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

A -- ADVANCED MATERIALS PARTNERSHIPS SOL RA95-34 DUE 083195 POC Dr. Ben A. Wilcox, ARPA/DSO/MSD, FAX: (703)696-2201. Economical processing and manufacturing of advanced materials and components is a crucial enabling factor for developing virtually all military systems. The Defense Sciences Office of the Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA/DSO) plans to initiate at least four advanced materials manufacturing ''partnerships'' with the private sector, institutions of higher education, and state and local governments. See 10 U.S.C. 2371. Approximately fifteen million dollars ($15 million) of FY96 funds are available for new activities. Research areas of interest are: (a) low cost specialty metals processing, and (b) ceramic materials. Descriptions of these focus areas are given below. Low Cost Specialty Metals Processing - Unique requirements of robustness, reliability, and low weight, force DoD to depend heavily on specialty metals (titanium, superalloys, and beryllium) for many defense and aerospace applications. The cost of these specialty metals is currently quite high, but can be lowered through increased utilization. This, in turn, requires much reduced materials and processing costs. ARPA believes this may be efficiently accomplished by encouraging partnerships between government and commercial industry to develop and demonstrate innovative, low cost production, forming, and fabrication technologies. A number of such innovations have already been demonstrated and if brought to maturity, will reduce costs sufficiently to create strong non-aeronautics demands. We believe that still other low cost alloys and innovative near-net shape component fabrication processes coupled with in-line process sensing, real time process control, and improved process modeling, can be implemented to achieve further cost reduction. Ceramic Materials - High performance monolithic structural ceramics and ceramic fiber ceramic matrix composites will enable U.S. industry (aerospace, civilian, and defense) to radically improve the performance of critical components and processes, particularly in gas turbine and internal combustion engine components as well as higher volume industrial applications such as burners, combustors, and hot gas filters, which will increase the market size and therefore reduce the cost to DoD. Applications of interest include, but are not limited to: hot section components of gas turbine engines for both man rated aircraft, missile and drone engines, stationary power generation, and land vehicles, light weight and wear resistent ceramic turbochargers, valve and fuel train components for automotive and diesel engines, ceramic bearings, ceramic fiber ceramic matrix composites for large volume industrial applications including burners, combustors, waste incinerators, pollution control devices, process heaters and boilers and corrosive material processors, and for advanced propulsion systems. GENERAL INFORMATION - Attractive proposals will offer delivery of multiple components for cost-saving insertion into at least one commercial product and one product of military relevance, these may be coincident. Performance-based benefits of components in end-use environments must be explicit and concrete metrics of success should be displayed, e.g. the number of components developed for insertion, reductions in manufacturing costs of components, and performance of components in applications. Proposed activities should leverage past and existing concepts and clearly indicate the path to production of products. Service Program Office support for component demonstrations and follow on insertion is highly desirable. In both categories, proposals are sought which will create strategic partnerships between system integrators and component manufacturers. Partnerships should be vertically integrated with heavy involvement of materials suppliers, component fabricators, and potential users and draw on expertise at universities and government laboratories. In most situations, a U.S. industrial firm should serve as the lead organization. End-users are expected to take the lead on the development of design methodologies and on component test and evaluation tasks. All efforts must be cost shared. Federal government funding will not exceed 50 percent of the total required resources. In-kind contributions are allowed where they actually defray the cost of the research and can include the fair market value of equipment utilized in the program, services, materials, technology transfer activities, and other assets (sunk-costs are not allowed). However, cash contributions are preferred. A merit-based process will be used to select partnerships in this program. Evaluation criteria, listed in order of decreasing value, to be used in that process include: (1) technical excellence and innovation of proposed ideas and approach, and the impact on cost-effective manufacturing, (2) extent to which the program advances and enhances the national security interests of the United States, and the potential effectiveness of the partnership to further develop widespread application of the products to be developed (pervasive impact), (3)commitment and ability of the partnership to productize the results of the proposed effort, (4) qualifications of the personnel proposed to participate and adequacy of facilities, and (5)financial commitments of the eligible institutions to the proposed partnership. It is anticipated that projects of up to two years in duration will be supported. Longer term options may be proposed. The merit of submitted proposals will be evaluated in relation to the proposed cost and availability of funds. Partnerships having the management and technical capabilities, facilities and experience necessary to conduct this program are invited to submit proposals. Proposers are required to supply eight copies of the proposal. All proposals must be in the following ''page'' format: double-spaced, not greater than 8.5 by 11 inches, typed single-side with 1.25 inch minimum margins, with a font size not smaller than 12 pitch. Volume 1 of submitted proposals shall include an Abstract, Executive Summary, Technical Approach, Program Plan, Statement of Work, Milestone Chart, Facilities and Equipment Description, Relevant Prior Work, Management Plan, Cost Model, Business Plan for Productization, and Resumes of Key Individuals. The page count of Volume 1 must be limited to a maximum of 50 pages, which includes all figures, tables, and charts. Volume 2 of submitted proposals shall contain a summary cost breakdown and a detailed cost breakdown. The summary breakdown should be shown to the level of major tasks and should indicate performing organizations, manpower levels of effort, equipment and supplies, travel, and miscellaneous expenses for the tasks, broken out by phases and time. Details of the cost sharing to be undertaken by the offerer must be included in the summary section of volume 2 of the proposal. The summary shall be no longer than 3 pages, but the detailed cost breakdown is not limited in page count. Within approximately seven (7) business days of receipt, ARPA will acknowledge receipt of the submission and assign a control number that should be used in all further correspondence regarding the proposal. The Government plans to make award decisions within approximately 45 days after receipt of full proposals. It is anticipated that the award instrument will be an ARPA ''agreement'' (10 U.S.C. 2371) rather than a procurement contract or grant. These ''agreements'' generally allow Independent Research and Development (IR&D) contributions as eligible cost sharing. All proprietary material submitted should be clearly marked as such and will be held in strict confidence. All proposals must reference ARPA RA #95-34. No additional information is available nor will a formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement and to negotiate for less than the entire effort proposed. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit proposals which will be evaluated as received. No portion of this announcement will be set aside for Historically Black College and University (HBCU) and Minority Institute (MI) participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of research for exclusive competition among these entities. Nevertheless, HBCU's and MI's are encouraged to team with other proposers. ARPA expects the response to this announcement to be large. Therefore, telephone inquiries are strongly discouraged. All questions regarding this RA must be submitted in writing or via FAX: ((703) 696-2201) to the technical contact indicated. Bidders should submit proposals to: Advanced Research Projects Agency, Defense Sciences Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714, REF: RA #95-34. ARPA points of contact are: Dr. C. Robert Crowe (Specialty Metals), Dr. William S. Coblenz (Ceramics), and Dr. Ben A. Wilcox (General). Proposals must be received by 4 pm EDT, 31 August 1995. (0157)

Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0001 19950607\A-0001.SOL)