A -- FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Notice Date

November 14, 2001

Contracting Office

US Army Communications-Electronics Command, CECOM Acquisition Center Washington, ATTN: AMSEL-AC-W, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700

ZIP Code

22331-0700

Solicitation Number

DAAB15-02-R-0003

Response Due

January 7, 2002

Point of Contact

Jane Borden, 703-325-1709, FAX 703-428-1607

E-Mail Address

US Army Communications-Electronics Command, CECOM (jane.borden@cacw.army.mil)

Description

Due to size limitations, the complete Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) cannot be posted here. Please visit the Interactive Business Opportunities Page (IBOP) for the complete document. The URL for the IBOP is https://abop.monmouth.army.mil. The BAA can b e found by accessing the Army Contracting Activity drop down menu, selecting CECOM and then searching for DAAB15-02-R-0003. PART I INTRODUCTION This document is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) sponsored by the U. S. Army Communications-Electronics Command (CECOM) Research, Development and Engineering Center (RDEC), valid through Fiscal Year 2004, unless sooner terminated. This BAA is issued u nder provisions of paragraph 6.102(d)(2) and paragraph 35.016 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) which provides for competitive selection of research and development proposals submitted in response to this announcement. Accordingly, proposals sel ected for award are considered to be the result of full and open competition and fully compliant with PL 98-369, 'The Competition in Contracting Act of 1984'. Prospective offerors should note that this BAA is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to make an award or pay proposal preparation costs generated in response to this announcement. The cost of proposal preparation for respo nse to a BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resultant contract or any other contract. However, it may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18. This BAA is intended for the development of research efforts in support of the RDEC Army Power Division. Specific information on program goals is provided in the following section, Program Description. Potential offerors are reminded that only a duly w arranted contracting officer may obligate the government to an agreement involving the expenditure of Government funds. Questions concerning contractual, cost or pricing, or proposal format matters may be directed to the Contract Specialist Jane Borden, 7 03-325-1709 or email: jane.borden@cacw.army.mil. In order for any proposals to be considered, the proposed effort MUST meet the definition of basic or applied research and development found at FAR 35.001. Submission of White Papers is mandatory prior to submission of a full proposal. The selection of one or more proposals for award will be based on a peer and scientific evaluation of each offerors response (to include both technical and cost aspects) to determine the overall merit of the proposal in res ponse to this announcement. Questions concerning technical issues may be directed to the Attention of the Topic/Subject Matter Expert to request clarification of their areas of interest and should be directed through the Contracting Officer. No discussion is to be held with offero rs by the technical staff after proposal submission without the permission of the Contracting Officer. White Papers/Proposals shall be submitted to: US Army CECOM Acquisition Center AMSEL-AC-WB-Q (Jane Borden) Room 1126 2461 Eisenhower Ave Alexandria, VA 22331-0700 Pursuant to the requirements of FAR 52.219-9, if the total amount of the proposal exceeds $500,000, a large business offeror(s) selected for award will be required at that time to submit a Subcontracting Plan for Small, Small Disadvantaged and Woman Owne d Small Business Concerns. There will be no formal request for proposal or any further solicitation document issued in regard to this BAA. Therefore, interested parties should be alert for any amendments that maybe published. This BAA will be open for three (3) years from the date of issue. Funds are not presently available for the research interests represented in this BAA. No contract award will be made unless appropriated funds are available for payment for the effort being acquired. Prospective offerors are reminded that only a duly w arranted Contracting Officer may obligate the Government. Any resultant contract award would include all clauses required by Federal Acquisition Regulations and appropriate supplements. PART II PROGRAM DESCRIPTION -- RESEARCH INTERESTS -- FUEL CELL TECHNOLOGY Fuel cell technology is one of the key research and development candidates for advanced power sources. The U S Army is interested in receiving white papers followed by proposals for basic and applied research, development and demonstration of lightweight , robust fuel cell power sources, associated technology and associated components for use in various applications ranging from less than one watt to several kilowatts. Research and development of fuel cell stack auxiliary components such as pumps, fans, va lves, electronic controls and other technologies that are associated with fuel cell technology are also acceptable as a separate item or as part of a larger research and development proposal. Fuel cell technology and component technology analysis and simu lation is acceptable. These technologies shall utilize Hydrogen storage/generation technology as a source of Hydrogen, liquid fuel directly or shall process liquid fuels into a suitable fuel source for use in fuel cell technology demonstrations. The sour ce of hydrogen or type of fuel under this topic is open, however, consideration should be given to cost and safety implications. Hybrid technologies utilizing energy sources such as batteries, capacitors or solar cells are acceptable under this topic as lo ng as they are fuel cell based. PART III EVALUATION FACTORS The selection for contract award will be based on a scientific and engineering peer review evaluation of proposals. The business and contractual aspects, including cost, will also be considered as a part of the evaluation. The purpose of the evaluation will be to determine the relative merit of the technical approach proposed in each response to the BAA. Evaluation and selection of proposals for awards will be made on the basis of the potential benefits occurring to the Government when weighed against the cost of the proposal. Additional primary considerations will include an independent Government assessment of the probability of success of the proposed approach and the availability of funding. The following evaluation criteria are listed in order of decreasing importance. Proposals that are considered less than satisfactory in Scientific and Technical Merit will not be evaluated further. Scientific and Technical Merit: Proposers must demonstrate that their proposal is innovative and unique, that the technical approach is sound, that they have an understanding of critical technical issues and risk and that the have a plan of mitigation of t hose risks. All milestones must be clearly and quantitatively described. Value to Department of Defense: Proposers must demonstrate the potential of successful research and development that offers significant improvements in comparison to current technologies. Capability of the Personnel and Facilities to Perform the Proposed Effort. Proposers must demonstrate that their team has the necessary background and experience to perform this project. The balance of the technical capabilities of the team must be suffi cient to provide confidence that the proposers can accomplish their objectives. Proposers must demonstrate that the combined facilities of the team are sufficient to accomplish the objectives of the proposal. Cost Realism: Costs of the proposal must be reasonable and provide a high value to the Government. 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 affirmatively state whether they are providing scientifi c, engineering and technical assistance (SETA) or similar support to any Government 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. Affirmations should be furnished at the time of proposal submission. All facts relevant to the exist ence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest, as that term is defined in the FAR 9.501, must be disclosed. The disclosure shall include a description of the action the offeror has taken, or proposes to take, to avoid, neutralize or mitigate such conflict. Offerors should also indicate if the proposed effort, or similar effort, is the subject of an on-going IR&D program or has been submitted under other solicitations. PART IV PROPOSAL PREPARATION SECTION 1: WHITE PAPERS Prior to submission of a full proposal, the submission of a brief white paper is required. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort and expense by potential offerors in preparing a full technical and cost proposal for efforts not c onsidered responsive or for efforts evaluated to have very low overall probability of obtaining support. White papers are limited to five pages and shall consist of 3 primary sections: Technical, Management and Cost. The Technical section shall consist of a clear description of the technology(s) being proposed, the objectives of the proposed effort, the tech nical issues to be resolved to accomplish the objectives, the approach to resolving these issues, an assessment of the ultimate capability of the proposed technology. The Management portion shall include specific prior experience in the proposed technolog y areas, facilities, and a plan of action for the proposed milestones. The Cost portion shall consist of a one page cost breakdown of the effort being proposed to include options for level of effort, contract duration and technology approach(s). In addit ion to the five pages, a one-page resume for the Principal Technical Investigator, Project Manager, and other key personnel should be submitted. Evaluation Processes. CECOM-Acquisition Center-Washington will respond to each white paper with an invitation to propose or a notification that a proposal will not be entertained. Only those invited offerors will be permitted to submit a full proposal. White Papers will be ev aluated as they are received, however, they may be collected for periodic evaluation. White Papers lacking scientific merit or relevance to Army needs, or those that may fall in areas wherein funds are not expected to be available, may be rejected withou t further action.

Web Link

Army Single Face to Industry (http://acquisition.army.mil)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20011116/ASOL019.HTM (D-318 SN513081)