SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- FORCE MULTIPLIERS FOR URBAN AREA OPERATIONS
- Notice Date
- 6/15/2004
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541690
— Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services
- Contracting Office
- Other Defense Agencies, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Contracts Management Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, 22203-1714
- ZIP Code
- 22203-1714
- Solicitation Number
- BAA04-31
- Response Due
- 6/17/2005
- Archive Date
- 7/2/2005
- Point of Contact
- Robert Leheny, DARPA Program Manager, Phone 000-000-0000, Fax 703-696-2206,
- E-Mail Address
-
none
- Description
- A. Overview Information I. Federal Agency Name: Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency II. Funding Opportunity Title: Force Multipliers for Urban Area Operations III. Announcement Type: Initial Broad Agency Announcement IV. Funding Opportunity Number: BAA 04-31 V. CFDA Number: 12.910 VI. Key Dates a. Initial Closing: 1600 (ET), October 6, 2004 b. Final Closing: 1600 (ET), June 17, 2005 c. All administrative correspondence and questions on this solicitation, including requests for information on how to submit a proposal to this BAA, must be received at one of the administrative addresses below by 1600 (ET) June 1, 2005 B. Full Text of Announcement Force Multipliers for Urban Area Operations BAA04-31. The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is soliciting proposals for a multi-phase program pursuing the performance of research, development, design, and testing that directly supports advancement of Urban Operation Technologies providing revolutionary improvements to warfighting in the urban environment. In addition to this BAA and before submitting proposals, a prospective offeror MUST refer to the Force Multipliers for Urban Area Operations (FMUOps) Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP) located at the DARPA website, http://www.tfims.darpa.mil/baa for further information. The Force Multipliers for Urban Area Operations PIP contains additional details regarding the Program Objectives, Program Description, Test and Evaluation, Program Scope, General Information, Submission Process, Reporting Requirements and Procedures, Proposal Format, Evaluation and Funding Processes, and Administrative Addresses. I. Funding Opportunity Description PROGRAM SCOPE DARPA. The envisioned outcome of the FMUOps program is revolutionary improvements to warfighting in the urban environment (WUE). The goal is to support DARPA?s Strategic Thrust for Force Multipliers for Urban Area Operations by providing technical and operational options that make the planning and execution of urban operations as responsive, flexible, and successful as other aspects of U.S. warfighting. Solutions may apply to operations both before and after the cessation of large-scale hostilities. Of particular interest are solutions that address the very different challenges presented by WUE and dramatically enhance war fighter capabilities; for example, the ability to sense, maneuver and operate in three dimensions. These changes should generally result in lower casualties, lower collateral damage, and higher mission effectiveness with smaller applied force. The following areas are of specific interest: 1. System Architecture and Integration: DARPA is seeking novel new technologies and an integrated CONOPS specifically tailored for the urban environment to reduce casualties while increasing the speed of operations. DARPA is interested in new ?urbanized? technologies and operating concepts that would give U. S. Combat forces the ability to deny opposing forces the opportunity to hide in urban environments. 2. Persistent Staring Reconnaissance, Surveillance, & Target Acquisition (RSTA) systems: This area seeks advances in intelligence gathering for city-wide targets, particularly approaches that reflect the three dimensional nature of this environment. Systems of interest include: capabilities to detect and characterize personnel and equipment in severe urban clutter and through external and internal building walls; flying / perching machines able to carry and operate communications and sensor payloads; survivable urban-canyon flying vehicles; systems that discriminate combatants from non-combatants in crowded urban settings; systems to detect contraband material and equipment; capabilities to detect snipers and rocket propelled grenade (RPG) gunners before firing; systems that synthesize data from multiple sensors to predict threats and determine intent and other high-persistence methods of maintaining situational awareness and time-critical response in urban environments. 3. Weapons for Urban Operations: The objective is to develop on-demand, infantry-operated, ultra-precision, beyond-line-of-sight, lethal and non-lethal weaponry that has high maneuverability for use in the congested, three dimensional urban environments and technologies that support these goals such as; low cost laser designators, low-cost military grade encryption techniques, autonomous target recognition and classification (particularly for asymmetric threats), etc. The desired maneuvering capability should be consistent with narrow and congested urban environments. 4. Urban Access with Minimal Infrastructure Disruption: Technologies are needed to enhance urban mobility including: novel communications for individual soldiers, weapons particularly suited to the urban environment, vertical mobility for infantry; enhanced mobility for force and logistics transport through a city; and novel systems for urban movement. Technologies that enhance the survivability for air and ground assets are needed; for example technologies that provide effective defense against such threats as improvised explosive devices (IEDs), MANPADS, RPGs and small arms. The ability to negate urban obstacles and move with a minimum signature, at a speed faster than the adversary, is desired. 5. Asymmetric Warfare Countermeasures: The objective is to prevent successful attacks on troops by combatants employing guerrilla tactics, suicide fighters, or remotely-activated (IEDs). Tools to detect and destroy IEDs, prevent attack, mitigate damage, and provide effective response mechanisms are desired. Non-lethal responses / non-lethal weapons should be considered, especially in the areas of crowd control or to engage enemy forces commingled with civilians. 6. Pre- and Post-Conflict Capabilities: The objectives are to provide anticipatory capabilities that model and understand social indicators that precipitate hostility and conflict (see item 10 as well) and to develop and assess mitigating and shaping options to stabilize an urban area. Analysis functions that can interpret effects of military and civil operation on the hostility of the population are desired. In addition, force multiplier technologies are sought that augment the size, mobility and capability of limited number of forces in the region and create the perception of a larger military presence critical for security. 7. Rapid Stabilization, Pacification and Law Enforcement Tools: Technologies and systems are sought to provide omnipresent infrastructure protection and/or restoration; modify/limit weapons discharge as a function of aim-point signature; enhance DOD information dissemination; provide weapons stores detection; remotely identify and track individuals; and improve the technologies available to perform DOD civil affairs functions (e.g. medical, law enforcement, etc.). Technologies supporting these goals such as efficient urban-soldier transport systems, methods for tracking, localization and identification of friendly vehicles and personnel are also of interest. 8. Command, Control, and Intelligence (C2I) for Urban Warfighting: New approaches to collaborative and all-echelon C2I, along with automated intelligence analytical tools, are needed to support urban operations. Systems that can rapidly develop high-fidelity urban terrain maps with automated functionality and which can exhibit learning and tracking of past events are of interest. The goal is to create a collaborative environment that allows warfighters to see, understand, and interact with the urban battlespace in ?real time.? The urban approach requires tactical data at the level of the individual soldier that may be fed from local or remote networked sensors as well as new approaches for developing and predicting the effect of psychological operations. The C2I systems need to integrate unmanned capabilities with manned systems and provide support to the lowest level warfighter to include fire coordination for squad level indirect fire weapons. 9. Logistics & Support: The goal is to develop technologies that significantly reduce overhead required to support and train soldiers in urban combat. This includes both on-demand delivery as well as technologies that significantly reduce the logistics burden of operational necessities(food, water, power, medical, etc.). For example, delivery of communications nodes and supplies from the air can reduce/remove ground lines of control (LOCs) and shorten response times. Innovative approaches to training soldiers in the urban environment can also increase effectiveness, thereby reducing the number of personnel involved in urban operations. On demand resupply (less than 1 hour for units of operation and within minutes for individual warfighters), with precision (less than 1 meter SEP) delivery by air of tailorable packages (100 pounds to 30,000 pounds), is highly desired. 10. Modeling and Simulation: The goal is to provide model and simulation based training through the use of realistic models and simulation tools that are based on current knowledge of the terrain and environment down to the level of individual buildings. A further goal is to prepare warfighters for managing stability operations and enhance their sensitivity to local non-combatants through the use of large, multi-player games tailored to the region of interest?s culture that can educate about governance, economic development, government services, etc. Proposers should focus on the development of complete systems and/or subsystems that allow new/novel urban warfare tactics/strategies to be applied. Proposed efforts may address development of enabling components that support new system concepts - however proposed efforts need not be composed entirely of newly developed components, but may integrate new technology into existing systems and/or subsystems. 11. Enabling Component Technology: While the goal of this solicitation is on early system demonstrations, proposals for novel component or subsystem technology that are shown to enable new systems concepts in items 1-10 are also solicited. Component efforts must clearly describe how they would enable new concepts for WUE and present a transition plan for insertion into a future system demonstration. In order to achieve the capabilities described above, the FMUOps program will pursue the design, development, integration, and demonstration of critical and enabling technologies and system attributes pertaining to operational Force Multipliers for Urban Area Operations. Offerors should emphasize radical concepts that may contain high technical risk, but if enabled would have commensurate high military payoff. The Government is not interested in extensions to existing DARPA programs or minor improvements to operational capability. Rather, DARPA is seeking concepts that will provide either an entirely new military capability or will enhance existing capability by orders of magnitude (based on demonstrable relevant metrics). Proposed efforts should constitute at least two phases. The first phase of six to twelve months duration should seek to establish the technical feasibility of the concept. Phases beyond the first should be proposed as options leading toward technology development. II. Award Information The Government anticipates multiple Phase I awards, ranging from $50,000 to $400,000. The Offeror is expected to provide a realistic technical and cost proposal for best achieving the program objectives within the outlined budget and schedule. The Government reserves the right to select all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this solicitation and to make awards without discussions with offerors; however, the Government reserves the right to conduct discussions if the Source Selection Authority later determines them to be necessary. Final funding determination will be based on the combination of proposed approaches which will reasonably support program success. Proposals identified for funding may result in a contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or other transaction depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between the parties, and other factors. If warranted, portions of resulting awards may be segregated into pre-priced options. III. Eligibility Information 1. Eligible Applicants All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal that shall be considered by DARPA. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit proposals; however, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation because of the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of research and development in FMUOps technology. Awards made under this BAA may be 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 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. Affirmations should be furnished at the time of proposal submission. All facts relevant to the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest, as that term is defined in FAR 2.101, must be disclosed in Section II, I. of the proposal, organized by task and year. This disclosure shall include a description of the action the Contractor has taken, or proposes to take, to avoid, neutralize, or mitigate such conflict. 2. Cost Sharing or Matching Cost sharing is not required for this particular program; however, cost sharing will be carefully considered where there is an applicable statutory condition relating to the selected funding instrument (e.g., for any Technology Investment Agreement under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2371). IV. Application and Submission Information 1. Addresses to Request Application Package This announcement contains all information required to submit a proposal. No additional forms, kits, or other materials are needed. [NOTE: See paragraph 6, ?Other Submission Requirements,? for reference to the Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP).] 2. Content and Form of Application Submission Consistent with requirements for paper document submission, all electronic submissions must be in the following format?nonconforming proposals may be rejected without further review. Proposals must be on single-sided pages, written in English, with fonts no smaller than 12 point and with 1-inch margins (left, right, top, and bottom) in each page. All pages should be able to be printed on normal-weight paper with type not smaller than 12 point. A page is defined as being no larger than 8.5? by 11.0?. Electronic copies should be in PDF (preferred) or Microsoft Word format and submitted via http://www.tfims.darp.mil/baa. Submission deadlines apply to electronic versions. Security classification guidance on a DD Form 254 (DoD Contract Security Classification Specification) will not be provided at this time since DARPA is soliciting ideas only. After reviewing incoming proposals, if a determination is made that contract award may result in access to classified information, a DD Form 254 will be issued upon contract award. 3. Submission Dates and Times The full proposal must be submitted in time to reach DARPA by 1600 (ET), October 6, 2004, in order to be considered during the initial evaluation phase. However, BAA 04-31, Force Multipliers for Urban Area Operations will remain open until 1600 (ET) Friday, June 17, 2005. Thus, proposals may be submitted at any time from issuance of this BAA through June 17, 2005. While the proposals submitted after the October 6, 2004, deadline will be evaluated by the Government, proposers should keep in mind that the likelihood of funding such proposals is less than for those proposals submitted in connection with the initial evaluation and award schedule. DARPA will acknowledge receipt of submissions and assign control numbers that should be used in all further correspondence regarding proposals. 4. Intergovernmental Review ? N/A 5. Funding Restrictions Authorization of precontract costs will be considered in situations of genuine urgency where programmatic benefits will accrue from their use. 6. Other Submission Requirements Proposers must obtain the BAA 04-31 Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP), which provides further information on the areas of interest, submission, evaluation, funding processes, and proposal formats. This pamphlet will be posted directly to FedBizOpps.gov and may also be obtained at URL address http://www.tfims.darpa.mil/baa. Proposals not meeting the format described in the pamphlet may not be reviewed. This notice, in conjunction with the BAA 04-31 PIP and all references, constitutes the total BAA. No additional information is available, nor will a formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded. V. Application Review Information 1. Criteria (listed in descending order of relative importance): 1. Technical Approach The technical approach of the proposer should address every aspect of the effort. In particular, the following items will be considered and evaluated: Innovation and Realism Understanding of the Problem Scalability 2. Potential Contribution And Relevance To The DARPA Force Multipliers For Urban Area Operations Mission The potential contributions of the proposed effort with relevance to the national technology base will be evaluated. 3. Offeror?s Capabilities And Related Experience The qualifications of the Principal Investigators will be considered. The range, depth, and mix of expertise of the Offeror?s key personnel will be evaluated to ensure that they are qualified in the theory and application of the technologies involved in the research, development, testing and evaluation of the proposed technology. 4. Approach/Ability To Technology Transition The capability to transition the technology to the research, industrial, and operational military communities in such a way as to enhance U.S. defense. 5. Cost Realism The objective of this criterion is to establish that the proposed costs are reasonable and realistic for the technical and management approach offered, as well as to determine the proposer?s practical understanding of the effort. This will be principally measured by cost per labor-hour and number of labor-hours proposed. The evaluation criterion recognize that undue emphasis on cost may motivate proposers to offer low-risk ideas with minimum uncertainty and to staff the effort with junior personnel in order to be in a more competitive posture. DARPA discourages such cost strategies. Cost reduction approaches that will be received favorably include innovative management concepts that maximize direct funding for technology and limit diversion of funds into overhead. 2. Review and Selection Process It is the policy of DARPA to ensure impartial, equitable, comprehensive evaluation of all proposals and to select the source (or sources) whose offer meets the Government?s technical and policy goals. Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished through a scientific review of each proposal, using the above criteria. Proposals will not be evaluated against each other, since they are not submitted in accordance with a common work statement. DARPA's intent is to review proposals as soon as possible after they arrive; however, proposals may be reviewed periodically for administrative reasons. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, proposals may be handled for administrative purposes by support contractors. These support contractors are prohibited from competition in DARPA technical research and are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. Input on technical aspects of the proposals may be solicited by DARPA from non-Government consultants /experts who are also bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. However, non-Government technical consultants/experts will not have access to proposals that are labeled by their offerors as ?Government Only. Use of non-government personnel is covered in FAR 37.203(d). VI. Award Administration Information 1. Award Notices Principal Investigators will receive a letter informing them of the disposition of their proposal via U.S. mail. 2. Administrative and National Policy Requirements Proposers may wish to visit DARPA?s Contracts Management Office (CMO) website (http://www.darpa.mil/cmo/pages/modelgrantagreement.htm) for model grant and cooperative agreement terms and conditions. 3. Reporting The Award Document for each proposal selected and funded will contain a mandatory requirement for submission of DARPA Quarterly Status Reports and an Annual Project Summary Report. These reports will be submitted electronically via the DARPA Technical-Financial Information Management System (T-FIMS), utilizing the government-furnished Uniform Resource Locator (URL) on the World Wide Web (WWW). Further details may be found in the Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP). Additional details of post-award reporting requirements are contained in the Proposer Information Pamphlet. The DARPA/CMO website referenced above also provides general information about reports required specifically for grants and cooperative agreements. VII. Agency Contacts Addressed to: DARPA/DIRO, BAA 04-31 Electronic Mail: BAA04-31@darpa.mil Electronic File Retrieval: http://www.tfims.darpa.mil/baa Mail to: DARPA/DIRO ATTN: BAA 04-31 3701 N. Fairfax Drive Arlington, VA 22203-1714
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- SN00603949-W 20040617/040615212426 (fbodaily.com)
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