Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contract Management Directorate (CMD), 3701 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203-1714

A -- ADVANCED TECHNOLOGIES (PART 1) SOL BAA00-27 DUE 083100 POC Dr. Parney Albright, DARPA/ATO, Fax: (703) 696-9781 WEB: http://www.darpa.mil/baa/, http://www.darpa.mil/baa/. E-MAIL: BAA00-27@darpa.mil, BAA00-27@darpa.mil. Modification to BAA00-27: The previous submission was incomplete. BAA00-27 is re-submitted in two separate announcements as Part 1 and Part 2, respectively. PART 1. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: DARPA's Advanced Technology Office (ATO) is soliciting proposals for advanced research and design of system and sub-system level technologies for integration into the operational environment. Its goal is the development of radical improvements over current procedures, while enabling new capabilities to address emerging and anticipated threats and operational challenges. Developed technologies and systems are intended to supplement, replace, support, or enhance existing systems. However, offerors should emphasize high-risk/high-payoff technologies with the potential for revolutionary impacts on national security. General areas of interest include, but are not limited to, maritime force projection, early entry/special operations, communications, and covert close-quarters activity. Specific technical topic areas of interest follow. This BAA constitutes the entire solicitation for this effort. No additional information is available, nor will a formal request-for-proposal, or other solicitation, regarding this research and development be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded. TECHNICAL TOPIC AREAS: Specific technical topic areas of interest include, but are not limited to: 1. Maritime Applications: Innovative sealift concepts; development of logistic-support systems to improve port-to-port support, mitigate logistic tails and dramatically reduce transportation timelines; innovative propulsion and hull concepts; mine sweeping/hunting techniques; submarine detection and tracking techniques; improved underwater/submarine connectivity; and littoral-space fire support; integrated weapon control techniques; automatic countermeasure identification and locating systems; improved sonar background noise suppression; reduction in submarine antenna detection; autonomous undersea vehicles and supporting technologies; 2. Early Entry/Special Forces/Light Forces: Expanded operational influence, extended standoff, survivability and self sustainability of the individual soldier; rapid ingress/egress, agile mobility, high speed mine detection and neutralization; alternatives to current landmines, smart bullets; high-endurance training equipment; non-lethal weapons, communications, and personal armor; expanded situational awareness for dismounted infantry; improved methods of threat-vehicle detection, tracking and engagement; rapid acquisition and engagement of dismounted infantry in an urban environment; development of small and or man-portable robotic devices capable of combat element maneuver speeds; satellite-based air-to-ground weapons and sensors; 3. Communications: Radio Frequency (RF) and optical techniques; Micro Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) technology integration; advanced techniques for wireless communications to improve security, reliability, connectivity, and data throughput; Low Probability of Detection (LPD) and Anti-Jam (AJ) waveforms; RF "watermarking"; smart antennas; RF intrusion detection; dynamic key management, including role-based encryption; integrated encryption & biometrics; distributed secure network management; collaborative, adaptive security agent technology for intrusion detection and response; featureless low profile networking; distributed, collaborative boundary control; secure overlay networks/secure virtual enclaves; and technologies that provide for distributed, collaborative protection of infrastructure functions including routing, key management, directory services, and geolocation. Of particular interest are technology solutions that cut across protocol layers to provide capabilities such as coordinated jammer detection and evasion; communication co-site interference as well as multipath mitigation/exploitation; improved antenna technology for wideband, low profile operations inclusive of exploitation of Commercial-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) components and systems; low power signal detectionin dense signal environments advanced systems that can enhance friendly unit communications while inflicting degraded communications to enemy forces; advanced geopositioning techniques (hardware and algorithmic) for both cooperative and uncooperative intercepts exploiting signal, geometric, and temporal characteristics; exploitation techniques for generation after next commercial communication systems and components for DoD applications; high capacity (100 Mbs), low cost, point-to-point communication systems; enhanced connectivity for beyond line of sight communications; 4. Close Quarters Sensing: Innovative techniques for intrusive detection and monitoring of facilities, activities and communications; insertion of sensors into denied areas and facilities; data exfiltration from denied areas and facilities; in situ detection of biological and chemical weapon RDT&E and production; innovative techniques for discriminating military from non-military personnel in the field; target detection and classification at close range, including physical contact; phenomenology associated with close range target detection and classification; advanced counter-denial and deception concepts; innovative tagging technologies and interrogation schemes, including wide-area, low-cost techniques; application of biomimetic and biological technologies for these purposes. PROGRAM SCOPE AND FUNDING: As much as $8,000,000 may be available in FY 2000 to fund research and development under this BAA. Multiple awards during FY 2000 are anticipated. SOURCE SELECTION, INITIAL AND SUBSEQUENT: Any responsible offeror may submit a proposal abstract and/or a proposal in accordance with the requirements and procedures identified in this BAA. These requirements and procedures include the form and format for proposal abstracts and proposals. ATO is under no obligation to review and evaluate a proposal abstract or a proposal that does not conform to form and format requirements identified in this BAA. Offerors may include foreign firms to the degree that they are eligible to receive awards that result from this solicitation. Offerors may also include foreign personnel as part of their proposed resources to the degree that these personnel are eligible to perform research and development required by awards that may result from this solicitation. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) are encouraged to submit proposals, and to join others in submitting proposals; however, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCUs or MIs because of the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of research and development in Advanced Technology. ATO will conduct an initial round of source selection, and then subsequent rounds of source selection as needs warrant, and as funds may be or become available. Offerors should especially note that the submission of proposal abstracts, while encouraged, is optional for award consideration during the initial round of source selection. ATO will endeavor to respond to first-round proposal abstracts within 30 days of receipt. ATO will respond to proposal abstracts, submitted in support of award consideration during subsequent rounds of source selection, within 30 days after their receipt. However, ATO is under no obligation to respond to a proposal abstract that is received after Friday, 16 June 2000. PROPOSAL (AND, AS APPLICABLE, PROPOSAL ABSTRACT) SUBMISSION GUIDANCE AND DIRECTION: A typical proposal should express a consolidated effort in support of one or more related technical concepts or ideas. Disjointed efforts should not be included in a single proposal; offerors, however, may submit multiple proposals. A "proposal" is the two-volume document that conforms to the form and format requirements specified in this BAA. Other supporting or background materials submitted with proposals may be considered at a reviewer's convenience, only; they will not considered part of a proposal for the purpose of a proposal's evaluation. Proposals should be submitted for initial studies tobe completed within 12 months after award and whose value approximates $300K to $500K. Proposed efforts beyond the 12-month initial funding period should be costed on an annual basis to coincide with the Government fiscal year. Further, in order that ATO may have programmatic and procurement flexibility, all offerors must segment their cost proposals into an initial 12-month effort, followed by one or more options. Any total effort, including options, should not exceed four (4) years. Teaming and cost sharing are encouraged. Proposal abstracts should contain neither proprietary nor classified information or data. Proposals, however, may contain either proprietary, or classified information or data (up the level of Top Secret/SCI). Proprietary information and data should be clearly marked with applicable restrictive legends. Offerors that intend to include classified information or data in their proposals should contact Mr. Barry Hennessey at the address identified in this BAA (or alternatively, the point-of-contact for this BAA, Dr. Parney Albright) for guidance and direction in advance of proposal preparation. Offerors must have existing approved capabilities (personnel and facilities) to perform research and development at the classification level they propose. It is the policy of DARPA to treat all proposals as competitive information, and to disclose their contents only for the purpose of evaluation. Awards made under this BAA are subject to the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 9.5, Organizational Conflicts of Interest. All offerors and proposed subcontractors must, therefore, affirm whether they are providing scientific, engineering and technical assistance (SETA), or similar support, to any DARPA technical office(s) through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the offeror supports, and identify the prime contract numbers. Affirmations should be furnished at the time of proposal submission. All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest, as that term is defined at FAR 9.501, must be disclosed. The disclosure shall include a description of the action the offeror has taken, or proposes to take, to avoid, neutralize or mitigate such conflict. The Government intends to use employees of Adroit Systems, Inc. (ASI) of Alexandria, Virginia, to assist in administering the evaluation of the proposals. These personnel will have signed, and will be subject to, the terms and conditions of non-disclosure agreements. By submission of its proposal, an offeror agrees that its proposal information may be disclosed to employees of ASI for the limited purpose stated above. Technical evaluations and award determinations under this BAA, however, will be made only by Government evaluators. Submission Dates, Proposal Abstracts: For the initial round of source selection, and for offerors that elect, proposal abstracts should be received by ATO not later than 1600 local time, Friday, 11 February 2000, in order for ATO to review abstracts and provide meaningful feedback. For subsequent rounds of source selection, proposal abstracts should be received by ATO not later than 1600, Friday, 16 June 2000. Proposal abstracts must be submitted to the ATO mailing address identified in this BAA. Proposal abstracts must be submitted in hard copy, an original and five copies; facsimile or electronic submissions will be disregarded. Submission Dates, Proposals: For the initial round of source selection, proposals must be received by ATO not later than 1600 local time, Friday, 31 March 2000. For subsequent rounds of source selection, proposals must be received by ATO not later than 1600 local time, Friday, 4 August 2000. Offerors are reminded that proposals submitted for award consideration in subsequent rounds of source selection must be preceded by the submission of proposal abstracts. Proposals must be submitted to the ATO mailing address identified in this BAA. Proposal must be submitted in hard copy, an original and five copies;facsimile or electronic submissions will be disregarded. As soon as proposal evaluation is completed, an offeror will be notified that: 1) its proposal has been accepted and the effort will be funded, 2) its proposal has been accepted pending the availability of funds, or 3) its proposal has not been accepted. Unless otherwise advised by the offeror at the time of submission, non-accepted proposals will be destroyed; however, one copy of non-accepted proposals may be retained for file purposes. Not all proposals evaluated acceptable will be funded. Decisions to fund acceptable proposals will be based on funds available, scientific and technical merit, and potential contribution and relevance to DARPA mission. Proposals may be considered for funding during the twelve-month period in which this BAA is open. Proposals identified for funding may result in a procurement contract, grant, cooperative agreement, technology investment agreement, or other transaction for prototypes, depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between parties, and other factors. If warranted, portions of resulting awards may be segregated into pre-priced options. Posted 01/31/00 (W-SN420261). (0031)

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