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

A -- JOINT TARGETING SOL PRDA 96-11 POC Jim Papagni, Program Manager, 315-330-3176; Joetta A. Bernhard, Contracting Officer, 315-330-2308. Rome Laboratory (RL) is soliciting white papers from offerors who can provide a variety of scientific studies, experiments, demonstrations, technologies, and prototypes to increase RL's knowledge and understanding of the broad range of capabilities and technologies applicable to improving the functional capabilities related to targeting, weaponeering and combat assessment. Solutions to basic research and engineering problems using innovative approaches are being sought. The scope of this effort concerns several areas and covers a broad range of requirements which include but are not limited to automated and automatic: (a) sensor/targeting pairing, (b) target/weapon pairing, (c) combat assessment (d) target management, (e) 3-D modeling for targeting/combat assessment, (f) target selection, (g) weapon system selection, (h) situation analysis, (i) intelligence preparation of the battlefield, (j) weather utilization, (k) rules of engagement verification, (l) collateral damage estimation, (m) NBC effects analysis, (n) threat analysis, (o) mobile target tracking, (p) target reconstitution, (q) C2W target analysis, (r) objectives and guidance utilization, (s) retargeting, (t) use of kinematic GPS and DMPI selection, (u) message/data interfaces, (v) DMPI mensuration. RL requires innovative, yet demonstrable and usable, software solutions to meet the needs of the joint targeting community. Technical solutions and/or approaches should emphasize the use of open systems that accommodate distributed, modular, and extensible approaches. Technologies and approaches of interest include: distributed object-oriented technologies, client/server architectures, modeling and simulation, prototyping, proof-of-concept demonstrations, and visualization and display techniques. Deliverables will be technical reports and when appropriate, feasibility models, prototypes, and/or demonstrations. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME. Offerors are required to submit 3 copies of a 4 page or less white paper with a cover letter indicating whether the offer is a large, small, woman-owned small, or small disadvantaged business, or Historically Black College, University, or Minority Institution. The white paper must be formatted as follows: Section A: Tile, 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: J. Papagni, Reference PRDA 96-11-PKPX, Rome Laboratory/IRRP, 32 Hangar Road, Rome NY 13441-4114. Also, send one (1) copy of the cover letter only, BY FIRST CLASS Mail (DO NOT SEND CLASSIFIED), 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 the PRDA 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 the proposals will be performed using the following criteria: (a) Overall scientific and technical merit, (b) New and innovative means of addressing targeting, weaponeering and combat assessment requirements against the areas of interested described above and/or approaches described above, (c) Demonstrated domain, technology and application knowledge, and (d) Reasonableness and realism of proposed costs and fees (if any). Technical solutions should emphasize the use of ''open systems''. This PRDA will provide for the development of systems that in turn can be evaluated in settings such as RL's Joint Targeting Facility. In addition, the Government may consider other factors such as: (1) Offerors' capabilities, related experience, techniques, or a unique combination of these which are integral factors for achieving proposal objectives, (2) Offer's qualifications, capabilities and experience of proposed principal investigator, team leader, and other key personnel who are critical to achieving proposal objectives, and (3) Offerors record of past and present performance. The technical criteria will also be used to determine whether white papers submitted are consistent with the intent of the PRDA 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 PRDA. Options are discouraged and unpriced options will not be considered for award. No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting the proposals. Principal funding of the PRDA and the anticipated award of contracts are contemplated to start in FY 97. Individual awards will not normally exceed 18 months in duration, with dollar amounts normally ranging from $100,000 to $2,000,000. Total funding for this PRDA is $3,800,000. Foreign allied participation at the prime contractor level is authorized for the countries of Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Germany, France, Italy, The Netherlands, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom. Data subject to export control 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. The work to be performed may require a SECRET facility clearance and safeguarding capability, therefore, personnel identified for assignment to a classified effort must be cleared for access to SECRET information at time of award. 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 Office or the Program Manager, but to communicate contractor concerns, issues, disagreements and recommendations to the appropriate Government personnel. The Ombudsman for this acquisition 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. An informational briefing is not planned. The cutoff date for submission of white papers is 42 months after CBD publication date. This PRDA is open and effective until 48 months after CBD publication date. 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 the following Internet address: http://www.rl.af.mil:8001/Lab/PK/pk-main-html. All responsible firms may submit a white paper which shall be considered. Repondents are asked to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number with their submission as well as a fax number, and reference PRDA 96-11-PKPX. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. (0241)

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