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COMMERCE BUSINESS DAILY ISSUE OF APRIL 4,1997 PSA#1817Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contracts Management
Office (CMO), 3701 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203-1714 A -- ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS FOR PATHOGENS SOL BAA 97-24 DUE 091197 POC
Stephen S. Morse and Tom Baranoski, fax (803) 974-5445 BROAD AGENCY
ANNOUNCEMENT BAA 97-24: ADVANCED DIAGNOSTICS FOR PATHOGENS. POC for
technical matters is Stephen S. Morse, Ph.D., fax: (803) 974-5445;
e-mail:BAA9724T@niseeast.nosc.mil. POC for contractual matters is Mr.
Tom Baranoski at; fax -- (803) 974-5445; e-mail --
BAA9724C@niseeast.nosc.mil. The Defense Advanced Research Projects
Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals for the development and
demonstration of innovative advanced diagnostics for pathogens, which
will be a key component of DARPA's programs in Biological Warfare
Defense. All aspects of the DARPA program are for defensive purposes
only. This BAA pertains only to the Advanced Diagnostics portion of the
overall DARPA program and excludes environmental detection,
environmental modeling and simulation, decontamination and external
protection, medical informatics, and therapeutics. Therapeutics are
included under a complementary BAA #97-23, Pathogen Countermeasures.
PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: The most sinister offensive
biological warfare scenario employs surprise, immediate proximity, and
rapidly lethal, persistent agents in overwhelming quantities. Under
these circumstances, real-time sensing, donning of physical protection,
and conventional non-medical countermeasures are only marginally
effective, and the first indication of an attack with a biological
agent may be the appearance of sick military personnel. Immediate
diagnosis, and the ability to identify those who have been exposed but
have not yet developed signs or symptoms, will be essential for
effective response. Disease caused by different biological agents will
require different courses of action, but may often begin with the same
vague initial symptoms, which may also be caused by a variety of
natural infections. The capability to identify hitherto unknown natural
infections and bio-engineered agents will also be essential. Time
constraints require the ability to test appropriate samples with
minimal or no preparation. Because military operations can occur in
virtually any locale, diagnostics should be able to function under
extreme environmental conditions. By contrast, current methods for
pathogen identification often require specialized skills and reagents
and may take hours or days to complete. This could lead to potentially
disastrous delays in responding appropriately to the threat or to the
possibility of inappropriate action based on inadequate information.
The goal of the Advanced Diagnostics Program is to provide the
capability to detect in real time, in the absence of recognizable signs
and symptoms and when pathogen numbers are still low, the presence of
infection by any pathogen in the body, under any environmental
conditions. The focus of this solicitation is the development of
innovative, broad spectrum diagnostic measures for significantly
pathogenic micro-organisms and/or their pathogenic products (including
toxins). DARPA is not interested in diagnostics for single biological
threats. The flexibility to rapidly incorporate new probes or tests,
at minimaladditional development cost, is also desirable. Specific
areas of interest include, but are not limited to: 1. Multi-agent
diagnostics capable of simultaneously identifying a broad range of
pathogens and/or their products in clinical samples or in the body. 2.
Strategies for identifying both known and presently unknown or
bio-engineered pathogens (e.g., diagnostic approaches based upon
fundamental, critical mechanisms of pathogenesis, targets shared by
classes of pathogens, or early host responses to infection). 3.
Capabilities for continuous monitoring or immediate recognition of
infection in the body. 4. Wearable diagnostics for noninvasive
broad-spectrum detection of infection in the body. DARPA is planning a
$25 million program associated with this BAA, FY 98 through FY 00, to
advance medical diagnostic technology for immediate rapid detection of
infection or exposure. Proposals may be made for 1-3 years of funding.
Several parallel research and development projects are likely to be
conducted. PRE-PROPOSAL: Proposers having the technical and management
capabilities, facilities, and experience necessary to conduct all or
portions of this program are invited to submit a brief pre-proposal
describing their technical approach (including any preliminary data),
major technical challenges, participants, principal research topics and
milestones, and approximate funding level versus time. Teaming is
encouraged, if appropriate, but not a requirement for a successful
selection. Submission of a pre-proposal before the proposal is strongly
encouraged. DARPA will encourage the bidders with the most promising
pre-proposals to submit complete Technical and Cost proposals for full
evaluation. This initial screening is intended to save bidders the
time and expense of developing a detailed proposal that has little
chance for award. DARPA will not provide a de-brief of pre-proposals.
FORMAT AND INFORMATION: Proposers should obtain the Proposer
Information Pamphlet BAA 97-24, Advanced Diagnostics for Pathogens.
This document provides details of the pre- proposal format (margins --
1 inch minimum, double-spacing, font -- no smaller than 12 point, and
page limits (10 pages for the pre-proposal). Page limits include a
cover sheet, cost summary sheet(s), all charts, figures, and
appendices. Facsimile transmissions or electronic media transmissions
will not be accepted. Separate attachments, such as institutional
brochures, reprints, disks, or videotapes will be ignored. Classified
proposals will not be accepted. Pre-Proposals not meeting this format
will not be reviewed and will be returned to the Proposer. Within ten
business days, DARPA will acknowledge receipt of submission of the
pre-proposal and assign a control number that should be used in all
further correspondence. CLOSING AND SUBMISSION: All pre-proposals are
due no later than 4 PM ET 19 June 1997. Offerors should submit one
original and seven copies of the pre-proposal to: Commanding Officer,
Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance Center, In-Service
Engineering East Coast Division (NISE East), P.O. Box 190022, North
Charleston, SC 29419-9022, ATTN: Code 544, BAA #97-24. Early submission
of pre-proposals is strongly encouraged. DARPA intends to respond to
pre-proposals, within approximately thirty (30) calendar days of the
pre-proposal closing date of 19 June 1997, with a recommendation to
propose or not propose. Regardless of the recommendation, the decision
to submit a proposal is the responsibility of the Proposer. All
proposals submitted by the due date and time will be reviewed
regardless of the disposition of the pre-proposal. PROPOSAL: The
objective of a successful proposal is a feasibility demonstration of
the technology proposed for development. Proposers must describe in
detail the technical and scientific pathogenic or toxicologic
countermeasure under development (Phase 1) and the details of the
technology demonstration in an animal host context (Phase 2). All
programs must culminate in a significant end-point demonstration of
solutions to crucial problems within the initial period of support.
Excluded for the purposes of this solicitation are proposals for paper
studies and/or evaluations. Such proposals will be judged to be
non-responsive. FORMAT AND INFORMATION: Proposers should obtain the
Proposer Information Pamphlet BAA 97-24, Advanced Diagnostics for
Pathogens. This document provides details of the proposal format
(margins -- 1 inch minimum, double-spacing, font -- no smaller than 12
point, and page limits (55 pages for the Technical Volume of the
proposal; unlimited pages for the Cost Volume of the proposal). Page
limits include a cover sheet, cost summary sheet(s), all charts,
figures, and appendices. Facsimile transmissions or electronic media
transmissions will not be accepted. Separate attachments, such as
institutional brochures, reprints, disks, or videotapes will be
ignored. Classified proposals will not be accepted. Proposals not
meeting this format will not be reviewed and will be returned to the
Proposer. Within ten business days, DARPA will acknowledge receipt of
submission of the proposal and assign a control number that should be
used in all further correspondence. CLOSING AND SUBMISSION: All
proposals are due no later than 4 PM ET, 11 September 1997. Offerors
should submit one original and seven copies of the proposal to:
Commanding Officer, Naval Command, Control and Ocean Surveillance
Center, In-Service Engineering East Coast Division (NISE East), P.O.
Box 190022, North Charleston, SC 29419-9022, ATTN: Code 544, BAA
#97-24. Early submission of proposals is strongly encouraged.
Selections for awards may be made at any time during the evaluation
process. The Proposer Information Pamphlet BAA 97-24 may be obtained by
accessing the World Wide Web at URL address --
http://dso.sysplan.com/dso/baa/index.htm -- and downloading the
information for storage and/or printing. Those individuals without
access to the Internet or who are unable to obtain the pamphlet in this
manner should submit a request in writing via FAX or e-mail to fax:
(803) 974-5445; e-mail: BAA9724T@niseeast.nosc.mil. This CBD notice
itself constitutes the Broad Agency Announcement as contemplated by FAR
6.102(d)(2). A formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this
announcement will not be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded.
Evaluation and selection of proposal(s) for award will be made to those
Offerors whose proposals are considered most advantageous to the
Government. The Government reserves the right to fund selected tasks
from proposals, and to select for award any, all or none of the
proposals received in response to this announcement. Proposals
identified for funding may result in a contract, grant, cooperative
agreement, or other transaction agreement, depending on the nature of
the work proposed, the required degree of interaction among parties,
and other factors. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the
Government's needs may submit pre-proposals and proposals. No portion
of this BAA will be set aside for Historically Black College and
University (HBCU) and Minority Institution (MI) participation because
of the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of
development for exclusive competition among these entities. These
entities are encouraged to apply. EVALUATION CRITERIA: All
pre-proposals and proposals will be opened and processed for
administrative and logistic purposes by NISE East which is a Dept. of
Navy government activity. Relevant NISE East personnel and NISE East
contractor support personnel will have signed and will have on file
with DARPA and NISE East appropriate non-disclosure and conflict of
interest certifications before handling either pre-proposals or
proposals. Pre-Proposals and proposals will be evaluated by a peer
review panel that may consist of both government and non-government
experts. Proposers who object to having their submissions reviewed and
evaluated by non-government personnel must so state in writing at the
time of making their submissions. Both government and non-government
personnel will have signedand will have on-file with DARPA appropriate
non-disclosure and conflict of interest certifications before
commencing any evaluation. Evaluation of the proposals and
pre-proposals will be based on the following four criteria, in
decreasing order of importance: (1) the scientific and technical merits
of the proposed effort including the relevance of the proposed goals to
the DARPA program objective and the feasibility of the approach; (2)
the quality of the demonstration, synergy in effectively leveraging or
significantly advancing the current state of the art, and the adequacy
of the technical tasks proposed to reach this demonstration within the
timeframe of the program; (3) the qualifications of the principal
investigator and other key research personnel, their record of past
performance, and the adequacy of current and planned equipment and
facilities to accomplish the research objectives; and (4) cost realism.
Note: Cost realism will only be significant in proposals that have
significantly under or over estimated the cost to complete their
effort. The final decision for funding a proposal will be made by the
cognizant DARPA program manager. As soon as the proposal evaluation is
completed, the 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 may be funded. Decisions to fund selectable proposals will
be based on funds available, scientific and technical merit,
contribution to program goals, and overall program balance. Proposals
receiving a letter of selection may be considered for funding for a
period of up to one year. 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 state in writing, at the time of proposal
submission, whether they are supporting 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
number. All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of
organizational conflicts of interest, as that term is defined in FAR
9.501, must be disclosed. This disclosure shall include a description
of the action the Proposer has taken, or proposes to take, to avoid,
neutralize or mitigate such conflict. Questions regarding this BAA must
be submitted in writing, via fax or e-mail. Please submit BAA technical
questions to fax: (803) 974-5445; e-mail: BAA9724T@niseeast.nosc.mil
and BAA contractual questions to fax: (803) 974-5445; e-mail:
BAA9724C@niseeast.nosc.mil. (0092) Loren Data Corp. http://www.ld.com (SYN# 0003 19970404\A-0003.SOL)
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