WL/MTPD, Building 22B, 2700 D Street, Suite 2, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7405

A -- DEFENSE PRODUCTION ACT (DPA) TITLE III HIGH STRENGTH, CORROSION RESISTANT ALUMINUM (HSCR AL) ALLOY SOL BAA-97-02-MTPD DUE 072397 POC Willa M. Eichelman, Contracting Officer, (937)255-9665, Ext 225 E-MAIL: eichelwm@wlmta.wpafb.af.mil, eichelwm@wlmta.wpafb.af.mil. A -- INTRODUCTION: The Wright Laboratory Manufacturing Directorate Defense Production Act (DPA) Title III Program Office is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) to establish a long term, financially-viable domestic high strength, corrosion resistant aluminum (HSCR Al) alloy production capability. The purpose of the DPA Title III Program is to provide financial incentives to establish, maintain, modernize, and expand domestic production capacities for critical technology items and industrial resources essential for national defense. Proposals in response to this BAA shall be received by (45 days after publication) 97, 1500 hours Eastern Daylight Time, addressed to WL/MTPD, Building 22B, 2700 D Street, Suite 2, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OH 45433-7405, Attention: Ms Willa Eichelman, Procurement Contracting Officer. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on 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 restrictions of FAR 52.215-10. A copy of this provision may be obtained from the contracting point of contact. There will be no other solicitation issued in regard to this requirement. Offerors should be alert for any BAA amendments that may permit a later date for proposal submission. Offerors should request a copy of the WL Guide entitled, "PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry", dated November 1992. This guide is specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA proposal process and is available on the internet, address: www.wl.wpafb.af.mil/contract. Copies may also be requested from the contracting point of contact. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: HSCR Al is defined for this project as having yield strength, ultimate tensile strength, ductility, and plane-strain fracture toughness (K1C) equal to or greater than typical values for 7075-T6 as well as having corrosion resistance and stress corrosion cracking resistance equal to or exceeding typical values for 7075-T73. The purpose of this effort is to establish a long term, viable production capability for producing consistent, high quality HSCR Al alloy at an acceptable material cost. Specific program objectives to be addressed include: (a) Development and implementation of a credible, long term plan to achieve business viability, (b) Establishment of a production process capable of producing consistent, high quality HSCR Al alloy, (c) Demonstration of a total alloy production cost that meets the cost/benefits criteria of a sufficient number of end users to provide a sustainable demand, (d) Demonstration of a production capability of at least 750,000 LBS/Yr, (e) Demonstrate through MIL-HDBK 5 testing that product forms made from the alloy consistently meet customer requirements, (f) Establishment of industry partnerships for material evaluation and/or qualification efforts that eliminate insertion barriers and accelerate market penetration, (g) Gratis distribution of a limited amount of excess material in standard product forms to Government, industry and universities for material characterization and to further eliminate insertion barriers. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable items shall be proposed: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80386/T, quarterly, (b) Funds and Man-Hour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T, monthly, (c) Scientific and Technical Reports, Business Plan, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Final), (d) Presentation Material, DI-ADMIN-81373/T, as required, and, (e) Scientific and Technical Reports, Project Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Final). (3) Security Requirements: The work performed as a result of this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) will be unclassified. (4) Other Special Requirements: Data generated by the resulting contract(s) may be subject to export control and/or subject to International Traffic in Arms Regulations. United States organizations are asked to contact the contracting officer immediately if they anticipate employment of foreign nationals on this program. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: Technical effort is estimated to last approximately 48 months. The contract shall also provide for additional 4 months for processing/completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: Oct 97. (3) Government Funding Estimate: The Government is open to multiple awards with total Government funding not to exceed $8M. (4) Type of Contract: Cost Sharing. A total program cost share ratio of 1:1 of Government funding is desired. Past capital investments will not be considered towards cost sharing. (5) Domestic Source: The production capability established for HSCR Al alloy, a "critical technology item", must be provided by a domestic source. The DPA defines "domestic source" as: "a business concern that (a) performs in the U.S. or Canada substantially all of the research and development, engineering, manufacturing, and production activities required of such business concern under contract with the U.S. relating to a critical component or a critical technology item, and (b) procures from business concerns described in (a) substantially all of any components and assemblies required under contract with the U.S. relating to a critical component or critical technology item." (6) Potential DPA Title III Financial Incentives: (a) Direct Purchase: This incentive allows for the direct purchase of material or technical effort and may be appropriate for alloy and component production, process improvement, testing, and evaluation. (b) Purchase Commitment: This incentive allows a guaranteed minimum market where Title III would serve as a "customer of last resort" so that material can be produced prior to orders being placed. This incentive could be used if the proposal provides the rationale for its use and would occur after the technical objectives of the project were completed. (c) Sales Incentive: This incentive is a fixed dollar award for meeting or exceeding sales objectives.The purpose of this incentive is to ensure market penetration efforts are pursued. (7) Government Furnished Property: None contemplated. (8) Size Status: For the purpose of this acquisition, the size standard is 1000 employees (SIC 3334). (9) 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 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 BAA 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: The cost proposal shall be prepared in accordance with FAR 15.804-6 and shall include a Standard Form 1411, Contract Pricing Proposal Cover Sheet, with all supporting data, in order to allow for a complete review by the Government. The cost proposal shall include all supporting information including breakdown of labor hours by category, materials, travel, computer, subcontracting, and other direct and indirect costs. An analysis of each major subcontractor must be performed by the offeror in accordance with FAR 15.806-1 and included in the cost proposal. Details of the cost sharing to be undertaken by the offeror should be included in the cost proposal. A total of 8 hard copies plus 1 electronic copy in Microsoft Office for Windows format of the cost proposal shall be provided. (3) Technical Proposal: The technical proposal shall address how the offeror proposes to meet the stated requirements including submission of a concise business plan summary. Additional information on prior work in this area, descriptions of available equipment, data, facilities and resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort shall also be included in the technical proposal. The technical proposal shall also include: (a) Statement of Work (SOW) detailing the technical tasks proposed to be accomplished under the proposed effort and suitable for contract incorporation, (b) Statement of Intention, if any, to use foreign nationals, (c) Break out of person hours for each task in the SOW and (d) Identification of all subcontractors and the level of effort proposed. Offerors should refer to the Wright Laboratory Guide to assist in SOW preparation. Any questions concerning the technical proposal or SOW preparation shall be referred to the technical point of contact cited in this announcement. A total of 8 hard copies of the technical proposal are required plus 1 electronic copy in Microsoft Office for Windows format of the SOW. Offerors are notified that the SOW may be incorporated, or any part thereof, by reference, in any resulting award. The paragraph numbering used in the Technical Proposal for the technical approach discussion, the SOW tasks, and the Cost Proposal shall correlate. Travel is projected to include, but not limited to, semi-annual reviews at locations selected by the Government. (4) Page Limitations: Technical proposals shall not exceed 150 pages, double spaced, single-sided on "8.5 X 11" paper using 12 pitch or larger type. The page limitation includes all information, ie. Indexes, photographs, foldouts, and appendices. Pages in excess of this limitation will not beconsidered by the Government. There are no page limitations for the cost proposal. (5) Preparation Cost: This announcement does not commit the Government to pay for any response preparation cost. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this BAA 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 a complete evaluation of offeror's response (both technical and cost aspects) to determine the overall merit of each in response to this announcement. The proposals shall be evaluated based upon the following criteria that are listed in descending order of importance. (1) Business Viability: (a) The extent to which this market fits into the corporate strategic plan, utilizing core competencies. (b) The extent to which there is stakeholder involvement in the project, demonstrated by teaming arrangements, where stakeholders are defined as OEM and military users. (c) The effectiveness and completeness of the proposal in demonstrating a clear understanding of the factors necessary to achieve an economically-viable production capability. (d) The extent to which the offeror possesses the business capability, experience, and willingness to become a competitive supplier of HSCR Al alloy products. (e) The extent to which the offeror's proposal communicates a credible strategy for overcoming existing barriers, both business and technical, in order to successfully develop markets for HSCR Al alloy products. (f) The extent to which the proposal demonstrates that this effort will lead to a production capacity that meets corporate objectives for profitability. (2) Technical Merit and Soundness of Approach: (a) Extent to which the offeror's technical approach reflects a thorough understanding of the critical issues affecting quality and cost, and demonstrate the ability to control both. (b) Extent to which the offeror proposes a proven material that meets the stated technical requirements and user requirements for HSCR Al alloy. (c) Extent to which the proposed technical approach will lead to consistent material quality, high production yields, and low production costs all resulting in an user-acceptable material price. (d) Extent to which the offeror demonstrates that proposed user evaluations contribute to attaining production applications. (3) Offeror's Capability and Experience: (a) Extent to which the offeror possesses the capability and experience to complete the proposed work. (b) Degree to which the analyses, approaches, staffing methodology and planning considerations demonstrate that the offeror has identified and understood the Government requirements. (c) Degree to which the proposal shows a proven capability to produce similar products at production rates. (4) Quality and Scope of Proposed Solutions: (a) Extent to which the proposed solutions have the potential for making a significant impact to the reduction of DOD corrosion control costs. (b) Extent to which "windows of opportunity" are understood and leveraged in selecting user evaluators. (c) Organization, clarity and thoroughness of the proposed Statement of Work (SOW). (5) Cost Realism: (a) Reasonableness, realism, and completeness. (b) Amount of cost share dollars proposed. No other evaluation criteria will be used. The technical and cost information will be evaluated at the same time. The Air Force reserves the right to select for award of a contract, any, all, part, or none of the proposals received. F -- POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) The Contracting Point of Contact is Ms. Willa Eichelman, Wright Laboratory, Manufacturing Technology Directorate, Processing and Fabrication Division, Defense Production Act Branch, WL/MTPD, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7405, (937) 255-9665. (2) The Technical Point of Contact is Mr. Philip Tydings, Wright Laboratory, Manufacturing Technology Directorate, Processing and Fabrication Division, Defense Production Act Branch, WL/MTPD, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7405, (937) 255-9665, extension 223. (3) An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concern 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 the 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 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 the Contracting Officer listed above. The Ombudsman should only be contacted with issues or problems that have been previously brought to the attention of the contracting officer and could not be satisfactorily resolved at that level. These serious concerns only may be directed to the Ombudsman, Mr. Michael S. Coalson, ASC/SYI, Bldg 52, 2475 K St, Suite 1, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7642, E-mail coalsoms@sy.wpafb.af.mil, phone (937)255-9279, extension 232. (See Note 26.) (0157)

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