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

A -- COMPUTER AIDED ENGINEERING FOR RECONFIGURABLE COMPUTING SOL PRDA #97-07-AAK DUE 021297 POC Contact Mark Sauls, Contract Negotiator, (937) 255-2206, or Bettie Steely, Contracting Officer, (937) 255-2206 INTRODUCTION: Wright Laboratory (WL) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research effort described in Section B. Proposals in response to this PRDA shall be submitted by 12 Feb 97, 1500 hours Eastern Standard Time, addressed to (Attn: Mark Sauls), WL/AAKD, Building 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7607. Proposals shall not be submitted via facsimile transmission. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. Teaming arrangements between private industry and universities will also be considered and are encouraged. Proposals submitted shall be in accordance with this announcement. Proposal receipt after the cutoff date and time specified herein shall be treated in accordance with restrictions of FAR 52.215-10; copy of this provision may be obtained from the contracting point of contact cited in Section F. There will be no other solicitation issued in regard to this requirement. Offerors should be alert for any amendments to this solicitation that may be published. This PRDA may be amended to allow subsequent submission of proposal dates. 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 the contracting point of contact or obtained via the world wide web site: www.wl.wpafb.af.mil/contract. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: Reconfigurable Computers (RCs) are digital data and signal processing hardware built from user configurable, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) components known as Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs). RCs offer high performance, dynamic reprogrammability, reduced size of electronics, and adaptability needed for integrated sensor processing and data fusion in strike aircraft. For many avionics applications, reconfigurable computers exhibit from 10 to 100 times the performance of COTS microprocessor chips and general purpose digital signal processor chips because they can be user customized to the application. They are far less costly and offer much of the performance of custom designed Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) based systems. Because they are reconfigurable, they can be used for and shared by multiple applications, thereby reducing the number of line replaceable modules needed in a system. However, existing software tools limit the effectiveness of this technology. Highly specialized hardware designers must struggle with current Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) software that was not meant to support reconfigurable computing, high percentage FPGA logic utilization, or ASIC level performance. The objective of this effort is to make reconfigurable computing technology more effective for Air Force applications through the development of CAE tools that significantly reduce the level of difficulty and expertise required to program RCs. CAE tools that can synthesize VHDL-93, and/or other high-level algorithmic descriptions onto multiple FPGA implementations are sought. It is a primary goal that these CAE tools have high potential for commercialization in the private sector. Technical problem areas to be addressed include: capture and simulation of new designs; transfer of legacy designs; design transportability across dissimilar FPGAs and RCs; predesigned/pretested function library availability; automatic compilation/synthesis of the reconfigurable logic; partitioning, floorplanning, and routing of the function onto the RC module; and interfacing of the RC module to the design system. Tools shall support the general programming of reconfigurable computers, which includes both co-processing and embedded applications. (2) Deliverable Items: (a) The following deliverable data items shall be proposed: (i) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368A/T, monthly; (ii) Funds and Man-Hour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T, monthly; (iii) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507A/T, monthly; (iv) Contract Funds Status Report (CFSR), DI-MGMT-81468/T, quarterly; (v) Presentation Material, DI-ADMN-81373/T, as required; (vi) Scientific and Technical Reports, Contractor's Billing Voucher, DI-MISC-80711/T, monthly; (vii) Scientific and Technical Reports, DI-MISC-80711/T, (Draft and Reproducible Final); and (viii) Technical Report -- Study/Services (Tools Manual), DI-MISC-80508/T. (b) The following additional deliverable items shall be proposed: RC CAE Software Tools. (3) Security Requirements: None. (4) Other Special Requirements: None. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: The total length of the technical effort is estimated to be 24 months. The contractor shall also provide for an additional 4 months for processing/completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: Jul 97. (3) Air Force Estimate: The Air Force funding profile is FY97 -- $50K, FY98 -- $539K, FY99 -- $211K. This funding profile is an estimate only and is not a promise for funding as all funding is subject to change due to Air Force discretion and availability. (4) Type of Instrument: Contract -- Cost Plus Fixed Fee (CPFF) or Cost (no fee). Any grant(s) or cooperative agreement(s) awarded will be cost (no fee) or cost sharing and will be subject to the mutual agreement of the parties. (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 contracting point of contact upon deciding to respond to this announcement. Foreign contractors should be aware that restrictions may apply which could preclude their participation in this acquisition. D -- PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: (1) General Instructions: Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in the provision at FAR 52.215-12, Restriction on 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 below. Offerors should refer to the instructions contained in the WL "PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry" referenced in Section A of this announcement. Separate technical and cost proposal 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 three (3) copies, and also on disk. All responsible sources may submit a proposal which shall be evaluated against the criteria set forth below in the Section E -- Basis of Award. Offerors are advised that only contracting officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit the Air Force. (2) 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 discussed below. The technical proposal shall include a Statement of Work (SOW) detailing the technical tasks / phases proposed to be accomplished under the proposed effort and be suitable for instrument incorporation. Offerors should refer to the WL Guide to assist in SOW preparation. Any questions concerning the technical proposal or SOW preparation should be referred to the technical point of contact. (3) Cost Proposal: We anticipate this acquisition being based on adequate price competition. Therefore, to permit a cost realism analysis, the submission of SF 1448, available from the contracting point of contact, is required in lieu of a SF 1411. A suggested format for submission of cost information is available from the contracting point of contact. Contractors are urged to use this format (which may be tailored as needed) in the submission of cost proposals. (4) Page Limitations: The technical proposal shall be limited to 50 pages (12 pitch or larger type), double-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 by 11 inches. The page limitation includes all information, i.e., indexes, photographs, fold-outs, appendices, attachments, etc. (other than the specific exceptions stated above). Pages in excess of this limitation will be removed from the proposal and will not be evaluated by the Air Force. Cost proposals have no page limitation, however, offerors are requested to limit cost proposals to 75 pages as a goal. (5) Proposal On Disk: Offerors shall submit the technical proposal text on DOS 3 1/2" floppy disk(s) in Microsoft Word 7.0 for Windows 95 format. Graphics are optional. (6) Preparation Cost: This announcement does not commit the Air Force to pay for any proposal preparation cost. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this PRDA is not an allowable direct charge to any resulting award, or any other procurement instrument. 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 proposal (both technical and cost) 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 evaluated based on the following criteria of equal importance: (a) new and creative solutions to the technical problems of developing CAE tools for reconfigurable computers, especially those solutions that have high potential for commercialization in the private sector; (b) the offeror's understanding of the scope of the work; (c) the approach proposed to accomplish the technical objectives; (d) the availability of qualified, experienced technical personnel and corporate ability to commercialize the CAE tools. Cost is ranked as the second order of priority. No other evaluation criteria will be used. The technical and cost proposals will be evaluated at the same time. The Air Force reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposal(s) received. The Air Force reserves the right to award any resulting contract pursuant to the Research and Development Standard Contract Format in DFARS 235.70. F -- POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) Technical Point of Contact: Al Scarpelli, WL/AASH, 2241 Avionics Circle, Suite 32, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base OH 45433-7334, (937) 255-7698 x3603. (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 Mark Sauls, Contracting Negotiator, WL/AAKD, Bldg 7, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, OH 45433-7607, (937) 255-2206. 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 Street, Suite 1, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433-7642, E-Mail kugeldl@sy.wpafb.af.mil, (937) 255-3855. (0355)

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