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

A -- RESEARCH ON ADVANCED NDE METHODS FOR AEROSPACE STRUCTURES SOL PRDA #98-35-MLK DUE 042398 POC Contract Bobbi Cunningham, Contract Negotiator, (937) 255-5830 or Terry Rogers, Contracting Officer, (937) 255-5830 INTRODUCTION: Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL/MLKM) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research and development effort described below. Proposals in response to this Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA) shall be submitted by April 23, 1998, 1500 hours, local time, addressed to Air Force Research Laboratory, Directorate of R&D Contracting, Area B, Building 7, 2530 C Street, ATTN: Bobbi Cunningham, AFRL/MLKM, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7607. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. Proposals shall be submitted in accordance with this announcement. Proposal submission after the cutoff date specified herein shall be treated in accordance with restrictions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3); 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 PRDA amendments which may be published. The announcement may be amended to provide for subsequent dates for submission of proposals. Offerors should request a copy of the AFRL Guide entitled "PRDA & BAA Guide for Industry" dated November 1992. This guide was specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA process. The "PRDA & BAA Guide for Industry" is available through either of the following methods: (1) Download from the Internet. Go to the Air Force Research Laboratory R&D Contracting Home Page and look under "A Contracting Toolbox" for "PRDA/BAA Indexed Guide" at http://www.wrs.afrl.af.mil/contract/, or, (2) Written request to Bobbi Cunningham, AFRL/MLKM, Bldg 7, Area B, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, 45433-7607, telefax (937) 255-9217. Please provide written requests to Bobbi Cunningham only if you are unable to download the information from the Home Page. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: The program specified in this PRDA is designed to lead to improved quantitative NDE capabilities. The emphasis of this program is to establish a bridge between the basic (6.1 program element) research output of both the in-house research group at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and other Air Force and DoD sponsored basic research, and the exploratory and advanced development (6.2 and 6.3 program elements) contractual programs. This bridging requires that the results of the basic research be tested and the methodology adapted to demonstrate feasibility for application to present and future Air Force NDE needs. The on-going technical effort of this program will be to establish the range of applicability of new advanced materials characterization NDE techniques, imaging methods/signal processing techniques and data analysis methods that are an out-growth of the in-house research effort at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate and other efforts. This effort will be conducted on-site in the AFRL Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's NDE Branch. The current Materials and Manufacturing Directorate in-house NDE program is aimed at developing advanced materials characterization and defect detection methods which have the potential to provide approaches to meeting NDE requirements for high cycle fatigue and corrosion. At the present time, the research is concentrated in several areas. The first area currently under investigation is a study of acoustic microscopy, laser ultrasonics, x-ray diffraction and x-ray micro-tomography for application to characterization of materials being developed or experiencing in-service problems. A unique ultrafast laser ultrasonic method was identified early in this project which has been shown to provide the data necessary to characterize thin film properties. The second area being studied is the development of NDE methods for high cycle fatigue. A variety of high resolution methods such as acoustic microscopy are being utilized to identify early evidence of crack initiation. A third area of work is data and image analysis. It is the overall goal of this work to develop methods which can isolate flaw signals and material anomalies/microstructure in the presence of material and electronic noise. Currently wavelet analysis methods are being studied for application to ultrasonic images of corrosion and material microstructure and x-ray CT generated images with poor contrast resolution. This program shall consist of two on-going tasks which shall be conducted concurrently. In Task I, the contractor shall conduct an investigation to define the advantages and limitations of at least three measurement techniques or data analysis methods developed under the Air Force and/or DoD basic research program. A minimum of two measurement techniques or data analysis methods shall be investigated concurrently. The techniques of interest are measurement methods sensitive to material properties, microstructure, or structural flaws, and data analysis methods which are capable of improving the reliability of flaw detection or materials characterization. Thefirst two on-going developments that shall be investigated are as follows: (1) An investigation of the potential of acoustic microscopy in the frequency range from 1 MHz to 1 GHz to characterize material properties in materials and components undergoing high cycle fatigue. Other characterization tools shall be utilized to benchmark the acoustic microscopy measurements and establish the applicability limits. (2) An assessment of the potential of the ultrafast laser ultrasonic method to characterize a variety of coatings and thin films of importance to the Air Force. Other high resolution characterization tools shall be utilized to benchmark the properties of the films over a range of thickness and density variations. For each development, the contractor shall identify those features of the physical inspection situation, such as part geometry, material properties, etc., which might affect the accuracy or reliability of the technique. The contractor shall then design and perform experiments to assess the severity of the degradation of the results of the inspection technique due to these or any other consideration. In order to insure optimum performance of each technique, the contractor shall utilize state of the art experimental apparatus to perform the assessment. This may require the periodic upgrading of existing systems or purchase of small quantities of data acquisition and analysis equipment (ADPE) to add new capabilities to these systems. Additional research projects within this task shall be mutually agreed upon and selected from the output of the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate's in-house effort and other Air Force basic programs for investigation after completion of either or both of the initial efforts. Neither of the on-going efforts are expected to take the full period of the contract to accomplish. After either or both of these on-going tasks are completed another problem area will be mutually agreed upon. It is not possible to predict which other research areas will yield developments suitable for transition. However, areas under consideration include NDE material characterization methods for detecting and tracking the onset of corrosion, NDE of electronic component packaging and the development of sensors for material/process evaluation. In Task II, the contractor shall assess the feasibility of applying the technique(s) identified in Task I to current and anticipated Air Force inspection and evaluation problems. This task shall be concerned with such factors as sensitivity, reliability, cost effectiveness and comparison with existing methods. The contractor shall become familiar with current and potential Air Force inspection problems through consultations with the Air Force. In addition, the contractor shall make at least two fact-finding trips per year to other Air Force installations and/or technical meetings where such problems are discussed. The contractor shall utilize this information to select the most likely application areas for each of the techniques studied in Task I. The contractorshall then determine the applicability of each technique to the selected areas. For each technique, the factors to be considered in making the assessment shall include the technique's estimated sensitivity and inspection reliability vs. the requirements, its cost effectiveness in terms of such factors as acquisition cost of instrumentation and implementation and maintenance costs for a complex technique and, lastly, a comparison of the technique with existing inspection methods in terms of the factors given above. For each technique, demonstrations of the possible benefits on problems of interest to potential users shall be performed when feasible. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items will be required: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, monthly, (b) Funds and Man-hour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T, monthly, (c) Contract Funds Status Report (CFSR), DI-MGMT-81468/T, quarterly, (d) Presentation Material, DI-ADMN-81373/T, as required, (e) Scientific and Technical Reports, Contractor's Billing Voucher, DI-MISC-80711/T, monthly, (f) Scientific and Technical Reports, Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, end of contract (Draft and Reproducible Final Version) (3) Security Requirements: DD Form 254 requirements do not apply. 4. Other Special Requirements: International Traffic in Arms Regulations does not apply. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: The total length of technical effort is estimated to be 48 months. The contract will also include an additional five (5) months for processing/completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: SEPTEMBER 1998 (3) Government Estimate: The Government funding profile is estimated to be as follows: FY98 -- $50K, FY99 -- $1200K, FY00 -- $1225K, FY01 -$1250K, FY02 -- $1150K. More than one award could be made for this PRDA; the funding shown is the total for all awards. 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 andavailability. (4) Type of Contract: Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) or Cost (no fee). Any grants awarded will be cost (no fee). (5) Government Furnished Property/Base Support: It is anticipated that a cost effective proposal will rely extensively on the effective utilization of available Government Furnished Property. Government Furnished Property for this program includes NDE and X-Ray CT Test Facilities at WPAFB and materials to be used as test specimens. The Government shall provide, on a no charge-for-use basis, through the auspices of the Air Force Research Laboratory, the full-time use of the Metals, Ceramics & NDE Division NDE and X-Ray CT Test Facilities, located respectively in Buildings 655 and 71, Area B, Wright-Patterson AFB for performance of the specified work. The accountability of the equipment shall remain with the Air Force Research Laboratory. The offeror shall be responsible for maintenance of any equipment used during the effort. Quantities of materials for test specimens will be providedas required to complete the proposed evaluations. A listing of the available Government Furnished Property and Base Support, can be accessed via the AFRL R&D Contracting Home Page described in Section A of this announcement. (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 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. (8) The government may issue a grant to a university or non-profit institution as a result of this action. (9) Teaming arrangements between Universities and Private Industry will also be considered and are encouraged. (10) The NDE facility will be open on March 19, 1998 from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm for potential contractor walk-through. Interested sources should indicate their intention to attend by providing written notice to Bobbi Cunningham (tele facsimile (937) 255-9217) no later than COB March 12, 1998. This notice should include the individuals' names and their titles of those expected to attend. Participation is limited to five (5) attendees per offeror. Responses should include the following: (1) Description of team background and experience related to the above areas and (2) Discussion of any recent efforts which have been accomplished in the specific research area to indicate that the offeror is a qualified source. Attendees will report to the Visitor's Office, Gate 1B, Area B. Please contact Dr. Thomas J. Moran, MLLP, (937) 255-9800 for an escort . D -- PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: (1) General Instructions: Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in the provision at FAR 52.215-1(e), Instructions to offerors-Competitive Acquisitions (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 "AFRL 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 after the proposal date. Proposals must reference the above PRDA number on all Proposal Volumes. Proposals shall be submitted in an original and five (5) copies. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which will 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: Adequate price competition is anticipated. The accompanying cost proposal/price breakdown shall be supplied, together with supporting schedules and shall contain a person-hour breakdown per task by fiscal year. (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 experience in this area, descriptions of available equipment, data and 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 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 AFRL Guide referenced in Section A to assist in SOW preparation. PL 98-94 applies. Offerors must submit an approved DD Form 2345, Export-Controlled DOD Technical Data Agreement, with their proposal. Any questions concerning the technical proposal or Statement of Work preparation shall be referred to the Technical Point of Contact cited in this announcement. (4) Page Limitations: The technical proposal shall be limited to 75 pages (12 font type or larger), double spaced, single sided, 8.5 by 11 inches. The page limitation includes all information i.e., indexes, photographs, foldouts, appendices, attachments, etc. Pages in excess of this limitation will not be considered by the government. Cost proposals have no limitation; however, offerors are requested to keep cost proposals to 75 pages as a goal. (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 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 contract award will be based on a scientific and/or engineering evaluation of offerors' responses (both technical and cost aspects) to determine the overall merit of your proposal in response to the announcement. The technical aspect, which is ranked as the first order of priority, and significantly more important than cost or price, shall be evaluated based upon the following criteria which are listed in descending order of importance: (a) The offeror must demonstrate the availability of the following: qualified personnel with sufficient demonstrated expertise and relevant experience to carry out this program on-site at the Materials and Manufacturing Directorate, an adequate staff and facilities to provide engineering support and administrative backup to the on-site team and a detailed plan to man the on-site staff in a flexible manner in order to have personnel with optimum skills at each stage of the development. ; (b) The offeror must demonstrate that he understands the present NDE state-of-the-art with respect to equipment and techniques including both the hardware and software to implement them, reliability andcosts for the inspection of complex geometries and structures and advanced materials and the limitations imposed by the field and depot environments on possible NDE measurements; (c) soundness of offeror's technical approach; (d) the offeror's past experience with NDE research and development; (e) organization, clarity, and thoroughness of the proposed Statement of Work; and (g) overall management approach and plan, including the offeror's demonstration of a proactive management approach and a plan to maintain the proposed schedule, bill the government for work promptly, and ensure the achievement of expenditure rates at or above 75% within a fiscal year. Cost and/or price, which includes consideration of proposed budgets and funding profiles, is ranked as the second order of priority. The technical and cost information will be evaluated at the same time. No other evaluation criteria will be used. 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 non profit 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) Technical Contact Point: Questions on technical issues may be referred to the Project Engineer, Thomas J. Moran, AFRL/MLLP, Bldg 655, 2230 Tenth Street, Suite 1, WPAFB, OH 45433-7817, (937) 255-9800 (2) Contracting/Cost Point of Contact: Questions on contractual and cost issues should be directed to the Air Force Research Laboratory, Directorate of Research and Development Contracting, Bobbi Cunningham, AFRL/MLKM, Building 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7607 (937) 255-5830. G -- OMBUDSMAN: An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concerns 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 established channels to maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. The Ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals or in (0068)

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