SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- Broad Agency Announcement For Multi-Spectral Aided Target Recognition
- Notice Date
- 2/9/2006
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- NAICS
- 541710
— Research and Development in the Physical, Engineering, and Life Sciences
- Contracting Office
- US Army C-E LCMC, Acquisition Center - Washington, ATTN: AMSEL-AC-W, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue, Alexandria, VA 22331-0700
- ZIP Code
- 22331-0700
- Solicitation Number
- W909MY-06-R-0022
- Response Due
- 3/17/2006
- Archive Date
- 5/16/2006
- Small Business Set-Aside
- N/A
- Description
- This document is a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) sponsored by the U. S. Army Research, Development and Engineering Command, Communications and Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center, Night Vision and Electronic Sensors Directorate (NVESD), Ft. Belvoir, VA. This BAA is issued by the Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command (C-E LCMC) Acquisition Center Washington under provisions of paragraph 6.102(d)(2) and paragraph 35.016 of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FA R) which provides for competitive selection of research and development proposals submitted in response to this announcement. This announcement is only a summary of Parts 1 and 2 of the BAA and does not represent the entire BAA. Offerors must download th e entire BAA as posted on the Interagency Business Opportunities Page (IBOP) at https://abop.monmouth.army.mil. In addition, all amendments to this BAA will only be posted at the IBOP. There will be no formal request for proposal or any further solicitat ion document issued in regard to this BAA. Therefore, interested parties should be alert for any amendments that may be published. It is recommended that all interested parties register for the solicitation specific mailing list that will provide email n otification of any updates to the BAA. White papers and full proposals will also be submitted to the Government via the IBOP web site. No paper copies will be accepted. White papers are due at noon (eastern) on 17 March 2006 and September 2006 award(s) are anticipated. Award(s) against this BAA can be made for three years after receipt of proposals and notification of selectability. Specific costs and terms and conditions will be negotiated prior to award. The Government contemplates the awarding of C ost Reimbursement (Cost, CPFF) type contract(s); however, proposals based on other contract types will be considered. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received. The maximum length of an award will be three years. There is no a priori judgment regarding the number or size of individual awards or the allocation of total research and development funds across the technology solutions listed above. Prospective Offerors should note that this BAA is an ex pression 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 response 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. Funds, beyond the current Fiscal Year, are not presently available for the research interest s represented in this BAA, however, funds are planned in the Future Years Defense Plan (FYDP) for this research. No contract award will be made unless appropriated funds are available for payment for the effort being acquired. Prospective offerors are fu rther reminded that only a duly warranted Contracting Officer may obligate the Government. Any resultant contract award would include all clauses required by Federal Acquisition Regulations and appropriate supplements. This BAA is intended for the develo pment of research efforts in support of the NVESD Ground Combat Systems Division. Specific information on program goals is provided in Part II, Program Description. In order for any proposal 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. Submission of full proposals will be at the written request of the Government upon completion of the white p aper evaluation. 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 response to this announcement. Potential Offerors are reminded that only a duly warranted contracting officer may obligate the Government to an agreement involving the expenditu re of Government funds. Prior to white paper submission, potential offerors are encouraged to contact the Subject Matter Expert (SME), Mr. Timothy Watts, NVESD, at timothy.watts@nvl.army.mil with a carbon copy to the Contract Specialist. However, after w hite paper submission, all questions and discussions must be directed to the Contracting Officer. Offerors are encouraged to use the IBOP question and answer function. However, in the event that is not feasible, questions may be directed to the Contract Specialist Nancy Lyons, 703-325-6152 or email: nancy.lyons@cacw.army.mil. No discussion is to be held with Offerors by the technical staff after white paper submission without the permission of the Contracting Officer. The POCs for this BAA are (1) Ground Combat Systems Division SME: Mr. Timothy M. Watts, Multi-Spectral AiTR Project Leader, Tel: 703-704-1356, Fax: 703-704-1111, E-mail: timothy.watts@nvl.army.mil, and (2) C-E LCMC Acquisition Center Contracting Officer: Ms. Peggy A. Melanson, Tel: 703-325- 6096, Fax: 703-428-1658, E-mail: peggy.melanson@cacw.army.mil. PROGRAM DESCRIPTION. This BAA is for the technical advancement of multi-spectral aided target recognition algorithms that will use imagery from multi-spectral infrared imaging sensors. A ty pical multi-spectral sensor providing imagery for the algorithms would utilize a detector array that is sensitive in the nominal 3um 5um midwave infrared (MWIR) and 8um 10um longwave infrared (LWIR) portions of the electromagnetic spectrum. State-of-t he-art sensors of this type typically utilize a detector with an approximate cell size of 20um for MWIR and LWIR, and an integration time of up to 9msec for MWIR and up to 200 usec for LWIR. The algorithm should be capable of performing target detection, target recognition, and multiple target tracking under a variety of background, clutter, and atmospheric conditions. The algorithms should be capable of tracking multiple targets for extended periods of time over large fields of regard, be capable of supp orting rapid Wide Area Search (WAS), and the scanning of a large field of regard in excess of the sensors nominal fields of view. It is desired that algorithm capabilities to be maintained if integrated onto a vehicle and that host platform is on the mov e (OTM). The following details metrics that represent the expected capabilities of future AiTR algorithms, for guidance: Field of Regard (FOR): 360 degrees x 9 degrees; Time to Detect/Recognize (Throughout FOV): 8 second (Detect), 8 seconds (Recognize); Detection Range (Pd 70 percent (OTM)): 1.5x (1.1x) (normalized ranges); False Alarm Rate: 1.2y / deg squared (normalized ranges); On The Move Rate: 50 Kph. Long term objectives for a field implementation of these algorithms include the detection and reco gnition of targets that are partially occluded, are contained within high clutter backgrounds, provide aided target detection and aided target recognition at extended ranges commensurate with future Army combat vehicles, and possess improved false alarm ra tes and detection times in an extended FOR. A two-phase approach will be used for this effort, and contractors are encouraged to structure their response, including cost proposal, in this manner. Phase one will consist of multi-spectral imagery phenomeno logy studies and baseline performance evaluations of the proposed algorithms. Training imagery will be provided, consisting of military vehicle targets. Typical targets of this class include tanks, armored personnel vehicles, all terrain vehicles, and et c. Algorithm performance evaluation and scoring will be performed using sequestered imagery data sets. Offerors shall expect algorithm evaluations to be condu cted approximately every six to eight weeks after initial program start-up and an initial test readiness meeting. Once the algorithm has been evaluated and scored for fully exposed targets of various aspect angles under benign clutter conditions, the Gove rnment will consider, on an individual contract basis, whether or not to proceed with phase two. The period of performance for Phase One will be approximately 12 months. Phase Two will continue the evaluation of the algorithm through the introduction of imagery consisting of partially obscured targets, increasing levels of clutter, and degraded atmospheric conditions. A variety of backgrounds and clutter, atmospheric conditions, target aspects, and target exposures will be used. A develop-test-fix-confi rm cycle approach will be implemented. Training data will be provided for each cycle. A blind test evaluation, using sequestered imagery, will then be conducted. Once an evaluation is completed, the Government will debrief the Offeror of their measured performance and will provide feedback with particular emphasis on specific areas that either fail to meet expected performance or exceed expected performance. The Offeror will then be allowed to modify their algorithm and rerun the test to confirm adequat e performance. Confirmation of the algorithm fixes will give confidence that the algorithm is ready to proceed onto a more complex data set. This approach allows for the algorithm to be progressively evaluated and modified using increasingly complex data sets. Upon completion of the Phase Two effort, the Offeror will provide to the Government a complete version of the algorithm, including an algorithm description document and a final report.
- Place of Performance
- Address: US Army C-E LCMC, Acquisition Center - Washington ATTN: AMSEL-AC-W, 2461 Eisenhower Avenue Alexandria VA
- Zip Code: 22331-0700
- Country: US
- Zip Code: 22331-0700
- Record
- SN00984635-W 20060211/060209212606 (fbodaily.com)
- Source
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