The Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center, San Diego (SSC San Diego), in support of the Program Executive Office for Littoral and Mine Warfare, PMS 420 and PMS 485, is soliciting proposals to explore multiple mechanical/ocean engineering concepts for automated deployment, recover and operation of linear, towed arrays of hydrophones and vertical arrays of acoustic sources from small craft (e.g., 11 m Rigid Hull Inflactable Boat (RHIB)), on the littoral ocean bottom, and from high-speed, non-dedicated surface ships. Different military ships can be considered by Surveillance Towed Array (SURTASS) Ships or the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) or small boats launched from LCS are of most interet to the Navy. The areas of interet include: (1) compact, low frequency acoustic source arrays; (2) small lightweight towed receive arrays; (3) deployment and retrieval mechanisms; (4) innovative packaging; (5) power electronics (amplifiers, energy storage); (6) power systems for the lightweight towed arrays, including slow speed propulsion systems; and (7) various material storage and handling systems, and the associated control systems. SSC San Diego in support of the Program Executive Office for Littoral and Mine Warfare, PMS 420 and PMS 485, is similarly soliciting proposals to explore use of a small surface craft to deploy and operate undersea acoustic sensors. The challenges presented by undersea threats provide the impetus for the development of deployable and off-board acoustic surveillance systems which are networked, distributed, and multistatic-capable, such as Advanced Development System (ADS), Fixed Distrituted System (FDS), and Deployable Autonomous Distributed Systems (DADS). The very low noise levels associated with modern submarines are a significant challenge for passive systems and a natural augmentation of such systems is the addition of an acoustic source. In addition to working with the deployed systems, the active signals from such sources could also be received and processed by surface craft with towed receive arrays. In this context an active system has the potential for significant improvement in coverage against a quiet target over a purely passive system. an Additional benefit for acoustic sources deployed from small craft or unmanned surface vessels (USV) is that this eliminates the vulnerability associated with operating an acoustic source from a large vessel (beaconing). Operation from a small craft pose several challenges including: (1) dynamics of a small craft from the standpoints of deployment and recovery of a low frequency active array or towed receive array; (2) shock and vibration effects assoicated with high speed transit of small craft; (3) energy storage and management; (4) high efficiency, high power density amplifiers and transduceers; and (5) power plant sizing to maximize mission performance. This notice consititues a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) as comtemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016. Awards may take the form of procurement contracts, grants, cooperative agreements or other transaction agreements, as appropriate. Awards as a result of this announcement will depend on the technical evaluations and availability of funds. The award decision will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from a peer and/or scientific review. The Government reserves the right to select for award all, some or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. The Government may also only select specific tasks within a proposal for award. No additional written information is available, nor will a request for proposal (RFP), solicitation or other announcement of this opportunity be made. It is estimated that three awards may be made as a result of this announcement with approximate ceiling amounts of $1,000,000 each. Proposals are sought now for award and work of efforts in late FY04 and FY05. Contractors are invited to submit cost and technical proposals for one or more of the above areas. Proposals are due no later than 15:00 Pacific Daylight Saving Time on 20 May 2005; however, those proposals which are received by 15:00 Pacific Daylight Saving Time on 30 June 2004 will have the greatest chance of being funded. Proposals much be submitted electronically to the SPAWAR e-Commerce Central web site at https://e-commerce.spawar.navy.mil. Click on "SSC San Diego" and then "Open BAA." Additoinal submission instructions are availalbe at the web site under "Submitting a Proposal?" The techncial proposal shall not exceed twenty (20) pages in length, signle-sided on 8 1/2 by 11-inch paper. The technical proposal shall include a description of the system and subsystem concept development, any proposed non-developmental prototype equipment that may be evaluated and emonstrated by the Navy and interaction required with the Navy to discuss concept development and any candidate non-developmental prototype equipment. The technical proposal shall clearly identify any data, information or software deliverables that would be provided to the Government with other than unlimited rights. The cost proposal shall contain a summary cost breakdown and a detailed cost breakdown. The summary cost breakdown should be shown to the level of major tasks and should indicate manpower levels of effort, equipment and supplies, travel, and miscellaneous expenses for the tasks of the entire program, broken out by performer and time. Details of any cost sharing to be undertaken by the offeror (if applicable) must be included. The detailed cost breakdown must be supported by back-up documentation sufficient to support the costs. The detailed cost breakdown shall be prepared in general accordance with Table 15-2 of Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) 15.408 with all supporting data in order to allow for a complete review by the Government. There is no page limitation for the cost proposal. The proposals will be evaluated using the follwoing criteria, which are of equal importance: (1) potential contribution to the mission of the SURTASS and/or LCS programs to increase program responsiveness, efficiency, and effectiveness; (2) overall scientific and technical merit, validity or approach, and probability of successfully demonstrating the proposed technology; (3) realism of the proposed cost and availability of funds; (4) potential for economical integration (positive return on investment) into existing and future Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) operatinos; and (5) interest by NAVSEA components in fielding successful concepts. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government's needs may submit a proposal. historically Black Colleges and Universitites (HBCU) and Minority Institutions (MI) are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting; 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 or reaseach for exclusive competition among these entities. SSC San Diego provies no funding for direct reimbursement of propsoal development costs. Information and material submitted in response to this BAA will not be returned. Questions of a contractual or technical nature should be directed to Ms. Eleanor Kerbs, SSC San Diego Code 225, via e-mail:
contact@example.gov.
