R&D Contracting Directorate, Bldg 7, 2530 C Street, WPAFB, OH 45433-7607

A -- LIGHT DETECTION AND RANGING (LIDAR) WIND SENSOR MANUFACTURING SOL PRDA No. 97-21-MLKT DUE 041797 POC Contact Jimmie L. Garrard II, WL/MLKT, Contract Negotiator, 937-255-7143 or Timothy L. Jones, Contracting Officer, 937-255-7143 INTRODUCTION: The Wright Laboratory, Manufacturing Technology Directorate, Electronics Division, Fabrication and Assembly Branch (WL/MTMM) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research effort described below. Proposals in response to this PRDA shall be submitted by 17 April, 1997, 1500 hours Eastern Time, addressed to Wright Laboratory, Directorate of Research and Development Contracting, Manufacturing Technology Division, Attn: Mr. Jimmie L. Garrard II, WL/MLKT, Building 7, Area B, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7607. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. Proposal receipt after the cutoff date and time specified herein shall be treated in accordance with the restrictions of FAR 52.215-10. A copy of this provision may be obtained from the contracting point of contact stated herein. There will be no other solicitation issued in regard to this requirement. Offerors should be alert for any PRDA amendments that may be published. This PRDA may be amended to allow subsequent submission of proposal dates. Offerors should request a copy of the Wright Laboratory (WL) Guide entitled, "PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry." This guide was specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA proposal process. Copies may be requested from the contracting point of contact cited in Section F or obtained via the world wide web site: www.wl.wpafb.af.mil/contract. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Background: Recent advances in solid-state, diode pumped, coherent lasers which operate at eye-safe wavelengths have made it practical to consider affordable remote wind measurement devices to be installed on military aircraft, airport runways and eventually commercial aircraft. Applications for airborne Light Detection And Ranging (LIDAR) wind sensors include systems which provide a wind corrected ballistic aimpoint for guns, systems which provide a wind corrected release point for unguided bombs and missiles, systems which provide wind field measurements for improved air-drop accuracy, systems which measure local air data parameters for avionics and flight control systems, systems which detect wind shear, and systems which measure high altitude winds aloft, aircraft wakes, and clear air turbulence, among other applications. The development of a Doppler LIDAR sensor has enabled the demonstration of these applications and proven the feasibility and advantages of airborne wind field measurement. While these laser sensors are mature enough to consider for production systems, the production of current designs remains labor intensive and requires a high amount of precision hand alignment and tuning. (2) Program Objectives and Description: WL is soliciting innovative research proposals in the area of manufacturing and producibility of airborne, eye-safe, LIDAR sensors for the detection and measurement of wind fields. Of particular interest are solid-state pulse Doppler systems which are rugged enough to withstand the military aircraft environment with minimal maintenance, and which can provide range and velocity measurements of wind fields remote to the aircraft. The LIDAR Wind Sensor program will consider proposals which address the development of manufacturing process technologies, computer integrated manufacturing, integrated product development, and implementation of "Lean Manufacturing" principles with the ultimate goal of improving the producibility, affordability, maintainability, and supportability of the LIDAR system. Implementation of integrated product development strategies is expected to be evident by inclusion of design for manufacturing, assembly, operation and supportability, and by the use of tools such as rapid prototyping software and demonstration articles. Past and current WL programs have been targeted at improving performance and demonstrating the feasibility of airborne LIDAR systems to measure wind profiles between aircraft and ground and at quantifying the operational benefits of wind profile information. Building on those successes, WL/MT is focusing on the manufacturing technologies which will enable the affordable acquisition and fielding of LIDAR wind sensors with minimum support requirements. It is envisioned that an affordable, supportable LIDAR wind sensor will be of a modular design which would allow several applications to be satisfied by a common family of components. Candidate proposals should have a definite link to an airborne military system. (3) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items shall be proposed: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, bi-monthly; (b) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507A/T, quarterly; (c) Contract Funds Status Report (CFSR), DI-MGMT-81468/T, quarterly; (d) Presentation Material, DI-ADMN-81373/T, as required; (e) Scientific and Technical Reports, Contractor's Billing Voucher, DI- MISC-80711/T, monthly; (f) Scientific and Technical Reports, Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Reproducible Final); and (g) Funds and Man-Hour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331, bi-monthly. (4) Security Requirements: Not Applicable. (5) Other Special Requirements: International Traffic in Arms Regulations apply. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: The total length of the technical effort is estimated to be 36 months. The contractor shall also provide for an additional four months for processing/completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: May -- June 1997. (3) Government Estimate: The Government fiscal year (FY) funding profile is estimated to be as follows: FY97 -- $300K, FY98 -- $800K, FY99 -- $800K, FY00 -- $450K. This funding profile is an estimate only and is not a promise for funding as all funding is subject to change due to Government discretion and availability. (4) Type of contract or instrument: In accordance with DFARS 235.006(b)(iv) a cost-sharing arrangement must be used for contracts awarded in support of the Manufacturing Science and Technology program. (5) Government Furnished Property: None contemplated. (6) Size Status: For the purpose of this acquisition, the size standard is 500 employees (Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 8731). (7) Notice to Foreign-Owned Firms: Such firms are asked to immediately notify the Air Force point of contact cited below upon deciding to respond to this announcement. Foreign contractors should be aware that restrictions may apply which could preclude their participation in this acquisition. D -- PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: (1) General Instructions: Offerors shall submit one original and four copies of a VHS videotape that demonstrates their ability to successfully achieve the goals set forth in this announcement. The oral proposal shall be no longer than two hours total and will accompany the offerors' cost and technical proposals as stated in this section. Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in the provision at FAR 52.215-12, Restriction on Disclosure and Use of Data, to trade secrets or privileged commercial and financial information contained in their proposals. Proposal questions should be directed to one of the points of contact listed elsewhere herein. Offerors should consider instructions contained in the WL PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry referenced in Section A of this announcement. Technical and cost proposals, submitted in separate volumes, are required and must be valid for 180 days. Proposals must reference the above PRDA number. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered against the criteria set forth herein. Offerors are advised that only contracting officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit the government. (2) Cost Proposal: Adequate price competition is anticipated; therefore, offerors are not required to submit certified cost or pricing data. To accompany the oral proposal (VHS videotape), an offeror must submit cost or pricing information only to the extent necessary to permit the Air Force the ability to determine the reasonableness and realism of the cost and/or price. The contractor's format for submitting such information is acceptable; however, offerors are encouraged to use a Standard Form (SF) 1448. The proposal should include supporting schedules, and shall contain a person-hour breakdown per task. Copies of the above referenced SF 1448 may be obtained from the contracting point of contact stated herein. Also, offerors must provide rationale for the cost share arrangement proposed. The cost proposal shall be submitted in an original and four copies. (3) Technical Proposal: The technical proposal shall be included in the oral proposal submitted on a VHS videotape which shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research and the technical approach. The technical proposal shall also include a written Statement of Work (SOW) detailing the technical tasks proposed to be accomplished under the proposed effort and suitable for contract incorporation. Additionally, written resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort shall be included as attachments to the written portion of the technical proposal. Offerors should refer to the WL PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry referenced in Section A of this announcement to assist in SOW preparation. Public Law 98-94 applies. Any questions concerning the technical proposal or SOW preparation shall be referred to the technical point of contact stated herein. The written portion of the technical proposal shall be submitted in an original and four copies. (4) Page Limitations: The proposal shall be limited to two hours of videotape, a hard copy of any viewgraphs or other printed material presented in the tape (to ensure readability), the technical proposal (including a SOW and resumes) and cost proposal. Although the written technical and cost proposals have no page limitations, offerors are encouraged to limit the page lengths to 50 and 15 respectively. (5) Preparation Cost: If selected for negotiations, qualifying offerors will be required to submit a subcontracting plan. This announcement does not commit the Government to pay for any response preparation cost. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this PRDA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting or 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. E -- BASIS FOR AWARD: The selection of one or more sources for award will be based on an evaluation of an offeror's response (both technical and cost aspects) to determine the overall merit of the proposal in response to the announcement. The technical aspect, which is ranked as the first order of priority, shall be evaluated based on the following criteria which are of equal importance: (a) new and creative solutions; (b) the offeror's understanding of the scope of the technical effort; (c) the soundness of offeror's technical approach; (d) the availability of qualified technical personnel and their experience with applicable technologies; (e) the offeror's past experience with applicable LIDAR wind sensing technologies; (f) the organization, clarity, and thoroughness of the proposed SOW; and (g) the potential impact of reducing the costs associated with the producibility of the LIDAR system. Cost and/or price of the proposed effort, which includes consideration of proposed budgets, funding profiles, cost share ratio and supporting rationale, is a substantial factor, but, is ranked as the second order of priority. No other evaluation criteria will be used. The videotape will be viewed and evaluated by both technical and business representatives. After reviewing the oral proposal, the Air Force representatives will establish a time for either a video or telephone conference with offerors so that follow-on questions may be presented concerning their individual proposal. All videotapes and/or audiotapes of the follow-on questions are the responsibility of both the Air Force and the offeror. The tape produced by the Air Force takes precedence over the offeror's copy. The offeror's copy serves as a backup and a copy must be submitted to the Air Force upon request. The oral proposal process has been selected by the Air Force to streamline the time for selection and award. The Air Force reserves the right to select for award of a contract, cooperative agreement, other transaction or grant any, all, part, or none of the proposals received. Award of a grant or cooperative agreement, in lieu of a contract, to universities and nonprofit institutions will be considered and will be subject to the mutual agreement of the parties. F -- POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) Technical Contact Point: Questions related to technical issues may be referred to Wright Laboratory, Manufacturing Technology Directorate, Electronics Division, Fabrication and Assembly Branch, Mr. Walt Spaulding, WL/MTMM, Building 653, 2977 P Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7607, (937) 255-2461. (2) Contracting/Cost Point of Contact: Questions related to the contract/cost issues should be directed to Wright Laboratory, Directorate of Research and Development Contracting, Manufacturing Technology Division, Mr. Jimmie L. Garrard II, WL/MLKT, Building 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7607, (937) 255-7143. (3) An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concerns from offerors and potential offerors during the proposal development phase of this acquisition. The purpose of the Ombudsman is not to diminish the authority of the Contracting Officer, but to communicate contractor concerns, issues, disagreements and recommendations to the appropriate government personnel. All potential offerors should use established channels to voice concerns before resorting to use of the Ombudsman. 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 selection decision. Interested parties should direct all routine communication concerning this acquisition to Mr. Jimmie L. Garrard II at the address specified above. The Ombudsman should only be contacted with issues or problems that have been previously brought to the attention of the Contracting Officer and cannot be resolved at that level. These serious concerns may be directed to the Ombudsman, Mr. Daniel L. Kugel, ASC/SY, Building 52, 2475 K Street, Suite 1, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7642, (937) 255-3855. See Note 26. (0062)

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