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

A -- ELECTRONIC PROTECTION AGAINST COHERENT JAMMERS SOL PRDA NO. 98-03-SNK POC Contact Dave Shellabarger, Contract Negotiator, (937) 255-5201 or Kenneth P. Smith, Contracting Officer, (937) 255-2902 WEB: Click here to view the R&D Contracting Home Page, http://www.wrs.afrl.af.mil/contract/. A -- INTRODUCTION: Air Force Research Laboratory, R&D Contracting Office (AFRL/SNKR) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research effort described below. Proposals in response to this PRDA shall be received by 1998 August 3, 1500 hours Eastern Daylight Savings Time, addressed to Air Force Research Laboratory, Directorate of R&D Contracting Office, Building 7, Area B, Attn: (Mr. Dave Shellabarger, AFRL/SNKR) 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 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 52.215-1 (c)(3), Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition (Oct 1997); 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 permit subsequent submission of proposal dates. Offerors should request a copy of the WL Guide entitled, "PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry," dated November 1992. This guide was specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA proposal process. Copies may be requested from Dave Shellabarger (AFRL/SNKR), Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7607, telephone (937) 255-5201. The Guide is also available on the internet, address: http://www.wrs.afrl.af.mil/contract. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: The purpose of this effort is to increase mission effectiveness of front-line U.S. forces through advanced Electronic Protection (EP) technologies, (sometimes called Electronic Counter-Counter Measures (ECCM)), for aerospace radars. The Electronic Combat (EC) threat environment is constantly evolving and providing new challenges for current and projected space-based radar systems including the technological advances in high-speed,low-cost digital electronic Countermeasures (ECM). The specific objective of this effort is to identify cost effective techniques and technology that could be used for Air Force (AF) aerospace radar systems to enhance effectiveness to counter existing and projected near-term coherent jammers. This effort shall conduct a design investigation to identify robust EP techniques to counter coherent jammers, especially Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) systems and other modern coherent jammers, including deceptive and non-deceptive jammers. At least one current or future aerospace radar system will be selected as the candidate radar system and a design investigation conducted to upgrade the EP performance. Radar mission effectiveness shall be demonstrated for each proposed EP technique/technology in scenarios of one radar versus many threat jammers. No hardware development for integration with any radar systems is anticipated, however, an option to include limited hardware development to support ground/field testing would be considered. Ground/field testing could be accomplished by utilizing a current aerospace radar system as a surrogate for the space-based radar. The scope is limited to development of preliminary designs and evaluation using methods of mission effectiveness evaluations: e.g. detailed analysis or high fidelity digital computer models, hardware-in-the-loop laboratory simulation, or if feasible, preliminary field test demonstration. No new radar models are to be developed, although some existing radar models may need modification to be updated for the latest radar or threat information. It is expected that different solutions could be found for the different AF aerospace radar systems. It is a goal to find robust solutions rather than specific point solutions. The new EP capabilities gained from this program will improve radar performance in hostile EC environments and significantly enhance survivability of AF weapon systems and assets. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items shall be proposed: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, (b) Funds and Man-hour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T monthly; (c) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507A/T monthly; (d) Contract Funds Status Report (CFSR), DI-F-6004B/T, quarterly; (e) Presentation Material, DI-ADMN-81373/T, as required; (f) Scientific and Technical Reports, Contractor's Billing Voucher, DI-MISC-80711/T, monthly; and (g) Scientific and Technical Reports Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Reproducible Final). (3) Security Requirements: SECRET facility and storage clearance requirements apply. TEMPEST requirements will not apply. The following Security Classification Guides are applicable to this program: (a) ELECTRONIC WARFARE SECURITY CLASSIFICATION GUIDE dated 31 Sep 1997, and (b) RADAR TECHNOLOGY SECURITY CLASSIFICATION GUIDE dated 1 March 1996. (4) International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) and public law 98-94 (control of unclassified technical data with military or space applications: The data generated under the Contract will be subject to ITAR and the Contractor is expected to generate data subject to ITAR. Some of the technology is listed on the Military Critical List (MCL), so the offeror is required to have access to technical data subject to PL98-94. Therefore, the offeror must submit evidence of approved Certification on a DD Form 2345, Military Critical Technical Data Agreement prior to award. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: The total length of the technical effort for the Basic Period is estimated to be 38 months. The contractor shall also provide for an additional 6 months for processing/completion of the final report. If the option is exercised, an additional 30 months will be added to the technical effort, making a total period of 68 months, plus 6 months for the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: 1998 December. (3) Government Estimate: The Government funding profile for the Basic Period is estimated to be as follows: FY98 -- $4K, FY99 -- $390K, FY00 -- $471K, FY01 -- $500K. The Government funding profile for the option (if exercised) is as follows: FY01 -- $500K, FY02 -- $500K, FY03 -- $500K. These funding profiles are total contract award estimates only, and are 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) or Cost (no fee). Any grants awarded will be cost (no fee). (5) Government Furnished Property: None contemplated. Information on US airborne and space-based systems, foreign threat systems, and relevant computer models up to and including the SECRET level will be made available after contract award. No classified information will be required or made available for proposal preparation. (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 ITAR. 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 Acquisistions (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. Proposals shall be submitted in an original and five copies. 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 otherwise commit the government. (2) Cost Proposal: We anticipate adequate price competition. Therefore, to perform a cost realism analysis, the submission of a cost proposal in the format suggested below is required. A suggested format for submission of cost information by calendar year will include labor hours by labor category, labor rates, labor overhead, materials, travel costs, subcontracts, G & A, Facilities Capital Cost of Money (if proposed), fee, and total price. The cost information must be separated into two (2) pieces: the Basic Period and the Option. Questions on the suggested format may be directed to the contracting point of contact. Contractors are urged to use this format (which may be tailored as needed) in the submission of cost proposals. (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 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)(included in the page limit) 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. 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 75 pages (12 pitch or larger type), double spaced,single-sided, 8.5 by 11 inches. The page limitation includes all information, except for those listed in D (3) above. Pages in excess of this limitation will not be considered by the government. Cost proposals have no limitations; however, offerors are requested to keep cost proposals to 20 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 evaluatedbased 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 as well as the offeror's depth and current knowledge of electronic protection (sometimes called "Electronic Counter-Countermeasures") for the proposed candidate AF radar system operating in air-to-ground modes; and (f) organization, clarity, and thoroughness of the proposed SOW. Cost, which includes consideration of proposed budget and funding profiles, is a substantial factor, but is 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, Eugene J. Sikora, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-6543, (937) 255-5579 ext 4255. (2) Lt Col James P. Bixler, Det 1 AFRL/PK, Bldg 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607, has been appointed as Ombudsman to hear concerns from offerors, or potential offerors, during the proposal development. The purpose of the Ombudsman is to communicate contractor concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations to the appropriate government personnel. Existence of an Ombudsman does not diminish the authority of the program director or the contracting officer. Accordingly, the Ombudsman does not partictipate in the preparation of solicitations, the evaluation of proposals or the source selection process and, therefore, for routine matters on individual solicitations, please contact, Dave Shellabarger, AFRL/SNKR, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7607, (937) 255-5201. When requested the Ombudsman will maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of the concern. Should you desire to contact the Ombudsman, Lt Col Bixler can be reached at (937) 255-4813. See Note 26.***** (0168)

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