30 January 2016

Full Spectrum Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Cyber Operations Technology

I. FUNDING OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION

Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate (AFRL/RI) is soliciting white papers for various scientific studies, investigations, and experiments to increase our knowledge, understanding and capability in order to expand cyber operations technologies involving full spectrum signals intelligence (SIGINT) and Electronic Warfare (EW) within the Department of Defense (DoD). Areas of interest include the integration, better coordination of, and capability to conduct cyberspace operations. This includes integration research into operational and contingency planning, as well as technology and approaches to better equip the warfighter. Concepts at the intersection of the areas of SIGINT, EW and Cyber technologies are sought in this Broad Agency Announcement (BAA). Development proposals, specifically as applies to new ideas/concepts for practical application, are of interest.

Research efforts under this program are expected to result in experimental capabilities, concepts, theory, and applications addressing cyber operations problems involving SIGINT and EW to support the future needs of DoD including 24th Air Force, 25th Air Force and other government agencies. Broad topics of interest include applying machine learning, mission platforms, and spectrum issues to cyber operations, and improving cyber exercise technology. Projects specializing in highly novel, interesting, and applicable techniques will also be considered if deemed to be of "breakthrough" quality and importance.


The effectiveness of the proposed technologies for future potential transitioning must be assessable through preplanned testing and evaluation activities. Offerors are encouraged to describe the pre-conditions and assumptions that are necessary for the proposed techniques to work effectively.

Additional technical information relevant to potential submitters is contained in a classified document at the Secret level to this BAA. A DD 254 is attached for further guidance. Unclassified ideas are welcomed, however, if you wish to review the classified document prior to submission, please follow the guidance below.

To obtain a copy of the classified document at the Secret level and the appropriate Security Classification Guide, which provides instructions and guidelines on the classification/declassification of information and submission materials, offerors must send a request to the BAA cognizant technical point of contact listed in Section VII, and provide the following information:

Full Company Name
Classified mailing address
CAGE Code
Facility Security Officer (FSO) name and phone number
Technical POC name and phone number
Classified Email Address, if applicable

II. AWARD INFORMATION:

1. FUNDING: Total funding for this BAA is approximately $49.8M. The anticipated funding to be obligated under this BAA is broken out by fiscal year as follows: FY 16 - $9.8M, FY 17 - $11.0M, FY 18 - $10.0M, FY 19 - $10.0M, and FY 20 - $9.0M. Individual awards will not normally exceed 48 months, with dollar amounts normally ranging from $250,000 to $1,500,000. There is also the potential to make awards up to any dollar value.

The Government reserves the right to select all, part, or none of the proposals received, subject to the availability of funds. All potential Offerors should be aware that due to unanticipated budget fluctuations, funding in any or all areas may change with little or no notice.

2. FORM: Awards of efforts as a result of this announcement will be in the form of contracts, grants, cooperative agreements or other transactions, depending upon the nature of the work proposed.

3. BAA TYPE: This is a two-step open broad agency announcement. This announcement constitutes the only solicitation.

As STEP ONE - The Government is only soliciting white papers at the time. DO NOT SUBMIT A FORMAL PROPOSAL. Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal, see Section IV of this announcement for further details regarding the proposal.

III. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION:

All qualified applicants who meet the requirements of this BAA may apply.

This BAA is closed to foreign participation at the Prime Contractor level.

Foreign Ownership, Control or Influence (FOCI) companies who have mitigated FOCI may inquire as to eligibility by contacting the contracting office focal point, Gail E. Marsh, Contracting Officer, telephone (315) 330-7518 or e-mailGail.Marsh@us.af.mil for verification prior to submitting a white paper. Please reference BAA AFRL-RIK-2015-0023.

IV. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION:

All responses to this announcement must be addressed to the Technical point of contact (POC) listed in SECTION VII. DO NOT send white papers to the Contracting Officer.

1. SUBMISSION DATES AND TIMES: It is recommended that white papers be received by the following dates to maximize the possibility of award:

FY16 by 08 Jan 2016
FY17 by 01 Dec 2016
FY18 by 01 Dec 2017
FY19 by 30 Nov 2018
FY20 by 06 Dec 2019

White papers will be accepted until 2 PM Eastern Time on 30 Sep 2020, but it is less likely that funding will be available in each respective fiscal year after the dates cited. This BAA will close on 30 Sep 2020.

All offerors submitting white papers will be contacted by the technical POC, referenced in Section VII of this announcement. Offerors can email the technical POC for status of their white paper/proposal no earlier than 45 days after submission.

2. CONTENT AND FORMAT: Offerors are required to submit three (3) copies of a 3 to 5 page white paper summarizing their proposed approach/solution. The purpose of the white paper is to preclude unwarranted effort on the part of an offeror whose proposed work is not of interest to the Government.

The white paper will be formatted as follows:

a. Section A: Title, Period of Performance, Estimated Cost, Name/Address of Company, Technical and Contracting Points of Contact (phone, fax and email)(this section is NOT included in the page count); 
b. Section B: Task Objective; and 
c. Section C: Technical Summary and Proposed Deliverables.

All white papers shall be double spaced with a font no smaller than 12 point. In addition, respondents are requested to provide their Commercial and Government Entity (CAGE) code, their Dun & Bradstreet (D&B) Data Universal Numbering System (DUNS) number, a fax number, an e-mail address, and reference BAA-AFRL-RIK-2015-0023 with their submission.

Multiple white papers within the purview of this announcement may be submitted by each offeror. If the offeror wishes to restrict its white papers, they must be marked with the restrictive language stated in FAR 15.609(a) and (b).

3. HANDLING AND MAILING INSTRUCTIONS:

a. CLASSIFICATION GUIDANCE. All Proposers should review the NATIONAL INDUSTRIAL SECURITY PROGRAM OPERATING MANUAL, (NISPOM), dated February 28, 2006 and incorporating Change 1 dated March 28, 2013, as it provides baseline standards for the protection of classified information and prescribes the requirements concerning Contractor Developed Information under paragraph 4-105. Defense Security Service (DSS) Site for the NISPOM is: http://www.dss.mil/.

In the event of a possible or actual compromise of classified information in the submission of your white paper or proposal, immediately but no later than 24 hours, bring this to the attention of your cognizant security authority and AFRL Rome Research Site Information Protection Office (IPO):

Vincent Guza
315-330-4048 0730-1630 Monday-Friday
315-330-2961 Evenings and Weekends

DO NOT CONTACT THE IPO WITH TECHNICAL QUESTIONS.

b. CLASSIFIED SUBMISSIONS. AFRL/RIGD will accept classified responses to this BAA when the classification is mandated by classification guidance provided by an Original Classification Authority of the U.S. Government, or when the offeror believes the work, if successful, would merit classification.

Security classification guidance in the form of a DD Form 254 (DoD Contract Security Classification Specification) is attached.

Offerors that intend to include classified information or data in their white paper submission or who are unsure about the appropriate classification of their white papers should contact the technical point of contact listed in Section VII for guidance and direction in advance of preparation.

c. MAILING INSTRUCTIONS.

1) All unclassified electronic submission shall be emailed toafrl.rigd.baa13-02@us.af.mil. Encrypt or password-protect all proprietary information prior to sending.

2) If the offeror has a secure email system, they may submit theirclassified white papers to usaf.rome.afrl-information-directorate.mbx.rigd.baa-13-02@mail.smil.mil. If the white paper/proposal classification is higher than the Secret level, please contact the technical POC before submission to the email above.

3) For all electronic submissions: Offerors are responsible to confirm receipt with the technical POC listed in Section VII. AFRL is not responsible for undelivered documents. If electronic submission is used, only one copy of the documentation is required.

4) While an electronic submission is the preferred method. If the offeror does not have a secure email system, then all classified responses to this announcement must be sent U.S. Postal Service, registered mail and addressed to AFRL/RIGD, 525 Brooks Road, Rome NY 13441-4505, and reference BAA-AFRL-RIK-2015-0023. Use classification and marking guidance provided by previously issued security classification guides, the Information Security Regulation (DoD 5200.1-R), and the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (DoD 5220.22-M) when marking and transmitting information previously classified by another original classification authority. Classified information at the Confidential and Secret level may be mailed via U.S. Postal Service (USPS) Registered Mail. For proposals of higher classification levels or for alternate submission mechanisms please contact the technical POC listed in Section VII. When mailing, ensure the response is appropriately marked, sealed, and mailed in accordance with the classified material handling procedures. The classified mailing address is:

AFRL/RIGD
525 Brooks Road
Rome NY 13441-4505
Reference BAA-AFRL-RIK-2015-0023.

When mailing follow the directions regarding the number of copies required.

Questions can be directed to the technical POC listed in Section VII.

4. OTHER SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS/CONSIDERATIONS:

a. COST SHARING OR MATCHING: Cost sharing is not a requirement.

b. SYSTEM FOR AWARD MANAGEMENT (SAM). Offerors must be registered in the SAM database to receive a contract award, and remain registered during performance and through final payment of any contract or agreement. Processing time for registration in SAM, which normally takes forty-eight hours, should be taken into consideration when registering. Offerors who are not already registered should consider applying for registration before submitting a proposal. The provision at FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management (Jul 2013) applies.

c. EXECUTIVE COMPENSATION AND FIRST-TIER SUBCONTRACT/ SUBRECIPIENT AWARDS: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at FAR 52.204-10 - Reporting Executive Compensation and First-Tier Subcontract Awards (Oct 2015). Any grant or agreement award resulting from this announcement may contain the award term set forth in 2 CFR, Appendix A to Part 25 which can be viewed at:http://ecfr.gpoaccess.gov/cgi/t/text/text-idx?c=ecfr&sid=c55a4687d6faa13b137a26d0eb436edb&rgn=div5&view=text&node

d. ALLOWABLE CHARGES: The cost of preparing white papers/proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract or any other contract, but may be an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18. Incurring pre-award costs for ASSISTANCE INSTRUMENTS ONLY are regulated by the DoD Grant and Agreements Regulations (DODGARS).

e. GOVERNMENT APPROVED ACCOUNTING SYSTEM: An offeror must have a government approved accounting system prior to award of a cost-reimbursement contract per limitations set forth in FAR 16.301-3(a) to ensure the system is adequate for determining costs applicable to the contract. The acceptability of an accounting system is determined based upon an audit performed by the Defense Contract Audit Agency (DCAA). IMPORTANT: If you do not have a DCAA approved accounting system access the following link for instructions: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d&

V. APPLICATION REVIEW INFORMATION:

1. CRITERIA: The following criteria, which are listed in descending order of importance and will be used to determine whether white papers and proposals submitted are consistent with the intent of this BAA and of interest to the Government:

(1) The overall scientific and/or technical merits of the proposal, including the approach for the development and/or enhancement of the proposed technology 
(2) The potential contributions of the effort to the U.S. Air Force Full Spectrum SIGINT, and Cyber Operations Technology mission 
(3) The extent to which the offeror demonstrates relevant technology and domain knowledge including experience and qualification of the types of personnel and the quantity and quality of the offeror's experience relevant to the requirements. This include an understanding of Air Force and/or Joint cyber operations, and SIGINT/EW tools, platforms, and processes 
(4) The extent to which existing capabilities and standards are leveraged and the relative maturity of the proposed technology in terms of reliability and robustness 
(5) The reasonableness and realism of proposed costs and fees, if any

No further evaluation criteria will be used in selecting white papers/proposals. White papers and proposals submitted will be evaluated as they are received.

2. REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS:

Only Government employees will evaluate the white papers/proposals for selection. The Air Force Research Laboratory's Information Directorate has contracted for various business and staff support services, some of which require contractors to obtain administrative access to proprietary information submitted by other contractors. Administrative access is defined as "handling or having physical control over information for the sole purpose of accomplishing the administrative functions specified in the administrative support contract, which do not require the review, reading, and comprehension of the content of the information on the part of non-technical professionals assigned to accomplish the specified administrative tasks." These contractors have signed general non-disclosure agreements and organizational conflict of interest statements. The required administrative access will be granted to non-technical professionals. Examples of the administrative tasks performed include: a. Assembling and organizing information for R&D case files; b. Accessing library files for use by government personnel; and c. Handling and administration of proposals, contracts, contract funding and queries. Any objection to administrative access must be in writing to the Contracting Officer and shall include a detailed statement of the basis for the objection.

3. ADEQUATE PRICE COMPETITION: The Government may simultaneously evaluate proposals received under this BAA with a common cutoff date for multiple offerors. In this case, the Government may make award based on adequate price competition, and offerors must be aware that there is a possibility of non-selection due to a proposal of similar but higher-priced technical approach as compared to another offeror.

VI. STEP TWO INFORMATION - REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL & AWARD:

1. AWARD NOTICES: Those white papers found to be consistent with the intent of this BAA may be invited to submit a technical and cost proposal. Notification by email or letter will be sent by the technical POC. Such invitation does not assure that the submitting organization will be awarded a contract. Those white papers not selected to submit a proposal will be notified in the same manner. Prospective offerors are advised that only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government.

For additional information, a copy of the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry," Mar 2015, and Proposal Preparation Instructions, Dec 2014, may be accessed at: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportunity&mode=form&id=1cffad228f48b58057072a6c9113799d

2. ADMINISTRATIVE AND NATIONAL POLICY REQUIREMENTS:

Depending on the work to be performed, the offeror may require a SECRET or TOP SECRET facility clearance and safeguarding capability; therefore, personnel identified for assignment to a classified effort must be cleared for access to SECRET or TOP SECRET information at the time of award. In addition, the offeror may be required to have, or have access to, a certified and Government-approved facility to support work under this BAA.

This acquisition may involve data that is subject to export control laws and regulations. Only contractors who are registered and certified with the Defense Logistics Information Service (DLIS) at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp/ and have a legitimate business purpose may participate in this solicitation. For questions, contact DLIS on-line at http://www.dlis.dla.mil/jcp or at the DLA Logistics Information Service, 74 Washington Avenue North, Battle Creek, Michigan 49037-3084, and telephone number 1-800-352-3572. You must submit a copy of your approved DD Form 2345, Militarily Critical Technical Data Agreement, with your white paper/proposal.

3. DATA RIGHTS:

a. SBIR RIGHTS. The potential for inclusion of Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) or data rights other than unlimited on awards is recognized. In accordance with (IAW) the Small Business Administration (SBA) SBIR Policy Directive, Section 8(b), SBIR data rights clauses are non-negotiable and must not be the subject of negotiations pertaining to an award, or diminished or removed during award administration. Issuance of an award will not be made conditional based on forfeit of data rights. If the SBIR awardee wishes to transfer its SBIR data rights to the Air Force or to a third party, it must do so in writing under a separate agreement. A decision by the awardee to relinquish, transfer, or modify in any way its SBIR data rights must be made without pressure or coercion by the agency or any other party.

b. NON-SBIR RIGHTS. Non-SBIR data rights less than unlimited will be evaluated and negotiated on a case-by-case basis. Government Purpose Rights are anticipated for data developed with DoD-reimbursed Independent Research and Development (IR&D) funding.

4. REPORTING: Once a proposal has been selected for award, offerors will be given complete instructions on the submission process for the reports.

5. NOTICE: The following provisions apply:
(a) DFARS 252.239-7017, Notice of Supply Chain Risk 
(b) DFARS 252.204-7008, Compliance with Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Controls 
Please note that the current versions or deviations of the related clauses will be included in any resulting contract.

6. GRANT AWARDS ONLY: For efforts proposed as grant awards, offerors must provide an abstract in their proposal (not to exceed one page) that is publically releasable and that describes - in terms the public may understand - the project or program supported by the grant. If the proposal is selected for award, the DoD will publically post the abstract to comply with Section 8123 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2015 (Pub. L. 113-235).

VII. AGENCY CONTACTS:

All white paper and proposal submissions and any questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the cognizant technical point of contact as specified below (unless otherwise specified in the technical area):

BAA Manager Deputy BAA Manager
Captain John Cobb 1Lt Richard C. Agbeyibor
Telephone: (315) 330-4315 Telephone: (315) 330-3097

Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant contracting officer, as specified below (email requests are preferred):

Gail Marsh
Telephone (315) 330-7518

Emails must reference the solicitation (BAA) number and title of the acquisition.

In accordance with AFFARS 5301.91, an Ombudsman has been appointed to hear and facilitate the resolution of concerns from offerors, potential offerors, and others for this acquisition announcement. Before consulting with an ombudsman, interested parties must first address their concerns, issues, disagreements, and/or recommendations to the contracting officer for resolution. AFFARS Clause 5352.201-9101 Ombudsman (Apr 2014) will be incorporated into all contracts awarded under this BAA. The AFRL Ombudsman is as follows:

Ms. Barbara Gehrs
AFRL/PK
1864 4th Street
Building 15, Room 225 
Wright-Patterson AFB OH 45433-7130
FAX: (937) 656-7321; Comm: (937) 904-4407

All responsible organizations may submit a white paper which shall be considered.
Added: Dec 10, 2015 2:43 pmBAA AFRL-RIK-2015-0023 - Amendment 1:
The purpose of this amendment is to:
Correct the technical POC's Phone number in SECTION VII - Agency Contacts.
The TPOC/BAA Manager's correct phone number is 315-330-4513

No other changes are being made.
Please consult the list of document viewers if you cannot open a file.
DD Form 254
Type: 
Other (Draft RFPs/RFIs, Responses to Questions, etc..)
Posted Date: 
December 9, 2015
Description: Department of Defense Contract Security Classification Specification (DD Form 254)
Contracting Office Address:
26 Electronic Parkway
Rome, New York 13441-4514 
United States 
Primary Point of Contact.:
Gail E. Marsh,
Contracting Officer
Phone: 315-330-7518
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