RFI - Illuminating WMD Activities

The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Research and Development Department Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Division, Urgent Solutions (CXUS) is requesting information on foundational research or potential technologies that provide information related to the presence, identification and source attribution of biological or chemical threat materials, their precursors, containers, or delivery devices. Source attribution, in this context, refers to the provenance of the material under consideration, or any other information that illuminates WMD threat network activities. This Request for Information (RFI) is being utilized for strategic planning and market research purposes only and is not aligned to a current or planned procurement. Responses should address one or more of the following elements: WHAT - Identification of the threat material. This element refers to the detection, identification or rapid confirmatory testing of a potential threat material. WHO - Capture and identification of human signatures, which inform the source of the threat material. WHERE - This element refers to discovery and capture of a threat material's physical provenance. Where did the precursors/growth media/ weapon originate? Where was the threat material weaponized? Geochemical, Biological, and other signatures which are informative to this element are of interest. WHEN - Information on the time frame of the threat material. How long has this material been in the delivery device? Are there signatures indicative of threat material degradation and can this degradation indicate time since production. HOW - Finally, this element addresses the process by which a threat material was produced and its relation to the provenance. Complexity of the method employed or technical requirements? The impact of skill level needed to produce a threat. And what they can tell us to inform detection and destruction methodologies required to locate, identify and neutralize most effectively Respondents who wish to address more than one element should answer each in its own section or via a separate submission. SUBMISSION FORMAT Respondents to this RFI are encouraged to be as succinct as possible, while also providing actionable insight. Page limits for each section are indicated below. Format specifications for responses include 12-point font, single-spaced, single-sided, 8.5 by 11-inch paper, with 1-inch margins in MS Word, MS PowerPoint, or Adobe PDF format. Respondents are responsible for clearly identifying proprietary information. Responses containing proprietary information must have each page containing such information clearly marked with a label such as - Proprietary or - Company Proprietary. DO NOT INCLUDE ANY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IN THE RFI RESPONSE. A. Cover Sheet (1 page): Provide the following information. Response Title Technical point of contact name, organization, telephone number, and email addressTechnical Description (5 pages) B. Technical Description (5 pages) C. Bibliography/References (2 pages) D. Graphic Overview Slide: Please include a single PowerPoint slide that graphically depicts the main ideas of the response. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS AND CONTACT INFORMATION All responses to this RFI must be emailed to contact@example.gov. Responses will be accepted any time from the publication of this RFI until 1800 (Eastern) on Friday, October 15, 2021. All technical and administrative correspondence and questions regarding this RFI are to be directed to the contact@example.gov. Emails sent directly to the POC may result in delayed/no response. ELIGIBILITY DTRA invites participation from all those engaged in related research activities and appreciates responses from all capable and qualified sources including, but not limited to, private or public companies, universities, university-affiliated research centers (UARCs), Federally-Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs), and Government research laboratories. DISCLAIMERS AND IMPORTANT NOTES This is an RFI issued solely for information and new program planning purposes; it does not constitute a formal solicitation for proposals. In accordance with FAR 15.201(e), responses to this RFI are not offers and cannot be accepted by the Government as such. Responses do not bind DTRA to any further actions related to this topic including requesting follow-on proposals from respondents to this RFI. Submission is voluntary and is not required to propose to a subsequent Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) (if any) or other research solicitation (if any) on this topic. DTRA will not provide reimbursement for costs incurred in responding to this RFI. Respondents are advised that DTRA is under no obligation to acknowledge receipt of the information received or provide feedback to respondents with respect to any information submitted under this RFI. DTRA will disclose submission contents only for the purpose of review. Submissions may be reviewed by the Government (DTRA and partners); and Scientific, Engineering and Technical Assistance (SETA) support contractors.