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

A -- ADVANCED WIDEBAND MODE FORMER TECHNOLOGY SOL PRDA No. 98-02-SNK POC Contact Susan Southers, Contract Negotiator, (937) 255-2902 or Vicki A. Fry, Contracting Officer (937) 255-2902 WEB: Click here to view the supplemental package, http://www.wrs.afrl.af.mil/contract/opptnty.htm. INTRODUCTION: The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research effort described below. Proposals in response to this PRDA shall be received by 27 July 1998, 1500 hours Eastern Time, addressed to AFRL, Directorate of R&D Contracting, Building 7, Area B, Attn: (Mrs. Susan Southers, AFRL/SNKR) Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or part of this solicitation. Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. Proposal receipt after the cutoff date specified herein shall be treated in accordance with restrictions of FAR 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Competitive Acquisition (Oct 1997); 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 that may extend the date for proposal receipt. Information incorporated in a supplemental package is necessary for proposal preparation. Offerors should review the WL Guide "PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry," dated November 1992. This guide was specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA proposal process. The Guide and the supplemental package can be downloaded from the AFRL Wright Research Site http://www.wrs.afrl.af.mil/contract. Copies also may be requested from the contracting point of contact cited herein. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: The purpose of this effort is to advance single aperture interferometry technology in the near term with improved designs of the mode forming network (MFN) in order to lower cost, improve sensitivity and angle-of-arrival (AoA) accuracy, reduce size and lower weight. The deliverable MFN should have the following generic capabilities: (1) interface with either a 2 or 4 channel ESM receiver, (2) switch among antenna modes, (3) beam forming, (4) pre-select filtering, (5) air-cooling. The MFN deliverable hardware may then be incorporated in a flight worthy system (radome, aperture, MFN, software, various RF Distribution [RFD] Networks and a receiver) for pole and possible flight testing purposes. As an option, the contractor may be invited to participate in the testing as needed. This could consist of preparation of the MFN for testing, actual participation in the testing, and/or data reduction and analysis. The near term MFN should have the following parameters as goals: Number of modes: 8; Instantaneous BW: Full Band; Amplitude Matching: less than 2 dB max RMS without Cal and less than 0.5 dB max RMS with Cal; Power Requirements: less than 50 watts; Size: less than 8 inches by 8 inches by 4 inches; Temperature Range: 219 degrees F to minus 72 degrees F; Frequency Range: 2 to 18 GHz; Noise Figure: 8 dB; Phase Match: less than 10 degrees maximum RMS without Calibration and less than 3 degrees max RMS after MFN bias-error correction; Weight: less than 10 pounds (includes any active elements, filters, etc.); Vibration: Specifications must be requested by bidders from the contracting point of contact cited herein.; Built in Test and Calibration (BIT/Cal): Injection is required at each port; and Cost: Less than $60,000 each in quantities of 250 plus. Another portion of the effort, which could be a separate contract or options for the near-term effort, is directed toward more far term goals. These will include options involving innovative systems analysis and future concepts. The first far term task (possible option) will be for innovative analysis of how various systems might be configured and utilized on different platforms. The platforms considered shall include as a minimum Joint Strike Fighter (JSF), B-2, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV's), and other appropriate platforms. In the future, UAV's may be used for a variety of applications that could utilize one or more lightweight inexpensive single aperture interferometry systems. When analyzing how such a system might be utilized, including benefits and drawbacks, consideration should include cost, weight, size, and performance. Following is a potential list of applications: decoy, reconnaissance and target designation, rescue, communications/data relay, multi-sensor long endurance reconnaissance, support jammers, strike vehicle, defensive counterair, surveillance platform, covert reconnaissance/strike, multi-role vehicle, and theater ballistic missile (TBM) defense. The second task (possible option) is for a pre-production design to be built to withstand the vibration, shock, and temperatures anticipated in a JSF-type aircraft. The contractor shall propose, select and perform a limited laboratory benchmark set of tests to demonstrate a confidence level of the design. The third task will be costed as individual options for future concepts. The contractor shall investigate new design concepts envisioned by the contractor. These might include end fed antennas, dual feeds, different antenna termination's, or even MFN manufacturability. They could include alternative concepts to RF, such as digital, optical or hybrid MFN's. The goal would be to achieve accuracies less than 0.2 degrees per pulse in X-band at 30 dB SNR. An overall system error (or loss) budget analysis for the system (from the antenna through the receiver) would be a part of such a task. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items shall be proposed: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, (b) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507A/T monthly; (c) Presentation Material, DI-81373/T, as required; (d) Scientific and Technical Reports, Contractor's Billing Voucher, DI-MISC-80711/T, monthly; and (e) Scientific and Technical Reports Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Reproducible Final). (f) The hardware and software developed under this contract. (3) Security Requirements: Portions of the near term effort will be classified secret. The far term efforts will be unclassified. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: The total length of the technical effort, both near and far term, is estimated to be 44 months. The contractor shall also provide for an additional 4 months for processing/completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: 1998 September. (3) Government Estimate: The Government funding profile is estimated to be as follows in thousands: FY 98: $1; FY 99: $700; FY00: $1,043; FY01: $800; FY02: $100. This is the basic funding for both the near and far term efforts. There is a possibility of an extra $500 in FY99 and $500 in FY2000. The funding profile is an estimate only and is not a promise for funding as all funding is subject to Government discretion and availability. (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: None, with the possible exception of the items mentioned above (Pole test facility, test aircraft, RFD networks, radome, aperture, software and receiver). (6) Size Status: For the purpose of this acquisition, the size standard is 500 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 foreign participation is excluded at the prime contractor level. Foreign participation at the subcontractor level will be handled in accordance with the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR). Such firms are excluded from award of the near term effort based on the limitations of the Military Critical Technologies List (MCTL). (8) Background Information: Background information in the form of applicable technical reports will be made available to contractors on a "read-only" basis. The reports will be held in the Technical Information Center (TIC) located in Building 620, Area B, Wright-Patterson AFB OH. Scheduling for access to the library must be made directly with the TIC librarian, Ms. Carolyn May, AFRL/SNSE, WPAFB OH, (937) 255-7261. Access to the library and review of the documents requires a valid SECRET security clearance. (9) Options selected will be funded during the second and third year of the contract. D -- PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: (1) General Instructions: Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in the provision at FAR 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors -- Competitive Acquisitions (Oct 1997), 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 WL 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. 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. Please note thatclassified information shall NOT be submitted on disk. If proposals are not submitted on computer disk, they shall be submitted in an original and two copies. If proposals will be submitted by electronic means, they shall be submitted in two paper copies and two electronic copies. The disks shall be 3 1/2 inch high-density disks. Any technical and cost (spreadsheet calculations) proposals submitted electronically shall be readable by Microsoft Word 6.0 for Windows, Excel 5.0 for Windows, and/or PowerPoint 4.0 for Windows. All responsible sources may submit a proposal that shall 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 on an SF 1448 or equivalent, together with supporting schedules, and shall contain a person-hour breakdown per task. A suggested cost/price format is available from the contracting point of contact. (3) Technical Proposal: Offerors may propose the near term portion, the far term portion or parts thereof, or both near and far term portions. 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 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. 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. The proposal shall state specific values, indicating the state of the art today. The proposed technical approach shall explain how the goals are to be achieved and predict specific values to be achieved. Offerors should refer to the WL Guide referenced in Section A to assist in SOW preparation. PL 98-94 applies. Offerors must submit approved DD Form 2345, Export-Controlled DOD Technical Data Agreement with their proposal. 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 shall be limited to 50 pages (12 pitch or larger type), double spaced, single-sided, 8.5 by 11 inches. The page limitation includes all information, i.e. indexes, photographs, foldouts, appendices, attachments, etc including those described in Paragraph D(3). The government will not consider pages in excess of this limitation. Cost proposals have no limitations, however, offerors are requested to keep cost proposals to 25 pages as a goal. (5) Preparation Cost: 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 for 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 award will be based on an evaluation of an offeror's response (both technical and cost aspects) to determine the overall merit of the proposal in response to the announcement. The technical aspect, which is ranked as the first order of priority, shall be evaluated based on the following criteria which are of equal importance: (a) new and creative solutions; (b) the offeror's understanding of the scope of the technical effort; (c) soundness of offeror's technical approach; (d) the availability of qualified technical personnel and their experience with applicable technologies and the offeror's past experience in this technology; and (e) organization, clarity, and thoroughness of the proposed SOW. Cost, which includes consideration of proposed budget and funding profiles, is a substantial factor though ranked as the second order of priority. No other evaluation criteria will 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. F -- POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) Technical Contact Point: Engineer, John McCall, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7333, (937) 255-6127, ext 4232. (2) An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concern from offerors and potential offerors during the proposal development phase of the 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 voice concerns before resorting to use of the Ombudsman. When requested, the Ombudsman will 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 should direct all routine communication concerning this acquisition to Mrs. Susan Southers, Contract Negotiator, AFRL/SNKR, Bldg 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607, telephone (937) 255-2902. The Ombudsman should be contacted only with issues or problems that have been previously brought to the attention of the contracting officer and could not be satisfactorily resolved at that level. These serious concerns may be directed to the Ombudsman, Lt Col James P. Bixler, DET 1 AFRL/PK Building 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433. Phone number is (937) 255-4813. See Note 26. (0156)

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