A--THEATER ASW INITIATIVE

This synopsis is being posted to both the Federal Business Opportunities(FBO) page located at http://www.eps.gov and the Navy Electronic Commerce on Line(NECO) site located at http://www.neco.navy.mil. While it is understood that FBO is the single point of entry for posting of synopsis and solicitations to the internet, NECO is the alternative in case FBO is unavailable. Please feel free to use either site to access information posted by the Navy Sea Systems Command. The Program Executive Office, Integrated Warfare Systems (PEO IWS), Washington Navy Yard, Washington, D.C. is soliciting new and innovative concepts that are integrated and aligned with our ASW Concept of Operations and which offer the potential to fundamentally change the way Anti-Submarine Warfare (ASW) is conducted by the U.S. Navy. The Navy is interested in technologies that will dramatically improve curren t and future operational ASW capabilities. The Operational Vision for future ASW missions is discussed in the Naval Transformational Roadmap. Within this Roadmap, ASW mission areas fall under the Littoral Sea Control component of the Sea Shield Operational Concept as enabled by FORCEnet, an envisioned architecture of sensors, networks, decision aids, weapons and supporting systems integrated into a single comprehensive maritime network. ASW is considered essential to assuring access and asserting maritime superiority in forward operating areas. Information on the order of battle and specific mission areas in which ASW capabilities will be required was provided at a Pre-solicitation Conference on 23 January 2004 in Washington D.C. A SECRET CD-ROM containing the releasable information presented at the Pre-solicitation Conference is available upon request to those organizations that provide the necessary security information to enable PEO IWS to verify facility clearances. Requests may be sent to contact@example.gov. The Navy primary objective in this solicitation is to acquire readily transferable technologies that will reduce the Observe, Orient, Decide, Attack (OODA) Loop and reduce risk to manned platforms and forces due to Threat Submarine operations. The Navy ASW Investment Strategy for the near and mid-term is based on improving capabilities in the following areas; Battle-space Preparations, Target Detection, Target Engagement and Platform Self-Protection. The Navy is most interested in new and innovative (breakthrough) concepts that can be rapidly employed in U.S. Navy ASW Concept Of Operations (CONOPS). Of secondary interest are concepts that require extensive exploration or those standalone technologies that provide enhanc ement to our existing ASW capabilities. The scope of this BAA will include three Phases; your proposal should address each Phase. The scope of Phase 1 should be to develop the proposed concept in a manner that allows Navy Subject Matter Experts to cooperatively evaluate its feasibility. The scope of Phase 2 should be to conduct a shore-based feasibility demonstration to convince Navy Subject Matter Experts that the proposed concept can work. The scope of Phase 3 should be to conduct a - Limited Objectives at-sea experiment of the proposed concept. This BAA will be open through 30 September 2004. Proposals may be submitted any time within that period. Contracts, grants, cooperative agreements and "other transactions," as appropriate, will be limited by funding availability. . Therefore, early submission of proposals is desirable and encouraged. The Navy desires to begin making awards by May 2004. Contractors may submit study proposals. Studies, if proposed, should identify innovative solutions, technologies, cost drivers, and development approaches suitable for demonstration within 12 months from award. Study proposals must be limited to no more than 10 pages. Detailed technical references available in the public domain, for example, technical journals, Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), publicly available web sites etc., should be listed in an appropriate bibliography. No award can be made without a proposal to perform a specific effort within an estimated cost and time period. Industry, Small Businesses, Small Disadvantaged Businesses, educational institutions, Historically Black Colleges and University and Minority Institutions are encouraged to participate. Proposals should be submitted to the Cognizant Contracting Activit y whose address is: Commander, Naval Sea Systems Command, ATTN: Code 0263, James Watts, 1333 Isaac Hull Avenue, S.E., Washington Navy Yard, Washington, DC 20376. Contracting Point-of-Contact is James Watts, telephone +1 (555) 000-0000, e-mail contact@example.gov . This synopsis constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) per FAR 6.102(d)(2)(i); there will be no formal request for proposals (RFP) or other solicitation in regard to this announcement. Offerors may submit their technical proposals (two paper copies and ten electronic copies on CD using Microsoft Office 2000 or earlier) and cost proposals (one paper copy and two electronic copies on CD) through 30 September 2004. The Government reserves the right to select all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. Respondents must be able to certify that they have an appropriate facility clearance to meet the security requirements of work proposed, and key personnel must be certified as holding an appropriate clearance. Proposals shall consist of two separately bound volumes; Volume I shall provide the technical proposal and management approach and Volume II shall address cost. Volume I length is limited to 25 pages exclusive of the Statement of Work (paragraph (7), below) which has no page limit. Pages are to be 8.5 x 11 inch, single-sided. Minimum font is 10 point. Volume II has no page limit. Succinct proposals are desired. Volume I shall include the following sections, each starting on a new page: (1) A cover page, including proposal title, technical and administrative points-of-contact along with the telephone and facsimile numbers, followed by a letter signed by the authorized officer specifying the proposal validity period (at least 120 days). (2) An Executive Overview of the proposed technologies and/or concepts as well as any innovative claims for the proposed research, and how they will contribute to and support the objectives of a technology evaluation and demonstration; (3) A detailed technical proposal of the primary precepts of the concept with appropriate elaboration as to the ingenuity associated with the concept. This section shall not exceed 10 pages. (4) A summary of the deliverables including data associated with the proposed research. (5) A summary of the schedule and milestones for the proposed effort which can be traced to the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). (6) A one-page WBS. (7) A succinct Statement of Work clearly detailing the scope and objectives of the work and, if any, specific contractor requirements. The SOW should separately address each Phase being proposed. The statement of work shou ld only document the specific work to be performed as discussed in section (3) above. Any disclosure of information as relating to the merits of the concept included in the Statement of Work but not included in the detailed technical proposal required by paragraph (3) above will not be considered for award selection. If any portion of the proposed effort is predicated upon the use of Government-owned resources of any type, the contractor shall clearly identify: the resources required, the date the resource is required, the duration of the requirement, the source from which the resource may be acquired, if known, and the impact on the effort if the resource is not provided. (8) A description of the results, products, and transferable technology expected from the contract. This section should specifically address any intellectual property claims associated with the outcome of this effort. (9) A brief discussion of past performance detailing previous accomplishments and work in this or closely related research areas, previous cost and schedule performance, and the qualifications of the previous key personnel. (10) A brief discussion of the overall approach to the management of this effort, including brief discussions of total organization, use of personnel and their qualifications, project/function/subcontractor relationships, technology transition plans, government interfaces, and planning, scheduling, and control practices. Volume II shall include the one-page work breakdown structure, a cost summary, and a detailed breakdown of cost for the effort. Evaluation of proposals will be based on the following criteria: (1) The overall scientific and technical merit of the proposed approach within the context of the Navy ASW objectives, including th e following sub-factors: (a) Robustness over Operational Situations (Robust vs. Niche applicability) (b) CONOPS (Usability) (c) Survivability (to accidental or intentional action) (d) Maturity (e) Operational Effectiveness (f) Responsiveness (Ability to deploy and operate rapidly) (g) Overall Utility. (2) Offeror capabilities, related experience, experience of the key personnel who are critical to program success, facilities and/or techniques that are integral factors for achieving the proposed objectives, (3) The realism of estimated costs and schedules and the potential affordability impact on the Navy, including total ownership costs if applicable, and (4) Past performance. These criteria are in descending order of importance for evaluation purposes with technical merit significantly more important than the other evaluation criteria. The Naval Transformational Ro admap is available at http://www.onr.navy.mil/ctto/docs/naval_transform_roadmap.pdf