BAA 07 001 for Cooperative Agreement- Energetic Systems Development; workforce revitalization; and strategic policy analysis.

The Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, in collaboration with the Naval Sea Systems Command, has an interest in proposals related to Energetic Systems Development; workforce revitalization; and strategic policy analysis. Specific areas of interest are: research on all types of energetic materials, explosives and propellants processing with an emphasis on continuous processing and lean manufacturing, explosive components and warhead technology; synthesis of new materials; formulation of new explosives and propellants; scale up studies of new formulations; development of technology base in applied mechanics to assess the damage to underwater targets from advanced underwater warheads; novel concepts in the areas of Micro Electronic Mechanical Sensors (MEMS) and comparable technologies; development of concepts for new ignition devices; development of new warhead technologies for all types of weapons; development of new and innovative technologies in the a! rea of demil and disposal of energetic materials; studies on explosive and propellant devices in areas of chemistry, physics and engineering; modeling and simulation in all of the above areas of interest; use of virtual environments for design, simulation and prototyping; knowledge-based tool development for design, information management, analysis, and quality control; virtual use and development of virtual reality approaches such as CAVES (Computer-Assisted Virtual Environments) and head-mounted devices for training and expert information capture; energetic concepts for counterterrorism, underwater mines, torpedoes, mine neutralization, defeat, improvised explosive device defeat and Seal weapons; theoretical and experimental research on the effects of chemical and nuclear explosions in air, water and ground media and other energetics technical studies. The Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center intends to accomplish the goals contained in this Broad Agency A! nnouncement (BAA) through the issuance of Cooperative Agreements under the authority of 10 United States Code (USC) 2358. Cooperative agreements are assistance instruments that will help to facilitate: (a) a close working relationship between Indian Head and the recipient(s), (b) the exchange of personnel and maximum use of available facilities, (c) an environment for the exchange of scientific ideas, and (d) the conduct of research in support of Navy requirements while encouraging commercialization of the results of the research. The Cooperative Agreement will allow for substantial programmatic involvement in the form of Indian Head Technologists participation in decisions related to objectives. Proposals that involve final product development beyond the stage of product prototype or feasibility demonstration are outside the scope of the competition and will not be acceptable. Readers should note that this is an announcement to declare Indian Head's intent to competitively fund (offerors must propose cost sharing) research and technolog! y projects and that no request for proposals, solicitation or other announcement of this opportunity will be made. This notice constitutes Indian Head's BAA as contemplated by FAR 6.102(d)(2). Teaming arrangements among participants are encouraged when the result is a technically stronger proposal. Due to limited funding, the Government reserves the right to limit awards under this announcement and only proposals considered to be of superior quality will be funded. All work performed under cooperative agreements resulting from this BAA must be performed within the United States. Proposals including work or research that will be performed outside of the United States, in whole or in any part, are not acceptable and will disqualify the entire proposal from further consideration. Cooperative agreements awarded as a result of this BAA maybe for a period of up to five (5) years. It is intended that the Government will assess the progress of the effort during each year. Ba! sed on this assessment, the Government will decide whether to continue funding the cooperative agreement. In accordance with OMB Circular A 110, proposed cooperative agreements shall not provide for payment of fee or profit. Proposals containing provisions for payment of fee or profit will not be considered. Any interested offeror should send five (5) copies of its technical and cost proposal to: Indian Head Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, ATTN: Mr. Edward Rogan, Code C13E, Bldg. 1558, 101 Strauss Avenue, Indian Head, MD 20640 5035. To be considered for award, Indian Head must receive the full proposal by 20 March 2008. Any interested company or institution is encouraged, but not required, to submit a white paper synopsis of the planned proposal including a rough cost estimate. White papers should address the selection criteria wherever possible. The white paper, if submitted, should not exceed five (5) pages and must be submitted by no later than 1 November 2007. The white paper may be faxed to +1 (555) 000-0000 or delivered to the office identified in the previous paragraph. Those submitting white papers are encouraged to continue to work on drafting a full proposal during the white paper evaluation process. It is expected that Indian Head technical review will be complete within 1 month of white paper receipt. The Grants Officer will contact the white paper submitter and provide feedback on the Navy's level of interest in the proposed project. Based upon the degree of encouragement received, companies and institutions can better decide whether to continue the preparation of full tech! nical and cost proposals for the described project. Offerors may submit full proposals without going through the white paper process. Proposals submitted under this BAA could be considered for award at anytime up to 24 months after the closing date of the announcement dependent upon the availability of funds. Proposals will be reviewed and evaluated as they arrive. Award decisions will be based on a competitive selection of proposals resulting from a peer and/or scientific review. Evaluations will be conducted using the following evaluation criteria: 1) Overall Technical merits of the proposed research and development. The scientific and technical merit of the proposed approach and its completeness, including: offeror's grasp of technical challenges and appropriateness of possible solutions: the breadth, and variety of the proposed strategies; the relevance, expected likelihood of success and of timely completion and proposed risk reduction activities; the clarity and soundness of proposed SOW, including responsiveness to the BAA. 2) The potential relationship of the proposed research and development to Department of Navy missions in relation to the scope of the BAA. Proposal must indicate how the work to be performed will have an impact on naval capabilities, especially those impacting future naval systems. Included in this element is how the proposal will help to develop the next generation of subject matter experts working on Department of Navy technical matters within the scope of this BAA. 3) The offeror's capabilities, related experience, and facilities, including the qualification, capabilities and experience of the proposed Principal Investigator(s), team leader and other key personnel who are critical for achieving the proposed objectives. Offerors must demonstrate capabilities to perform cutting edge science and technology programs, and demonstrate availability of a wide variety of subject matter expertise with personnel that are on staff and capable of fully participating in proposed projects. The capabilities of the offeror to perform the stated work will be examined. The range, depth, and mix of expertise of the offeror's key personnel will be evaluated to ensure that they are qualified in the theory and application of the relevant technologies. The soundness of the proposed management plan will also be considered. 4) Quality and amount of cost share proposed by offeror. The exact amount of proposed cost share must be indicated in the proposal. Innovative approaches to cost share are encouraged. Propose how specific cost share / in-kind contribution might be used for collaborative projects. A.TECHNICAL PROPOSAL Technical proposals should be a maximum of twenty five (25) pages and 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 be written to cogently define your proposal's technical goals, the technical approach you are taking, and the expected technical result. Its purpose is to provide technical reviewers an overview of the technologies proposed. The business area should be written to explain strategic alliance, business, and market issues.. It should reflect that the offerors have thought through the potential business, market, and economic implications if the technical goals of the project are achieved. If a consortium of performers is submitting the proposal, they should demonstrate that there is, indeed, a shared or common team vision. Section 2 Technical Issues: Give a detailed explanation of the technical approach, objectives, staffing and resources relating to the development of the proposed technology for both military and commercial use. a.) Technical Objectives: Discuss clearly and specifically in realistic terms the technical objectives of this proposed effort. This should include all of the following: 1. A clear, definitive statement of the objective or end product of your effort. 2. A technical description of your technical activities in sufficient detail to determine the technical feasibility of the effort and the degree to which it improves on the current state of the art. 3. A discussion of the technical barriers to be overcome and the technical risks expected during the conduct of the project. Note: technical risks are expected and acceptable provided they are well understood and realistic approaches are presented to mitigate them. 4. A discussion, quantitative whenever possible, of the advantages (cost, performance, time to market, etc.) of the proposed technologies over alternatives. 5. If they exist, a discussion of other related projects (especially those funded by the Federal Government) and a clear demonstration that this effort will not duplicate those efforts. b.) Technical Approach: Discuss your approach for achieving the technical objectives of this project. This should include all of the following: 1. A comprehensive description of your specific approach, including the advantages over other possible approaches, which could be used to attack the problem. 2. A Statement of Work (SOW) that discusses the specific tasks to be accomplished, tied to the specific approach and goals of the project. Specific performers for tasks should be identified whenever possible. 3. A schedule of significant events and measurable technical milestones. This schedule should extend beyond the end of the project and include critical technical milestones for commercialization or production. c.) Quality and Appropriateness of Technical Staff and Resources: Provide the experience and credentials of the technical team assembled to carry out the developments proposed. Include all of the following: 1. The identification of the proposed principal investigators and other key personnel and a full description of the qualifications, education, and relevant experience of each of these individuals. 2. A description of the management organization to be used for this effort, including a discussion of the proposed lines of responsibility, authority, and communication through which tasks will be managed and the procedures taken to insure quality control and cost control. 3. A discussion of the qualifications of each of the organizations involved in the effort in sufficient detail to demonstrate that the collective experience and expertise is necessary and sufficient to ensure technical objectives are met. 4. A demonstration that the resources available for the proposed activity, including facilities, equipment, and technical support, are necessary and sufficient to accomplish the objectives. Special attention should be paid to describing the necessity of any resources, which are proposed as part of the offeror's cost sharing. 5. A discussion of how intellectual property (especially that proposed as part of the offeror's cost sharing) is to be used as a necessary resource to accomplish the objectives of the project. B. - COST/FUNDING PROPOSAL The proposal shall contain a cost estimate that is sufficiently detailed, by element of cost, for meaningful evaluation. The estimate must include the total cost of the project and the amount and source of project funding (e.g., funds requested from Indian Head and/or funds to be provided by the proposing organization as cost sharing). The offeror's cost share may take the form of academic training (such as Distance Learning and On-Campus Courses), equipment or access to unique facilities, independent research and development (IR&D), cash, foregone intellectual property rights, and other acceptable forms of in-kind contributions. (Note: Work breakdown structures are neither required nor desired). Cost/funding proposals should be organized to include four sections in the following order: total project cost, cost sharing and in kind contributions, and cost to the Government. Section 1 Total Project Cost: This section will give a breakdown of costs of the project. Cost should also be broken down on a task by task basis for each task appearing in the statement of work. This should include all of the proposed cost to the Government and cost sharing by the offeror. The following information should be presented in your proposal for each phase of the effort: total cost of the particular project phase, total offeror cost share; funding requested from the Government: and elements of cost (labor, 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, equipment purchases, fair market value of leased items, and the method used for marking such evaluations. Profit shall not be included as a cost element. Section 2 Cost Sharing and In Kind Contributions: This section will include (1) the specific in kind contributions proposed, their value in monetary terms, and the methods by which their values were derived; (2) the sources of cash and amounts to be used for matching requirements; (Note: just put in-kind contribution prior to cash, hoping to send a message to potential offerors) and (3) evidence of the existence of adequate cash or commitments to provide sufficient cash or in-kind contribution in the future. Affirmative, signed agreements are required from outside sources of cash. Proposals should contain sufficient information regarding the sources of the offeror's cost share so that the Government regarding the availability, timeliness, and control of these resources may make a determination. For example: How will the funds and resources be applied to advance the progress of the proposed effort? What is the role of any proposed in kind contributions? Section 3 Cost to the Government: This section will specify the total costs proposed to be borne by the Government and any technical or other assistance including equipment, facilities and personnel of Federal laboratories, if any required to support these activities. The cost to the Government should be that portion of the proposed effort that is not covered by cost sharing The costs incurred and work performed by any DOD or national laboratory "partnering" with the offeror under the proposal shall normally be considered costs of the Government and not costs of the offeror for purposes of the cost sharing requirement. Proposals should contain sufficient information regarding the resources to be provided by the Government so that an evaluation of their availability, timeliness, and control may be made. Proposal shall also list any Defense Contracting Audit Agency (DCAA) information - recent audits, auditor point of contract, etc. C. PROPOSAL PAGE FORMATS All proposals should be printed such that pages are single sided, with no more than fifty five (55) lines per page. Use 21.6 x 27.9 cm (8 1/2" x 11") paper or A4 metric paper. Use an easy to read font or not more than about 5 characters per cm (fixed pitch font of 12 or fewer characters per inch or proportional font of point size 10 or larger). Smaller type may be used in figures and tables, but must be clearly legible. Margins on all sides (top, bottom, left and right) should be at least 2.5 cm. (1"). E. OTHER REQUIREMENTS - Offerors proposing to conduct classified work in response to this BAA must have or be able to obtain prior to the classified work, all required personnel/facility clearances.