Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), Contract Management Directorate (CMD), 3701 N. Fairfax Dr., Arlington, VA 22203-1714

A -- QUIET SUPERSONIC PLATFORM TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT SOL RA 00-47 DUE 083000 POC Dr. Richard Wlezien, DARPA/TTO, Fax (703) 696-8401 WEB: Click here for a copy of the RA, http://www.darpa.mil/baa/#tto. E-MAIL: Click here to send via e-mail questions regarding, RA00-47@darpa.mil. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: The goal of the Quiet Supersonic Platform (QSP) program is to develop and validate critical technology for long-range advanced supersonic aircraft with substantially reduced sonic boom, reduced takeoff and landing noise, and increased efficiency relative to current-technology supersonic aircraft. Improved capabilities include supersonic flight over land without adverse sonic boom consequences, increased unrefueled range, increased area coverage, and lower overall operational cost. Prior experience suggests that no single technology will provide the "silver bullet" required to solve the sonic boom problem. Therefore, this program is focused on the validation of multiple breakthrough technologies for noise reduction that can ultimately be integrated into an efficient quiet supersonic vehicle. DARPA is soliciting proposals for advanced research into innovative technologies for reducing sonic boom to an acceptable level for overflight of land. For the purpose of this Research Announcement (RA), the acceptability requirement is defined to be ground signatures with initial shock strengths no greater than 0.3 pounds per square foot. This RA focuses specifically on the development of those breakthrough technologies that reduce sonic boom to an acceptable level and which have the concomitant potential to dramatically improve the long range, sustained cruise performance of supersonic aircraft. It is anticipated that the primary offerors for this RA will be researchers from universities, small businesses, and other organizations with new and innovative ideas. AREAS OF INTEREST: DARPA is interested in those technologies that reduce sonic boom and that enable the goals of long range (approaching 6000 nmi) efficient high-speed flight (approaching Mach 2.4) and low vehicle gross weight (approaching 100,000 lbs.). Preliminary systems studies indicate dramatic efficiency improvements are possible with the successful demonstration and integration of multiple innovative technologies. Technologies of interest are diverse and are not limited to those discussed in this RA. The ultimate value of the technologies developed under this solicitation will be judged by two criteria: 1) the degree to which they contribute to supersonic aircraft sonic boom mitigation and 2) their viability in a real system as confirmed by aircraft configuration and system studies, to be awarded to airframe system integrators through a companion DARPA solicitation. Within the scope of this program, DARPA is looking toward maturation of a suite of high-payoff sonic boom mitigation technologies. Technologies considered to be particularly important address direct mitigation of sonic boom by airframe shaping, heat addition, particulate injection, plasmas, temporal and spatial variation of lift distribution, and adaptive flow control. Indirect reduction of sonic boom amplitude by decreasing vehicle gross weight has a known direct impact on sonic boom intensity. Specific approaches to the reduction of gross weight reduction include increasing vehicle lift to drag ratio through supersonic laminar flow, advanced materials including foamed metallic structures and high temperature aluminum alloys, and the application of advanced materials and fabrication techniques for lightweight, integrally stiffened structures. PROGRAM SCOPE: Up to $6 million will be available in FY 2000 for basic awards. Multiple awards are anticipated and may take the form of a grant, cooperative agreement, or technology investment agreement. Collaborative efforts/teaming is encouraged. Under technology investment agreements cost share must be 50/50 to the extent practicable. To the extent an offeror proposes 50/50 cost share or greater, the Government will consider waiving or reducing most patent and data rights. Availability of funding beyond FY2000 will be predicated on the success of the technical efforts initiated during this initial funding period. Proposals should address a basic award (Phase 1) and a priced option (Phase 2). Phase 1 should be 12 months in duration, and Phase 2 can extend up to an additional twelve months. Detailed pricing is required for the Phase 1 effort. Rough order of magnitude (ROM) costing may be used for pricing the Phase 2 effort. This RA solicitation is coordinated with two companion solicitations: 1) RA00-48: Quiet Supersonic Platform System Studies and Technology Development (airframe system integrators), and 2) RA00-49: Advanced Propulsion Systems (propulsion system integrators). Awardees under this RA will be required to exchange technical information with the participants selected in the other solicitations. In particular the Systems Studies will be performed to evaluate which technology options have the highest payoff for supersonic noise reduction when viewed in the total system context. There will be at least 2 mandatory formal technical interchange meetings during Phase 1. Each proposal shall include a statement that the offeror agrees to: a) the formal exchange of technical information with other Program participants, subjectto signed non-disclosure agreements and b) participation in the interchange meetings. This RA constitutes the entire solicitation for this effort. No additional information is available, nor will a formal request-for-proposal or other solicitation regarding this Notice be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded. PROPOSALS: Any responsible offeror capable of satisfying the needs identified in this RA may submit a proposal. It is anticipated that the primary offerors for this RA will be researchers from universities, small businesses, and other organizations with new and innovative ideas. Such offerors may include foreign firms to the degree that they are eligible to receive awards resulting from this solicitation. Such offerors may also include foreign personnel as part of their proposed resources to the degree that these personnel are eligible to perform research and development required by awards that may result from this solicitation. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Minority Institutions (MIs) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals; however, no portion of this RA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation because of the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of research. Proposals must be received by DARPA at the address identified below on or before 4:00PM, EDT, 30 August 2000. Proposals received after the closing date and time of this RA will not be reviewed or evaluated. Offerors intending to include classified information or data as part of their submissions shall, in advance of providing their proposals to DARPA, contact the Security POC for this RA (Mr. Rick Hohman, DARPA/SID, 703-696-2385) for guidance. As soon as the proposal evaluation is completed, offerors will be notified that 1) the proposal has been selected and will be funded, 2) the proposal has been selected pending the availability of funds, or 3) the proposal has not been selected. Unless otherwise advised by the offeror at the time of submission, non-selected proposals will be destroyed; however, one copy of non-selected proposals may be retained for file purposes. An award resulting from this RA may take the form of a grant, cooperative agreement, or technology investment agreement, depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between parties, and other factors. If warranted, portions of resulting awards may be segregated into pre-priced options. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received. EVALUATION CRITERIA: Evaluation of proposals will be accomplished through a technical review using the following criteria, listed in descending order of importance: 1) Overall scientific and technical merit including degree of innovation, understanding of the technical and operational issues, and technical approach. 2) Relevance to sonic boom mitigation and efficient supersonic flight, and viability in a real system. 3) Offeror's capabilities and related experience, qualifications and achievements of personnel, and adequacy of facilities and equipment. 4) Cost realism. PROPOSAL FORMAT: Proposals that do not satisfy the following form and format requirements will be rejected without review and returned to the offeror. Proposals shall consist of two volumes: Volume I -- Technical and Management, and Volume II -- Cost. Volume I shall consist of at least two sections. Volume II shall consist of four parts. All pages shall be printed on 8-1/2 by 11 inch paper; type not smaller than 12 point. The page limitation for proposals includes all figures, tables, and charts. The maximum total length of Sections I and II of Volume I is thirty (30) pages. An optional Section III can be used to provide additional information. There is no page limitation applicable to Volume II. Binding by stapling the upper left corner is mandatory for Volume I and preferred for Volume II; multi-ring loose-leaf notebooks and other bulky binding techniques should not be used. An offeror shall submit an original and five (5) copies of proposals, and each proposal shall be signed and transmitted by an official who is authorized to commit the offeror. Volume I -- Technical and Management -- Cover Sheet: The Cover Sheet shall identify: RA number; technical area; lead organization submitting the proposal; type of business (large, small, educational institution, other not-for-profit/non-profit, etc.); offeror's number (if any); other team members (if applicable) and their types of business; proposal title; technical points of contact; and administrative points of contact. Section I -- Summary of Proposal: This section shall provide an overview of the proposed work, as well as the introduction of associated technical and management issues. In a manner of the offeror's choosing, this Section should provide a succinct description of the uniqueness and benefits of the proposed approach, relative to the current state-of-art and alternate approaches, followed by: A) Innovative claims for the proposed research.(Include in this section all proprietary claims to results, prototypes, intellectual property, or systems supporting and/or necessary for the use of the research, results, and/or prototype. If there are no proprietary claims, this should be stated.) B.) Deliverables associated with the proposed research, and any plans and capabilities to accomplish technology transition and commercialization. C.) Schedule and milestones for the proposed research, including summary estimates of cost for each task in each year of the effort, total cost and company cost share(s). D.) Technical rationale, technical approach, and constructive plans for accomplishment of technical goals. E.) General discussion of other research in this area. F.) A clearly defined organization chart for the program team which includes, as applicable, the programmatic relationship of team members; the unique capabilities of team members; the task responsibilities of team members; the teaming strategy among the team members; and the key personnel along with the amount of effort to be expended by each person during each year. G) Major facility requirements such as wind tunnel testing or flight research vehicles. These requirements may address specific facilities, but should also provide details of facility capability requirements and estimates of total facility occupancy and test time. At its discretion DARPA may choose to make bulk purchases of facility time in one or more major test facilities and apportion that test time to program participants. Section II -- Detailed Proposal Information: This section shall provide the detailed discussion of the proposed work necessary to enable an in-depth review of specific technical and managerial issues. Specific attention must be given to addressing both the risks and payoffs of the proposed research that make it desirable for DARPA to pursue. In a manner of the offeror's choosing, this Section should provide: A.) Statement of Work (SOW), written in plain English, that describes the scope of the effort, the specific tasks to be performed and their schedules. B.) Description of the results, products, transferable technology, and expected technology transfer path(s) (enhancing Section I.B). C.) Detailed technical rationale (enhancing Sections I. D and I. E). D.) Comparison with other ongoing research indicating advantages and disadvantages of the proposed effort. E.) Discussion of offeror's previous accomplishments/work in this or closely related research areas. F.) Description of the facilities that would be used for the proposed effort. G.) Detail support, including formal teaming agreements that are required to execute the offeror's proposal (enhancing Section I.F). Section III -- Appendix (Optional): In a manner of the offeror's choosing, this Section may provide a brief bibliography of relevant technical papers and research notes (published and unpublished) which document the technical ideas upon which the proposal is based. Herein the offeror may include such papers; however, DARPA-TTO will not considerthis Section in the evaluation process. Volume II -- COST. An offeror's cost proposal shall consist of four parts: Part A -- Cover Sheet. The Cover Sheet shall include: name and address of offeror (include zip code); name, title, and telephone number of offeror's business point of contact; recommended award instrument; place(s) and period(s) of performance; total proposed cost, separated by basic award and option(s) (if any); name, address, and telephone number of the offeror's cognizant administration office (if known); and, name, address, and telephone number of the offeror's cognizant audit office (if known). Part B -- Cost Summary Sheet. A one-page summary of program costs in tabular format, broken down by basic award and options (with options nominally being one year in duration); prime contractor/consortium lead, subcontractors/team members, and funding to government laboratories and agencies; cost of major facility utilization (such as wind tunnels) and industry cost sharing. Part C — Detailed Cost Breakdown. To include: (1) total program cost broken down by major cost items (direct labor, subcontracts, materials, other direct costs, overhead charges, etc.) and further broken down by year (Government fiscal year, as applicable); (2) major program task costs by year; (3) an itemization of major subcontracts and equipment purchases; (4) a summary of projected funding requirements by month; (5) a description of cost estimating methods; (6) the source, nature, and amount of any industry cost-sharing; and (7) the date the proposal was prepared. Where the effort consists of multiple portions that could reasonably be partitioned for purposes of funding, these should be identified as options with separate cost estimates for each. If a teaming arrangement is proposed, a cost breakdown should be provided for each team member. Part D -- Supporting Cost and Pricing Information. This part shall include supporting cost and pricing information in sufficient detail to substantiate the summary cost estimates in Part C above. Costs for subcontracts having 20% or more of the value of the work must be substantiated to the same level of detail as the costs of the offeror. 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 shall be furnished at the time of proposal submission, and the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest must be disclosed. Organizational conflict of interest exists as a result of relationships or other activities with other persons that cause an individual to be unable or potentially become unable to render impartial assistance or advice to the Government, or an individual has or might have impaired objectivity in performing the work, or an individual has an unfair competitive advantage.This disclosure shall include a description of the action the offeror has taken, or proposes to take, to avoid, neutralize or mitigate such conflict. If the offeror believes that no such conflict exists, then the offeror shall so state in the affirmation. NON-GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL: All proprietary material should be clearly marked and will be held in strict confidence. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, proposals may be handled, for administrative purposes only, by SRS Technologies, Inc. of Arlington, VA, a support contractor which is bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. Input on technical aspects of the proposals may be solicited by DARPA from non-Government consultants and experts who are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. These non-Government technical consultants will not have access to proposals that are labeled by the offerors as "GOVERNMENT ONLY." Only Government evaluators will make selections under this RA. ADMINISTRATION: All administrative correspondence and questions regarding this solicitation should be directed to one of the administrative addresses below; e-mail is preferred. Answers to questions concerning this RA will be distributed via the WWW at URL http://www.darpa.mil/baa/#tto, where DARPA/TTO solicitations are listed. DARPA intends to use electronic mail for correspondence regarding this RA, but offerors are cautioned not to use e-mail to transmit material of a proprietary nature. However, proposals must be submitted on paper, and e-mail or fax submittals will not be evaluated. The administrative addresses for this RA are: Fax: DARPA/TTO, ATTN: RA00-47; 703-696-8401; E-Mail: RA00-47@darpa.mil; Mail: DARPA/TTO, ATTN: RA00-47, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA 22203-1714. Contracting POC: Ms. Barbara Meyrowitz, e-mail: bmeyrowitz@darpa.mil. This RA may be retrieved via the WWW at URL http://www.darpa.mil/baa/#tto. Prior to any award under this RA, potential offerors must be registered with the Central Contractor Registration (CCR) (http://www.ccr2000.com) and be able to receive payment via electronic funds transfer (EFT). Posted 07/14/00 (W-SN475172). (0196)

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