COASTSYSTA Dahlgren Division, NSWC, 6703 West Highway 98, Panama City, FL 32407-7001

A -- SUBMARINE EXCAPE, RESCUE, AND DIVER SAFETY, PART 1 OF 2 SOL N61331-97-R-0055 DUE 091199 POC Mary Kitchen, Contract Specialist, (850)235-5389 Carol A. Dreger, Contracting Officer, (850)234-4863. The Naval Surface Center, Dahlgren Division, Coastal Systems Station, Panama City, Florida is interested in receiving proposals for research and development to support the Naval Sea Systems Command, Office of the Director of Ocean Engineering, Deep Submergence Biomedical Development Project. This notice constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement as contemplated in FAR 6.102(d)2. It is intended that this BAA be open for a period of two years from the date of publication. Proposals are solicited for innovative technologies, procedures and systems in two broad areaes: (1) Submarine escape, rescue, and survival of submariners from a distressed submarine, to enhance survival and minimize morbidity of submariners awaiting rescue, performing escapes, and under transport and/or medical treatment at the surface. (2) Diver safety and effectiveness: reduce morbidity and mortality during and following hyper- and hypobaric exposures; support deeper, longer, more flexible dives; reduce decompression obligations; enhance physical and mental capabilities of divers performing work in hypo- and hyperbaric conditions. Proposals may be submitted by any commercial firm, institution of higher education (other than federal government) with degree-granting programs in medicine, science and/or engineering (universities), or by consortia led by such entities. The COASTSYSTA encourages participation by small business, small disadvantaged businesses, woman-owned small business concerns, and historically black colleges and universities. The following guidelines apply to concept papers or proposals. Typically each proposal may be: (1) funded incrementally for periods up to three years subject to the availability of appropriations, (2) on average, be funded between $10,000 to $1,000,000, with the size of each dependent upon the topic (although the COASTSYSTA reserves the right to entertain larger proposals based on the availability of funds); (3) more than one effort may be funded for an individual topic; (4) the COASTSYSTA is not interested in concepts that already have been developed or proven (even if they never have been sold before); (5) the COASTSYSTA seeks proposals for scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding; and (6) deliverables should demonstrate the results of scientific study and experimentation rather than focus on a specific system or hardware solution. Proposals for evolutionary engineering of improvements are inappropriate under BAA authority and are not allowed. Inititial contractor selections can be expected during the first or second quarter of FY-98. Offerors interested in multiple subject areas must submit a separate proposal for each area. Offerors with multiple approaches to a single area may submit a proposal for each approach to that area. No award can be made without a proposal to perform a specific effort within an estimated time and cost framework. In order to minimize the cost regarding proposal preparation, as an initial step, interested parties should submit concept or "white" papers briefly summarizing the technical direction, relevance and scope of the proposed effort, and a brief synopsis of qualifications based on accomplishments, and provide a rough order of magnitude cost. White papers should be no more than 5-7 pages in length. Evaluation criteria will be (1) the potential significance to submarine escape and rescue, and diving capability; (2) the efficient use of existing expertise through collaboration; (3) the qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the proposed principal investigator(s) who are key to project success, and; (4) defensibility of estimated costs. White papers may be submitted any time prior to expiration of the BAA. Based on evaluation of the White papers, participants may be selected and invited to submit full technical and cost proposals for evaluation by the COASTSYSTA using the above noted evaluation criteria. An invitation to submit a full proposal does not guarantee funding. The Government reserves the right to select for funding any, all, part, or none of the responses received. For efforts funded as legally binding commitments, evaluation of the socio-economic merits will include the extent of commitment in providing meaningful subcontracting opportunities for small business, small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business concerns, and historically black colleges and universities. This is to notify potential proposers that each grant or cooperative agreement that may be placed under this announcement or solicitation to an institution of higher education must include the following clause: "As a condition for receipt of funds available to the Department of Defense (DoD) under this award, the recipient agrees that it is not an institution that has a policy of denying, and that it is not an institution that effectively prevents, the Secretary of Defense from obtaining for military recruiting purposes: (A) entry to campuses or access to students on campuses; or (B) access to directory information pertaining to students. If the recipient is determined, using procedures established by the Secretary of Defense to implement section 558 of Public Law 103-337 (1994), to be such an institution during the period of performance of this agreement, and therefore to be in breach of this clause, the Government will cease all payments of DoD funds under this agreement and all other DoD grants and cooperative agreements, and it may suspend or terminate such grants and agreements unilaterally for material failure to comply with the terms and conditions of award." If your institution has been identified under the procedures established by the Secretary of Defense to implement section 558, the: (1) no funds available to DoD may be provided to your institution through any grant, including any existing grant, (2) as a matter of policy, this restriction also applies to any cooperative agreement, and (3) your institution is not eligible to receive a grant or cooperative agreement in response to this solicitation." SeePart 2 for submission of proposals. (0258)

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