Rome Laboratory, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome NY 13441-4514

A -- EMBEDDED HIGH PERFORMANCE COMPUTING (HPC) FOR SURVEILLANCE APPLICATIONS SOL BAA 96-05-PKPX POC Stan Lis, Program Manager,315/330-3275; Joetta Bernhard, Contracting Officer, 315/330-2308; Dr. Mark Linderman, Technical Advisor, 315/330- 2164. A--Embedded High Performance Computing (HPC0 Technology for Surveillance Applications. SOL BAA 96-05-PKPX. Stanley Lis, Program Manager, 315-330-3275, Dr. Mark Linderman, Technical Advisor, 315-330-2164, Joetta A. Bernhard, Contracting Officer, 315-330-2308. Rome Laboratory is soliciting proposals for innovative technologies to support Embedded High Performance Computing Systems that enable the integration of HPCs into surveillance systems for performing real-time digital signal and data processing functions. Of particular interest are parallel implementations of application algorithms for improving detection, tracking, data fusion, hand-off and identification of various airborne sensor systems. Innovative ideas for achieving real-time operating system performance for HPCs are sought. Also of interest is the use of hardware accelerator nodes to achieve the required signal processing throughput for airborne surveillance systems such as E-3A and JSTARS. HPC performance enhancements derived from this initiative are to be evaluated by using benchmarks, running selected applications algorithms, demonstrating real-time operating system execution speed, and demonstrating through put( improvements of computationally intensive functions such as space-time adaptive processing (STAP) with digital signal processing nodes. Remote access to the Rome Laboratory Intel Paragrtaon Parallel processor will be provided to the PHC contractors for developing and demonstrating innovative software technologies under this BAA. Access to other Government HPC sites will be provided as required. Under the Common HPC Software Support Initiative (CHSSI) of the Department of Defense High Performance Computing Modernization Program, Rome Laboratory is leading a tri-service laboratory effort to successfully support core signal and image processing defense applications on scaleable HPC technology. This effort will consist of six core projects led by research within the tri-service laboratories and supported by collaborative efforts in industry and academia. These collaborative efforts will be defined via white papers and subsequent proposals submitted in response top this BAA. In each area, the scope is limited to providing a suite of multi-purpose codes targeting the needs of the DOD of the Science and Technology or Development Test and Engineering communities. These codes will not target specific systems but rather a range of important DOD applications and will perform efficiently on a variety of scalable HPC resources. The six core projects and their leaders are as follows: 1) Re-usable core functional blocks: Dr. Keith Bromley, NRaD, Leader (bromley@nosc.mil) 619-553-2535. Develops common kernels and applications development environments to support the other five projects. MPI and High Performance Fortran environments planned. Core signal/image processing building blocks will be developed in portable, scaleable, high performance form to support rapid prototyping of applications. 2) Radar signal processing. Dr. Richard Linderman, Rome Laboratory, Leader (linderman@rl.af.mil) 315-330-2238. Develops critical applications for next-generation radar systems and upgrades including Space-Time Adaptive Processing (STAP) techniques, advanced detection schemes, and multisensor fusion. 3) Sonar signal processing. Bob Bernecky, NUWC, Leader (bernecky@starbase.nl.nuwc.navy.mil) 203-440-5467. Applying HPC to technology to implement ''universal beamformers'' reducing cost and improving sonar system performance. 4) SAR/Image formation. Dr. Skip Hoff, NRaD, Leader (hoff@nosc.mil) 619-553-4647. Implements high resolution SAR algorithms on HPCs. Two dimensional FFTs, coordinate transformations, and autofocusing techniques require efficient, scaleable implementation. 5) Automatic target recognition. David Gadd, Wright Lab, Leader (dgadd@mbvlab.wpafb.af.mil) 513-255-6329. Enables automatic detection, locations, and identification of targets in sensor returns. Model-based algorithms, such as those from the Advanced Radar Target Acquisition Program (ARAGTAP) as used as a basis. 6) IR/Optical image processing. John Dome, Night Vision Lab, Leader (batman@nvl.army.mil) 703-704-3231. Processes, compresses, and communicates high quality imagery in high bit-error-rate environments. IR processing includes clutter suppression, detection, tracking algorithms, and fusion with radar data. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME. Offers are required to submit three (3) copies of a 3 - 5 page white paper with a cover letter indicating whether the offeror is a large, small, women-owned small, or small disadvantaged business, or Historically Black College, University, or Minority Institution. The white paper will be formatted as follows: Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Cost of Task, Name of Company, Section B: Task Objective, and Section C: Technical Summary. All responses to this announcement must be addressed to ATTN: Stanley Lis, Reference BAA-96-05-PKPX, Rome Laboratory/OCSS, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome NY 13441-4514. Also send one (1) copy of the cover letter only, by FIRST CLASS MAIL (DO NOT SEND CLASSIFIED), to ATTN: Janis Norelli, Director of Small Business, Rome Laboratory/BC, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome NY 13441-4514. Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. 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. Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a contract. Complete instructions for proposal preparation will be forwarded with the invitation for proposal submission. Evaluation of proposals will be performed using the following criteria: (1) The overall scientific and/or technical merits of the proposal, (2) innovativeness of proposed approach and/or techniques, (3) the applicability of the proposed parallel computing technology to operation surveillance systems such as E-3A, JSTARS and applicability to advanced surveillance concepts such as RIVET JOINT and UAV, (4) the capacity to provide suites of multi-purpose codes for DOD wide signal and image processing applications and the ability to demonstrate these multi-purpose codes in a synthetic environment, (5) the reasonableness and realism of the proposed costs and fees. Also the offer's capability and capacity to achieve the objectives of this BAA will be used. No other evaluation criteria will be used. The technical criteria will also be used to determine whether white papers submitted are consistent with the intent of this BAA and of interest to the Government. Proposals submitted will be evaluated as they are received. Individual proposal evaluations will be based on acceptability or unacceptability without regard to other proposals submitted under this BAA. Options are discouraged and unpriced options will not be considered for award. Principle funding of this BAA and the anticipated award of contracts will start approximately FY96. Individual awards will not normally exceed 12 to 24 months in duration, with dollar amounts normally ranging from $200K to $500K. Total funding for this BAA is $3.8M. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors are advised that their participation is subject to a foreign disclosure review. Foreign or foreign-owned offerors should immediately contact the contracting focal point, Rome Laboratory/PKPX, ATTN: Joetta A Bernhard, 26 Electronic Pky, Rome, NY 13441-4514, or phone at (315)330-2308, for information if they contemplate responding. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this announcement is not considered 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. An ombudsman has been appointed to hear significant concerns from offerors or potential offerors during the proposal development phase of this acquisition. Routine questions are not considered to be ''significant concerns'' and should be communicated directly to the contracting officer, Joetta A. Bernhard, 315-330-2308. The purpose of the ombudsman is not to diminish the authority of the contracting officer or program manager, but to communicate contractor concerns, issues, disagreements and recommendations to the appropriate government personnel. The Ombudsman for this acquisition is Vincent Palmiero, Chief, Policy and Management Division, at 315-330-7746. When requested, the ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals or in the source selection process. To receive a copy of the Rome Laboratory ''BAA & PRDA: A Guide for Industry,'' March 1994 (Rev), write to Rome Laboratory/PKR, ATTN: Lucille Argenzia, 26 Electronic Pky, Rome, NY 13441-4514, or the Guide may be accessed at: http://www.rl.af.mil:8001/Lab/PK/pk-main.html. All responsible organizations may submit a white paper which shall be considered. This BAA is oven and effective until canceled. White papers for FY96 should be submitted by 15 Feb 96, for FY97, 1 Oct 96, and for FY98, 1 Aug 97. White papers submitted after those dates will also be considered but funding may be limited. Proposers are warned that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. (0017)

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