Defense Supply Service-Washington, Rm 1D245, The Pentagon, Washington, DC 20310- 5200

A -- BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT/POWDER-MATRIX SYSTEMS -- PART 1 OF 2 DUE 041197 POC Contact Ms. Sally Williams, Contract Specialist (703) 693-5017, Contracting Officer, Joyce Rose (703) 695-2564 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT -- The Executive Director, Strategic Environmental Research and Development Program (SERDP) is soliciting proposals to identify and test powder-matrix systems as new and more effective fire suppression technologies. [NOTE: In addition tothis BAA, proposals will be also be solicited with the government.] BACK- GROUND: Halon1301, used for fire extinguishment and explosion suppression applications in fielded weaponsystems and mission-critical facilities, has been banned from national production due to its highozone- depleting potential. Alternatives developed by industry to date have sizable weight andvolume penalties, and their application to fielded current weapons systems could requireexpending large amounts of funding and time. Consequently, the DoD has embarked on anaggressive new R&D program -- the Next-Generation Fire Suppression Technology Program(NGP) -- under the technical direction and oversight of the Office of the Director, DefenseResearch and Engineering/Advanced Technology (ODDR&E/AT). The NGP goal is to developand demonstrate, by 2004, retrofitable, economically feasible, environmentally-friendly and user- safe processes, techniques, and fluids that meet the operational requirements currently satisfiedby halon 1301 systems in aircraft, ships, land combat vehicles, and critical mission supportfacilities. The results will be specifically applicable to fielded weapons systems, and will providedual-use fire suppression technologies for preserving both life and operational assets. Successfulcandidates must perform satisfactorily in tests for a wide variety of properties, including thosereviewed by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). An initial survey of fires for which theDoD currently uses halon 1301 shows an extremely broad range of fire conditions and severaldistinct hazards to be avoided. The Military Departments and other participating governmentagencies will conduct research projects within the NGP, and proposals accepted from industry oracademia for NGP research projects will be incorporated into these programs. Additionalinformation on the NGP, including preliminary information about the types of fires to besuppressed, may be found on the Internet Web site http://www.dtic.mil/ddre/, under Science andTechnology Programs, at document titled The Next-Generation Fire Suppression Technology: Strategy for a National Program, dated July 1996. The NGP Technical Point of Contact is Dr.Richard G. Gann, Technical Program Manager (TPM), NGP, National Institute of Standards andTechnology (NIST), e-mail (preferred): rggann@nist.gov, phone: (301) 975-6866; fax: (301)975-4052. BAA OBJECTIVE: To investigate the concept of an agent dissolved in an inertpolymeric or inorganic matrix with the specific property that the agent will be released rapidly at atemperature near or below the ignition point of the combustible mixture. To meet this objective,during the first year the principal investigator (PI) should identify potential substrates anddetermine how much agent a given particle can hold, using experiences from e.g., gaschromatography matrixes. If further work is warranted, the PI should develop surface treatmentsthat would increase holding capacity and increase the release temperature and evaluate thepotential for using polymer substrates -- including building the suppressant into the polymer itself.The PI should determine how rapidly the agent can be released through heat and mass transfercalculations with experimental verification and work with the EPA to ensure consideration ofenvironmental concerns. Chemicals must be tested for effectiveness and compatibility usingmethods described under NGP Thrust 3 -- Technology Testing Methodologies -- [See NGP WebSite or Contact the NGP Technical Point of Contact] to select, adapt, and develop test methodsand instrumentation to obtain data on the effectiveness and properties of new suppressionapproaches. PRODUCTS: The outcome of work under this Element will be a new approach,with a list of specific chemicals, for efficiently suppressing fires in fielded weapon systems wherecleanliness is not essential. BACKGROUND: Many possible fire suppressants cannot be used incurrent weapon systems due to their atmospheric consequences or toxic properties. Further, inany fire situation, much more of the suppressant is used than is needed to put out a fire. Thisapproach would only release the amount of chemical needed to quench the fire and then only inthe immediate vicinity of the flames. This Research Element would not be pursued beyond thepilot stage if the results of Element 1.a negate the use of agents that leave residues.SERDP Program Office Resources: The Government estimate of the cost and time to meet therequirements of this Element is $700,000 over three years, with an estimated first year cost of$100,000. Proposers should not consider these estimates to be either minimums or maximums;they are provided only as estimates around which reasonable proposals may be developed. Itshould be understood, also, that the government reserves the right to fund more than oneproposal either to meet this requirement fully or to pursue more than one innovative approach; thereasonable total cost of which might be more or less than the government estimate. Thegovernment will consider proposals which offer technical or cost advantages but only meet partialtechnical requirements in this BAA. Estimated additional funding (cost sharing) from performingorganizations: colleges/universities and small business firms- 10% of total request: all others-33%of total request. SUBMISSIONS: Offerers are encourages to submit concise, but descriptive,proposals. Proposals for FY 1998 contract awards will be accepted until 4:00 PM EST on April11, 1997. The Proposal, including the original signed copy, five additional copies, and one copyon a 3 1/2" diskette (DOS-formatted, MSWord 6.0 or lower, or WordPerfect) all referencingBAA ##-## and must be submitted to: Brenda J. Batch, Administrative Officer, SERDP ProgramOffice, 901 North Stuart Street, Suite 303, Arlington, VA 22203, TEL (703) 696-2123; FAX: (703) 696-2114. All technical questions concerning this BAA should be addressed to Dr. RichardG. Gann. PROPOSALS SENT BY FAX OR E-MAIL WILL BE REJECTED. Proposals will beselected through a technical/scientific/business decision process with technical and scientificconsiderations being most important. The primary basis for selecting proposals shall be technical,importance to agency programs and funds availability. Individual proposal evaluations will alsoconsider the acceptability or non-acceptability without regard to other proposals submitted under the announcement; however, due to budgetary constraints, all acceptable proposals may not befunded. No award will be made without a proposal to perform the specific effort within anestimated cost and time framework. Offerers, if selected, must be willing to cooperate andexchange information in an integrated program with other contractors chosen by the TPM.PROPOSAL CONTENT: Proposals shall be prepared in two sections, Part I and Part II, and ableto be separated for review purposes. Part I shall provide the technical proposal and managementapproach, and Part II shall address costs. Proposals shall be prepared on 8.5 x 11 inch paper, with one and one-half line spacing or double spaced, in no less than 11-point size, any font. Allmargins (top, bottom, left, and right) shall not be less than 1". The proposal shall address and berelevant to the listed evalation criteria listed herein. In addition, Part I of the proposal shallinclude: (a) a cover page including BAA number; proposal title; SERDP Log Number; developedby SERDP; submitting organization, office code, and address; Contractor DUNS Number andCAGE Code; Principal Investigator's name, mailing address, telephone number, electronic mailaddress, and facsimile machine number; Administrative/Contracting Representative mailingaddress, telephone number, electronic mail address, and facsimile machine number; total estimatedcost and duration; (b) a one-page summary of any technical ideas to bepursued and theirexpected impact on the state of the art and the NGP; (c) a statement of work detailing the scopeof the proposed work and specific utilization of subcontractors; (d) a description of results,products, and transferable technology expected from the project; (e) a list of the milestones andschedule; (f) a statement of the technical rationale that substantiates the schedule and justifies theoverall technical approach of the proposal; (g) a not-to-exceed-one-page summary of anyproprietary claims to results, prototypes, or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use ofthe research, results, and/or prototype (if there are not proprietary claims this section shall consistof a statement to that effect); (h) a section describing relevant capabilities, accomplishments, andwork in these or closely related areas along with the qualifications of proposed subcontractors; (i)a management plan describing the overall approach to management of this effort, including briefdiscussions of total organizations, use of personnel, project/function/subcontractor relationships,government research and facility interface, and planning, scheduling and control practices. Part Imust be no longer than 15 pages (not including the cover page, appendices or curriculum vitae).Foldouts shall be counted as a single page. The contents of the appendices shall be limited tofigures that directly support items discussed in the text of the proposal. If items are included inthe appendices which are not covered in the basic proposal, the proposal may not be reviewed. Proposals with Part I in excess of 15 pages may not be reviewed. Proposals of fewer than themaximum number of pages will not be penalized. PART II of the proposal is not page limited, butshould be very concise and address the elements listed below and in Appendix A to this BAA. Aone-page summary will be included. Tabs, table of contents, introduction/executive summary areneither required nor desired. Costs shall be supported by detailed breakdowns of labor hours bylabor category and tasks/subtasks, materials, travel, computer and other direct and indirect costs. An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application shall beprovided. Details of any cost sharing to be undertaken by the Offerer should also be includedin the cost section. [See APPENDIX A of this BAA for additional requirements and amplifyinginformation concerning preparation of Part II cost data.] ABSTRACT: Offerers, either individualor teamed, are strongly encouraged to submit a two-page abstract of their proposed work topreclude unwarranted effort (a) on the part of an Offerer in preparing a full proposal and (b) onthe part of the government, in reviewing one. Page one shall be a title page clearly labeledPROPOSAL ABSTRACT and including this BAA number, proposal title, plus Offerersadministrative and technical points of contact along with mailing addresses, telephone andfacsimile numbers, e-mail addresses, and the signature of an authorized officer. The second pageshould include a summary of the technical ideas proposed and their anticipated deliverables, andtotal cost. The abstract shall be on 8.5 x 11 inch paper, with one and one-half line spacing ordouble spaced, in at least 11-point type, any font. All margins (top, bottom, left, and right) shallnot be less than 1". The original and one copy of each abstract shall be received no later thanFebruary 21, 1997, by: Brenda J. Batch, Administrative Officer, SERDP Program Office, 901North Stuart Street, Suite 303, Arlington, Virginia 22203, TEL: 703-696-2123; FAX: 703-696-2114. A copy of the abstract should also be sent -- preferably by e-mail -- to the Technical Pointof Contact, Dr. Richard G. Gann, by the same date. An abstract is not a requirement forsubmission or selection of a proposal. Any Offerer whose abstract is found to be consistent withthe intent of this BAA will be invited by February 28, 1997, to submit a full technical and costproposal. Such an invitation does not assure subsequent contract award. Regardless of therecommendation, the decision to submit or not submit a proposal is the responsibility of theOfferer. EVALUATION/AWARD PROCESS: Evaluation of the abstracts and proposals will beperformed using the following criteria, listed in descending order of relative importance: (1)technical quality and originality of the proposed research; (2) relevance to the NGP goal andimpact on the goal if successful; and (3) The Offerers capabilities, related experience, facilities,techniques, or unique combinations thereof, which are integral factors for achieving the proposedobjectives; and (4) the appropriateness and cost realism of the budget for accomplishing the workproposed under this BAA. Proposals will be evaluated and ranked by a Selection/Peer ReviewPanel chaired by the NGP TPM. The primary basis for selecting proposals for acceptance shall betechnical importance to the NGP and funds availability. The Panel is composed of members of theNGP Technical Coordinating Committee, the SERDP Pollution Prevention Technical Thrust AreaWorking Group (PP/TTAWG), and/or other selected reviewers as needed by the Chairman. ThePanel and the PP/TTAWG will recommend to the SERDP Executive Director, through the HalonAlternatives R&D Steering Group (HASG), a subset of the acceptable proposals for award whichwill construct a balanced program meeting the NGP needs. These recommended proposals willthen be reviewed by the SERDP Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). The mission of the SAB is toreview all proposed SERDP funded projects and make appropriate recommendations to theSERDP Council on technical merit and funding. The TPM will make a concise (30 minute)presentation of the proposals to the SAB, usually in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area.Principal investigators of the recommended projects may attend, as coordinated with the TPM,who will provide specific guidance for this presentation, including date, time, and location. Contract award selections will be recommended by the SERDP Executive Director to the SERDPCouncil, which will approve the proposal within a reasonable period of time after receipt in aneffort to incorporate the work in to the NGP. The Defense Supply Service -- Washington(DSSW) Contracts Office, the contracting agency for the NGP, will make contract awards withina reasonable period of time. The DSS-W point of contact is Ms. Sally Williams, telephone (703)693-5017. A Military Department of NIST official will be designated a Contracting Officer'sTechnical Representative (COTR) for each contract, as recommended by the NGP TPM. It is thepolicy of the SERDP Program Office and the DSSW Contracts Office to treat all proposals ascompetitive and proprietary information and to disclose the contents only for the purpose ofevaluation. The Government may use selected support contractor personnel as special resourcesto assist in administering the evaluation of the proposals. These persons are restricted by theircontracts from disclosing the proposal information or using it for other than performing theirassigned administrative task. Contractor personnel are required to sign non-disclosurestatements. By submission of your proposal, you agree that your proposal information may bedisclosed to these selected contractors for the limited purpose stated above. Any informationsubmitted with you proposal that you do not consent to limited release to these contractors mustbe clearly marked and submitted segregated from other proposal material. This announcementconstitutes a Broad Agency Announcement as contemplated in FAR 6.102(d)(2). There will beno formal request for proposals or other solicitations outside the Government regarding thisannouncement. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of theproposals received in response to this announcement. The provisions of DFARS subpart 227.71,Rights in Technical Data, will apply to any award issued under this BAA. All responsible sourcesmay submit a proposal which shall be considered. Historical Black Colleges and Universities(HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others insubmitting proposals; however, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MIparticipation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of NGP technologyfor exclusive competition among these entities. (0028)

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