R&D Contracting Directorate, 2530 C St, WPAFB, OH 45433-7607

A -- ALTERNATE GAP TREATMENT MATERIALS SOL PRDA NO. 97-27-MLK DUE 012497 POC Captain Joel Fortenberry, Contract Manager, WL/MLKN, Dixie L. Wightman, Contracting Officer, WL/MLKN, (937 255-5051. A--INTRODUCTION: Wright Laboratory (WL/MLBC) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research effort described below. Proposals in response to this PRDA shall be submitted by 24 January 1997, 1500 Eastern Time, addressed to Wright Laboratory, Directorate of R&D Contracting, Building 7, Area B, Attn Capt Joel Fortenberry, WL/MLKN, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. Proposals received after the cutoff date specified herein shall be treated in accordance with restrictions of FAR 52.215-10, copies 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 be published. Offerors should request a copy of the WL Guide entitled, ''PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry.'' This guide was specifically designed to assist offerors in understanding the PRDA/BAA proposal process. Copies may be requested from WL/MLKN, 2530 C St, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607, telephone 937/255-5051. The Guide is also available on the Internet at www.wl.wpafb.af.mil/contract. B--REQUIREMENTS: Technical Description: The purpose of this effort is to identify, develop, and demonstrate alternative approaches to gap treatment for low observable aircraft. Current materials tend to be highly loaded elastomers or bonded metal tapes. Difficulties with these systems include long cure times, short pot-life and shelf-life, limited temperature range of application, excessive maintenance equipment, and material shrinkage. The summation of these properties make maintenance difficult and impact mission readiness and drive up costs. This program will demonstrate the physical, mechanical, and electrical characteristics of the alternate gap treatment materials developed using innovative new approaches. Specifically, these gap treatment systems shall have short cure times, long shelf-life, and reduce the complexity and cost of maintenance. Approaches may include unique types of fillers, new matrices, novel cure methods, new architectures, or prefabricated systems. Demonstration of successful concepts may be verified with flight testing. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items shall be proposed: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, bi-monthly, (b) Funds and Man-Hour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T, bi-monthly, (c) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507A/T, bi-monthly, (d) Contract Funds Status Report (CFSR), DI-MGMT-81468/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, (g) Scientific and Technical Reports, Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, end of contract (draft and reproducible final version), and (h) representative samples for evaluation by the government shall be submitted as appropriate. (3) Security Requirements: Work performed under this contract may or may not be classified depending on the nature of the technology submitted. The Government will make a determination as to what security requirements are necessary for each award. If work to be performed under this contract is determined to be classified the performance of that effort will fall under the Air Force Low/Counter Low Observable Programs Security Classification Guide, dated 3 Jan 94 and will require a DD Form 254. For proposal purposes, an offeror may have relevant approaches to signature technology that cannot be addressed in their proposal because of security limitations. If an offeror wishes to more fully indicate their companys experience, they should request additional direction from the Contracting Officer. (4) Other Special Requirements: International Traffic in Arms Restrictions apply. Offerors are required to have a DD Form 2345 covering the pertinent technology on file with the Defense Logistics Service Center, Battle Creek MI 49016 (1-800-352-3572). C--ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: The total length of the technical effort is estimated to be 30 months. The contractor shall also provide for an additional four months for processing/ completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: May 97. (3) Government Estimate: The government anticipates approximately two to three awards with a total funding of $1,000,000.00. The estimated funding profile is as follows: FY97, $200K, FY98, $400K, FY99, $400K, not necessarily divided evenly among the awards. This funding profile is an estimate only and is 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. Any grants or cooperative agreements shall be cost (no fee) or cost share. (5) Government Furnished Property: None contemplated. (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 of contact cited below upon deciding to respond to this announcement. Foreign contractors should be aware that restrictions may apply which preclude their participation in this acquisition. (8) NOTE 26: Based upon market research, the Government is not using the policies contained in Part 12, Acquisition of Commercial Items, in its solicitation for the described supplies or services. However, interested persons may identify to the contracting officer their interest and capability to satisfy the Government's requirement with a commercial item within 15 days of this notice. D--PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: (1) General Instructions: Offerors should apply the restrictive marking prescribed in the provision in FAR 52.215-12, Restriction or Disclosure and Use of Data, 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 BAA/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. Adequate price competition is anticipated. The accompanying cost proposal/price breakdown shall be furnished with supporting schedules and shall contain a personhour breakdown per task. Copies of the above-referenced forms may be obtained from the contracting office cited. (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) 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. Preparation of the SOW as distinct phases or tasks with the proposed cost determined separately is preferred. 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, and 8.5 by 11 inches. 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 75 pages as a goal and be broken out by year based on company's DCAA-approved accounting system. (5) Preparation Cost: If selected for negotiations, qualifying offerors will be required to submit a subcontracting plan. 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 the resulting award or 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, shall be evaluated on the following criteria which are listed in order of decreasing importance: (a) the offeror's innovative approaches to gap treatment and ability to meet the Air Force requirements, (b) the offeror's understanding of the material performance, cost, properties, and processing goals required for the application, (c) the offeror's understanding of the scope of the technical effort, (d) soundness of offeror's technical approach, (e) the availability and use of qualified technical personnel and their experience with applicable technologies, (f) the offeror's past experience with low observable technologies, and (g) organization, clarity, and thoroughness of the proposed SOW. Cost and/or price, which includes consideration of proposed budgets and funding profiles, is a substantial factor. 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 agreements any, all, part, or none of the proposals received. Award of a grant, in lieu of a contract, to universities and non-profit institutions will be considered and will be subject to the mutual agreement of the parties. F--POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) Technical Point of Contact: Engineer, Capt David L Ciminelli, WL/MLBC, 2941 P St, Ste 1, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OH 45433-7750, telephone 937/255-9728/9070. (2) An Ombudsman has been appointed to hear concern from offerors and potential offerors during the proposal development phase of this 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 Capt Joel Fortenberry, Contract Negotiator, WL/MLKN, Bldg 7, 2530 C St, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607, telephone 937/255-5051. The Ombudsman should only be contacted 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 only may be directed to the Ombudsman, Mr. Daniel L. Kugel, ASC/SY, Bldg 52, 2475 K St, Ste 1, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7642, e-mail kugeldl@sy.wpafb.af.mil, telephone 937/255-3855. (0332)

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