Defense Special Weapons Agency, 6801 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22310-3398

A -- DEFENSE SPECIAL WEAPONS AGENCY PROGRAM RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT ANNOUNCEMENT (PRDA) SOL DSWA01-PRDA-98-01 POC Daniel Bertuna, Negotiator, (703) 325-1197, Scott G. Morton, Contracting Officer, (703) 325-1200 A-Defense Special Weapons Agency Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA) Awards under this PRDA are subject to the availability of funds. The Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA) on behalf of the Nuclear Treaty Programs Office (NTPO) invites proposals for basic research in the fields of seismology, hydroacoustics, and infrasound with the goal of enhancing US capability to monitor nuclear testing treaties under the Program Research and Development Announcement DSWA-PRDA-98-01. The objectives are (1) to enhance operational monitoring capability at a decreasing cost, (2) increase effectiveness through improved understanding of basic phenomenology and (3) develop improved automated and interactive processing and analysis systems. This research goal is supported by and in conjunction with the Nuclear Treaty Programs Office of the Office of the Assistant to the Secretary of Defense (NCB), the US Air Force, and the Department of Energy. All proposals must clearly describe how the research will support the mission of nuclear test monitoring. Of particular interest is research which addresses the fusion and exploitation from multiple monitoring technologies to solve operational monitoring problems. Efforts which exploit data collected by the Comprehensive Test Nuclear Ban Treaty (CTBT) International Monitoring System (IMS), other US monitoring assets, on-going and planned field experiments, and unique historical data sets are strongly encouraged. Experiments and infrastructure (exclusive of computing equipment) can be proposed to this program. Research proposals can seek to improve or develop new methods to integrate and exploit large databases from monitoring technologies to enhance the current capability for automated and interactive signal processing, event location, and event discrimination. Technological Areas The following sections describe the technological areas for research proposals: sesimology and monitoring synergy. Because of Congressional requirements and prior funding commitments from the Defense Special Weapons Agency, proposals are only solicited in the areas of seismology and monitoring synergy. Individual proposals to this PRDA should be directed to only one of these categories. 1) Seismology Basic research is solicited in the field of seismology. It is intended that the research results will contribute to improved monitoring capabilities. Basic research questions are motivated by the operational challenges of seismic monitoring. These include: Increasing the signal/noise ratio of seismic data. Decreasing the ambiguity of detecting events with overlapping signals. Decreasing the number of unassociated events during monitoring operations. Improving phase identification for both regional and teleseismic signals. Reducing systematic error of event locations. Developing improved discriminants for wide areas or calibrated for specific regions. To address problems such as these, research proposals in the following broad areas are encouraged. a) Characterizing and modeling regional seismic wave propagation in diverse regions of the world. b) Improving the detection, location and identification of small seismic events using regional and teleseismic data. c) Theoretical and observational investigations of the full range of seismic sources. d) Developing high-resolution velocity models for regions of monitoring concern. 2) Monitoring Synergy Basic research is solicited on the combined analysis of data from multiple monitoring technologies. The motivation for this research is that energy propagating through the Earth can couple from one medium to another (air to water, air to land, land to water). By combining data from different sensors, there are possible synergies at all stages of the monitoring process. Proposals in this areas should combine seismic analysis with one or more monitoring technology (hydroacoustics and infrasound). Examples of topics that would be appropriate for proposals on monitoring synergy include: a) Improved understanding of the coupling between hydroacoustic signals and oceanisland-recorded T-phases, with particular application to event location in oceanic environments. b) Integration of hydroacoustic, infrasound and seismic wave arrivals into association and location procedures. c) Use of seismo-acoustic signals together with an absence of radionuclide signals for the identification of mining explosions. d) Explore the synergy between seismic, hydroacoustic and infrasound monitoring for detecting, locating, and identifying evasion attempts in broad ocean areas. e) Determine the false alarm rate for each monitoring technology when operated alone and in conjunction with other technologies. Proposal Format Technical proposals should follow these rules: 8.5 x 11 inch paper with 1 inch margins in type not smaller that 12 point. The technical proposal length will not exceed 45 single spaced pages. The 45 page limit must include the following components. a*) a summary page (with the resum of principal investigator and institution affiliation), b) proposal text, tables, figures, references, c*) statement of work (not to exceed 5 pages) suitable for incorporation into a contract/grant d) vitae, e*) current and pending government contracts and proposals (identify agency), and f*) past performance data on similar efforts, including point of contact/reference. The page limitation does not include the cover page and cost proposal. The cover page should include the following information: (1) PRDA number, (2) proposal title, and (3) point of contact to include name, mailing address, telephone number, fax number (if available), and electronic mail address (if available). Technical proposals not conforming may be rejected. *Failure to provide these items in the technical proposal will be considered non-responsive and the proposal will not be evaluated. Submission Process DSWA is soliciting proposals on the research effort described herein. There will be no formal RFP or other solicitation request in regard to this requirement. This announcement is an expression of interest only and does not commit the US government to pay for any response preparation costs. DSWA reserves the right to select for award all, part or none of the response received. Personnel or facility clearances required must be identified in the proposal. Contracts to be awarded will generally be cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) completion-type contracts or grants. It is anticipated that the average proposal will be priced $100,000 to $500,000 and be performed in one (1) to three (3) years. No limits or other characteristics have been developed, especially with regard to: level of funding by year, level of effort, number of awards, awards by business type, or number of proposals submitted by a given firm (though "shots in the dark" are NOT encouraged.) Responses are requested from all responsible organizations including industry, educational institutions, and other non-profit organizations. Generally, successful offerors will have submitted detailed technical and cost proposals which will form the basis for award with minimal change. Bidders may propose any combination of teaming or subcontracting arrangements. Proposals requiring performance by a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) cannot be considered under the PRDA. Contractors may include DSWA-furnished CRAY computer usage time in proposals and may utilize Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) and DoD Nuclear Information Analysis Center (DASIAC) resources in proposal preparation. Evaluation Criteria The submitted proposals will be evaluated by a formal peer review and source selection process. This review will be based on the following criteria: (1) overall scientific and technical merit; (2) the potential for the research results to improve monitoring capabilities; (3) qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the principal investigator, team leader, and key personnel; and (4) corporate capabilities and related experience. The merit of the technical proposal will also be evaluated in relation to the value and realism of the costs proposed and availability of funds. Selection of successful proposals for negotiation will be based on the outcome of the review process. The offeror s technical proposal must include an outline and full discussion of the proposed effort, should specifically address the evaluation criteria, and should include a detailed plan of approach presenting procedures, concepts, limitations, key milestones, and expected research accomplishments or results. The cost proposal must include detailed supporting costs schedules, man-hours breakdowns per task and must be provided on a SF 1411. Subcontractor proposals (if applicable), including pricing rate detail, should be provided concurrent by the prime contractor's submission. Responses may be received at any time after 1600 on 98FEB27, but no later that 1600 on 98MAR27. The original and eight (8) copies each of the technical and cost portions of the proposal shall be sent to: Headquarters, Defense Special Weapons Agency (DSWA), 6801 Telegraph Road, Alexandria, VA 22310-3398, ATTN: Mr. Daniel Bertuna,phone (703) 325-1197, fax (703) 325-9295. The contracting officer is Mr. Scott G. Morton, phone (703) 325-1200. Reference DSWA-PRDA-98-01. Information on DSWA solicitations, already released, can be obtained by calling the Hotline at (703) 325-1173. Acquisition Management has added "Procurement Opportunities" to the DSWA Home Page available on the World Wide Web. Information will include this synopsis and more. Please check us out at www.dswa.mil Reference Synopsis No. 98-35 (0030)

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