A -- POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT

SOL N00421-07-R-0039 Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) TITLE : POLYMERS AND COMPOSITES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT DUE On of before one (1) year from this posting date AGENCY NAVAIRSYSCOMHQ CODE 2.5.1.3.1, BLDG 441, 21983 BUNDY ROAD, UNIT 7 PATUXENT RIVER MD 20670-1127 POC: Miriam-Ellen Bonk, Contract Specialist, (301) 757-9064, Nancy Keys, Contracting Officer, (301) 757-2609 This notice constitutes a BAA as contemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2). TECHNICAL POC: Dr. Ray Meilunas (301) 342-8064 I. INTRODUCTION. The NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS COMMAND (NAVAIR) and the Polymers & Composites Branch of the Aerospace Materials Division under the Air Vehicle Department (AIR-4.3) is soliciting proposals for research and development (R&D) concepts in the area of polymers and composite materials and structures to support current and future Naval Aviation needs. Concepts proposed may represent novel dedicated technologies and/or dual use of new emerging commercial technology. II. BACKGROUND. The mission of the Polymers & Composites Branch of the NAVAIR Aerospace Materials Division is to identify and pursue the most promising technologies within a broad spectrum of the science and engineering research communities and to develop, evaluate, and transition those technologies into NAVAL AIR SYSTEMS to impart new military capabilities. To this end, NAVAIR is soliciting proposals for advanced research and development in a variety of enabling technical areas as described below. Proposals may be either basic or applied research. Proposals that are not research, but rather integration of technologies or systems development will also be considered. Multiple awards are anticipated. The amount of resources made available to this BAA will depend on the quality of the proposals received and the availability of funds. While there is no specific requirement for cost and duration of the proposed effort, it is recommended that proposer include a Phase I of no more than 18 months in length that addresses the most critical issues on the path to success. This BAA constitutes the entire solicitation for this effort. No Proposer Information Pamphlet or other additional information will be published, nor will a formal request for proposal, or other solicitation, regarding this research and development be issued. Requests for same will be disregarded. III. SPECIFIC AREAS OF INTEREST. New Materials, Materials Concepts, Materials Processing applied to polymers and composites. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to: development and application of new and improved resins, structural reinforcing fibers, core and foam materials, adhesives, and sealants/coatings for naval aviation composite applications; new and/or lower cost manufacturing processes for structural composites (including tooling); new and novel materials, processes and design methods for structural repair of composites, or repair of non-composite structure with composites; process modeling; engineered materials for low-observable applications; high temperature resins/adhesives; structural and non-structural adhesives, Applique and paint replacement film materials, environmentally compliant surface preparations for bonding, non-chromated and organic corrosion inhibitors for sealants and/or adhesives, novel approaches to toughened resins for prepregs and adhesives; Nanomaterials and structural nanocomposites; composite property/life prediction and related technologies; fracture phenomena of polymers & composites; galvanic corrosion ; Optical materials and coatings for aircraft transparencies and their repair; self-healing, -sensing and -adapting polymers and composites; smart and adaptive (morphing) materials and structures; and structural and multifunctional (structure + function) materials; biomaterials and biomimetic materials. Ideas outside of the advertised focused areas will be considered in scope provided they have the potential for radical improvement to national security and are within the interest of the office. IV. CONTRACT/AGREEMENT TYPE. NAVAIR is willing to consider various types of acquisition vehicles including, but not limited to, traditional FAR/DFARS type contracts and/or non-procurement agreements (e.g. Grants, Cooperative Agreements and Other Transactions). Other Transactions will be entered into under the authority of 10 U.S.C. 2371, and Section 845, Authority to Carry Out Certain Prototype Projects. Information concerning Other Transactions can be found at http://www.darpa.mil/cmo/grants.html and http://www.acq.osd.mil/ddre/research. Final decision on acquisition type (contract/agreement) will be made by the government. NOTE: Typically, research findings result in the need for additional services/supplies, which are not possible to anticipate or project. Contract modifications may be executed to satisfy these requirements; thereby providing for flexibility in technology assessment (with technology transition the ultimate goal). In the event that this is required, it shall be considered to be within the scope of this BAA and the resulting contract, and therefore will have met the requirements of the FAR/DFARS and the Competition in Contracting Act. V. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION. No request for proposal (RFP), solicitation or other announcement of this opportunity will be made. Submit proposals in two (2) STEPS. A. STEP I - Proposal Abstracts Submit Proposal Abstract, not to exceed fifteen pages, any time during the above stated open period. The Proposal Abstracts will be evaluated at a minimum quarterly. Offerors shall clearly identify all proprietary portions of the abstract, which will be treated in the strictest confidence. Abstracts shall identify the following: 1. BAA Number; N00421-07-R-0039; 2. Organization Name; 3. Other Team Members and type of business for each; 4. Technical Points of contact (including phone, fax, and e-mail information); 5. Administrative Point of Contact (including phone, fax, and e-mail information); 6. Overview of the Proposed Work to include: A summary of proposed concept (including DoD or commercial applications), an estimated timeframe for project completion, a brief description of the facilities involved, and a brief resume of the principle investigator(s); and, 7. A rough order of cost magnitude with type of acquisition vehicle (contract/agreement) being proposed, and, if applicable, the anticipated sharing arrangement. BRIEFING: The Government may request the contractor to present a technical briefing on the proposed effort(s) at NAVAIR/Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division, Patuxent River, MD; or, other sites, as deemed appropriate. Although discussions with the government are permitted prior to submission of abstracts, these technical briefings are desired following the formal submission of an abstract. The Government is not liable for any costs associated with this briefing. The abstract cover letter should discuss the offeror's willingness to provide a technical brief. Submit an original of the abstract proposal to the following address: ATTN: Miriam-Ellen Bonk Code 2.5.1.3.1.5, Bldg 441; NAVAIRSYSCOMHQ; 21983 Bundy Road, Unit 7; Patuxent River, MD 20670-1127. Offerors are encouraged to submit Contents of Proposal Abstracts electronically (PDF or MS WORD format) to miriam-ellen.bonk@navy.mil. Confirmation of receipt is recommended for electronic submission. If selected for further inquiry, the Navy will contact the offeror for additional information and/or a STEP II Proposal (See paragraph B below.); otherwise, it will not be necessary for the offeror to submit a STEP II proposal. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR PROSPECTIVE CONTRACTORS: Registration in the DoD's Central Contractor Registration (CCR) database shall be a prerequisite for receiving an award resulting from this BAA. For more information please contact the CCR Assistance Center at 1-888-227-2423; or, email: http://www.ccr.gov. B. STEP II Full Proposal General Information: Only Offerors whose STEP I - Proposal Abstract is considered capable of meeting Program requirements will be asked to submit STEP II - Full Proposals. REQUEST FOR SUBMISSION OF A FULL PROPOSAL DOES NOT GUARANTEE AWARD SELECTION. Proposals shall be submitted in original, with the signature of an authorizing official with one copy to the address noted above. Proposal submission is not restricted in any way to any particular entity. Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Minority Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities, and small, HUB Zone small disadvantaged, and women owned small businesses are encouraged to participate. The NAICS Code for this BAA is 541710 with the small business size of 500 employees. Submit Full Proposals in two (2) volumes: 1. VOLUME I: TECHNICAL PROPOSAL, not exceed twenty-five (25) pages (excluding graphs and charts), should include the following three sections: Section 1 - Executive Summary: Provide a brief technical and business description of the contents of the proposal. The technical area should address the proposal's technical goals, approach, and expected results. The business area should address business and/or commercial applications of the proposal technology. Section 2 - Technical Issues: Detail the technical approach, objectives, staffing and resources relating to the development of the proposed technology for military and commercial (if applicable) use; discuss specifically in realistic terms the technical objectives of this proposed effort; provide a Statement of Work (SOW) that discusses the specific tasks to be accomplished, tied to the specific approach and goals of the project; provide resumes for Principle Investigator(s) and other key research personnel; describe the current and planned facilities and equipment to accomplish the research objectives; and, give a description of past performance on similar efforts (including references). Section 3 - Business Issues: Discuss the business issues relating to the commercial applications of the proposed development and its impact on the market; detail benefits to the Department of Defense (DoD). 2. VOLUME II - COST/FUNDING PROPOSAL. Cost/funding proposals are not restricted in length, have no specific page layout requirements, and should address funding periods of performance. Formal work breakdown structures and certified cost or pricing data are neither required nor desired, however, NAWCAD reserves the right the request this information for proposals using FAR/DFARS type contracts. Organize Cost/Funding proposals in the following order: Total Project Cost: This section will give a detailed breakdown of costs of the project. Cost should also be broken for each task appearing in the Statement of Work and should include all of the proposed costs to the Government and, if applicable, cost shared by the offeror. Present the following information for each phase of the effort: total cost of the particular project phase; total offeror cost share, if applicable (mandatory for certain "other transaction agreements" see above); funding requested from the Government; and elements of cost (labor categories and applicable rates, direct materials, travel, other direct costs, equipment, software, patents, royalties, indirect costs, and cost of money). Sufficient information should be provided in supporting documents to allow the Government to evaluate the reasonableness of these proposed costs, including salaries, overhead, subcontractor proposals/quotes, equipment purchases, fair market rental value of leased items, and the method used for making such valuations. Profit should not be included as a cost element if the contract type to be awarded will be cost sharing. If the offeror elects to propose Cost Sharing and In-Kind contributions, please request additional proposal information from Miriam-Ellen Bonk, Contract Specialist at the address above. VI. EVALUATION CRITERIA. Proposals will be evaluated quarterly in accordance with the following cut-off dates: May 31, 2007//Aug. 31, 2007//Nov. 30, 2007//Feb. 22, 2008. The government will evaluate proposals responsive to any or all of the areas of interest discussed herein. Proposals will not be evaluated against each other since each is a unique technology with no common work statement. The primary evaluation criteria are: A. Scientific and technical merits of the proposed research to include, (1) the degree to which proposed research and development objectives support the targeted technical topic and (2) validity of the technical basis for the approach offered; and B. The offeror's capabilities to include (1) related experience, (2) past performance on similar efforts, (3) research investigators/personnel, (4) facilities, (5) techniques or unique combination of these which are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives (all equally valued); and C. The socio-economic merits of each proposal will be evaluated based on the commitment to provide meaningful subcontracting opportunities with small business, small disadvantaged business, woman-owned small business concerns, and HBCU/MIs. If the contracting officer requests a full cost proposal, and the total exceeds $500,000, large businesses will be required to include a Small Business Subcontracting Plan with its proposal package in accordance with FAR 52.219-9. D. The realism and reasonableness of cost, including any proposed cost sharing. III. AWARDS. NAVAIR is planning to make awards within the overall Program Objectives stated above (See Para. II). All awards will be based on merit competition and availability of funding. The Government reserves the right to select all, some or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. Any awards are subject to the availability of appropriations. There is no commitment by the Navy to be responsible for any monies expended by the offeror before award of a contract/agreement.Original Point of Contact Miriam-Ellen Bonk, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 757-9064, Fax (301) 757-8959, Email miriam-ellen.bonk@navy.mil ? Nancy Keys, Contract Specialist, Phone (301) 757-8939, Fax (301) 757-2609, Email nancy.keys@navy.mil