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

A -- CONTROL CONCEPTS FOR GLOBAL RANGE PROGRAM SOL PRDA No. 98-01-FIK DUE 120997 POC Contact Mr. James Simon, 937-255-8492, Project Engineer, Ms. Kristina J. Croake 937-255-4427 E-MAIL: Click here to contact the Contract Negotiator, croakekj@wl.wpafb.af.mil. INTRODUCTION: Wright Laboratory (WL/FIGC) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research effort described below. Proposals in response to the PRDA shall be submitted by 9 December 1997, 1500 hours, Eastern Time, addressed to Wright Laboratory, Directorate Of R&D Contracting, Building 7, Area B, ATTN: Ms. Kris Croake, WL/FIK, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607. Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. Proposal submission after the cutoff date 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 formal Request For Proposal (RFP) or 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 who do not already have a copy of the current Wright Laboratory guide entitled "PRDA/BAA Guide for Industry" may request a copy from the contracting point of contact cited in this announcement. This guide was specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA proposal process. This guide is also available for review on the WL/PK contracting home page at www.wl.wpafb.af.mil/contract/hp.htm. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: Air Force Science and Technology research on aircraft is governed by the Fixed Wing Vehicle Program. The Fixed Wing Vehicle program considers three classes of aircraft; fighter/attack, airlift/bomber/patrol and special operations forces aircraft, but to date government resources have focused primarily on the fighter/attack class. The Control Concepts for Global Range is an initial exploratory effort to identify the critical Fixed Wing Vehicle technologies, particularly control technologies which would have high impact for airlift/bomber/patrol missions in the 2015-2060 timeframe. The technologies studied could be as late as phase 3 of the Fixed Wing Vehicle Program. Missions in the above timeframe will very often require global range due to reduced overseas basing. Airframe designs for that period must consider multi-service missions, vehicle modularity and dual-use applications. One future mission area was identified by the New World Vistas (NWV) Mobility panel which recommended the development of technologies that will allow a 12,000 Nmi. range (unrefueled) transport capable of transporting 150,000 lb. of cargo. Also, DOD has approximately 2000 airframes in the 150,000 lb. to 300,000 lb. gross weight class. These aircraft include tactical airlift (C-130), patrol (AWACS, JSTAR, C-135 variants, P-3), and tankers (KC-135). Technologies that enable increased aerodynamic efficiencies will also benefit this class of aircraft. he primary objective of this effort is to identify a set of technologies that will enable a revolutionary increase in cruise efficiency. This investigation should include an analysis of the required efficiency increases, anexamination of the benefits/costs of applying individual technologies, and an assessment of the impacts individual technologies have on configuration design and control requirements. This effort will involve six activities. (a) Identify 4 or more notional missions and define the technology goals required to achieve the notional missions. The notional missions should be used to quantify the payoffs of high efficiency aircraft and determine the technology drivers. Possible missions include long range airlift, long loiter refueling missions, long loiter reconnaissance, maritime patrol, and refueling of Uninhabited Air Vehicles (UAV). Compatibility with long range strike and Special Operation Forces (SOF) missions should be considered. These missions will be used to determine the aerodynamic, propulsion, and structural efficiency increases needed over baseline aircraft. These technology goals will be compared with the goals identified in the Fixed Wing Vehicle program. (b) Identify or develop an appropriate configuration to meet more than one of the notional missions and technology goal sets identified in (a). A modular vehicle should be considered. The ability to customize a configuration for disparate tasks while keeping a common production line has potentially large payoffs. Advanced technology propulsion concepts may be provided by the Air Force Research Laboratory Propulsion Directorate. (c) Identify an appropriate technology set that will provide the required efficiency increases on the configuration identified in (b). Technologies may include, but are not limited to, vertical tailless high volume configurations, innovative aerodynamic controllers, vectored thrust, control of flexible structures, wing tip/propulsion integration, powered lift and control devices, and micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS). (d) Perform sensitivity studies to determine the benefit/cost of applying the technologies to the configuration. This study should consider the effectiveness, the system level impacts, and the likelihood to have these technologies available in the 2015 to 2020 time frame. Dual-use potential for these technologies should be identified. (e) Development of a technology plan. The technology plan should include an outline of the steps required to develop the most beneficial technologies to meet or exceed the goals identified in (a). Appropriate demonstrations to test the maturity of the technologies should be identified. (f) Document the study and write the final report. (2) Deliverable Items: Data and Reports: During the program, contractors will deliver data and reports. The amount and type of data and reports is dependent on the type of contractual award. It is the intent of the Air Force to permit the contractor to exercise considerable freedom in providing the minimum documentation to satisfy the requirements of the participating government organizations. Minimum documentation shall be as follows: reports to track contractor progress versus expenditures and analysis criteria and data to support demonstration of achievement of the program's goals and objectives. The Contract Data Requirements Lists (CDRL) contain much more than this and the contractor should make recommendations as to which of these can be eliminated. The following deliverable data items are suggested: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, monthly; (b) Funds and Manhour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T, monthly; (c) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507 A/T, monthly; (d) Presentation Material, DI-ADMN-81373/T, as required; (e) Scientific and Technical Reports, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Reproducible Final); (f) Data Accession List (DAL), DI-MGMT-81453/T; (g) Contract Funds Status Report (CFSR), DI-MGMT-81468/T, quarterly; and (h) Scientific and Technical Reports, Contractors' Billing Voucher, DI-MISC-80711/T, monthly. The contractor shall be required to attend a kickoff meeting at WPAFB, OH to be held within 30 days after contract award. The contractor shall conduct performance reviews at approximately 3 month intervals or at critical milestones alternating between the contractor's facility and WPAFB, OH. (3) Security Requirements: It is anticipated that work performed under this contract will be unclassified. The use of foreign nationals in performance of this contract shall be subject to Air Force Contracting Officer review and approval. (4) Other Special Requirements: International Traffic in Arms Regulation apply. All technical data resulting from this program will be releasable to industry after completion of the final report. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated period of performance: The total length of this effort is estimated to be 40 months which includes 4 months for processing and completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: April 1998. (3) Government Estimate: The government anticipates a total of approximately $1,000,000 for the Control Concepts for Global Range task, distributed as follows: FY98-$100,000; FY99-$350,000; FY00-$350,000; and FY01-$200,000. 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: Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF), cost (no fee), or other cost share cooperative agreements. Any grants awarded will be cost (no fee). (5) Government Furnished Property: It is the offeror's responsibility to identify the need for, and arrange for use of, any government furnished equipment. (6) Size Status: For the purpose of this acquisition, the size standard is 1000 employees (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 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 PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry referenced in 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. In an effort to move toward paperless contracting, you are encouraged to submit your cost and technical proposals via electronic means on computer disk or CD ROM. Please note that classified information shall NOT be submitted on disk. If proposals are not submitted on computer disk or CD ROM, they shall be submitted in an original and five copies. If proposals will be submitted by electronic means, submit two paper copies and 2 electronic copies. The disks shall be 3 1/2 inch high density disk or on CD ROM in Microsoft Word Version 6.0. 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 other wise commit the government (2) Cost Proposal: Adequate Price competition is anticipated. Therefore, to permit a cost realism analysis, the submission of a Standard Form (SF) 1448 is required, in lieu of a SF 1411, together with supporting schedules and breakdown by fiscal year, and shall contain a person-hour breakdown by task. Copies of the above referenced forms may be obtained from the contracting office cited. The costs should be broken down by task to facilitate partial award of a separate task if appropriate. (3) Technical Proposal: The technical proposal shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research and the technical approach. Additional information on prior work in this area, descriptions of facilities, and resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort should also be included as attachments to the technical proposal and are not included in the page limit. 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. Offerors should refer to the WL Guide referenced in Section A 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. (4) Page Limitations: The technical proposal cited in this announcement shall be limited to 50 pages (11 point font or larger type), single-sided, 8.5 by 11 inches. The page limitation includes all information, i.e. indexes, photographs, foldouts, appendices, attachments, etc. unless specifically excluded elsewhere in this synopsis. Pages in excess of this limitation will not be considered by the Government. Cost proposals have no limitations; however, offerors are requested to keep costs proposals to 25 pages as a goal. Offerors may include a short 10-15 minute unclassified video in VHS format to communicate their proposal or present demonstrations. The video is not a requirement. (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 contract or any other. 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 the offeror's response, both technical and cost aspects, to determine the overall merit of the proposal in response to the announcement. The technical aspect is ranked as the first order of priority. Technical proposals received for the Control Concepts for Global Range Program shall be evaluated based on the following criteria, which are listed in descending order of importance: (a) knowledge and capabilities in the methods required to assess relative cost/benefit of candidate technologies, (b) thoroughness of analysis of system level impacts of individual technologies and interactions between technologies, (c) innovation in proposed technical solutions, (d) ability to transition proposed technical solutions to different configurations and/or dual-use capability and, (e) qualifications of personnel assigned to project. The contractor may provide experience information as an annex which will not count against the page limitation. Cost and/or price, which includes consideration of proposed budgets and funding profiles, is a substantial factor, but is ranked as the second order of priority. No other evaluation criteria shall 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, grant or cooperative agreement any, all, part, or none of the proposals received. Award of a grant to universities or nonprofit institutions, or cooperative agreement, in lieu of a contract, will be considered and will be subject to the mutual agreement of the parties. The government reserves the right to award any resulting contract pursuant to the Research and Development Standard Contract format in DFARS 235.70. F -- POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) Contracting/Cost Point of Contact: Questions related to the contract/cost issues should be directed to the Wright Laboratory, Directorate of Research and Development Contracting, Ms. Kris Croake, WL/FIK Bldg. 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7607, (937) 255-4427, E-mail: croakekj@wl.wpafb.af.mil. (2) Technical Point of Contact: Mr. James M. Simon, WL/FIGC, Bldg. 146, 2210 Eighth Street, STE 11, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7521, (937) 255-8492, E-mail: simonjm@wl.wpafb.af.mil. (3) An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concerns from offerers or potential offerers during the proposal development phase of this acquisition. The purpose of the Ombudsman is not to diminish the authority of the program director or Contracting Officer, but to communicate Contractor concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations to the appropriate government personnel. When requested, the Ombudsman shall 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 are invited to contract Mr. Michael S. Coalson, ASC/SYI, telephone (937) 255-5535, ext 232, or email coalsoms@sy.wpafb.af.mil. All routine communication concerning this acquisition should be directed to Ms. Mary Jones, Contracting Officer, telephone (937) 255-4427, E-mail: jonesmk@wl.wpafb.af.mil. (0295)

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