Supply Department Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, 101 Strauss Ave, Indian Head, MD 20640-5035

A -- ENERGETIC CONCEPTS DEVELOPMENT SOL BAA 97-004 POC P. Kennedy, Contracting Officer, Code 1143, (301) 743-6692 E-MAIL: BAA 97-007 Synopsis, BrendaPrice@mail.ih.navy.mil. BAA 97-004 ENERGETIC CONCEPTS DEVELOPMENT A. OVERVIEW The Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, in collaboration with the Naval Sea Systems Command, has an interest in proposals related to Energetic Concept Development. Specific areas of interest are: energetic concepts for underwater mines, torpedoes, mine neutralization, and Seal weapons; theoretical experimental research on the effects of chemical and nuclear explosions in air, water and ground media; development of technology base in applied mechanics to assess the damage to underwater targets from advanced underwater warheads; novel concepts in the areas of Micro Electronic Mechanical Sensors (MEMS) and comparable technologies; research on of all types of energetic materials, explosives and propellants processing, explosive components and warhead technology; synthesis of new materials; formulation of new explosives and propellants; scale-up studies of new formulation; development of processing and loading technologies; development of concepts for new Ignition Devices; development of new warhead technologies for all types of weapons; development of new and innovative technologies in the area of demil and disposal of energetic materials; studies on explosive and propellant devices in areas of chemistry, physics and engineering; modeling and simulation in all of the above areas of interest. The Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center intends to accomplish the goals contained in this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) through the issuance of Cooperative Agreement(s) under the authority of 10 United States Code (USC) 2358. Cooperative agreements are assistance instruments that will help to facilitate: (a) a close working relationship between Indian Head and the recipient(s), (b) the exchange of personnel and maximum use of available facilities, (c) an environment for the exchange of scientific ideas, and (d) the conduct of research in support of Navy requirements while encouraging commercialization of the results of the research. The Cooperative Agreement will allow for substantial programmatic involvement in the form of Indian Head Technologists participation in decisions related to objectives. Proposals that involve either basic research or final product development beyond the stage of product prototype or feasibility demonstration are outside the scope of the competition and will not be acceptable. Readers should note that this is an announcement to declare Indian Head's intent to competitively fund (offerors must propose cost sharing) research and technology development projects and that no request for proposals, solicitation or other announcement of this opportunity will be made. This notice constitutes Indian Head's BAA as contemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2). Small businesses and historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and minority institutions (MIs) are encouraged to participate. In any case in which the evaluation shows two or more proposals to be substantially equal, preference for award will be given to those proposals which include small businesses, HBCUs, and MIs as participants over those which do not. Teaming arrangements among participants are encouraged when the result is a technically stronger proposal. Due to limited funding, the Government reserves the right to limit awards under this announcement and only proposals considered to be of superior quality will be funded. All work performed under cooperative agreements resulting from this BAA must be performed within the United States. Proposals including work or research that will be performed outside of the United States, in whole or in any part, are not acceptable and will disqualify the entire proposal from further consideration. Cooperative agreements awarded as a result of this BAA maybe for a period of up to five (5) years. It is intended that the Government will assess the progress of the effort during each year. Based on this assessment, the Government will decide whether to continue funding the cooperative agreement. In accordance with OMB Circular A-110, proposed cooperative agreements shall not provide for payment of fee or profit. Proposals containing provisions for payment of fee or profit will not be considered. This announcement is open until 31 DECEMBER 1997 any interested offeror should send five (5) copies of its technical and cost proposal to: Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, ATTN: Ms. Penny Kennedy, 101 Strauss Avenue, Indian Head, MD 20640-5035. To be considered for award, the full proposal must be received by Indian Head by the time and date indicated above. Any interested company or institution is encouraged, but not required, to submit a white paper synopsis of the planned proposal including a rough cost estimate. White papers should address the selection criteria wherever possible. The white paper should not exceed five (5) pages and should be submitted anytime during the first 15 days from date of this CBD announcement. The white paper may be faxed to (301) 743-6670 or delivered to the office identified in the previous paragraph. Those submitting white papers are encouraged to continue to work on drafting a full proposal during the white paper evaluation process. It is expected that Indian Head technical review will be complete within 2 weeks of white paper receipt. The technical point of contact will contact the white paper submitter and provide feedback on the Navy's level of interest in the proposed project. Based upon the degree of encouragement received, companies and institutions can better decide whether to continue the preparation of full technical and cost proposals for the described project. Offerors may submit full proposals without going through the white paper process. Proposals submitted under this BAA could be considered for award at anytime up to 12 months after the closing date of the announcement if funding is available. Proposals will be reviewed and acted on as they arrive. Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from a peer and/or scientific review. Non-Government employees may be participating as reviewers in the evaluation of proposals. Evaluations will be conducted using the following evaluation criteria: 1) overall technical merits of the proposal -- including impact on the cost or performance of current and/or future naval/defense technologies; 2) potential naval/defense relevance and contributions of the effort to the agency's specific mission; 3) the offeror's capabilities, related experience, and facilities; 4) the qualification, capabilities and experience of the proposed Principal Investigator(s), team leader and other key personnel who are critical for achieving the proposed objectives; 5) quality and amount of cost share; 6) realism of the proposed cost and availability of funds. B. TECHNICAL PROPOSAL Technical proposals should be a maximum of twenty-five (25) pages and should include the following three sections: Section 1 -- Executive Summary: Provide a brief technical and business description of the contents of theproposal. The technical area should be written to cogently define your proposal's technical goals, the technical approach you are taking, and the expected technical result. Its purpose is to provide technical reviewers an overview of the technologies proposed. The business area should be written to explain strategic alliance, business, and market issues which successful commercialization and production will involve. It should reflect that the proposers have thought through the potential business, market, and economic implications if the technical goals of the project are achieved. If a consortia of performers are submitting the proposal, they should demonstrate that there is, indeed, a shared or common team vision. Section 2 -- Technical Issues: Give a detailed explanation of the technical approach, objectives, staffing and resources relating to the development of the proposed technology for both military and commercial use. a. Technical Objectives: Discuss clearly and specifically in realistic terms the technical objectives of this proposed effort. This should include all of the following: 1. A clear, definitive statement of the objective or end product of your effort. 2. A technical description of your technical activities in sufficient detail to determine the technical feasibility of the effort and the degree to which it improves on the current state of the art. 3. A discussion of the technical barriers to be overcome and the technical risks expected during the conduct of the project. Note: technical risks are expected and acceptable provided they are well understood and realistic approaches are presented to mitigate them. 4. A discussion, quantitative whenever possible, of the advantages (cost, performance, time to market, etc.) of the proposed technologies over alternatives. 5. If they exist, a discussion of other related projects (especially those funded by the Federal Government) and a clear demonstration that this effort will not duplicate those efforts. b. Technical Approach: Discuss your approach for achieving the technical objectives of this project. This should include all of the following: 1. A comprehensive description of your specific approach, including the advantages over other possible approaches which could be used to attack the problem. 2. A Statement of Work (SOW) that discusses the specific tasks to be accomplished, tied to the specific approach and goals of the project. Specific performers for tasks should be identified whenever possible. 3. A schedule of significant events and measurable technical milestones. This schedule should extend beyond the end of the project and include critical technical milestones for commercialization or production. c. Quality and Appropriateness of Technical Staff and Resources: Provide the experience and credentials of the technical team assembled to carry out the developments proposed. Include all of the following: 1. The identification of the proposed principal investigators and other key personnel and a full description of the qualifications, education, and relevant experience of each of these individuals. 2. A description of the management organization to be used for this effort, including a discussion of the proposed lines of responsibility, authority, and communication through which tasks will be managed and the procedures taken to insure quality control and cost control. 3. A discussion of the qualifications of each of the organizations involved in the effort in sufficient detail to demonstrate that the collective experience and expertise is necessary and sufficient to ensure technical objectives are met. 4. A demonstration that the resources available for the proposed activity, including facilities, equipment, and technical support, are necessary and sufficient to accomplish the objectives. Special attention should be paid to describing the necessity of any resources which are proposed as part of the offeror's cost share. 5. A discussion of how intellectual property (especially that proposed as part of the offeror's cost share) is to be used as a necessary resource to accomplish the objectives of the project. C. COST/FUNDING PROPOSAL The proposal shall contain a cost estimate that is sufficiently detailed, by element of cost, for meaningful evaluation. The estimate must include the total cost of the project and the amount and source of project funding (e.g., funds requested from Indian Head and/or funds to be provided by the proposing organization as cost sharing) The offeror's cost share may take the form of cash, independent research and development (IR&D), foregone intellectual property rights, academic training (such as ITV setup at Indian Head), equipment, or access to unique facilities, as well as others. Work breakdown structures and certified cost or pricing data are neither required nor desired. Cost/funding proposals should be organized to include four sections in the following order: total project cost, cost sharing and in-kind contributions, and cost to the Government. Section 1—Total Project Cost : This section will give a breakdown of costs of the project. Cost should also be broken down on a task-by-task basis for each task appearing in the statement of work. This should include all of the proposed cost to the Government and cost sharing by the proposer. The following information should be presented in your proposal for each phase of the effort: total cost of the particular project phase, total proposer cost share; funding requested from the Government; and elements of cost (labor, direct materials, travel, other direct costs, equipment, software, patents, royalties, indirect costs, and cost of money). Sufficient information should be provided in supporting documents to allow the Government to evaluate the reasonableness of these proposed costs, including salaries, overhead, equipment purchases, fair market value of leased items, and the method used for marking such evaluations. Profit shall not be included as a cost element. Section 2 -- Cost Sharing and In-Kind Contributions: This section will include (1) the sources of cash and amounts to be used for matching requirements; (2) the specific in-kind contributions proposed, their value in monetary terms, and the methods by which their values were derived; and (3) evidence of the existence of adequate cash or commitments to provide sufficient cash in the future. Affirmative, signed agreements are required from outside sources of cash. Proposals should contain sufficient information regarding the sources of the proposer's cost share so that a determination may be made by the Government regarding the availability, timeliness, and control of these resources. For example: How will the funds and resources be applied to advance the progress of the proposed effort? What is the role of any proposed in-kind contributions? Section 3 -- Cost to the Government: This section will specify the total costs proposed to be borne by the Government and any technical or other assistance including equipment, facilities, and personnel of Federal laboratories, if any, required to support these activities. The cost to the Government should be that portion of the proposed effort which is not covered by cost share. The costs incurred and work performed by any DOD or national laboratory "partnering" with the offeror under the proposal shall normally be considered costs of the Government and not costs of the proposer for purposes of the cost-sharing requirement. Proposals should contain sufficient information regarding the resources to be provided by the Government so that an evaluation of their availability, timeliness, and control may be made. D. PROPOSAL PAGE FORMATS All proposals should be printed such that pages are single-sided, with no more than fifty-five (55) lines per page. Use 21.6 x 27.9 cm (8 1/2" x 11") paper or A4 metric paper. Use an easy-to-read font or not more than about 5 characters per cm (fixed pitch font of 12 or fewer characters per inch or proportional font of point size 10 or larger). Smaller type may be usedin figures and tables, but must be clearly legible. Margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right) should be at least 2.5 cm. (1"). (0227)

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