FBODaily.com | FedBizOpps: MOD | A | Synchronized Command & Control (SynchroC2)

FBO DAILY - FEDBIZOPPS ISSUE OF AUGUST 04, 2018 FBO #6098
MODIFICATION

A -- Synchronized Command & Control (SynchroC2)

Notice Date: 8/2/2018
Notice Type: Modification/Amendment
Contracting Office: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL/RIK - Rome, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, New York, 13441-4514, United States
ZIP Code: 13441-4514
Solicitation Number: BAA-AFRL-RIK-2016-0010
Point of Contact: Gail E. Marsh, Phone: 315-330-7518
E-Mail Address: Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil
(Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil)
Small Business Set-Aside: N/A
Description: AMENDMENT 7 TO BAA AFRL-RIK-2016-0010 The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c). This republishing also includes the following changes: (a) Section I: Added new focus area and information on Fundamental Research and Cloud Computing; (b) Section III.2: Updated eligibility requirements; (c) Section IV.1: Added submission date for new focus area; (d) Section IV.3.c: Revised proposal submission instructions; (e) Section IV.4.d: Updated reference; (f) Section V.1: Updated proposal instructions; and (g) Section VI.2: Updated the DLIS information. No other changes have been made. _________________________________________ NAICS CODE: 541715 FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, Air Force Research Laboratory - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY 13441-4514 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) TITLE: Synchronized Command & Control (SynchroC2) BAA ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement BAA NUMBER: BAA-AFRL-RIK-2016-0010 CATALOG OF FEDERAL DOMESTIC ASSISTANCE (CFDA) Number: 12.800 I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION: The Air Force Research Laboratory/Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) is soliciting white papers under this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for technologies/techniques addressing Synchronized Command & Control (SynchroC2) concepts. This BAA solicits ideas for research, design, development, test, evaluation, and innovative experimentation of technologies that support the strategy, planning, scheduling and assessment phases of the command and control (C2) process. Currently, the demands of assigned missions requires unprecedented coordination and synchronization of air, space and cyber resources across all organizations and all echelons of command. It is C2 that provides the means by which a commander synchronizes and integrates forces effectively in order to achieve their objectives as a single unity of effort. These activities require timely decisions at various points within the strategy, planning, scheduling and assessment phases of the C2 process. The decisions made by humans are often most effective when augmented by computer technology, so it is in these areas of information technology which are of most interest in transforming how the Air Force commands and controls. By developing these capabilities, AFRL anticipates an order of magnitude improvement in maintaining continuity of air, space, and cyber operations even during times of contested and intermittent communications. Additionally, efforts under this program are expected to provide the USAF and mission partners with a capability to conduct combat planning in but not limited to these theaters. The goal of the Synchronized Command & Control program shall be to lead the discovery, development and integration of revolutionary warfighting information technologies that enable continuous and distributed, planning, execution, and assessment of resources across the cyber, air and space domains to achieve commander's intent. Air Force Research Laboratory is seeking innovative white papers to address the following focus areas: FOCUS AREA 1 -Precise and Predictable Modeling of Cyber Effects. The goal of the focus area is to provide technology solutions and automated support to reduce uncertainty within the cyber domain at multiple levels in order to reduce the time it takes to integrate cyber effects. See Attachment 2 to this synopsis for complete details on this focus area. Technical POC for this focus area: David J. Myers, Ph.D., email: David.Myers.35@us.af.mil FOCUS AREA 2 - Multi-Domain Command and Control. The goal of this focus area is to enable the USAF to operate in the highly constrained, multi-domain environments of the future. Technical POC for this focus area: Aaron W. McVay aaron.mcvay.3@us.af.mil An integrated, joint battle plan must coordinate and synchronize all apportioned forces, from all mission domains ("full domain integration"): air, space, cyber, kinetic/non-kinetic and lethal/non-lethal, to achieve the desired outcomes. Today USAF speed of command is hindered by our ability to manage plan complexity and mission interdependence across organizations and warfighting domains. Future multi-domain operations will be even more integrated, leading to unprecedented complexity and interdependence that will quickly overwhelm the abilities of unaided humans. Offerors may view Attachment 1 for additional background information on this focus area. The goal of this focus area is to enable the USAF to operate in the highly constrained, multi-domain environments of the future. To achieve these research & development goals, this effort has been decomposed into three technical areas (TA) with TA3 being a new opportunity for FY19: FY17 TA1: Linked Planning will develop technologies such as Semantic Web that links resources, orders, missions, effects, targets, objectives and intent. FY17 TA2: Plan Analytics will develop novel analytics techniques that detect mission failures, support mission understanding, and mine historical mission data over a dynamic Web of Linked Data. FY19 TA3: Human-Machine Teaming will build upon the technical achievements of previous work conducted under TA1 and TA2 having captured plans with their related and supporting information in a semantically linked data representation; then test and demonstrate the efficacy of the underpinning linked data infrastructure with respect to enabling timely and effective operational decision-making. Technical approaches offered for FY19 should address the challenges inherent in multi-domain C2 operations as described in TA3: Human-Machine Teaming, which include but are not limited to, the following: information discovery across domains, filtering of related information, enabling the analysis of cross-domain plan dependencies, monitoring/detecting changes, and dynamically adding/linking new information sources as they become available. TA3: Human-Machine Teaming: This project leverages and builds upon the technical achievements of previous work conducted under TA1 and TA2 having captured plans with their related and supporting information in a semantically linked data representation. TA3 will integrate and extend the enabling analytics tool sets such as developed under TA2 with newly developed user-centered visualizations; then test and demonstrate the efficacy of the underpinning Linked Data infrastructure such as developed in TA1 with respect to enabling timely and effective operational decision-making. At the conclusion of TA3 this focus area will have developed new visualizations techniques for Semantic or Linked Data, integrated, tested, and demonstrated an open extensible Linked Data analytics ecosystem, composed of modular analysis tools that combine graph-based analytics and user-centric visualizations to achieve new levels of multi-domain C2 decision support. The foci for TA1 and TA2 were to develop techniques to support individual agencies in forming a Web of Plans. A Linked Web of Plans that is both practical and useful will be -- and should be -- "messy". This is because such a Web would be a result of different agencies striving to achieve their own varying sub-objectives in support of the mission. But, when agencies apply the same W3C Linked Data principles to address their own evolving requirements, data and vocabulary links emerge opportunistically and in irregular fashion. Users at multiple levels of command and skill levels must be able to access data stored in a Linked Web of data for it to be useful. Techniques for user driven data access, and for sub-graph generation of relevant data based on individual requirements must be developed. The problem with calling any information system "messy" is that messiness is a matter of perspective - is the data fit for *your* use, or not? And, what is your use? There is no global, objective, and context-free measure for an information system's fitness for use, since it depends on what you're trying to do with it. The following kinds of techniques would not only aid in working with a messy Web, they could achieve unique capabilities by embracing it. • User Access - Techniques for user driven data access for multiple levels of user, and for sub-graph generation of relevant data based on individual task requirements. • Zero-Assumption Data Overviews - Analyses / visuals that characterize and assess the Linked Data composition, including its distribution across the hierarchical namespacing afforded by the use of HTTP+DNS IRIs to identify both data elements and their relations. Automated, bottom-up ontologies of arbitrary selections of subgraphs. Proactive link discovery among subgraph selections to facilitate purposeful exploration. • User Task / Analytic Modelling - Techniques to explicitly and formally model a user's (or analytic component's) information requirements within a particular task, and the workflow undertaken to achieve such tasks. Such modeling techniques should be, ideally, no different than and (at least) compatible with what is used to design, document, and implement the software intended to support the workflow. This would enable a seamless trace of requirements and expectations from the data, through software, to wetware -- and back. Such a uniform expression allows for a thorough, concrete assessment of information systems and their ability to support the evolving mission. • UI-as-Data - Techniques that treat every graphical user interface as just a special case of derived contextualization / annotation of its source data, which itself becomes available as Linked [meta] Data. Such an ability allows the sharing, inspection, and adjustment of graphical views in the same way that data already is. • Linked Data Web Curators / Reorganizers - Automated means to continually gather and reorganize Linked Data from among the full Web of Plans into independent copy-stores to reflect particular characteristics such as relevance, recency, suitability to an application, mention of particular subjects, use of particular vocabulary, hierarchical namespacing, connectedness, etc. Such reorganized data is more amendable for both anticipated usages and the development of meta-analysis metrics. • Usage Web - Techniques that leverage the holistic seamlessness afforded by the techniques described herein to perform meta-analysis of the system's data, its design, and its usage to provide alerts and recommendations about the enterprise's ability to perform the mission. (What's being used, and by who and how) • Zero-dev UI - Techniques for user-constructed graphical interfaces using direct-manipulation of the data and explicit control of the visual strategy to form the graphical interface, including coordination across views. Such an ability would enable the end user to adapt to unanticipated information needs while transparently forming a tailored ontology to explicitly express those new expectations. Government Furnished Information : Datasets developed under TA1, TA2, and publicly available datasets such as those that comprise the Linked Open Data (LOD) Cloud ( http://lod-cloud.net/ ) will be provided to all TA3 performers in addition to AFRL's Data Sculptor Version 4 (DSF4) metadata computation framework. Offers may leverage these but are also encouraged to recommend additional datasets and software toolsets. Integration, Evaluation, and Demonstration : AFRL is planning to conduct independent evaluations that will be defined and conducted by organizations without conflicts of interest with TA3 performers. These evaluations will be performed at periodic intervals during execution defined by AFRL. Performance for Focus Area 2 will be measured on metrics such as: • Usability - how intuitive is the user interface, will it require training to use? • Complexity - level of command and skill levels level necessary to use the tool, for example does it require detailed understanding of the data, or its representation? • Suitability - ability of the tool to match visual constructs to the question being asked, for example if the data contains geographic coordinates does it display only a map? • Scalability - as it related to the size of the data set being accessed, how many edges can it handle before performance degrades Multiple awards for Focus Area 2 will be considered and will range from 9-18 months with dollar amounts up to $900,000. White papers are due by EOD 14 Sep 2018 and must follow the submission guidelines defined in the SynchroC2 BAA "CONTENT AND FORMAT" section. Any content beyond 5 pages for Section B and C will not be considered during evaluation. FOCUS AREA 3 - Advanced Visualization Techniques. The objective is to provide a flexible visualization canvas in which to perform the Extract, Transform, Load (ETL) and Visualization process in a transiently available or bandwidth varied networking environment. Resilient Distributed Visualization requires a fresh architecture where assumptions of reliability, homogeneity, and the stability of user-objectives are no longer guaranteed. Success of this focus area can be observed when current obstacles such as remote users, cross domain requirements, variable network availability, differences in display density and interaction methodology, levy a requirement or opportunity with an equivalent level of user effort. For instance, as network latency increases, the visualization should have an equivalent or lesser response in functionality where it may rely on other local systems to fill in gaps when possible or impute missing variables and project possible future states instead of freezing and not providing a consistent and uniform user experience. When needing to share content with others, the amount of effort should be commensurate with the richness of data appropriate for the consumer, not the difference in security domain or distance the content needs to travel. Specific areas of emphasis include but are not limited to: modern cross platform and web development opportunities for accelerated processing and graphics; an equivalent treatment of 2D and 3D content; touch technologies and other visual cues to assist in cross-domain communication; integration of large data analytics processes, workflows, and software components; and technologies that allow loose coupling between desktop and mobile services/visualizations. Offerors can propose to one or all of the above areas. IMPORTANT NOTES REGARDING: FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH. It is DoD policy that the publication of products of fundamental research will remain unrestricted to the maximum extent possible. National Security Decision Directive (NSDD) 189 defines fundamental research as follows: ‘Fundamental research' means basic and applied research in science and engineering, the results of which ordinarily are published and shared broadly within the scientific community, as distinguished from proprietary research and from industrial development, design, production, and product utilization, the results of which ordinarily are restricted for proprietary or national security reasons. As of the date of publication of this BAA, the Government cannot identify whether work proposed under this BAA may be considered fundamental research and may award both fundamental and non-fundamental research. Proposers should indicate in their proposal whether they believe the scope of the research included in their proposal is fundamental or not. While proposers should clearly explain the intended results of their research, the Government shall have sole discretion to select award instrument type and to negotiate all instrument terms and conditions with selectees. Appropriate clauses will be included in resultant awards for non-fundamental research to prescribe publication requirements and other restrictions, as appropriate. For certain research projects, it may be possible that although the research being performed by the awardee is restricted research, a sub-awardee may be conducting fundamental research. In those cases, it is the awardee's responsibility to explain in their proposal why its sub-awardee's effort is fundamental research. CLOUD COMPUTING. In accordance with DFARS Clause 252.239-7010, if the development proposed requires storage of Government, or Government-related data on the cloud, offerors need to ensure that the cloud service provider proposed has been granted Provisional Authorization by the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) at the level appropriate to the requirement II. AWARD INFORMATION: 1. FUNDING: Total funding for this BAA is approximately $49.9M. The anticipated funding to be obligated under this BAA is broken out by fiscal year as follows: FY17 - $ 2.6M FY18 - $11.8M FY19 - $12.1M FY20 - $11.7M FY21 - $11.7M Individual awards will be approximately 18-24 months with typical dollar values ranging of $500K to $10M. There is also the potential to make awards in any dollar value and with any performance periods, as long as the value does not exceed the available BAA ceiling amount. The Government reserves the right to select all, part, or none of the proposals received, subject to the availability of funds. All potential Offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations, funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice. 2. FORM. Awards of efforts as a result of this announcement will be in the form of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements or other transactions depending upon the nature of the work proposed. 3. BAA TYPE: This is a two-step open broad agency announcement. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation. As STEP ONE - The Government is only soliciting white papers at this time. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL. Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal, see Section VI of this announcement for further details regarding the proposal. III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: 1. ELIGIBILITY: All qualified offerors who meet the requirements of this BAA may apply. 2. FOREIGN PARTICIPATION/ACCESS: a. This BAA is closed to foreign participation. This includes both foreign ownership and foreign nationals as employees or subcontractors. b. Exceptions. 1. Fundamental Research. If the work to be performed is unclassified, fundamental research, this must be clearly identified in the white paper and/or proposal. See Part II, Section I for more details regarding Fundamental Research. Offerors should still identify any performance by foreign nationals at any level (prime contractor or subcontractor) in their proposals. Please specify the nationals' country of origin, the type of visa or work permit under which they are performing and an explanation of their anticipated level of involvement. You may be asked to provide additional information during negotiations in order to verify the foreign citizen's eligibility to participate on any contract or assistance agreement issued as a result of this announcement 2. Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) companies who have mitigation plans/paperwork in place. Proof of approved mitigation documentation must be provided to the contracting office focal point, Gail E. Marsh, Contracting Officer, telephone (315) 330-7518, or e-mail Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil prior to submitting a white paper and/or a proposal. For information on FOCI mitigation, contact the Defense Security Service. Additional details can be found at: http://www.dss.mil/isp/foci/foci_mitigation.html 3. Foreign Nationals as Employees or Subcontractors. Applicable to any effort not considered Fundamental Research. Offerors are responsible for ensuring that all employees and/or subcontractors who will work on a resulting contract are eligible to do so. Any employee who is not a U.S. citizen or a permanent resident will be restricted from working on any resultant contract unless prior approval of the Department of State or the Department of Commerce is obtained via a technical assistance agreement or an export license. Violations of these regulations can result in criminal or civil penalties. c. Information Regarding Non-US Citizens Assigned to this Project 1. Contractor employees requiring access to USAF bases, AFRL facilities, and/or access to U.S. Government Information Technology (IT) networks in connection with the work on contracts, assistance instruments or other transactions awarded under this BAA must be U.S. citizens. For the purpose of base and network access, possession of a permanent resident card ("Green Card") does not equate to U.S. citizenship. This requirement does not apply to foreign nationals approved by the U.S. Department of Defense or U.S. State Department under international personnel exchange agreements with foreign governments. It also does not apply to dual citizens who possess US citizenship, to include Naturalized citizens. Any waivers to this requirement must be granted in writing by the Contracting Officer prior to providing access. Specific format for waiver request will be provided upon request to the Contracting Officer. The above requirements are in addition to any other contract requirements related to obtaining a Common Access Card (CAC). 2. For the purposes of Paragraph 1, it an IT network/system does not require AFRL to endorse a contractor's application to said network/system in order to gain access, the organization operating the IT network/system is responsible for controlling access to its system. If an IT network/system requires a U.S. Government sponsor to endorse the application in order for access to the IT network/system, AFRL will only endorse the following types of applications, consistent with the requirements above: a) Contractor employees who are U.S. citizens performing work under contracts, assistance instruments or other transactions awarded under this BAA. b) Contractor employees who are non-U.S. citizens and who have been granted a waiver. Any additional access restrictions established by the IT network/system owner apply. 3. FEDERALLY FUNDED RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AND GOVERNMENT ENTITIES: Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government entities (e.g., Government/National laboratories, military educational institutions, etc.) are subject to applicable direct competition limitations and cannot propose to this BAA in any capacity unless they meet the following conditions: a. FFRDCs : FFRDCs must clearly demonstrate that the proposed work is not otherwise available from the private sector; and FFRDCs must provide a letter on official letterhead from their sponsoring organization citing the specific authority establishing their eligibility to propose to Government solicitations and compete with industry, and their compliance with the associated FFRDC sponsor agreement's terms and conditions. This information is required for FFRDCs proposing to be prime contractors or sub-awardees. b. Government Entities : Government entities must clearly demonstrate that the work is not otherwise available from the private sector and provide written documentation citing the specific statutory authority and contractual authority, if relevant, establishing their ability to propose to Government solicitations. While 10 U.S.C.§ 2539b may be the appropriate statutory starting point for some entities, specific supporting regulatory guidance, together with evidence of agency approval, will still be required to fully establish eligibility. FFRDC and Government entity eligibility will be determined on a case-by-case basis; however, the burden to prove eligibility for all team members rests solely with the proposer. Government agencies interested in performing work related to this announcement should contact the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC). If resulting discussions reveal a mutual interest, cooperation may be pursued via other vehicles. IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION: All responses to this announcement must be addressed to the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) listed in SECTION VII. DO NOT send white papers to the Contracting Officer. 1. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES: It is recommended that white papers be received by the following dates to maximize the possibility of award: FY17 by 06 Jan 2017 for the Multi-Doman Command and Control Focus Area (TA 1&2) FY17 by 17 Jan 2017 for the Precise and Predictable Modeling of Cyber Effects Focus Area FY18 by 30 Apr 2017 FY19 by 30 April 2018 NEW INFORMATION - Specific to Revised Focus Area 2 (TA 3). White paper are due for this focus area/task area by EOD 14 Sep 2108 FY20 by 30 April 2019 FY21 by 30 April 2020 White papers will be accepted until 2 PM EST on 30 Sep 2021, but it is less likely that funding will be available in each respective fiscal year after the dates cited. This BAA will close on 30 Sep 2021. All offerors submitting white papers will be contacted by the TPOC, referenced in Section VII of this announcement. Offerors can email the TPOC for status of their white paper/proposal no earlier than 45 days after submission. 2. CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit two (2) copies of a 3 to 5 page white paper summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government. The white paper will be formatted as follows: a. Section A : Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact including phone and email information. (This section is NOT included in the page count); b. Section B : Task Objective; and c. Section C : Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables. All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) Code, their unique entity identifier and electronic funds transfer (EFT) indicator (if applicable), an e-mail address and reference BAA-AFRL-RIK-2016-0010 with their submission. Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b). 3. HANDLING AND MAILING INSTRUCTIONS: a. CLASSIFICATION GUIDANCE. All Proposers should review the NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY PROGRAM OPERATING MANUAL, (NISPOM), dated February 28, 2006 and incorporating Change 2, dated May 18, 2016, as it provides baseline standards for the protection of classified information and prescribes the requirements concerning Contractor Developed Information under paragraph 4-105. Defense Security Service (DSS) Site for the NISPOM is: http://www.dss.mil/. In the event of a possible or actual compromise of classified information in the submission of your white paper or proposal, immediately but no later than 24 hours, bring this to the attention of your cognizant security authority and AFRL Rome Research Site Information Protection Office (IPO): Vincent Guza 315-330-4048 0730-1630 Monday-Friday 315-330-2961 Evenings and Weekends Email: vincent.guza@us.af.mil b. CLASSIFIED SUBMISSIONS. AFRL/RISB will accept classified responses to this BAA when the classification is mandated by classification guidance provided by an Original Classification Authority of the U.S. Government, or when the offeror believes the work, if successful, would merit classification. Security classification guidance in the form of a DD Form 254 (DoD Contract Security Classification Specification) will not be provided at this time since AFRL is soliciting ideas only. Offerors that intend to include classified information or data in their white paper submission or who are unsure about the appropriate classification of their white papers should contact the technical point of contact listed in Section VII for guidance and direction in advance of preparation. c. MAILING INSTRUCTIONS. Any mailed responses, unclassified/classified, to this announcement must be sent U.S. Postal Service, registered mail or similar service and addressed to AFRL/RISB, 525 Brooks Road, Rome NY 13441-4505, and reference BAA-AFRL-RIK-2016-0010. When mailing follow the directions regarding the number of copies required. Unclassified electronic submission is the preferred method of submission and should be sent to the TPOC identified in Section VII. Password-protect all proprietary information prior to sending. Large files may be sent via FTP sites such as: https://safe.amrdec.army.mil/SAFE/. Offerors are responsible to confirm receipt with the TPOC listed in Section VII. AFRL is not responsible for undelivered documents. If electronic submission is used, only one copy of the documentation is required. Questions can be directed to the TPOC listed in Section VII. 4. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS/CONSIDERATIONS: a. COST SHARING OR MATCHING: Cost sharing is not a requirement. b. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM). Offerors must be registered in the SAM database to receive a contract award, and remain registered during performance and through final payment of any contract or agreement. Processing time for registration in SAM, which normally takes forty-eight hours, should be taken into consideration when registering. Offerors who are not already registered should consider applying for registration before submitting a proposal. The provision at FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Oct 2016) applies. c. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND FIRST-TIER SUBCONTRACT/ SUBRECIPIENT AWARDS: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at FAR 52.204-10 - Reporting Executive Compensation and First-TierSubcontract Awards (Oct 2016). Any grant or agreement award resulting from this announcement may contain the award term set forth in 2 CFR, Appendix A to Part 25 which can be viewed at: http://www.ecfr.gov/cgi-bin/text-idx?SID=8fb6c83606df57968c3e7e145e7d683c&mc=true&node=ap2.1.25_1360.a&rgn=div9 d. ALLOWABLE CHARGES: The cost of preparing white papers/proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract, but may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18. Incurring pre-award costs for ASSISTANCE INSTRUMENTS ONLY are regulated by 2 CFR part 200.458, Pre-Award Costs. e. GOVERNMENT APPROVED ACCOUNTING SYSTEM: An offeror must have a government approved accounting system prior to award of a cost-reimbursement contract per limitations set forth in FAR 16.301-3(a) to ensure the system is adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract. The acceptability of an accounting system is determined based upon an audit performed by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). IMPORTANT : If you do not have a DCAA approved accounting system access the following link for instructions: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_ cview=1 V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION: 1. CRITERIA: The following criteria, which are listed descending order of importance, will be used to determine whether white papers and proposals submitted are consistent with the intent of this BAA and of interest to the Government: a. Overall Scientific and Technical Merit - The soundness of approach for the development and/or enhancement of the proposed technology, b. Related Experience - The extent to which the offeror demonstrates relevant technology and domain knowledge, c. Openness, Maturity and Assurance of Solution - The extent to which existing capabilities and standards are leveraged and the relative maturity of the proposed technology, and d. Reasonableness and realism of proposed costs and fees (if any). No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting white papers/proposals. White papers and proposals submitted will be evaluated as they are received. 2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS: Only Government employees will evaluate the white papers/proposals for selection. The Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate has contracted for various business and staff support services, some of which require contractors to obtain administrative access to proprietary information submitted by other contractors. Administrative access is defined as "handling or having physical control over information for the sole purpose of accomplishing the administrative functions specified in the administrative support contract, which do not require the review, reading, and comprehension of the content of the information on the part of non-technical professionals assigned to accomplish the specified administrative tasks." These contractors have signed general non-disclosure agreements and organizational conflict of interest statements. The required administrative access will be granted to non-technical professionals. Examples of the administrative tasks performed include: a. Assembling and organizing information for R&D case files; b. Accessing library files for use by government personnel; and c. Handling and administration of proposals, contracts, contract funding and queries. Any objection to administrative access must be in writing to the Contracting Officer and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection. 3. ADEQUATE PRICE COMPETITION: The Government may simultaneously evaluate proposals received under this BAA with a common cutoff date for multiple offerors. In this case, the Government may make award based on adequate price competition, and offerors must be aware that there is a possibility of non-selection due to a proposal of similar but higher-priced technical approach as compared to another offeror. 4. FEDERAL AWARDEE PERFORMANCE AND INTEGRITY INFORMATION SYSTEM (FAPIIS) PUBLIC ACCESS: The Government is required to review and consider any information about the applicant that is in the FAPIIS before making any award in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold (currently $150,000) over the period of performance. An applicant may review and comment on any information about itself that a federal awarding agency previously entered. The Government will consider any comments by the applicant, in addition to other information in FAPIIS in making a judgment about the applicant's integrity, business ethics, and record of performance under federal awards when completing the review of risk posed by applicants as described in 2 CFR § 200.205 Federal Awarding Agency Review of Risk Posed by Applicants and per FAR 9.104-6 FAPIIS. VI. STEP TWO INFORMATION - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL & AWARD: 1. AWARD NOTICES: Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. Notification by email or letter will be sent by the TPOC. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a contract. Those white papers not selected to submit a proposal will be notified in the same manner. Prospective offerors are advised that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. For additional information, a copy of the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and Proposal Preparation Instructions, Jun 2018, may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&tab=core&_ cview=1. Always reference the newest versions of these documents. 2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS: Depending on the work to be performed, the offeror may require a SECRET or TOP SECRET facility clearance and safeguarding capability; therefore, personnel identified for assignment to a classified effort must be cleared for access to SECRET or TOP SECRET information at the time of award. In addition, the offeror may be required to have, or have access to, a certified and Government-approved facility to support work under this BAA. This acquisition may involve data that is subject to export control laws and regulations. Only contractors who are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) and have a legitimate business purpose may participate in this solicitation. For questions, contact DLIS on-line at http://www.dla.mil/HQ/InformationOperations/LogisticsInformationServices.aspx or at the DLA Logistics Information Service, 74 Washington Avenue North, Battle Creek, Michigan 49037-3084, and telephone number 1-800-352-2255 (24/7). You must submit a copy of your approved DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with your white paper/proposal. 3. DATA RIGHTS: a. SBIR RIGHTS. The potential for inclusion of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or data rights other than unlimited on awards is recognized. In accordance with (IAW) the Small Business Administration (SBA) SBIR Policy Directive, Section 8(b), SBIR data rights clauses are non-negotiable and must not be the subject of negotiations pertaining to an award, or diminished or removed during award administration. Issuance of an award will not be made conditional based on forfeit of data rights. If the SBIR awardee wishes to transfer its SBIR data rights to the Air Force or to a third party, it must do so in writing under a separate agreement. A decision by the awardee to relinquish, transfer, or modify in any way its SBIR data rights must be made without pressure or coercion by the agency or any other party. b. NON-SBIR RIGHTS. Non-SBIR data rights less than unlimited will be evaluated and negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Government Purpose Rights are anticipated for data developed with DoD-reimbursed Independent Research and Development (IR&D) funding. 4. REPORTING: a. Contract Applicable: Once a proposal has been selected for award, offerors will be given complete instructions on the submission process for the reports. b. FAPISS Applicable: As required by 2 CFR 200 Appendix XII of the Uniform Guidance and FAR 9.104-6, non-federal entities (NFEs) are required to disclose in FAPIIS any information about criminal, civil, and administrative proceedings, and/or affirm that there is no new information to provide. This applies to NFEs that receive federal awards (currently active grants, cooperative agreements, and procurement contracts) greater than $10,000,000 for any period of time during the period of performance of an award/project. 5. NOTICE: The following provisions* apply: (a) FAR 52.209-11, Representation by Corporations Regarding Delinquent Tax Liability or a Felony Conviction under any Federal Law (b) DFARS 252.204-7008, Compliance with Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Controls (c) DFARS 252.239-7017, Notice of Supply Chain Risk * Please note that the current versions or deviations of the related clauses will be included in any resulting contract. 6. GRANT AWARDS ONLY : For efforts proposed as grant awards, offerors must provide an abstract in their proposal (not to exceed one page) that is publically releasable and that describes - in terms the public may understand - the project or program supported by the grant. If the proposal is selected for award, the DoD will publically post the abstract to comply with Section 8123 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235). VII. AGENCY CONTACTS: All white paper and proposal submissions and any questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the cognizant TPOC as specified below (unless otherwise specified in the technical area): Alexander Sarnacki AFRL/RISB 525 Brooks Road Rome New York 13441-4505 315-330-4985 alexander.sarnacki@us.af.mil Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant contracting officer, as specified below ( email requests are preferred ): Gail Marsh Telephone (315) 330-7518 Email: Gail.Marsh@us.af.mil Emails must reference the solicitation (BAA) number and title of the acquisition. In accordance with AFFARS 5301.91, an Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition announcement. Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer for resolution. AFFARS Clause 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman (Jun 2016) will be incorporated into all contracts awarded under this BAA. The AFRL Ombudsman and AFRL Alternate Ombudsman are as follows: Ombudsman: Ms Lisette K. LeDuc, 1864 Fourth St. Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7130 937-904-4407 lisette.leduc@us.af.mil Alternate Ombudsman: Ms Kimberly L. Yoder 1864 Fourth St. Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7130 937-255-4967 kimberly.yoder@us.af.mil
Web Link: FBO.gov Permalink
(https://www.fbo.gov/spg/USAF/AFMC/AFRLRRS/BAA-AFRL-RIK-2016-0010/listing.html)
Record: SN05018107-W 20180804/180802231415-64fd7624a782954bb95f86761acd8a79 (fbodaily.com)
Source: FedBizOpps Link to This Notice
(may not be valid after Archive Date)

| FSG Index | This Issue's Index | Today's FBO Daily Index Page |

Loren Data's SAM Daily™

A -- Synchronized Command & Control (SynchroC2)