concepts geared toward ''reconfigurable everything.'' Agile enterprises will be supported by a networked infrastructure that can link multi-company teams into an integrated virtual corporation. Three types of projects will be selected under this revised BAA: Agile Manufacturing Pilot demonstrations (AMP), Enabling Technology Development and Demonstration projects (ETDD), and Agile Business Practices demonstration projects (ABP), as defined below. TECHNICAL AREA 1. AGILE MANUFACTURING PILOT DEMONSTRATIONS (AMP). The Agile Manufacturing Pilot combines technologies and business practices supporting agility in an integrated enterprise-level demonstration over an extended period of time. Pilot programs must address a specific dual-use enterprise area, identify a combination of technologies and business practices, implement an agile manufacturing pilot program in an operational environment, measure the effectiveness of that approach, and demonstrate a pervasive impact on the integrated military and commercial manufacturing base. Demonstrations should be structured to provide compelling evidence for adoption of agile manufacturing concepts to keep pace with product innovations and market developments, and must include scenarios that meet defense essential needs. Nominal scope and duration for AMP's under this revised BAA is up to $15M (government share) over 2-3 years. Cost sharing is required for the AMP's, see the Proposer's Information Package (PIP) for details. TECHNICAL AREA 2. ENABLING TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENTS And DEMONSTRATIONS (ETDD). ETDD projects under this revised BAA will focus on enhancing the flexibility of design and manufacturing operations for product level packaging and assembly of electronic information products. The ETDD's will be comprised of two phases. Phase 1 is intended to be an effort whose scope is no more than $1.5M and 18 months duration which culminates in a concept feasibility demonstration. Selected ETDD's will be funded for a Phase 2 effort that will involve implementing the technology for beta test in one of the selected Agile Manufacturing Pilot demonstrations or other ongoing programs. Cost sharing is not required for the ETDD's. It is anticipated that 2-4 awards will be made in this category from FY 95-96 funds. TECHNICAL Area 3. AGILE BUSINESS PRACTICES DEMONSTRATION PROJECTS (ABP). Agile Business Practices demonstration projects (ABP's) under this revised BAA will focus on modular organization concepts, interface definition and modeling, and business practices that support the creation, operation, and dissolution of dynamic agile manufacturing partnerships. Examples may be found in the PIP. Each ABP will be a tightly focused demonstration of an innovative business concept that is ready for validation in a real business setting, and will include a designed experiment and metrics, assessment of results in both qualitative and quantitative terms, and documentation in a case study that can be used as a model for implementation in other programs. The scope of each ABP demonstration is intended to be $0.5M-$1.0M and 12 -18 months in duration. Government funding is intended to support the experimental design, data collection, analysis, and case study documentation. Performing activities are expected to bear the costs involved in the performance of actual business functions in the experiment. It is anticipated that 2-4 awards will be made in this category from FY 95-96 funds. GENERAL INFORMATION - OBTAINING PROPOSER INFORMATION. Internet email is the preferred mode of communication. Numerous commercial services are now available to provide prospective offerors with access to Internet. An automated-response email address (baa-info@arpa.mil) has been established at ARPA to provide rapid electronic access to information on this solicitation. To obtain the Proposer Information Package send an email message whose message field contains the single word ''help'' (without the quotes), and the ''HELP'' file will be returned which contains instructions on how to retrieve files associated with BAA 94-31A. Proposers must retrieve the BAA94-31A Proposer Information Package (PIP), which provides further information on areas of interest, the submission, evaluation, and funding processes, proposal formats, and other general information. Requests by US. mail to the administrative mailing address below will be honored, but with a slower response. Proposals not meeting the format described in the document may not be reviewed. This notice, in conjunction with the document BAA94-31A Proposer Information Package, constitutes the total BAA. No additional information is available, nor will a formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received. Contract awards will be contingent on funding availability. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal which shall be considered by ARPA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) 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. Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished through a scientific review of each proposal using the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of relative importance: (1) Demonstrated technical merit and level of innovation of the proposed concepts and development program, (2) Magnitude and pervasiveness of the impact of successful development on the targeted military application, industry sector, and the general integrated manufacturing base, (3) Plans and capability to quantitatively assess the merits of the agile manufacturing technology and business practices developed, (4) Credibility and thoroughness of program plans for project execution, (5) Offeror's capabilities and related experience, including personnel, facilities, equipment, and data, and (6) Cost realism. Note: Cost realism will only be significant in proposals which have significantly under or over estimated the cost to complete their effort. All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation must be directed to one of the administrative addresses below by 4:00 PM, May 16, 1995, email is preferred. All questions and answers will be included (anonymously) in the frequently asked questions (FAQ) file accessible to all potential program participants. ARPA intends to use electronic mail for correspondence regarding BAA94-31A, however, proposals may NOT be submitted by fax or email, and any so sent will be disregarded. The administrative addresses for this BAA are: Fax: 703-522-6367 (Addressed to: ARPA/SSTO, BAA94-31A), Electronic Mail: BAA94-31A@arpa.mil, Mail: ARPA/SSTO Attn.: BAA94-31A 4301 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 725, Arlington, VA 22203. Full proposals must be submitted to the administrative mailing address before 4:00 P.M., May 23, 1995. (0080)

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