CECOM Acquisiton Center, Washington Operations Office, AMSEL-AC-WB-B,Hoffman 1, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700

A -- BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT FOR ADVANCED MINE DETECTION SENSORS SOL DAAB07-97-R-BAA3 DUE 032897 POC Thomas Broach, 703-704-1035 and Peggy Melanson, 703-325-6096 WEB: CECOM Acquisition Center Bulletin Board, http://issaa-wwl.army.mil. The Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM), Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Countermine Division is soliciting proposals for the development of technologies to detect antitank (AT) and antipersonnel (AP) land mines under Broad Agency Announcement DAAB07-97-R-BAA3. OVERVIEW OF PROBLEM: The need for reliable detectors of mines of all types is well documented in both public and military media. The US Army currently has only one fielded mine detector, the AN/PSS-12, which is a handheld metallic mine detector. This detector has served the Army well, but it can only detect metallic mines directly below and in close proximity to the search head. In addition, the reliability of the detector to detect mines diminishes as the quantity of metal in the mines approaches zero. The Army has a Demonstration and Validation program, Handheld Standoff Minefield Detection System (HSTAMIDS), with the objective of developing equipment to be carried by a soldier for the detection of all minetypes. This system consists of several sensors. It has a helmet mounted infrared (IR) sensor for cueing of mines. The potential targets which are cued by the IR sensor are subsequently confirmed with a detector located on the end of a handheld wand. This detector combines a ground penetrating radar (GPR) with an electromagnetic (EM) induction sensor. The handheld detector can also be used as a stand alone detector without the infrared sensor. These technologies were demonstrated in an Advanced Technology Demonstration (ATD). The results of the ATD evaluation were: AT-HM 1.0 Pd, AP-HM 1.0 Pd, AT-LM/NM 0.96 Pd, AP-LM/NM 0.7 Pd, FAR: 0.15-0.39/m2. NOTE: HM, LM, NM, refer to high, low, and no metallic content of the mines. These terms are quantitatively defined in the text that follows. The Army also has an ongoing Vehicular Mounted Mine Detector (VMMD) ATD (6.3) program. This program, with demonstrations in FY98, includes multiple sensor approaches that use GPR, EM induction, and IR sensors on a single platform. The VMMD need is for the detection of metallic and nonmetallic AT mines on roads, routes, and trails. The field results achieved thus far are: Pd = 0.75 -- 0.9, FAR = 0.1 -- 0.5/m2, Operational speed: 0.5 mph. For detection purposes, mines are often categorized by size (which roughly translates to AP and AT) and metallic content. AT mines often have the shape of truncated cylinders or squares with rounded corners. The largest dimension (diameter or length of a side) is usually in the range of 6 to 12 inches. The thickness of AT mines is typically 2 to 3 1/2 inches, and the main explosive charge is either TNT, Comp B, or RDX. AP mines generally have disk or cylindrical shapes with diameters ranging from 2 to 5 inches and vary in length from 2 to 8 inches. The explosive main charge of AP mines is typically TNT, Tetryl, and Comp B. TNT is by far the most prevalent explosive found in both AT and AP mines. The case material for mines is usually metal or plastic. Metallic content of mines can be categorizedin various ways. The following categories will be used for this BAA: Metal cased/high metal (HM): >5 g metal content, Low metal (LM): (less than or equal to) 5 g total metal, Nonmetallic (NM): no metal content. Mines may be deployed on the surface or buried. Burial depth is designated as the distance from the earth's surface to the top surface of the mine. AP mines are usually shallow buried ranging from flush to the surface to a maximum depth of 2 inches. The burial depth of AT mines is from flush to 6 inches. The Army currently has performance goals for both handheld and vehicular mounted mine detectors and is seeking proposals to support these goals. The goals reflect the major performance goals for future fielded systems and are provided as a guide for determining research thrusts. The Probability of Detection (Pd) for the handheld goals refers to all metallic and nonmetallic mines, both AT and AP. The Pd for the vehicular goals refers to AT mines only. The goal for designated location accuracy is within 20 cm of the mine for handheld detectors and 50 cm for vehicular mounted systems. Greater location accuracies are desirable. The goals are: Handheld-Pd: Acceptable .9, Desired 1.0; False Alarm Rate (FAR) Per m2: Acceptable 0.6, Desired 0.2; Sweep Rate: Acceptable 20 m2/min. Desired 20 m2/min. Vehicular (On Road)-Pd: Acceptable 0.9, Desired 1.0; FAR Per m2: Acceptable 0.006, Desired 0.002; Sweep Rate: Acceptable 15 km/hr. Vehicular (Off Road)-Pd: Acceptable 0.8, Desired 1.0; FAR Per m2: Acceptable 0.012, Desired 0.008; Sweep Rate: 7 km/hr. TECHNICAL PROBLEMS OF INTEREST: Proposals addressing either sensing technologies, processing, or data fusion are acceptable. Technologies that seek to improve the following detection capabilities are of particular interest: (1) The detection of LM and NM mines as defined above; (2) Standoff detection which refers to the detection of mines at least 3 m in front of the search head; (3) Increased Pd relative to the stated goals or achievements; (4) Decreased FAR relative tothe stated goals or achievements; (5) Increased operational speed relative to the stated goals or achievements; (6) Improved detection of buried mines; (7) Improved detection of small (<4" diameter) mines. This BAA is issued under the provision of Paragraph 6.102 (d)(2) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) which provides for the competitive selection of basic research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to this BAA that are selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and are in full compliance with the provisions of Public Law 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act" of 1984. This announcement is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to pay for proposal preparation cost. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or to any other contract. However, it may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost as specified in FAR 31.205-18. Proposals will be considered from organizations interested in conducting scientific research, such as colleges and universities, commercial firms, nonprofit research institutes, small business and small disadvantaged business concerns, historically black colleges and universities and minority business enterprises and institutions, and foreign and foreign-owned firms. If a subcontract(s) with a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) is proposed, offerors are reminded of the limitations in their use (see FAR 35.017) and must provide documentation in the proposal that work is not otherwise available from the private sector. To be eligible for award of a contract, a prospective contractor must meet certain minimum standards pertaining to financial resources, ability to comply with the performance schedule, prior records of performance, integrity, organization, experience, operational controls, technical skills, facilities and equipment. For additional informational and guidance concerning qualifications and standards for responsibility of prospective contractors, please refer to FAR Part 9. There will be no formal request for proposal or any solicitation document issued in regard to this BAA, therefore, interested parties should be alert for any BAA Amendments that may be published in the Commerce Business Daily. The Government reserves the right to select for award, all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. While one or more 12-36 month R&D efforts with phased decision points may be awarded in FY97, the Government reserves the right to award contracts as a result of this announcement for two years from the receipt of proposals. Specific costs, and terms and conditions will be negotiated prior to award. The Government strongly encourages the informal discussion of any proposed effort prior to the submission of a formal proposal. Questions concerning contractual or pricing format may be directed to the Contracting Officer, Peggy Melanson 703-325-6096. Questions on technical matters may be referred to Tom Broach (703)704-1035, fax: (703)704-2467. All interested parties are encouraged to contact the cited individuals at any time prior to proposal submission in order to obtain clarifications and guidance. Offerors are cautioned that all such inquiries must be made prior to Government receipt of proposals. Once a proposal is received by NV/Countermine Division, CECOM all communications should be through the Contracting Officer. Prospective offerors are cautioned that only the Contracting Officer is legally authorized to commit the Government PROPOSAL CONTENTS/ PAGE LIMITS: All proposals must include the following sections: Title page, Proposal Synopsis, Description of Concept, Theoretical Background, Supporting Data, Research Plan, Demonstration, and Cost. Failure to do this will result in an evaluation penalty or elimination of the proposal from consideration. The overall page limit of the technical proposal is 40 (excluding the title page, synopsis and the list of technical references and cost) which is less than the sum of the page limits of the individual sections. The numbers in parentheses following each section description are the page limits for that section. Title page should have the proposal title, date, authors or other points of contact with telephone numbers, and firm name. Other important information appropriate for a title page may be included (1). Proposal synopsis should summarize the proposed concept, objectives, how the objectives will be accomplished and the anticipated outcome. The reader of this synopsis should gain an overview of all aspects of the proposal (1). Description of concept (with diagrams as needed)should thoroughly describe the concept, how it works, and what equipment is required. The anticipated benefit to the Army and the projected fielded implementation should be described (10). Theoretical background should describe the theoretical and analytical underpinnings of the concept. This should be in sufficient detail so that all theoretical concepts and the overall theoretical framework is explained. Supporting calculations and analyses are appropriate to this section. This section should make a clear connection of the theory to the specific application of mine detection (10). Supporting data: The scientific data that supports the concept should be provided with appropriate references. Data obtained from laboratory or field experiments is acceptable. The relevance of the data to the proposed techniques must be clearly explained. For processing or sensor fusion proposals, it is appropriate to include examples of the proposed techniques which are applied to data which may be available from any source (10). Research plan should describe in detail how the objectives of the proposed work will be achieved. The process and procedures of each task should be described as well as the anticipated outcome and benefit to achieving the overall project objective. This section should describe a logical, scientifically sound approach to reaching the goals of the project. After reading this section, the reader should understand all research issues and how each one will be investigated. This section should also include a schedule (10). Demonstration: Each proposed effort should include at least one demonstration that is structured to clearly demonstrate the potential contribution of this effort to the mine detection capability of the Army. On proposed efforts involving sensing technologies, there should be one or more field tests and demonstration; processing or fusion approaches should include the use of actual laboratory and field data. This section should describe the demonstration in detail including all procedures, protocols, and controls (10). The overall page limit of the technical proposal is 40 pages excluding the title page, synopsis, the list of technical references and cost. Five high quality copies should be submitted. Faxes, e-mail, or poor quality reproductions are unacceptable. All diagrams, figures, photographs, or other graphic material must be clearly legible. Proposal format: Minimum 1 inch margins, 11/2 line spacing, minimum 12 point font. There is no page limit on the cost proposal; however, a cost summary of no more than one page must be included at the beginning of the cost proposal. No special cost proposals forms or contract certifications are required at this time. PROPOSAL EVALUATION FACTORS: The following proposal evaluation factors are listed in order or importance: (1) Technical soundness and feasibility of proposed concept; (2) Scientific soundness of research plan including the reasonableness of executing the schedule; (3) Soundness of theory and supporting computations and analyses; (4) Adequacy of supporting data; (5) Adequacy of demonstration to demonstrate and quantify the technical performance of the approach; (6) The qualifications of the personnel executing the project, their record of past performance, and the adequacy of the equipment and facilities; (7) Cost realism. Proposals for multiple year efforts up to three years are acceptable. Written proposals for BAA DAAB07-96-R-BAA3 should be submitted by 1400 hours 28 Mar 1997 to USA CECOM, NVESD, ATTN: AMSEL-RD-NV-CD-MD (T. BROACH), 10221 BURBECK RD, STE 4330, FT BELVOIR, VA 22060-5806. (0030)

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