BAA for S&T Initiatives for Navy Manned Free-Flooding Submersibles

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: The U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) announces interest in long-range Science and Technology (S&T) projects which offer potential for advancement and improvement of Navy manned, free-flooding submersibles. Specific areas of interest include, but are not limited to: a. Vehicles compatible with the Dry Deck Shelter (DDS) on Ship, Submersible, Guided Missile, Nuclear Powered (SSGN), and Submarine, Nuclear Power (SSN) platforms. b. Automatic Vehicle Control Technologies c. NET-Ready capabilities d. Passive and active sensors and subsystems e. Navigation systems f. Underwater communications, including diver-to-diver, diver-to-intermediary host, and intermediary host-to-host g. Sensor masts h. Other technologies that have the capacity to reduce program, schedule, or technical risks, accelerate delivery of capabilities to users, or increase user capabilities above current or projected program of record levels. Teaming is encouraged. An offeror may submit more than one concept aligned with the technologies listed above. Responses are requested from any responsible organization, including those from private industry, academic institutions, research institutions and non-profit organizations. All responsible sources capable of satisfying the Government needs may submit a response that will be considered by USSOCOM. Small businesses are encouraged to submit proposals and join others in submitting proposals. However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for small business due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable areas of this research for exclusive competition among these entities. Work funded under this BAA may include basic research, applied research and some advanced technology development (ATD). With regard to any restrictions on the conduct or outcome of work funded under this BAA, USSOCOM will follow the guidance on and definition of "contracted fundamental research" as provided in the Under Secretary of Defense (Acquisition, Technology and Logistics) Memorandum of 26 June 2008. As defined therein; the definition of "contracted fundamental research", in a DoD contractual context, includes [research performed under] grants and contracts that are (a) funded by Research, Development, Test, and Evaluation Budget Activity 1 (Basic Research), whether performed by universities or industry or (b) funded by Budget Activity 2 (Applied Research) and performed on-campus at a university. ATD is funded through Budget Activity 3. In conformance with the USD (AT&L) guidance and National Security Decision Directive 189, USSOCOM will place no restriction on the conduct or reporting of unclassified fundamental research, except as otherwise required by statue, regulation or Executive Order. Normally, fundamental research is awarded under grants with universities and under contracts with industry. ATD is normally awarded under contracts and may require restrictions during the conduct of the research and DoD pre-publication review of research results due to subject matter sensitivity. Potential offerors should consult with the appropriate PMS NSW POCs to determine whether the proposed effort would constitute basic research, applied research or ATD. RESPONSES: White papers may be submitted at any time after issuance of this BAA up to the expiration date of the BAA. WHITE PAPER SUBMISSIONS: FORMAT: The form and format for white papers follows below. White papers that do not satisfy these form and format requirements may be rejected without further review or evaluation. All submissions should be in the English language. White papers should be submitted electronically; a paper copy is not required. Electronic copies should be in PDF (preferred) or Microsoft Word. WHITE PAPER PREPARATION: A white paper should be a brief summary. It introduces the idea, solicits interaction with government, and avoids the expense of generating proposals that have little likelihood of selection or award within this BAA. White papers should summarize the planned proposal and clearly articulate the innovative concept or technology development and demonstration being proposed. White papers should contain a cover sheet (clearly marked White Paper), a twenty-five (25) (maximum) summary of the technical idea, a one-page cost summary, and a one-paragraph (150-200 words) abstract of the white paper as a whole. All are invited to submit a white paper that describes the following: a. The development and integration objective, b. The development approach, c. Related work by the investigator or offeror, d. Anticipated contributions to the manned, free-flooding submersibles, e. A proposed transition strategy for the nominated technology, f. An estimate of overall costs (including indirect) for up to three years of effort, and g. Proposed payment milestones and program schedule. All pages should be printable on 8.5 by 11 inch paper; type not smaller than 12 point. The page limitations for white papers include all figures, tables, and charts. No formal transmittal letter is required. White papers shall not include classified information. WHITE PAPER SUBMISSION WITH PROPRIETARY DATA: When an offeror must include proprietary data in order to fully communicate their concept, the offeror must clearly mark and identify any proprietary data that the offeror intends to be used only by the Government for evaluation purposes. The offeror must also identify any technical data contained in the white paper that it is furnishing to the Government with restrictions on use, release, or disclosure. In the absence of such identification, the Government will assume to have unlimited rights to all technical data in the white paper. Records or data bearing one of the DFARS-approved restrictive legends may be included in the white paper. It is the intent of the Government to treat all white papers as privileged information and to disclose their contents only for the purpose of evaluation. Additionally, all offerors must identify any rights and restrictions that exist on their technical data, and all respondents are advised that restrictions on technology transfers outside of the U.S. will be imposed on all media created in accordance with this BAA. All offerors must also state if a technology they plan to respond to in this BAA is currently transferred to other countries / corporations outside the U.S. The offerors are cautioned, however, that portions of the white papers may be subject to release under terms of the Freedom of Information Act, 5 U.S.C. 552, as amended. NON-GOVERNMENT PERSONNEL: All proprietary material should be clearly marked and will be held in strict confidence. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, proposals may be handled, for administrative purposes only, by a support contractor, which is bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. Input on technical aspects of the proposals may be solicited by USSOCOM from non-Government consultants and experts who are bound by appropriate non-disclosure requirements. Non-Government technical consultants will not have access to proposals that are labeled by the offerors as GOVERNMENT ONLY. Evaluations and selections under this BAA will be made only by Government evaluators. SUBMITTAL ADDRESS: All white papers should be sent electronically to: Doug Lowe at douglas.s.lowe@navy.mil, with a courtesy copy to Tammy Bair, tammy.bair@socom.mil. Submissions received by USSOCOM but not submitted specifically to the BAA may not be considered under the BAA. EVALUATION AND NOTIFICATION: Acknowledgment of receipt of all white papers will be made. White papers will not be returned. Evaluation will be based on the relevance to the USSOCOM mission. The initial screening will minimize unnecessary effort and expense in any subsequent proposal preparation and review. Favorable response to a white paper is not an assurance that a full proposal on the white paper's topic will ultimately be selected for contract award. Each proposal will be evaluated on the merit and relevance of the specific proposal as it relates to the technology objectives rather than against other proposals for research in the same general area, since no common work statement exists. The following factors are to be considered in the evaluation of white papers received under this BAA. Listed in descending order of importance: 1) Relevance of the proposed objectives and technology to free-flooding manned submersibles and undersea operations; 2) Technical merits of the candidate technology as revealed by the associated proposal and transition strategy; 3) Reasonableness of the approach, given the intended operational environment and conditions; 4) Qualifications and experience of the principal investigator(s); 5) Availability of facilities and equipment to support the proposed effort; and 6) Cost and cost realism. All proposals must first be deemed acceptable under criteria (1) to receive a full technical review. The BAA will remain open for submissions for one year after the initial posting date of this announcement. Submissions received after the closing date will not be reviewed or evaluated. USSOCOM will review and respond to each white paper on a quarterly basis; however reserves to right to review and respond as submissions are submitted. Upon completion of the evaluation, the offeror will be notified that 1) the proposal has merit and will be considered for award as funds become available, or 2) the proposal does not contain sufficient relevance to the USSOCOM mission to be of interest to the command. AWARDS: An invitation to submit a full proposal will be made to offerors on the basis of the white paper evaluation criteria above and program balance to provide best value to the Government. Awards will be subject to the availability of funds. Award instruments may take the form of a procurement contract, grant, or agreement depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between parties, 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. CLASSIFIED SUBMISSIONS: White paper and proposal submissions in response to this BAA should be kept UNCLASSIFIED. If classified information is expected to result from any contract, the offeror shall notify USSOCOM in the white paper or proposal. ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST: Awards made under this BAA are subject to the provisions of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) Subpart 9.5, Organizational Conflict of Interest. All offerors and proposed subcontractors must affirmatively state whether they are supporting any government technical office(s) through an active contract or subcontract. All affirmations must state which office(s) the offeror supports and identify the prime contract number. Affirmations shall be furnished at the time of proposal submission, and the existence or potential existence of organizational conflicts of interest, as that term is defined in FAR 9.501, must be disclosed. This disclosure shall include a description of the action the offeror has taken, or proposes to take, to avoid, neutralize or mitigate such conflict. If the offeror believes that no such conflict exists, then the offeror shall so state in the affirmation. ADMINISTRATION: USSOCOM will reply to questions relating to this BAA and will make replies to questions of general interest available to prospective offerors. All correspondence including questions and requests for access to the replies to the questions regarding this solicitation should be directed to one of the addresses below. USSOCOM prefers to use electronic mail for correspondence regarding this BAA. The address for this BAA is: EMail: douglas.s.lowe@navy.mil, Name: Douglas Lowe, with a courtesty copy to tammy.bair@socom.mil, Name: Tammy Bair.