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

A -- PART 1 OF 2, LASER/MATERIALS INTERACTION TESTING (LMIT) SOL PRDA No. 98-33-MLK DUE 080698 POC Contact Felix Turner, Contract Negotiator, or Terry L. Rogers, Contracting Officer at (937) 255-5830 WEB: click here to view the R&D Contracting home page, http://www.wrs.afrl.af.mil/contract/. INTRODUCTION: This is a Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA). The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) is interested in receiving proposals (technical and cost) on the research effort described below. Proposals in response to this PRDA must be received by 08 Jun 98, 1500 hours Eastern Time, addressed to Air Force Research Laboratory, Directorate of R&D Contracting, Area B, Building 7, Attn: Mr. Felix Turner, AFRL/MLKM, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607. This is an unrestricted solicitation. Small businesses are encouraged to propose on all or any part of this solicitation. 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 52.215-1(c)(3); copy of this provision may be obtained from the contracting point of contact. There will be no formal request for proposal (RFP) or other solicitation issued in regard to this requirement. Offerorsshould be alert for any PRDA amendments which may be published. This announcement may be amended to provide for subsequent dates for submission of proposals. Proposals shall be valid for Government acceptance for a period of not less than 180 days after submission cutoff, and through 30 Sep 98. 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 contract negotiator cited in this announcement. In addition, a supplemental package of proposal information should be requested from Mr. Turner. The "PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry" and the supplemental package are also available on the Internet, at the following address: www.wl.wpafb.af.mil/contract/hp.htm (For "PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry", use the Wright Research Site Contracting Home Page. Look under "A Contracting Toolbox" for "PRDA/BAA Indexed Guide". For the supplemental package, also use the Wright Research Site Contracting Home Page. Look under "Current Contracting Opportunities", then under PRDA solicitation 98-33-MLK, click on Download. Note that this is a "zipped" or compressed file.) If you access or download the information, please confirm by providing your name, company name, address, and telephone number via e-mail or telefacsimilie to Felix Turner at TURNERFE@wl.wpafb.af.mil or FAX to (937) 255-9217. If you are unable to access or download the information from the Home Page, provide a written request for the information to Felix Turner, AFRL/MLKM, Bldg 7, Area B, 2530 C Street, Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607. B -- REQUIREMENTS: (1) Technical Description: OBJECTIVE: The objective of this program is to conduct research on laser/materials interactions in a variety of simulated operational environments using the Laser Hardened Materials Evaluation Laboratory (LHMEL). Laser testing of both baseline and advanced materials is required in support of technology development programs on laser hardened materials for tactical and space assets. This program will perform materials response experiments on aerospace materials, characterize emerging laser hardened materials and analyze materials degradation phenomena during laser irradiation. The integration of modifications aimed at enhancing and expanding testing capability will also be included to continually enhance the testing capabilities of the LHMEL facility. TECHNICAL APPROACH: This award is a continuation and an expansion of an ongoing requirement initiated under the current effort, Laser Hardened Materials and Evaluation laboratory (LHMEL), and is anticipated to result in the award of one delivery order type of contract. The contract will consist of a core effort, to provide the basic testing capabilities and materials response studies needed to support AFRL/MLPJ laser hardening programs, as well as the ability, through other delivery orders, to support testing needs of other government programs and for test capability upgrades or advancements. Test equipment currently installed at the Laser Hardened Materials Evaluation Laboratory (LHMEL), located at Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, including 15 kW and 150 kW carbon dioxide lasers and high power pulsed neodymium:glass lasers and their associated environmental simulation and data gathering equipment, will be provided to support this program's testing needs. These high energy lasers will be used to verify materials or system performance in an operational environment while under laser irradiation or to simulate an equivalent heat load such as might be experienced in a rocket motor nozzle or turbine engine. In addition, electro-optical and hardened materials research and device testing in the current LHMEL "IR Lab", and hardened optic, component concept and sensor system testing in the "Survivable High Performance Sensor System (SHPS) testbed are to be conducted under this program, as well as coordinated and integrated with the capabilities and resources of the LHMEL test facility as required.Laser response tests will be performed based on testing needs generated by this program itself, by the AFRL/MLPJ laser hardening program and its contractors or by other government entities and their contractors. (2) Deliverable Items: The following deliverable data items shall be required and proposed: (a) Status Report, DI-MGMT-80368/T, monthly; (b) Funds and Manhour Expenditure Report, DI-FNCL-80331/T, monthly; (c) Project Planning Chart, DI-MGMT-80507A/T, 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 Information, Contractor's Billing Voucher, DI-MISC-80711/T, monthly; (g) Scientific and Technical Reports, Final Report, DI-MISC-80711/T (Draft and Reproducible Final); (h) Scientific and Technical Reports, DI-MISC-80711/T (Interim and Final for individual Delivery Orders); (i) Scientific and Technical Reports, Annual Interim Report, DI-MISC-80711/T, annually; (j) Technical Operating Reports, Special Reports (operating procedures, manuals, brochures), DI-S-30559/T, as required; (k) Technical Operating Report, Special Reports (inventory reports, log books, test agreements), DI-S-30559/T, as required; (l) System Safety Hazard Analysis Report, DI-SAFT-80101/T, as required; (m) Still Photo Coverage, DI-MISC-80169, as required; (n) Test Plan, DI-NDTI-80566/T, as required; (o) Test Report, DI-NDTI-80809A/T, as required; (p) Acceptance Test Plan, DI-QCIC-80553/T, as required; (q) Test Report, Acceptance Test Report, DI-NDTI-80604/T, as required; (r) Developmental Design Drawings and Associated Lists, DI-DRPR-81002/T, as required; (s) Technical Video Tape, DI-MG-MT-81275/T, as required; (t) Monthly Inventory Transaction Report (Missile Propellants) AF Form 859, DI-P-3465B, monthly; (u) Forecast of Propellant Requirement (Missile Propellants) AF Form 858, DI-P-3464B, quarterly. Samples, both tested and untested, developed under this effort shall also be delivered, as appropriate, at the completion of the Delivery Order(s) requiring sample delivery. (3) Security Requirements: Parts of this effort will be classified. PRIMARY OR PRINCIPAL PERSONNEL associated with this program are required to have a minimum SECRET security clearance. The prime contractor is also required to have a SECRET facility security clearance and the capability to store SECRET information. TEMPEST requirements apply. Generation of classified material for this solicitation effort is authorized only on equipment approved for classified processing by Air Force TEMPEST authorities. TEMPEST considerations are required when the contractor will generate TOP SECRET, COMSEC, SAR, SCI, or have access outside of the United States. TEMPEST may also be required if there are foreign nationals employed by the contractor. If TEMPEST applies, there will be a requirement for a TEMPEST Vulnerability Assessment. This assessment will be performed by government TEMPEST professionals in accordance with Air Force TEMPEST directives. Further details will be supplied by the Contracting Officer through the DD Form 254 (Contract Security Classification Specifications) at the time of contract award. (4) Other Special Requirements: International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) may apply to areas covered by this announcement. See supplemental package for additional information. C -- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: The total length of the technical effort is estimated to be sixty (60) months. The contractor shall also provide for an additional four (4) months for processing/completion of the final report. (2) Expected Award Date: 1998 August. (3) Government Estimate: The Government funding profile is estimated to be as follows: FY98 -- $700K, FY99 -- $1.4M, FY00 -- $1.4M, FY01 -- $1.4M, FY02 -- $1.4M. This profile represents the funding anticipated to be available to operate the facility and to fund Delivery Orders, and includes funds that would be provided by Government agencies outside the Air Force to sponsor testing supporting their programs. Only one award is anticipated for this effort, however, the Air Force reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposals. 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: Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity with Cost Plus Fixed Fee (Completion) Delivery Orders. Any grants awarded will be cost (no fee) (5) Government Furnished Equipment/Base Support: All equipment and property accountable to the current LHMEL contract will be transferred to this program upon contract award. The test facility is located in Bldg 71/71A, Area B, Wright-Patterson AFB OH. (6) Size Status: For purposes of this acquisition, a small business is defined as one with 500 or fewer employees (SIC 8731). Firms responding should indicate whether they are or are not a socially or economically disadvantaged business, a women-owned business, a Historically Black College, or a University/Minority Institution, and should also indicate their business size status. (7) Notice To Foreign And Foreign-Owned Firms: Such firms are asked to immediately notify the Air Force point cited below upon deciding to respond to this announcement. Restrictions applicable to this procurement preclude participation of foreign owned firms in a prime contractor role. (8) Contract Ceiling: The resulting contract shall have a combined ceiling of $6,300,000 for the execution of all Delivery Orders. (9) Facility Tour: A pre-proposal tour of the current LHMEL facility has been recommended as beneficial for prospective offerors. The date, time and place of this tour is scheduled to be 01 May 98 at 0830 at Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7607. If you plan on attending, please contact Felix Turner at (937) 255-5830. No other tours will be provided associated with this solicitation.D -- PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: (1) General Instructions: Offerors should apply the restrictive notice prescribed in the provision at FAR 52.215-1(e), 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 elsewhere herein. Offerors should consider instructions/information contained in the "WL PRDA and BAA Guide for Industry" and the supplemental package referenced in Section A of this announcement. Technical and cost proposals, submitted in separate volumes, are required and must be valid for not less than 180 days from the proposal due date, and through 30 Sep 98. Proposals must reference the above PRDA number on all proposal volumes. Cost and Technical proposals shall be submitted in an original plus six (6) copies. An electronic version of the proposal shall also be submitted in Microsoft compatible files (MS Office 4.2). All qualified sources may submit a proposal which shall be considered against the criteria set forth herein. Qualifying offeror(s) will be required to submit a contracting plan, as well as provide a Technical and Cost proposal by Delivery Order, indicating the technical effort proposed and the cost for each separate Delivery Order. Offerors are advised that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise commit the government. Offerors may be requested to provide a TEMPEST plan after the review of their proposal by the Air Force. (2) Cost Proposal: Adequate price competition is anticipated. The accompanying cost proposal/price breakdown shall be supplied, together with supporting schedules, and shall contain a cost and personhour breakdown per task by fiscal year for each separate Delivery Order, not for the entire basic effort. The basic effort shall be considered to be equal in value to the overall contract ceiling described in Section C (8). Delivery Orders will then be awarded as subsets of this ceiling amount. The offeror shall also provide in the proposal a detailed plan which minimizes open commitments to subcontractors throughout the performance of the contract. Open commitments are defined as Government funds which have been obligated to the prime contract that are then set aside for activities which are performed by other than the prime contractor, such as subcontractor's costs. Open commitments which are too large indicate a poor earnings/obligations ratio, which might then be viewed as poor financial execution/contract health. Included in this plan shall be the offeror's approach to ensure timely submission of vouchers from the subcontractor to the contractor (at least monthly, or more frequently, if practical) and from the prime contractor to the Government. (3) Technical Proposal: The technical proposal shall include a discussion of the nature and scope of the research and the technical approach, as well as a discussion regarding the approach to the administration and management of the individual Delivery Orders. Additional information on prior work in this area, descriptions of available equipment, data and facilities, and resumes of prime contractor personnel who will be participating in this effort should also be included as attachments to the technical proposal, and are not included in the overall proposal page limit. A listing of the technical experts/organizations anticipated to be used under this program and their respective areas of expertise shall be provided in the proposal as well. The technical proposal shall include a Statement of Work (SOW) for each Delivery Order detailing the technical tasks proposed to be accomplished (in accordance with the "Requirements" section of this PRDA) under the proposed effort and suitable for contract incorporation. PL 98-94 applies. Offerors must submit an approved DD Form 2345, Export-Controlled DoD Technical Data Agreement, with their proposal. 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 seventy five (75) 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, foldouts, appendices, attachments, etc., required to discuss the technical approach to the proposed effort. 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 one hundred (100) pages as a goal. (5) Preparation Cost: This announcement is an expression of interest only and 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 any resulting contract 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 Air Force anticipates awarding only one (1) Indefinite Delivery/Indefinite Quantity contracts to include the award of one or more Delivery Orders, however, the Air Force reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposals received. The selection of a source for contract award will be based on scientific and/or engineering evaluation of an offeror's responses (both technical and cost aspects) to determine the overall merit of the proposal in response to this announcement. The assessment will include the overall technical/management approach, the use of experienced team members/subcontractors as appropriate, and the candidate Delivery Order proposals. The technical aspect, which is ranked as the first order of priority, shall be evaluated based on the following criteria in descending order of importance, with (b) and (c) considered of equal importance: (a) the offeror's understanding of the scope of the technical effort; (b) soundness of the offeror's technical approach, including the use of new or unique concepts, ideas, or innovative approaches; (c) special technical factors such as the availability and commitment of qualified technical personnel and their experience with applicable technologies, background and/or demonstrated experience and capability with regard to the type of effort required in operating a facility of this type and with the type of efforts to be expected under future Delivery Orders; and (d) overall compliance with program requirements, including the 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, but is ranked as the second order of priority. The Government will evaluate proposed costs and fees on an individual Delivery Order basis, to ensure that they are reasonable, realistic, and complete for the effort proposed. 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 agreement any, all, part, or none of the proposals received. Award of a grant to universities or non-profit institutions or cooperative agreement, in lieu of a contract, will be considered and will be subject to the mutual agreement of the parties. The government reserves the right to award any resulting contract pursuant to the Research and Development Standard Contract format in DFARS 235.70. The offeror's proposal (or any part thereof) may be used as the Statement of Work (SOW) for the individual Delivery Orders awarded, and will supplement the Air Force Statement of Objectives (SOO), which will serve as the description for the basic portion of the contract. F -- POINTS OF CONTACT: (1) (0114)

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