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

A -- ADVANCED INTELLIGENCE, SURVEILLANCE AND RECONNAISSANCE MANAGEMENT SOL BAA 97-05-PKPX POC Richard Simard, Program Manager, RL/IRRE, 315/330-1798; Gregory Hadynski, Deputy Program Manager, RL/C3BA, 315/330-4218; Joetta Bernhard, Contracting Officer, RL/PKPX, 315/330-2308 Rome Laboratory (RL) and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) are soliciting white papers in support of DARPA's Advanced Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance Management (AIM) program (formally the Advanced Cooperative Collection Management or ACCM program). Formal proposals will be solicited on the basis of the white paper submittal. The goal of the AIM program is to drastically shorten the operations planning to information product delivery cycles in order to provide near real time, focused information support to warfighters. Activities essential to this goal include the management of information system processes, development of strategies for the optimization of the Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance (ISR) confederation, and the development of technologies and processes for multi-asset synchronization. Technologies and processes developed under AIM may be transitioned into the Defense Intelligence Agency's (DIA) Integrated Collection Management Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration (ICM ACTD), the Joint Collection Management Tool (JCMT), the Joint Task Force (JTF) reference architecture, and individual operations management and ISR programs where applicable. Other important program linkages for AIM include DARPA's Dynamic Data Base, Battlefield Awareness and Data Dissemination (BADD) ACTD, Joint Forces Air Component Command (JFACC) program, and the Joint Task Force Advanced Technology Demonstration (JTF ATD). Information dominance within the dynamic battlefield demands that the ISR confederation provide the necessary information to the correct operational echelon within required timelines. Consequently, the ISR management process -- from information need generation, to tasking, collection, exploitation, and dissemination -- must be tightly integrated into the operational cycles and optimized for requirements satisfaction and responsive to real-time needs. Current ISR management process and asset planning systems must be upgraded to greatly improve single and multiple asset technology capabilities and satisfy the associated requirements for dynamic responses. The goal of the AIM Program is to develop and transition capabilities that will allow the ISR confederation to operate in a time compressed and cooperative collection capacity necessary for synergistic collections, time critical targeting, and dynamic battlefield awareness. AIM will concentrate on three major areas to achieve its goal: 1. Information Management: AIM will develop and transition technologies and processes for (1) continuous interactive feedback to the requester on the status of the information need satisfaction, (2) coordination between strategic, operational, and ISR planning, (3) generation of subordinate priorities for support, and (4) computer-aided management of information needs. 2. Strategy Development: AIM will develop and transition technologies and processes to (1) decompose information needs into technical specifications for tasking based on user priorities, (2) conduct performance analysis to determine strategies for maximum military utility for the ISR confederation, (3) develop alternative strategies for tasking and determine the feasibility of these strategies, and (4) compose optimal, timely deployment and execution strategies to include platform trajectories, sensor schedules, and exploitation loading. 3. Multi-Asset Synchronization: AIM will develop and transition the capabilities to (1) synchronize collection, exploitation, and fusion of information to optimally satisfy selected strategies, (2) determine the feasibility of tasking through the continuous coordination with ISR assets; and (3) provide coordination and feedback within a collaborative operations environment. Technologies that are applicable to AIM's three major areas include, but are not limited to, the following: work flow management, asset deployment planning, sensor configuration planning, plan coordination, confederation geographical planning, priority-based requirements decomposition and recomposition, performance analysis and metrics, computer-aided information needs generation, common data and object representations, and development of rules of behavior for intelligent system technologies. Applicable support activities include: system integration of developed software/models; transition of developed capabilities into ICM ACTD or JCMT; and visualization of analysis and military utility metrics. Important areas for offerors to be familiar with include: existing low, medium, and high fidelity modeling and simulation efforts in the areas of intelligence, surveillance, reconnaissance, and communications; capabilities, performance, and employment of national, theater and tactical intelligence collection, processing, exploitation, reporting, and dissemination systems; the DARPA/DISA Joint Program Office operational concepts and architecture; intelligent agent technologies; programs identified above as possible linkages or transition opportunities; and ISR confederation contributions to military operations. For interested parties, a bidder's briefing for this BAA will be held in mid-July 97 in the Washington DC area. Please contact Mr. Simard or Mr. Hadynski for further information about the bidder's briefing and to register for attendance. It is recommended that all parties interested in attending the bidder's briefing register by 9 July 97 to ensure adequate time for coordinating clearance information. Information in this announcement is not complete. The Proposer Information Package (PIP) will be available not later than 14 July and may be accessed via the ACCM Homepage, or obtained at the bidder's conference. Information on other programs mentioned above may also be found at the following Web addresses: Information Systems Office (ISO): http://yorktown.dc.isx.com/iso. AIM/ACCM: http://yorktown.dc.isx.com/iso/planning/accm.html. BADD: http://yorktown.dc.isx.com/iso/battle/badd.html. DDB: http://yorktown.dc.isx.com/iso/battle/ddb.html (under construction). JFACC: http://yorktown.dc.isx.com/iso/planning/jfacc.html. JTF-ATD: http://yorktown.dc.isx.com/iso/planning/jtfatd.html. JTF-ATD Reference Architecture: http://www.teknowledge.com:80/JTF/. DARPA/DISA JPO: http://www.les.mil. THIS ANNOUNCEMENT CONSTITUTES THE ONLY SOLICITATION. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL AT THIS TIME. Offerors are required to submit three (3) copies of a five (5) page or less white paper with a cover letter (include softcopy on 3.5'' disk/in Microsoft Word), indicating whether the offeror is a large, small, women-owned small, or small disadvantaged business, or Historically Black College, University, or Minority Institution. The white paper must be formatted as follows: Section A: Title, 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: Richard Simard, Reference BAA #97-05-PKPX, Rome Laboratory/IRRE, 32 Hangar Rd, Rome, NY 13441-4114. Also send one (1) copy of the cover letter only, by First Class mail (DO NOT SEND CLASSIFIED),ATTN: Jan Norelli, 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. All white papers submitted will be reviewed and those found to be consistent with the intent of the BAA 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 and will be contained within the PIP. Evaluation of proposals will be performed using the following criteria: (1) innovation of the approach based on the overall goal and/or technical areas described above; (2) soundness and applicability of approach; and (3) reasonableness and realism of proposed costs and fees (if any). In addition, the Government may consider other factors such as: (1) offeror's capabilities, related experience, facilities, techniques, or a unique combination of these which are integral factors for achieving program objectives; (2) offeror's qualifications, capabilities and experience of proposed principal investigator, team leader, and other key personnel who are critical to achieving proposal objectives; and (3) offeror's record of past and present performance. No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting the proposals. The technical criteria will also be used to determine whether white papers submitted are consistent with the intent of this BAA 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 BAA. Unpriced options will not be considered for award. Funding of this BAA and the anticipated award of contracts are contemplatedto start in FY 98. Individual awards will not normally exceed 18 months in duration, with dollar amounts normally ranging from $100,000 to $1,500,000. Total funding for this BAA is anticipated to be $35,000,000. Foreign participation at the prime contractor level is not authorized for this acquisition. Data subject to export control constraints will 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 Top Secret/SCI facility clearance and safeguarding capability; therefore, personnel identified for assignment to a classified effort must have a Top Secret/SCI clearance at time of award. In addition, to qualify as a responsible contractor, the offeror may need access, or have access, to a certified and Government approved facility available to support work under this BAA. 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 officer or program manager, but to communicate contractor concerns, issues, disagreements and recommendations to the appropriate Government personnel. The Ombudsman 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. It is recommended that white papers be received by the following dates to participate in the source selection and maximize chance of award: FY-98-15Aug97; FY-99-15Aug98; FY-00-15Aug99; FY-01-15Aug00. White papers will be accepted out of this cycle, but it is less likely that funding will be available out of the source selection cycle. This BAA is open and effective until 30 Sep 2001. To receive a copy of the Rome Laboratory "BAA & PRDA: A Guide for Industry," Sep 1996 (Rev), write to ATTN: Lucille Argenzia, Rome Laboratory/PKR, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY 13441-4514, or the Guide may be accessed at: http://www.rl.af.mil/Lab/PK/pk-main.html. All responsible firms may submit a white paper which shall be considered. Respondents are asked to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) number with their submission and reference BAA #97-05-PKPX. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. (0176)

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