U.S. Army Communications-Electronics Command Acquisition Center -- Washington Operations Office, 2461 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria, VA 22331-0700

A -- BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT -- DEVELOPMENT OF UNIQUE TECHNOLOGIES TO DETECT LANDMINES & MINE-LIKE UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE SOL DAAB15-00-R-1012 DUE 062100 POC Peggy A. Melanson, Contracting Officer, 703-325-6096 WEB: Click here to access the Interactive Business Opportunity, abop.monmouth.army.mil. E-MAIL: Click here to send email to the contracting officer., pmelan@hoffman-issaa2.army.mil. The US Army Communications Electronics Command (CECOM) Acquisition Center-Washington on behalf of the CECOM Night Vision and Electronics Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Science and Technology Division is soliciting proposal abstracts (or white papers) for the development of technology to detect land mines. This notice constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as contemplated in FAR 6.10(d)(2). No request for proposal (RFP), solicitation, or other announcement of this opportunity will be made. The objectives of this BAA are (1) develop landmine detection technology using techniques that utilize properties of mines that are unique to the mine as opposed to physical properties that are shared with natural objects, and (2) miniaturize currently developed mine detection techniques that have demonstrated performance capabilities: induction coils, GPR, electro-optical techniques, infrared, and explosives detection (trace and bulk). Substantial previous investment has been directed towards technologies that exploit physical properties associated with landmines; in particular, infrared, electro-optical techniques, ground penetrating radar, and induction coils. In this announcement we are soliciting sensor development efforts that offer "orthogonal" solutions to the mine detection problem in order to reduce the false alarm rates typical of these types of sensors. To this end, we are pursuing technologies or supporting technologies for the development of sensors that exploit characteristics unique to a landmine. The work solicited in this BAA is intended to compliment and extend the work currently done in the present and past for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and work currently funded through NVESD and PM-MCD. In support of BAA objective 1, NVESD is particularly interested in technology that exploits the unique signature of the explosives contained within the landmine (bulk detection) or tiny amounts of explosive-specific chemicals that escape the case to the soil surface and into the headspace (trace detection). Preference will also be given to technology concepts that use some other feature unique to a landmine that has promise to substantially reduce the probability of false alarms. The goal is to develop technology that can detect landmines in field conditions with sufficient sensitivity and speed to support op-tempo (vehicle or handheld) rates of advancement through mined areas and to pin-point individual mine locations. When evaluating proposed technologies for hand-held countermine missions against a predominantly antipersonnel (AP) mine threat, preference will be given to systems that are real-time, lightweight, low power, and low cost. Handheld systems will be evaluated against a desired 1 m2 per minute scan rate, localization to within 10 cm of the edge of the mine, with a very low false alarm rate (FAR): < 0.02 / m2 and a corresponding high detection rate, between 95-100%. To support vehicle countermine applications against a predominantly (antitank) AT mine threat, preference will be givento real-time systems that can support a minimum vehicle speed of 7kph, localization to within 15 cm of the edge of a mine, and is of limited size and weight to support a light weight brigade-sized vehicle, and low cost. If successful, this program will develop and demonstrate sensors, technologies, or prototype systems with operationally relevant performance in configurations that are capable of transport and use in either a handheld or vehicle (to include small robots) setting. Towards objective 1, we are also soliciting supporting technologies and research efforts; for example development of explosive-related-compound specific (2,4-DNT, 1,3-DNB, 2-ADNT, 4-ADNT, cyclohexanone, etc.) polymers, sampling technologies to support detection of trace signatures on soil particles, vapor sampling technologies, amplification research efforts and devices to support trace detection technologies, and devices and methods to support experimentation regarding the quantities and composition of trace explosive signatures that result from landmines and how this changes with time and as a result of varying environmental conditions. White papers that address detection of landmines via fuze materials will be considered responsive if the property of the fuze exploited is unique to landmines or unexploded ordnance. In addition, white papers that address the detection of mines not filled with the two most common types of explosives (TNT or RDX) are sought (e.g., Tetryl, PETN). In support of BAA objective 2, NVESD is soliciting white papers for efforts whose goal is to miniaturize existing landmine detection technologies. A miniaturization white paper will be considered responsive if the sensor meets the performance goals listed below or full-size sensor capabilities (whichever is more capable), weighs no more than 1 pound including a power source capable of supporting at least one hour of continuous operation and occupies not more than the equivalent of a 1000 cm3 volume fully-deployed. It is envisioned that such a sensor would be deployed on a COTS robot. To support missions that require a robotic platform, white papers will be evaluated against a desired 7kph scan rate (track width 0.5 meter corresponds to 58m2/min), localization to within 10cm of the edge of the mine, a very low FAR, < 0.2 / m2 and a corresponding high detection rate, between 95-100%, for both AT and AP mines. White papers offering miniature versions of the following technologies are sought: induction coil, GPR, Quadrupole Resonance (QR), and trace chemical detection systems. White papers predominantly describing robot development or system integration will not be considered. Approximately $1M in FY01 and $2M in FY02 of Army advanced technology development funds are anticipated to be available to conduct these research and development efforts. Awards against this BAA can be made for 2-years after receipt of proposals. Specific costs and terms and conditions will be negotiated prior to award. The Government contemplates the awarding of Cost Reimbursement (Cost, CPFF) type contract(s), however, proposals based on other contract types will be considered. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received. The maximum length of an award will be 3 years. There is no "a priori judgement" regarding the number or size of individual awards or the allocation of total research and development funds across the functional areas listed above. WHITE PAPER SUBMITTAL -- All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a white paper. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort and expense by potential offerors in preparing a full technical and cost proposal for efforts not considered responsive or for efforts evaluated to have very low overall probability of obtaining support. White papers are due on 21 June 2000 at 1400 hours (EST). Proposals shall be submitted via electronic media (no paper copy) to CECOM Acquisition Center-Washington, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Room 1124, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700. Three copies of the white paper must be submitted on three separate electronic media: either 3 inch floppy disk, CD ROM, or IOMEGA Zip, in pdf format or in MS Software (Word, Excel, etc) format. White papers are limited to seven pages and shall consist of 3 primary sections: Technical, Management and Cost. The Technical section shall consist of a clear description of the technology(s) being proposed, the objectives of the proposed effort, the technical issues to be resolved to accomplish the objectives, the approach to resolving these issues, an assessment of the ultimate capability of the proposed technology quantified in probability of detection, false alarm rate, rate of advance, power usage, weight, and operating requirements, and an assessment of the timetable for fielding the proposed solution in other words the anticipated time required to develop a rugged prototype that meets the stated performance objectives. The Management portion shall include specific prior experience in the proposed technology areas, facilities, and a plan of action for the proposed milestones. The Cost portion shall consist of a one page cost breakdown of the effort being proposed to include options for level of effort, contract duration and technology approach(s). In addition to the seven pages, a one-page resume for the Principal Technical Investigator, Project Manager, and other key personnel should be submitted. WHITE PAPER EVALUATION CRITERIA -- White papers will not be evaluated against each other. Evaluations of the white papers will be conducted using the following criteria (listed in order of importance): 1. The degree to which the proposal addresses the BAA's technical goals. The novelty or uniqueness of the ideas/approaches will be given special consideration if based on sound scientific principles with supporting data. The following may be considered under this evaluation factor: the overall scientific or technical merits of the proposal, the extent to which the proposed approach offers significant potential improvements in comparison to current technologies presently used or being developed, the degree to which the proposed technology's phenomenology/approach will be implemented in a hardware or software prototype and assessed in "blind" field testing, as opposed to technology that will be tested in a laboratory environment or paper studies. 2. The qualifications, capabilities and related experience of the proposed principal investigator, team leader, and other key personnel. 3. The reasonableness, realism, and affordability of the proposed costs. EVALUATION AND FUNDING PROCESSES CECOM-Acquisition Center-Washington will respond to each white paper with a invitation to propose or a notification that a proposal will not be entertained. Only those invited offeror's will be permitted to submit a full proposal. NVESD will review proposal abstracts within sixty (60) calendar days after receipt and will allow forty-five (45) calendar days for submission of full proposals. The exact time, date and format for proposalsubmission will be provided in the white paper acceptance letter. The proposal evaluation criteria will also be provided in white paper acceptance letter. After the proposal evaluation is completed, each offeror will be notified of selectability or non-selectability. Selectable proposals will be considered for funding; non-selectable proposals will be destroyed. (One copy of non-selectable proposals may be retained for file purposes.) Not all proposals deemed selectable will be funded. Decisions to fund selectable proposals will be based on funds available, scientific and technical merit, and potential contribution and relevance to NVESD mission. Proposals may be considered for funding for a period of up to two years. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received. BASIS FOR AWARD -- The selection for contract award will be based on a scientific and engineering peer review evaluation of proposals. The business and contractual aspects, including cost, will also be considered as a part of the evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation will be to determine the relative merit of the technical approach proposed in each response to the BAA. Evaluation and selection of proposals for awards will be made on the basis of the potential benefits occurring to the Government when weighed against the cost of the proposal. Additional primary considerations will include an independent Government assessment of the probability of success of the proposed approach and the availability of funding. Awards made under this BAA are subject to the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 9.5, Organizational Conflict of Interest. All offerors and proposed subcontractors must affirmatively state whether they are providing scientific, engineering and technical assistance (SETA) or similar support to any Government technical office(s) through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the offeror supports, and identify the prime contract number. 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 in the 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. Offerors should also indicate if the proposed effort is the subject of an on-going IR&D program. It is our policy to treat all proposals as privileged information before award and to disclose the contents for evaluation purposes only. All reviewers are made aware that proposals shall not be duplicated, used, or disclosed in whole or in part, for any purpose other than to evaluate, without written permission of the offeror. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, proposals may be handled, for administrative purposes only, by a support contractor. The support contractor is prohibited from competition in NVESD technical research and is bound by appropriate nondisclosure requirements. This BAA is issued under the provision of Paragraph 6.102 (d) (2) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) which provides for the competitive selection of basic research proposals. Proposals submitted in response to this BAA that are selected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and are in full compliance with the provisions of Public Law 98-369, "The Competition in Contracting Act" of 1984. This announcement is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to pay for proposal preparation cost. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or to 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. Proposals will be considered from organizations interested in conducting scientific research, such as colleges and universities, commercial firms, nonprofit research institutes, small business and small disadvantaged business concerns, historically black colleges and universities and minority business enterprises and institutions. Contingent upon meeting established security requirements, industries of all foreign countries are eligible to participate in this BAA. At present classified contracts are not anticipated. If a subcontract(s) with a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) is proposed, offerors are reminded of the limitations in their use (see FAR 35.017) and must provide documentation in the proposal that work is not otherwise available from the private sector. To be eligible for award of a contract, a prospective contractor must meet certain minimum standards pertaining to financial resources, ability to comply with the performance schedule, prior records of performance, integrity, organization, experience, operational controls, technical skills, facilities and equipment. Also, registration in the Contractor Central Registration prior to award, is mandatory. For additional information and guidance concerning qualifications and standards for responsibility of perspective contractors, please refer to FAR Part 9. There will be no formal request for proposal or any other solicitation document issued in regards to this BAA; therefore, interested parties should be alert for any BAA Amendments that may be published in the Commerce Business Daily or posted on the Army Single Face to Industry, Interactive Business Opportunity Page (abop.monmouth.army.mil). The Government strongly encourages the informal discussion of any proposed effort prior to the submission of a formal proposal. Questions concerning contractual, cost, or pricing format may be directed to the Contracting Officer, Ms. Peggy Melanson 703-325-6096. Questions on technical matters related to mine detection should be referred to Ms. Vivian George (703) 704-3805 or vgeorge@nvl.army.mil. All interested parties are encouraged to contact the cited individuals at any timeprior to proposal submission in order to obtain clarifications and guidance. Offerors are cautioned that all such inquiries must be made prior to Government receipt of proposal abstracts. Once a proposal abstract is received by CECOM Acquisition Center-Washington, all communications should be through the Contracting Officer. Prospective offerors are cautioned that only the Contracting Officer is legally authorized to commit the Government. Posted 05/17/00 (W-SN455781). (0138)

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