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COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY ISSUE OF MARCH 26,1998 PSA#2060NATIONAL IMAGERY AND MAPPING AGENCY, ATTN: D. HINCHBERGER/PCE/D-88,
4600 SANGAMORE ROAD, BETHESDA, MD 20816-5003 A -- NIMA UNIVERSITY RESEARCH INITIATIVE-1998 SOL NMA202-BAA-98-0002
DUE 042898 POC Contracts:D
Hinchberger:(301)227-4244/e-mail:hinchbergd@nima.mil I. INTRODUCTION.
The National Imagery and Mapping Agency announces a Fiscal Year 1998
competition for the University Research Initiative (NURI). The NURI is
a National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA) initiative to enhance
universities' capabilities to perform research and related education in
science and engineering areas critical to national defense. The NURI
supports research teams whose efforts intersect more than one
traditional science and engineering discipline. Multidisciplinary team
effort can accelerate research progress in areas particularly suited
to this approach and also can help to hasten the transition of research
findings to practical application. By supporting team efforts, NURI
complements other DoD programs that support university research
principally through single-investigator awards. II. GENERAL
INFORMATION. Through this NURI competition, the National Imagery and
Mapping Agency expects to make awards in several specific research
topics, subject to the availability of appropriations. All awards will
be based on merit competition. The agency expects that typically each
award will be: o for a basic period of three years (funded
incrementally or as options) with two additional years possible as
options to bring the total award to a possible five-year award, subject
to the availability of appropriations; and o on average, about
$75thousand per year, with the size of each award dependent upon the
topic. III. AREAS OF INTEREST -- GENERAL. Research topics are
identified in Section VIII. These descriptions are intended to provide
proposers with a frame of reference for these NIMA research topics.
Innovative ideas that address these concerns are encouraged. Proposers
are urged to consider carefully the research issues posed, and, as
appropriate, to contact the research topic chiefs to discuss potential
efforts of mutual concern. Inquiries are welcome. Note, however,
proposals must be directed only to the single address shown in Section
V below. IV. CONDITIONS -- GENERAL. This NURI competition is
specifically for the research topics identified in Section VIII. Full
details of the requirements for each these topics, including identified
appendices, can be found on NIMA's web site at
'http://164.214.2.59/poc/contracts/nuri98.html.' Potential proposers
are advised to read this announcement carefully. It explains the
agencies' research needs upon which the topics are based and the terms
and conditions of this NURI competition. Proposals from consortia of
universities may be warranted, because research in the
multidisciplinary topics may require forming teams with strengths in
multiple science and engineering fields. Consortia proposals must name
one principal investigator as the responsible technical
point-of-contact. Similarly, one institution will be the primary
awardee for purposes of award execution. The relationship among the
institutions and their respective roles, as well as the apportionment
(i.e., sub-award) of funds among institutions, must be described in
both the proposal text and budget. Proposals are encouraged from
Historically Black Colleges and Universities (as determined by the
Secretary of Education to meet requirements of 34 CFR Section 608.2)
and from Minority Institutions (as defined by 10 U.S.C.
'2323(a)(1)(c)), either individually or as members of proposing
consortia. The NIMA expects that NURI programs will promote application
of defense research, primarily for defense purposes but also for
commercial purposes. Therefore, a factor for evaluating proposals in
this competition is the quality of the proposer's planned interactions
with research and development organizations that transition research
findings to application, particularly industrial organizations, DoD
laboratories, and other organizations that perform research and
development for defense applications. Examples of interactions that can
be proposed are collaboration in the performance of the proposed
research, exchange of scientific and engineering personnel, and
exchanges of technical information. To facilitate such interactions,
sub-awards of NURI funds to industrial organizations are permitted.
However, consistent with the principal goals of the University Research
Initiative, it is anticipated that award funds will remain vested
substantially with the university(ies). Cost sharing by industrial
participants is encouraged as a preferred means to achieve
university-industry interactions. When a modest amount of additional
funding for a DoD laboratory/ organization or a Federally Funded
Research and Development Center is necessary to make the proposed
interactions possible, such funds may be requested via a separate
proposal from that organization. This supplemental proposal should be
attached to the primary NURI proposal; it is not subject to or part of
the 50-page limit of the primary proposal; and if approved it would be
funded by additional agency (non-NURI) funds beyond the NURI funds
available for this competition. Each proposed interaction will be
evaluated in the context of the entire proposal. The evaluation will be
based on the likelihood that the proposed interaction(s) will
positively impact research outcomes and transition to application. V.
REQUIREMENTS FOR WHITE PAPERS AND PROPOSALS. The proposal submission
process is in two stages. First, white papers are sought from
prospective proposers. Based on the evaluation of those white papers,
selected proposers will be invited to submit more detailed proposals.
The intent of a request for white papers is to minimize the labor and
costs associated with the production of detailed proposals. All
interested proposers, therefore, are encouraged to submit white papers.
However, all proposals submitted under the terms and conditions cited
herein will be reviewed, regardless of the disposition (or lack of)
white papers. 1. White papers. White papers should be no longer than
five typed pages and should outline: (a) proposed objectives and
approach; (b) expected outcomes; (c) credentials of key project
members; (d) costs, in summary and broken down by year. One copies of
the white paper should be submitted. White papers must be received at
the address shown in this Section by 4:00 p.m. EST on Tuesday, 31 March
1998. Alternatively, white papers submitted in whole or in part by
electronic media (e.g., computer disk or tape, facsimile machine,
electronic mail) will also be accepted. White papers will be evaluated
against criteria 1, 2, 3, and 8 in Section VI. Letters to encourage or
discourage submission of proposals will be sent directly to the
proposed Principal Investigators by about Wednesday, 8 April 1998.
Further, NIMA responses may be transmitted via facsimile or e-mail to
expedite communications, so white paper respondents should be sure to
include 'fax' numbers and e-mail addresses in the packages. 2.
Proposals. a. General. Institutionally approved, signed, completed
proposals must be received by the agency at the address shown in this
Section by 4:00 p.m. EDT on Tuesday, 28 April 1998. Please note that
only this address serves as the collection point for proposals.
Offerors shall submit six (6) bound copies of proposal documents. In
addition to hardcopy proposals, offerors shall submit a softcopy of all
proposal documents on 3 1/2" floppy disc(s). Proposals received after
the deadline will be treated according to Federal Acquisition
Regulation part 52.215-10, Sections (a)(1) through (a)(5) (see Appendix
A). Proposals will be evaluated against criteria (1) through (8) in
Section VI. Acknowledgment of receipt of a NURI proposal will be done
via the tear-out receipt at Appendix B; receipts will be mailed by
about 1 May 1998. E-mail may also be used. Letters announcing whether
or not a proposal is being recommended for an award will be mailed by
about 25 May 1998 directly to the Principal Investigator, with a copy
to the university business office. Awards are planned to be in place by
about 1 July 1998; this should be cited as the proposed start date for
the budget. b. Submission. A proposal signed by appropriate university
officials and marked "Original", along with six (6) copies of the
signed original, should be submitted directly to the address listed
below. To be eligible for consideration, all copies of the proposal
should bear Appendix C as a cover page. Further, to assure prompt
acknowledgment of receipt, please detach the receipt in Appendix B,
address it to the Principal Investigator or other university official,
affix proper postage, and clip to the original proposal. Each proposal
should be typed and no longer than 50 pages, all-inclusive (including,
for example, vitae, cover and signature pages, and budget). The
technical portion (see Section C.3) should be limited to no more than
30 of the 50 pages. Proposals shorter than 50 pages are heartily
encouraged. Separate attachments, such as institutional brochures or
reprints, that cause the proposal to exceed 50 pages can render the
entire proposal ineligible. Address for submission of proposals:
NATIONAL IMAGERY AND MAPPING AGENCY FY98 NURI/PCE (D-88), ATTN: Daniel
Hinchberger 4600 Sangamore Road Bethesda, MD 20816-5003 E-mail address
for submission of white papers: HinchbergD@nima.mil. c. Content. The
proposal must be signed, complete, and self-contained to qualify for
review. The National Imagery and Mapping Agency is concerned with
research in critical areas of science and engineering, with science and
engineering education, and with the availability of equipment required
to meet its research objectives. For this reason, proposals must
adequately describe the technical objectives and approaches, support of
students, and expenditures for equipment, all of which will be
evaluated by scientific reviewers per Section VI. Proposals should
include: l. Cover page: To be eligible for review, proposals should
have Appendix C as a cover page, to be included on the original
proposal and each of the copies. 2. Abstract: Provide an abstract no
longer than one page. 3. Text: The technical portion of the proposal
should be limited to 30 pages and should: a. Describe in detail the
research to be undertaken. State the objectives and approach and the
relationship to state-of-knowledge in the field and to similar work in
progress. Include appropriate literature citations. Discuss the nature
of expected results. b. Describe the facilities available for
accomplishment of research objectives. Describe the equipment planned
for acquisition under this program and its application to objectives.
(When possible, equipment should be purchased very early in the
research award period.) c. Describe plans for the research training of
students in science and/or engineering. d. Describe in detail proposed
sub-awards or relevant collaborations (planned or in place) with
industry, government organizations, or other appropriate institutions.
Particularly describe how collaborations are expected to facilitate
the transition of research results to application. If sub-awards are
proposed, make clear the division of research activities and provide
detailed budgets for the proposed sub-awards. Descriptions of
industrial collaborations should explain how the proposed research will
impact the industrial partner's research and/or product development
activities. e. Identify other parties to whom the proposal has
been/will be sent. 4. Personnel: Describe the qualifications of the
principal investigator and other key researchers involved in the
project. Include curriculum vitae. For consortia or collaborations, one
individual should be the designated principal investigator for purposes
of technical responsibility and contact. 5. Cost: The financial portion
of the proposal, beginning on a new page, should contain cost estimates
sufficiently detailed for meaningful evaluation, including cost details
for proposed sub-awards. For budget purposes, use an award start date
of 1 July 1998. The budget must include the total cost of the project,
as well as a breakdown of the amount(s) by source(s) of funding (e.g.,
funds requested from NIMA, non-federal funds to be provided as cost
sharing). The costs should be broken down for each year of the program
and shown by two distinct totals: a total for the basic three years
and a total for the two years of options. Elements should include: a.
Time being charged to the project, for whom (principal investigator,
graduate students, etc.), and the commensurate salaries and benefits.
Allowable charges for graduate students include salary, appropriate
research costs, and tuition. Allowable charges for undergraduate
students include salary and research training costs, but not tuition.
b. Overhead rates; c. Estimate of material and operating costs; d.
Costs of equipment, based on most recent quotations and broken down in
sufficient detail for evaluation (equipment costs should be budgeted
primarily during the first year); e. Travel costs and time, and the
relevance to stated objectives; f. Publication and report costs; g.
Sub-award costs and type (the portion of work to be sub-awarded and
rationale); note that the sub-award of funds among all university and
industry performers responding as one consortium must be described
carefully in both the text and the cost section. Also, while
collaborations with industry are very strongly encouraged, award funds
are expected to be vested substantially with the academic
institution(s); h. Consultant fees (indicating daily or hourly rate)
and travel expenses and the nature and relevance of such costs; i.
Communications costs not included in overhead; j. Other direct costs;
k. Year-by-year costs and a total for the initial three years and a
total for two years of options. 6. Certifications: Certifications will
be necessary for winning proposals. VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA AND
SELECTION PROCESS. Criteria (1), (2), (3) and (8) will be used to
evaluate white papers. All eight criteria will be used to evaluate
final proposals. The primary evaluation criteria, of equal weight, are:
(1) Scientific and technical merits of the proposed research; and(2)
Relevance and potential contributions of the research to defense
missions; Other evaluation criteria, of lesser importance than (l) and
(2) but equal to each other, are: (3) The qualifications of the
principal investigator and other key research personnel; (4) The
adequacy of current or planned facilities and equipment to accomplish
the research objectives; (5) The potential for strengthening the
institution's infrastructure, for example, by acquiring or refurbishing
equipment key to meeting NIMA research objectives; (6) The impact of
plans to train students in science and/or engineering; (7) The impact
of interactions with other organizations engaged in related research
and development, in particular industrial organizations, DoD
laboratories and other organizations that perform research and
development for defense applications; and (8) The realism and
reasonableness of cost, including proposed cost sharing. Process.
Proposals will undergo a multi-stage review. First, technical
evaluation teams will review proposals using the criteria in this
Section and as explained in Section V. Findings of the evaluation teams
will be reviewed by senior NIMA managers. VII. AWARDS. Awards will be
made at funding levels commensurate with the research and in response
to agency missions, but on average about $75 thousand per year.
Further, awards generally will be made for three years (through
increments or options) with options for two additional years.
Negotiations may result in funding levels different than originally
proposed. Letters announcing whether or not a proposal is being
recommended for an award will be mailed directly to principal
investigators by about 25 May 1998. Awards are expected to be in place
by 1 July 1998. VIII. SPECIFIC RESEARCH TOPICS FOR FY98 NURI. The
following topics represent NIMA research topics particularly suited for
NURI investment. An award for any topic will be made only if a
sufficiently meritorious proposal is received. NIMA reserves the right
to allocate available funds among topics based on the quality of the
responses and NIMA priorities. None, one or more than one award may be
made for an individual topic. Topic titles are: a. Gravity Data
Measurement, Process and Model Development; b. An Integrated
Information Model for Imagery and Geospatial Information; c.
Neuroscience-Inspired Target Recognition; and d. Future Geodesy. The
Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of
the proposals received in response to this announcement. No request for
proposal (RFP) or other solicitation will be made. Technical questions
may be submitted in writing to the address identified above, or to the
e-mail addresses identified in the full description of each topic found
on the NIMA's web site under Business Opportunities at
http://164.214.2.59/poc/contracts/nuri98.html. All remaining questions
should be directed in writing to Mr. Daniel Hinchberger at the address
identified above, and he can be reached at (301) 227-2295, fax (301)
227-2218, or e-mail HinchbergD@nima.mil. (0082) Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0001 19980326\A-0001.SOL)
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