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

A -- ELINT COLLECTION AND PROCESSING SOL BAA 94-11-PKPX POC Joetta Bernhard/Contracting Officer/315-330-2308; John Pletl/Laboratory Program Manager/315-330-7557. Reannouncement of Sol BAA 94-11-PKPX originally published on 14 Sep 94 and amended on 26 Oct 94 and republished 15 Nov 1995. This announcement is for the convenience of industry. There are small changes. Rome Laboratory (RL) is soliciting white papers for various scientific studies and experiments to increase RL's knowledge and understanding of the broad range of capabilities required in support of ELINT Collection and Processing. Solutions to basic research and engineering using innovative approaches will be sought. The overall technical objectives of this BAA are the use of Expert System, Neural Network, and Virtual reality applications, as well as enhanced or new digital processing hardware and software and high-speed workstations to provide: (1) Dynamic/updatable characterization and correlation databases that use existing multi-source near-real-time collection systems. Measurable and descriptive emitter characteristics should also be used in the database as well as known specific operating characterization values; (2) Enhanced collection system efficiency and (3) Improved, labor reducing digital signal processing hardware and software analysis technology. The scope of this effort concerns several areas and covers a broad range of requirements which includes, but is not limited to the following: (1) Target specific characteristics identification/correlation; (2) Automated collection, signal ID sorting and first level processing and (3) Enhanced digital ELINT processing/analysis technology at both the Intermediate Processing Center (IPC) and Scientific and Technical Intelligence (S&TI) levels. Detailed scope and definition of problems follow here: (1) Target characteristic identification/correlation: Battlefield management depends heavily on EW assets to provide current threat analysis for successful employment of war-fighting resources. One area that supports this analysis is target specific operating characterization and equipment/unit correlation which is normally a ''brute-force/labor intensive'' effort: (2) Automated collection, signal ID sorting and first level processing: Dense signal environment dictates the need for automated/reduced manual collection, signal ID and sorting, and first-level signal processing. This area should also allow for further discrimination or ''flagging'' of out-of-limits signals, expecially threat systems whose measurable values already lend themselves to characterization. Continual high-resolution sampling of Intermediate Frequency Modulation (IFM), pulse sorting, and deinterleaving processes should be investigated as a means to support flagging and automated efforts; (3) Enhanced digital ELINT processing: Environment complexity as well as advanced collection hardware technology demands growth in the digital ELINT processing arena. Efforts should take into consideration current analysis technology available, reduction in processing of routine activity allowing time to be spent on more critical tasks, and how best to insert these solution(s) into existing systems. Deliverables will be technical reports and, when appropriate, demonstrations. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME. Offerors are required to submit three copies of a five-page or less 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: John H. Pletl, Reference BAA #94-11-PKPX, Rome Laboratory/IRAP, 32 Hangar Rd, Rome, N.Y. 13441-4114. Also send one (1) copy of the cover letter only, by First Class mail (DO NOT SEND CLASSIFIED), to ATTN: Jan 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) the potential contributions of the effort to the Rome Laboratory mission and the extent to which the proposed effort will contribute to balancing the overall research and development program of RL; and (3) the reasonableness and realism of proposed costs and fees, if any. In addition, the Government may consider other factors such as: (1) The offeror's capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques, or unique combination of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives; (2) The qualification, capabilities and experience of the proposed principal investigator, team leader, and other key personnel who are critical to achieving the proposal objectives; and (3) The offeror's record of past and present performance. No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting the proposals. 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 FY95. Individual awards will not normally exceed 12 months in duration, with dollar amounts normally ranging from $250K to $350K. Total funding for this BAA is $9.5M. Foreign-owned offerors are advised that they are excluded from participating at the prime contract level. Data subject to export control constraints may be involved and only firms on the Certified Contractor Access List (CCAL) will be allowed access to such data. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this announcement is not 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 in FAR 31.205-18. Depending on the work to be performed, the offeror may require a SECRET or TOP SECRET facility clearance and safeguarding capability; therefore, personnel identified for assignment to a classified effort must be cleared for access to SECRET of TOP SECRET information at time of award. In addition, to qualify as a responsible contractor, the offeror may need to have, or have access to a certified and Government approved facility available to support work under this BAA. 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 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 R. 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 particpate in the evaluation of proposals or in the source selection process. An informational briefing is not planned. This BAA is open and effective until 30 Sep 98. To receive a copy of the Rome Laboratory ''BAA & PRDA: A Guide for Industry:, March 1994 (Rev), write to ATTN: Lucille Argenzia, Rome Laboratory/PKR, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY 13441-4514, or the guide may be accessed at: http://www.rl.af.mil:8001/Lab/PK/pk.main.html. All responsible firms may submit a white paper which shall be considered. Respondents are asked to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number with their submission and reference BAA #94-11-PKPX. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. (0200)

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