A--PERSONNEL SECURITY THESIS, DISSERTATION, AND INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH AWARDS

GENERAL INFORMATION: Document Type: Presolicitation Notice Solicitation Number: BAA 04-01-MT-FH Original Response Date: 30 September 2004 Current Response Date: 30 September 2004 Archive Date: 30 September 2004 Classification Code: A - Research & Development CONTRACTING OFFICE ADDRESS: Department of the Interior National Business Center Acquisition & Property Management Division, Southwest Branch PO Box 12924 Bldg 22208 Augur Avenue Fort Huachuca, Arizona 85670-2924 DESCRIPTION: Personnel Security Thesis, Dissertation, and Institutional Research Awards, Solicitation (SOL) Broad Agency Announcement (BAA 04-01-MT-FH), Proposals Due: From solicitation publication through 4:00 PM (MST), 30 September 2008. POC: Ms Gloria Golden, DOI/NBC Fort Huachuca, voice: +1 (555) 000-0000, email: contact@example.gov or Mr. Lawrence H. Carter, DOI/NBC Fort Huachuca, voice: +1 (555) 000-0000, fax: +1 (555) 000-0000, email: contact@example.gov. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: The Department of Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition & Property Management Division, Southwest Branch, Fort Huachuca, AZ, acting as the contracting agent for the Personnel Security Research Center (PERSEREC), is issuing a BAA to solicit research proposals addressing issues pertinent to personnel security policy. Multiple acquisition awards are anticipated with typical periods of performance of 12 months including final reports and/or demonstrations. Information in this BAA is supplemented by a Proposer's Information Pamphlet (PIP) which provides further information on the eligibility, support, research areas, multidisciplinary approaches, preparation and submission of proposals, and selection criteria available on-line at http://www.nbc.gov/persecbaa.cfm. The PIP may also be obtained by fax, electronic mail, or official mail. Send requests for PIP to the Department of Interior, Fort Huachuca by email to contact@example.gov or call +1 (555) 000-0000. TECHNICAL AND RESEARCH AREAS: The technical areas include financial and credit, candidate screening and crime detection procedures, prescreening, background investigation, adjudication, continuing evaluation, employee assistance programs, security awareness, and security education. By providing financial support for master's thesis, doctoral dissertations and institutional research, PERSEREC intends to respond to needs identified by the industrial and personnel security research communities and to reiterate the Department of Defense's (DoD) commitment to fostering innovation within the field of personnel security. There are four (4) research areas involved in this solicitation: (1) Vetting Systems; (2) Continuing Evaluation; (3) Automated Systems for Personnel Security; and (4) Trust Betrayal. A brief description of each research area is as follows: Vetting Systems: DoD personnel security vetting systems have three principle components: prescreening, a background investigation, and an adjudication that determines an individual's eligibility for a particular position. A variety of policies and procedures exist in DoD to vet individuals for employment suitability, access to classified information, suitability for other positions of trust, and reliability for handling nuclear material for weapons. Our research in this area aims to improve the effectiveness, efficiency and fairness of these personnel security vetting systems. Continuing Evaluation: This area involves research aimed at helping to ensure the continued reliability, trustworthiness and loyalty of cleared personnel. We hope to systematically examine and improve three key post-vetting functions of personnel security systems: monitoring or continuing evaluation, security education, and intervention and employee assistance. Mentoring or continuing evaluation includes the reporting of information that may bear on an individual's continued eligibility to hold a clearance or have access to privileged information. Security education focuses on enhancing in the minds of trusted employees an awareness of the threat and of human and technical vulnerabilities to adversaries. Finally, intervention and employee assistance looks at how security programs can help cleared individuals with personal problems, seek assistance, and thereby maintain their security clearance eligibility. Automated Systems for Personnel Security: The primary aim of research in this area is to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the investigative process by developing systems that electronically acquire and analyze relevant investigative data from commercial and government databases. Research that would help design or develop systems to detect and deter financial irresponsible or illegal activity is of interest. Research pertinent to automated systems that incorporate other types of individual data useful for continuing evaluation and counterintelligence purposes would also be helpful. Trust Betrayal: The research in this area is focused on understanding the phenomenon of trust betrayal, particularly espionage. There has been no shortage of journalistic and biographic writing about individual American spies and their stories. However, there is a continuing need to put this data together into an organized framework so that we can generate comparative analyses and arrive at a more comprehensive understanding of espionage and other forms of trust betrayal. This should yield information useful to security and counterintelligence policymakers as well as those responsible for security and threat awareness training and education. A recent emphasis in trust betrayal research is a focus on ensuring the continued reliability of IT personnel entrusted with the administration and control of Defense information systems. These personnel may or may not have access to classified information, but have the potential for rendering our operational systems, and the sensitive information they contain, vulnerable to adversarial interests. PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: This announcement is an expression of interest only and does not commit the government to pay for proposal preparation costs. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or to any other contract. However, it may be an allowable expense to normal bid and proposal indirect costs as specified in FAR 31.205-18. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the government. Any responsible offeror considering itself capable of satisfying the needs identified in this BAA may submit a proposal. Further, 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 BAA will be set-aside for HBCU and MI participation due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or servable areas of this research for exclusive competition among these entities. This BAA will remain open through 30 September 2008 for the purposes of receiving proposals. In order to be considered for an award, proposals must be received by the Department of Interior at the Administrative Address identified below on or before 30 September 2008. PERSEREC will, on a continuing basis, evaluate and fund, through the Department of Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition Services Division, Southwest Branch, selected proposals received at any time during the open period. As soon as the proposal evaluation is completed, the proposer will be notified of selectability or non-selectability. Selectable proposals will be considered for funding; non-selectable proposals will be retained for filing purposes. FORMAT: The proposal solicited under this BAA must be self-contained (no videos) and no longer than 25 pages excluding curriculum vitae. The page format shall be 12 point or larger type, single spaced, one inch margins, single sided, 8.5 by 11 inch pages. Unnecessarily elaborate brochures or presentations beyond that sufficient to present a complete and effective proposal are not desired. The proposal should include the informational statements described in the PIP (i.e., Title Page, Proposal Narrative, Budget, Thesis or Dissertation Committee's Chair's Statement and Description of Researcher(s) Background). Proposers must submit an original, signed by an official authorized to commit the institution contractually, and 2 electronic copies (i.e., 2 separate disks) of the full proposal (in Microsoft Word and Excel '98 or later, for Intel-compatible computers or .PDF formats on CD. Each CD must be clearly labeled with BAA 04-01-MT-FH, proposer's organization, proposal title (short title recommended) and Copy Number (i.e., 1 of 2, etc). The full proposal (original and designated number of electronic copies) must be submitted to the Administrative Address for this BAA at any time between the publication date and 4:00 PM (MST) of the submission closure date of 30 September 2008, in order to be considered for evaluation. Proposals must not be submitted by fax or email; any so sent will be disregarded. The BAA will remain open until 30 September 2008, 4:00 PM (MST). The Department of Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition and Property Management Division, Southwest Branch will acknowledge receipt of submissions and assign control numbers that should be used in all further correspondence regarding proposals. Information or data contained in the proposal deemed proprietary by the offeror should be clearly marked. EVALUATION AND SELECTION: Proposers should obtain a copy of the Proposer Information Pamphlet (PIP), which includes expanded proposal evaluation criteria. The PIP may be obtained from the World Wide Web at http://www.nbc.gov/persecbaa.cfm or by requesting a copy via email at contact@example.gov, or call +1 (555) 000-0000. Proposals will be selected through a technical/scientific/business decision process using the following criteria in descending order of relative importance: (1) The perceived need for the subject matter in the security awareness training and education body of knowledge; (2) Practical application of results; (3) Strength of the evidence that the applicant(s) possess the necessary qualifications to produce an acceptable research product; (4) Quality and feasibility of the research methods; (5) Originality of the research; and (6) Realism and reasonableness of the estimated expenses. Criteria (1) and (2) must exceed the ratings of fair or proposal will not be considered for award. The criteria are ordered by importance. Awards under this BAA will be made to responsible offerors on the basis of the evaluation criteria above and a BEST VALUE approach to the Government. Awards will be subject to the availability of funds. Awards may take the form of a procurement contract or grant depending upon the nature of the work proposed and other factors. The Government reserves the right to (1) select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received, and (2) incrementally fund any award instrument. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION: Proposers may submit multiple proposals. Proposals may cover individual or multiple technical topic areas. To be considered, full proposals (in original and designated number of hard and electronic copies) must be received at the Department of Interior, National Business Center, Acquisition & Property Management Division, Southwest Branch, Building 22208, 2nd Floor, Auger Street, Attention: Larry Carter, Fort Huachuca, Arizona 85613, on or before 30 September 2008, 4:00 PM Mountain Standard Time. Proposals based on this announcement may be submitted any time through 30 September 2008. PERSEREC will, on a continuing basis, evaluate and fund through DOI/NBC, selected proposals received during the open period. Proposals should be sent to the following address: Department of the Interior National Business Center Acquisition & Property Management Division, Southwest Branch Attention: L. Carter PO Box 12924 Fort Huachuca, AZ 85670-2924 For FEDEX deliveries, proposals should be sent to the following address: Department of the Interior National Business Center Acquisition & Property Management Division, Southwest Branch Attention: L. Carter Building 22208, 2nd Floor, Auger Street Fort Huachuca, AZ 85613 Additional Information Telephone, mail, and electronic mail inquiries about the Personnel Security Research Programs are welcome. Inquiries related to research issues should be directed to: Director, Defense Personnel Security Research Center 99 Pacific Street, Suite 455-E ATTN: BAA 04-01-MT-FH (L. Lewis) Monterey, CA 93940-2497 Tel: +1 (555) 000-0000 FAX +1 (555) 000-0000 contact@example.gov Inquiries related to administrative or contractual issues should be directed to: Lawrence H. Carter Department of the Interior National Business Center Acquisition and Property Management Division, Southwest Branch PO Box 12924 Fort Huachuca, AZ 85670-2924 contact@example.gov