SOLICITATION NOTICE
A -- FY2008 Non-Lethal Weapons Science and Technology Broad Agency Announcement for Applied Research and Technology Development Efforts
- Notice Date
- 7/19/2007
- Notice Type
- Solicitation Notice
- Contracting Office
- M67854 Quantico, VA
- ZIP Code
- 00000
- Solicitation Number
- M6785407R7075
- Response Due
- 8/31/2007
- Archive Date
- 2/29/2008
- Description
- The Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) is soliciting proposals for research, development, integration, and demonstration of next-generation non-lethal weapons (NLW). The objective of this BAA is to stimulate applied research, development, and rapid-prototyping of NLW technologies in an attempt to address known NLW capability gaps. General research focus areas of interest to the JNLWD include technologies to address: 1. Vehicle/vessel stopping 2. Extended range and duration personnel incapacitation 3. Clear a space without entry 4. NLW effectiveness 5. Enhanced systems engineering for active denial system operationalization 6. Multi-sensory stimuli effects characterization 7. New non-lethal payloads and applications The JNLWD also expresses specific interest in soliciting proposals for research, development, integration, and demonstration of NL payloads and capabilities that would fulfill the requirements of the unattended autonomous non-lethal Intelligent Munition System (IMS). Submissions should specifically describe technology and research objectives designed to accomplish the following: A. Safely stop or significantly impede the movement of occupied vehicles and/or vessels with minimal collateral damage in support of check-point, convoy protection, maritime defense, and interdiction missions. Proposed concepts for use in check-point, convoy protection, and maritime defense missions must prevent vehicles/vessels from physically approaching within 100 meters. Proposed concepts for use in interdiction missions must be employable and effective in chase-type scenarios where the targeted vehicle/vessel is fleeing from the chase platform. Additionally, concepts incorporating the following characteristics may receive extra consideration: Vehicle Stopping: 1. Provide the desired standoff distance (100m) without the need to pre-emplace at the engagement point. 2. Produce reversible effects allowing the targeted vehicle/vessel to quickly return to an operational condition with minimal time to repair and minimal repair cost. 3. Low cost per use (<$500 per use). 4. Lightweight / man portable. Vessel Stopping: 1. Safely stop uncooperative vessels, including high-speed planing vessels (i.e., ?go fast? boats), without the need to pre-emplace at the engagement point. 2. Provide the desired standoff distance (100m). 3. Provide universal effects for outboard, inboard, inboard/outboard and jet drive propulsion. 4. Affect vessels up to 40 feet in length. 5. Deploy from a variety of vessel or aircraft platforms. The JNLWD also desires proposals that incorporate the utilization of vehicle and/or vessel experts capable of conducting susceptibility and forensic analyses on vehicles and/or vessels. Similarly, the JNLWD will consider proposals incorporating outdoor test facilities for prototype test and evaluation of a variety of vehicle/vessel stopping capabilities, including but not limited to RF and combustion modification. B. Incapacitate humans for extended durations (more than 30 seconds) at operationally relevant ranges. Effects must be entirely reversible and should engage the subject at a minimum of 300-400 meters (beyond small arms range) with precision and accuracy. Non-lethal incapacitation suggests that one cannot: 1. Accurately shoulder, aim or fire a weapon 2. Push a button or throw a switch 3. Easily communicate Candidate technologies could include electro-muscular disruption, various applications of directed energy, or other combined effects (multi-sensory stimuli) technologies, among others. The JNLWD will also consider complimentary studies that address characterization of related human effects and safety issues, technology miniaturization, or enhanced precision targeting approaches suitable for delivering extended personnel incapacitation effects at range. C. Clear a space (room, building, or facility) without the necessity for physical entry. Proposed concepts should clear all personnel, combatants and non-combatants, from a space in urban terrain, on vessels, and/or on aircraft in a minimal amount of time. Effects should be temporary and allow for personnel to move from the space under their own power. Additionally, operators should not have to enter the space to initiate the effect. Concepts with considerable standoff (>50m) are preferred, and collateral damage should be minimal. D. Evaluate non-lethal technologies and weapons for operational utility. Studies should address qualification and/or quantification of behavioral responses, or other appropriate measures, across the spectrum of non-lethal stimuli as a metric correlated to operational effectiveness. Key areas may include, but are not limited to, conducting controlled field tests with non-lethal prototypes or weapons in operationally-relevant scenarios, understanding factors influencing NLW effectiveness, and assessing pre-deployment and in-field effectiveness of non-lethal weapons. The end goal should be to determine the extent to which a non-lethal stimulus, technology, or weapon fulfills user-defined requirements. Another complimentary area of interest is the systematic study for understanding and managing individual and crowd behavior in environments where less than lethal force is an option. Investigations should focus on behavioral responses to the use of various prototypes and fielded NLWs, to include riot control agents and kinetic, acoustic, and electromagnetic devices. Knowledge gained should support development of techniques and tools for NLW training, tactical experimentation, and mission planning. E. Demonstrate an advanced compact millimeter wave source (95GHz) that retains high efficiency at several kilowatts (up to 100kW) in a Gaussian beam. Specific power (including not only the weight of the source, but the weight of any required RF driver system and magnet) should look to improve over the conventional gyrotron/superconducting magnet approach (greater than 125 Watts per pound). High efficiency of conversion of electrical energy to 95 GHz energy is also important for some of these applications (exceeding 40% at minimum). Source start-up time should be less than one hour and allow for shoot-on-the-move capability. Proposals should also include the demonstration of advanced compact peripheral active denial technologies such as: 1. Innovative mm-wave antenna designs which are compact and lightweight 2. Thermal management components 3. Advanced materials, and/or advanced interaction circuits 4. Advanced power conditioning systems 5. Other innovative source concepts This includes but is not limited to studies to investigate: 1. Gyrotron tubes that do not require superconducting magnets (e.g., harmonic generation) or utilize a high-temperature superconducting magnet (e.g. >77K). 2. Solid-state device structures and circuits that will allow the extension of field plates to mm-wave frequencies. 3. Innovative power combining approaches (arraying) that make use of materials exploitable for mm-wave sources. 4. Sources which use electron beams with axis encircling orbits, sheet beams, harmonic operation, and/or multi-stage depression. F. Conduct a systems engineering analysis of the residual system design from the Active Denial System Advanced Concept Technology Demonstration, to include all subsystems contributing to the current capability. Provide recommendations that reflect the output of a rigorous cost/benefit approach that achieves a smaller, lighter, less expensive configuration without sacrificing current system effectiveness and performance. The systems analysis should address all ADS subsystems, with specific attention paid to the following subsystems: 1. Innovative mm-wave antenna designs which are compact and lightweight 2. Thermal management components 3. Advanced materials, and/or advanced interaction circuits 4. Advanced power conditioning systems 5. Other innovative source concepts G. Explore innovative non-lethal technologies employing multi-sensory stimuli through the development and demonstration of prototype systems and accompanying characterization of non-lethal human effects. Acoustics, coherent and/or incoherent light (including laser and broadband technologies), electromuscular incapacitation, and directed energy are examples of candidate technologies that could be combined into an innovative escalation of force NLW system of systems that could be effectively employed in complex mixed-combatant/noncombatant scenarios. Additionally, the JNLWD desires to characterize the potential injury associated with the combined effects of multiple non-lethal stimuli applied on target, either concurrently or sequentially. Studies may involve: 1. Developing dose-response relationships. 2. Defining safety thresholds or adverse health effects probability curves for non-lethal weapons applications. 3. Executing or refining injury models for multi-sensory stimuli analysis. H. Identify and demonstrate the ability of advanced materials or new payloads to provide enhanced non-lethal counter-personnel or counter-material capabilities. Examples of advanced materials and payloads include combustion engine modifiers/inhibitors, rigid foams, anti-traction materials, super adhesives, launchable nets or entangling nets, smart nano-materials, and morphing materials. I. Fulfill requirements of the unattended autonomous non-lethal Intelligent Munition System (IMS) needs as relates to NLW and payloads. General research goals include efforts to: 1. Non-lethally counter personnel and/or vehicles using the IMS Dispenser Module (DM) as the payload carrier. The NL payload shall fit within the DM footprint of 24?L x 24?W x 14.5?H.Total volume available is approx 7,390 in3. 2. Non-lethally counter personnel and/or vehicles using the IMS DM as the control source for a NLW. NLWs would not be part of the DM footprint but a stand alone effect that receives a fire command from the DM and must interface to the SPIDER Mission Adapter Module (MAM) connection or current Miniature Grenade Launcher DM ports. 3. For both capabilities described above: counter-vehicle concepts should be effective on civilian-class vehicles. NLWs must be effective in all terrain and allow activation via autonomous/manual means. J. Survey state-of-the-art academic research (discovery and invention), and develop applied technology research plans to mitigate known non-lethal capability gaps. PROGRAM SCOPE: The scope of this program is intentionally broad to address the wide spectrum of desired operational end-points that the funded investigations will strategically support. All research is intended to have the common objective of addressing the technology-gaps described above. Strategically, this research will support the development of a family of next-generation NLWs to meet a broad set of documented NLW requirements and capability gaps. In addition to the data and technological gaps identified above, research supported by this BAA is intended to enable technology to overcome the current limitations of existing NL systems. These limitations generally include but are not limited to: 1. Range, coverage (volume of fire), accuracy, and precision. 2. Effectiveness and the ability to quantify it. 3. Providing a universal, repeatable and robust NL effect. 4. Target safety, particularly across a wide-spectrum of the population. 5. Deployability, to include weight and volume. 6. Employability, to include use in complex urban environments. 7. Military effectiveness and utility in complex operating environments such as within crowds, within rooms and buildings, and within vehicles and vessels. EVALUATION CRITERIA: Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria in descending order of importance: 1. Quality and Technical Merit. 2. Contributions/Relevance to Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program (JNLWP) and Department of Defense (DoD). 3. Capabilities, Experience, and Past Performance. 4. Plans and Capabilities to Accomplish Technology Transfer. 5. Total Cost and Cost Realism. (NOTE: Cost realism will be used as an evaluation criterion only in proposals which appear to the reviewers to have significantly under or over estimated the cost to complete the effort). All awards made in response to this BAA will be subject to availability of government funds. Evaluations and selection or non-selection of proposals for funding will be made on the basis of the evaluation criteria listed and the overall balance considered most advantageous to the JNLWP. GENERAL INFORMATION: The JNLWD has available approximately $7 million for FY08 for applied research and advanced technology demonstration science and technology funding and a lesser amount of additional RDT&E funding. Multiple awards typically of 12-36 month duration are anticipated. Offerors should prepare proposals with a baseline period of performance of 12 months and with one or two options each with a 12-month period of performance and with anticipated contract award dates of December 2007. The 12-month baseline or Phase I of the proposal shall have as a minimum two (2) systems or NLWs demonstrations or program evaluation milestones within the first 12 month period of performance so as to provide data/evidence/support for consideration for option year funding. This BAA will remain open for a period of approximately seven months until through 29 February 2008. Technical proposals are not to exceed eight pages and must be accompanied by a full cost proposal valid until 31 January 2008 and one ?QUAD-Chart? (the cost proposal and the Quad-Chart are not part of the eight page limit). Format for the Quad chart is provided in the Proposer Information Packet. Offerors must submit their technical proposal, the Quad-Chart, and their full cost proposal to the administrative address for this BAA in electronic format commensurate with a Microsoft Office software product (e.g., Word, Excel, or PowerPoint). It is the policy of the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate (JNLWD) to treat all proposals as competitive information and to disclose the contents only for the purposes of evaluation. Nondisclosure notices notwithstanding, employees of JNLWD and support contractor, American Systems, may handle proposals for administrative and evaluation purposes; however, only Government evaluators will make final selection recommendations under this BAA. This announcement, in conjunction with the pamphlet BAA 08 Proposer Information Package (PIP), constitutes the Broad Agency Announcement as contemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2). Addresses for obtaining the PIP are provided at the end of this notice. A formal RFP or other solicitation regarding this announcement will not be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded. The Government reserves the right to select for award any, all, part, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. In addition, the Government reserves the right to award multiple contracts, grants, or other instruments determined to be of benefit to the government in achieving the goals and objectives of this program. Awards are subject to the provisions of the FAR Subpart 9.5, Organizational Conflict of Interest. All offerors and proposed subcontractors must affirmatively state whether they are supporting any other JNLWP and/or Marine Corps contracts through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the offeror supports and identify the prime contract number. Affirmation shall 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 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. This BAA is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to pay any proposal preparation costs. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit proposals, which will be evaluated. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals. However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of research related to Non-Lethal Weapons developments. ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION: Offerors are required to obtain a pamphlet, BAA 08 Proposer Information Package (PIP) which will be made available to industry through the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Program website: https://www.JNLWP.com. The PIP provides further information on proposal format, the submission process, evaluation and funding processes, and other general information. Proposals not meeting the format described in the pamphlet may not be reviewed. All administrative correspondence or questions on this BAA should be directed to the following email address: peggy.l.smith1@usmc.mil.
- Record
- SN01347331-W 20070721/070720002502 (fbodaily.com)
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