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BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) FA9451-19-S-0007 WHITE PAPERS SOLICITATION (CALL 0001) AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY/ DIRECTED ENERGY DIRECTORATE WHITE PAPERS SOLICITATION (CALL 0001) ACTIVE SENSING F... BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) FA9451-19-S-0007 WHITE PAPERS SOLICITATION (CALL 0001) AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY/ DIRECTED ENERGY DIRECTORATE WHITE PAPERS SOLICITATION (CALL 0001) ACTIVE SENSING FOR ORBITAL DETERMINATION 13 MARCH 2020 NAICS CODE: 541715 FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate – Electro-Optics Division (AFRL/RDS) BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT NUMBER: FA9451-19-S-0007 BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT TITLE: Technical Applications for Optical Space Situational Awareness (TAOS). CALL ANNOUNCEMENT (CALL) NUMBER: 0001 CALL TITLE: Active Sensing for Orbital Determination CALL TYPE: Two-Step TECHNICAL AREA: Technical Area 6: Active Sensing DUE DATE AND TIME: 1700 PM MST on 01 May 2020 APPLICABILITY OF OVERRACHING BAA: All requirements of FA9451-19-S-0007 apply unless specifically amended and addressed in this Call. The overarching BAA contains information applicable to all Calls and provides information on the overall program, proposal/white paper preparation and submission requirements, proposal review and evaluation criteria, award administration, agency contacts, etc. For any discrepancies please contact the contracting officer's attention immediately. For complete information, refer to the overarching BAA announcement at https://beta.sam.gov/opp/3be74b0d3e45d1d34221eeb97eb57d0f/view?keywords=FA9451-19-S-0007&sort=-relevance&index=&is_active=true&page=1 REQUIREMENT INFORMATION: BACKGROUND: The Air Force is soliciting white papers for research under Broad Agency Announcement, FA9451-19-S-0007 TAOS (Technical Areas 6: Active Sensing), specifically for Call 0001, Active Sensing for Orbital Determination. This Call is specifically requesting potential Offeror(s) provide white papers as described below. DESCRIPTION: The Air Force Research Laboratory, Directed Energy Directorate – Electro-Optics Division (AFRL/RDS) is seeking non-proprietary unclassified research white papers. It is the offeror’s responsibility to mark the relevant portions of their paper appropriately if they elect to submit propriety information. The focus of this BAA Call is to solicit technical solutions to develop an active optical ranging and characterization capability for artificial satellites in Earth orbit. Range information could provide rapid orbit building capabilities, as well as relative ranging information for satellites located in close proximity. Information from a precision ranging system could potentially provide unique sensitivity related to slight accelerations or motion of satellite components. The scope of this effort is being broken into three broad phases (this BAA Call is for the first two phases only): The first phase of this effort is a conceptual design phase which will examine trades including, but not limited to: direct detect vs heterodyne detection techniques in various sky background conditions, linear vs Geiger-mode detectors, monostatic vs bistatic systems, and laser power vs telescope aperture diameter trades which consider laser pulse length and AO capabilities. The second phase of this effort will include component testing, to mature requisite component technologies of the overall system. It will also be necessary to anchor the conceptual design modeling from the first phase, to build confidence in candidate system architectures. The third phase, which is not included in the current effort, would be the final integration and testing of a complete prototype system. Given the requirements uncertainty of the final, detailed design, the scope of that effort is not included in the current award. 3. OBJECTIVE(S): AFRL/RDS seeks the following R&D related to active optical ranging capabilities pertaining to space satellites. These studies should fit within the context of orbit determination and detection of closely spaced objects. 1. Conceptual design studies a. Compare direct- and coherent-detection approaches i. Light efficiency ii. Efficacy in various sky background conditions iii. Does either approach levy unique requirements on tracking or AO? b. System design, considering (but not limited to) the following: i. Linear-mode vs Geiger-mode ranging detectors ii. Laser power and other relevant laser characteristics iii. Aperture size iv. Monostatic vs. bistatic v. AO and tracking requirements and design (consider both laser beacon AO as well as passive AO) vi. Rayleigh beacon vs Sodium beacon AO vii. Available components and TRL’s c. Wave-optics simulation model of recommended system design from 1.b i. Confirm analytic predictions for the recommended architecture from 1.b. or explain deviations ii. Integrate, characterize, and refine detection algorithm(s) d. Consider mission-motivated concepts of operation (CONOPS) i. Queuing requirements ii. Acquisition approach and requirements (both angularly and in range) iii. Timelines iv. For both orbit determination as well as for detection of closely spaced objects e. Ongoing simulation studies and model validation 2. Technology maturation and component testing a. Detectors b. Laser beacon sources c. Detection algorithms d. Orbit determination algorithms e. Passive trackers f. Ranging lasers AWARD INFORMATION: ANTICIPATED FUNDING: This funding profile is only an estimate and is not a contractual obligation for funding. All funding is subject to change at the Government’s discretion and/or by the availability of funds. The estimated funding for this requirement is identified in the chart below: Estimated Call 0001 Cost: Anticipated funding for the program (not per contract or award): Fiscal Year (FY) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 Total Estimated Funding $1.5M $2M $2M $2.5M FUNDING RESTRICTIONS: The cost of preparing white papers in response to this Call is not considered an allowable direct charge to a resulting or other contract. ANTICIPATED NUMBER OF AWARDS: The Air Force anticipates awarding one or more contracts. However, the Air Force reserves the right to make multiple awards or no awards pursuant to this Call. ANTICIPATED AWARD DATE: Expected award date is June 2020. ANTICIPATED PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE (POP): The anticipated contract period of performance is 48 months with 45 months for technical performance and 3 months for a final reporting. ANTICIPATED CONTRACT TYPE: The Air Force anticipates awarding a Cost-Plus-Fixed-Fee-Completion contract as a result of this Call, but also reserves the right to award the instrument best suited to the nature of research proposed. DELIVERABLE ITEMS: The anticipated deliverable items are subject to negotiation. Hardware: Any hardware developed/procured under Phase II Software: Modeling and simulation software from conceptual trade studies under Phase I, plus data reduction software. Contractor Acquired Property (CAP) Inventory Quarterly Status Reports Monthly Financial Reports Final Scientific and Technical Reports Interim and Final Patent Reports Data deliverables are subject to negotiations. The following Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs) is representative of data requirements that may be required. A001: Final Report A002: Performance and Cost Report A003: Status Report A004: Presentation Material A005: PMP A006: GFP-CAP ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION: ORGANIZATIONAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST (OCI): No potential OCI issues have been identified prior to release the Call. All OCI issues and the need for applicable clauses will be resolved prior to award. SECURITY REQUIREMENT: The anticipated security classification for this effort is upto Top Secret (both facility and safeguarding) with access to Sensitive Compartment Information (SCI). Offerors response may include technical efforts that are unclassified or upto Top Sceret. Please review the draft DD Form 254 for more information. If applicable, a final DD 254 and related FAR clause will be incorporated into any applicable contract awards resulting from this Call. Offerors may submit white papers without having the appropriate clearances. However, Offerors must have the appropriate clearance(s) at the time of proposal submission and must be maintained through the entire contract period of performance. Offerors must verify their Cognizant Security Office information is current with Defense Security Service (DSS) at www.dss.mil. All classified material will be handled in accordance with E.O. 13526, National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual. 3. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED PROPERTY (GFP) AVAILABILITY: GFP is not anticipated. Any requests for GFP items required to perform the proposed effort must be separately identified in the Offerors response. If GFP is requested in the white paper and/or proposal, the following clause(s)/provision(s) apply: FAR 52.245-1 Government Property (APR 2012) or FAR 52.245-1, Alt II (JAN 2017) FAR 52.245-9 Use and Charges (APR 2012), DFARS 252.211.7007 Reporting of Government-Furnished Property (AUG 2012), DFARS 252.245-7001 Tagging, Labeling, and Marking of Government-Furnished Property (APR 2012), DFARS 252.245-7002 Reporting Loss of Government Property (APR 2012) DFARS 252.245-7003 Contractor Property Management System Administration (APR 2012) DFARS252.245-7004 Reporting, Reutilization, and Disposal (SEP 2016) 4. GOVERNMENT FURNISHED INFORMATION (GFI) AVAILABILITY: GFI is anticipated therefore the following clause(s)/provision(s) apply: DFARS 252.227-7025 Limitations on the Use or Disclosure of Government-Furnished Information Marked with Restrictive Legends applies. 5. ITEM IDENTIFICATION AND VALUATION: Any contract award resulting from this announcement may contain the clause at DFARS 252.211-7003, Item Identification and Valuation, which requires unique item identification and valuation of any deliverable item for which the government’s unit acquisition cost is $5,000 or more; subassemblies, components, and parts embedded within an item valued at $5,000 or more; or items for which the government’s unit acquisition cost is less than $5,000 when determined necessary by the requiring activity for serially managed, mission essential, or controlled inventory. Also included are any DoD serially managed subassembly, component, or part embedded within a delivered item and the parent item that contains the embedded subassembly, component, or part. Per DFARS 211.274-3 policy for valuation, it is DoD policy that contractors shall be required to identify the government’s unit acquisition cost for all items delivered, even if none of the criteria for placing a unique item identification mark applies. Therefore, your proposal must clearly break out the unit acquisition cost for any deliverable items. Per DFARS 211.274-3 policy for valuation, “the government’s unit acquisition cost is the contractor’s estimated fully burdened unit cost at time of delivery to the government for cost type or undefinitized line, subline, or exhibit line items” (per DoD, “fully burdened unit costs” to the government would include all direct, indirect, G&A costs, and an appropriate portion of fee.). If you have questions regarding the unique item identification requirements, please contact the contracting point of contact listed above. The contract will also include DFARS 252.211-7007, Reporting of Government-Furnished Equipment in the DoD Item Unique Identification (IUID) Registry IAW the clause. 6. BASE SUPPORT/NETWORK ACCESS: Base support/network access is not anticipated. 7. DATA RIGHTS: Potential data rights that may be required ranging from Unlimited Rights to Government Purpose. 8. DEFERRED ORDERING CLAUSE: Any contract award resulting from this announcement shall contain DFAR’s clause 252.227-7027, Deferred Ordering of Technical Data or Computer Software (APR 1988). APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION: DUE DATE AND TIME: White Papers must be submitted in response to this Call no later than 1700 PM MT on 01 MAY 2020. White Papers for any other technical area identified in the overall Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) will not be accepted in response to this Call solicitation. White Papers received after the due date and time shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3). NOTE: Offerors may be ineligible for award if all requirements of this announcement are not met by the due date and time. INTENT TO RESPOND: Potential Offerors are requested to advise the contracting point of contact if they intend to submit White Paper in response to this Call. Such notification is merely a courtesy and is not a commitment by the Offeror to submit a White Paper. CALL AMENDMENTS: Offerors should monitor beta.SAM.gov (http://www.beta.SAM.gov) for any additional notices and/or amendments to this Call that may permit extensions to the proposal submission date or otherwise modify this announcement. WHITE PAPER PROCESS: Below are specifics regarding the white paper submission, format, and content. White paper submissions must follow the format and content criteria provided in both the overarching BAA and this Call solicitation. SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: White papers must be submitted electronically via DoD SAFE (Secure Access File Exchange) website, https://safe.apps.mil/. DoD SAFE is a service to exchange large unclassified files. In order to create a drop-off (upload files), Offerors must contact the contracting office to receive a drop-off request or request code from an authenticated user (Government POC). Once the authenticated user generates a drop-off request, the Offeror will receive an email with a link to submit the drop-off. Optionally, the authenticated user (recipient) may provide a request code. In that case, click the Drop-off button on the SAFE home page and enter the Request code. A drop-off request is valid for 14 days. Frequently asked questions about DoD Safe can be accessed at: https://safe.apps.mil/about.php White paper submissions must reference the BAA number FA9451-19-S-0007 as well as the Call number i.e. “Call 0001,” and title. There are no limits to the number of white papers an Offeror may submit. WHITE PAPER FORMAT: i. Page Size: 8 ½ inches x 11 inches ii. Single PDF iii. Margins – 1 inch on each side iv. Font - Arial 11+ point v. Spacing: Single vi. Page Limit: Five pages maximum (One-side only) All text, including text in tables, diagrams, and charts, must adhere to all font size and line spacing requirements listed herein. No hard copies of the white papers are requested. WHITE PAPER CONTENT: i. Cover Page: The white paper cover page shall include at a minimum: Title of the white paper; Offeror organization name; organization size; technical and contracting points of contact; telephone number; fax; and email. Additionally, the cover page shall include the BAA number, solicitation number, and solicitation title and/or TA. ii. Technical Content: The technical content in white papers should capture the following information: innovative and technically sound approach to accomplish the solicited technical objective(s) and/or advances in knowledge, understanding, technology, and state-of-the-art along with importance to agency programs. iii. Business Content: The Cost/Business content (which includes the ROM) should provide top-level details on major cost items such as labor, special equipment that must be purchased, materials, and any subcontracts or other organizations’ costs (to include Government furnished facilities, equipment, or personnel) for the proposed effort. The ROM cost section shall not exceed one page. iv. Addendum: Include biographical sketches of the key personnel who will perform the research, highlighting their qualifications and experience. v. After the review of white papers, the Government will determine whether a formal proposal will be requested based on the evaluation criteria provided in the overarching BAA (also provided below). Offerors of those white papers evaluated as satisfying the technical merit factor and for which sufficient funding is determined available, will be sent a Request for Proposal (RFP) letter to submit a formal technical and cost/business proposal to the contracting point of contact. An RFP does not assure an Offeror of a subsequent contract award. White papers not selected for full proposal submission or proposals not selected for immediate funding will be disposed of/destroyed after one year. vi. Any questions concerning the white paper preparation shall be referred to the Technical or Contracting POCs identified in the Call. WHITE HOLDING PERIOD: White papers not selected for full proposal submission or proposals not selected for immediate funding will be disposed of/destroyed after one year. FULL PROPOSAL PROCESS: Below are specifics regarding proposal format and content. Additional information will be provided in the RFP. Proposal submissions must follow all format and content criteria provided in both the overarching BAA and the solicitation. GENERAL PROPOSAL INSTRUCTIONS: Proposals that include data restricted from public disclosure or used by the Government for any purpose should be marked with the proper disclosure and use of data restrictions. Technical and cost/business volumes should be submitted in separate volumes, and must be valid for a minimum of 180 days. Proposal submissions must reference the BAA number FA9451-19-S-0007 as well as the Call or Open Period Notification number i.e. “Call 0001,” and title. PROPOSAL FORMAT: i. Paper Size: 8 ½ inches x 11 inches ii. Margins: 1 inch on each side iii. Font: Arial 11+ point font on all text except as provided below in viii. This includes text in tables, diagrams, and charts. iv. Spacing: Single spaced vi. Page Printing: double-sided (however, each side counts as one page) vii. Any other information (e.g. captions, restrictive markings) shall not be smaller than Arial 10 point font or equivalent. viii. The technical proposal shall be limited to 20 pages and shall be prepared and submitted in Microsoft Word format. The technical proposal page limit does not include the offeror’s proposed Statement of Work (SOW); however, the same formatting rules apply to the SOW, which is limited to ten (10) pages. ix. Cost/Business proposals have no page limitations; however, Offerors are requested to keep cost proposals under 100 pages (Cost break-outs should be submitted in Microsoft Excel with the formulas included, all other information should be provided in Microsoft Word). PROPOSAL CONTENT: Technical Volume: The technical proposal content shall include a discussion of the innovative and technically sound approach to accomplish the solicited technical objective(s) and/or advances in knowledge, understanding, technology, and state-of-the-art along with importance to agency programs. The proposal must include any information on prior work in the technical areas, descriptions of available equipment, data and facilities as attachments to the technical proposal. This information will be used in the proposal evaluation to help determine the soundness of the technical approach. This volume shall include a SOW detailing the technical tasks proposed to be accomplished under the proposed effort. The SOW must be suitable for contract incorporation into a resulting contract, if any, and thus shall not have any company proprietary information contained within the document. If Government Furnished Property is requested, Offerors are required to submit the following information with their offer: A list or description of all Government property the Offeror or its Subcontractors propose to use. The list shall identify the accountable contract under which the property is held and the authorization for its use (from the Contracting Officer having cognizance of the property). The dates during which the property will be required for use (including the first, last, and all intervening months), and for any property that will be used concurrently in performing two or more contracts, the values of the respective uses in sufficient detail to support prorating the rent. The amount of rent that would otherwise be charged in accordance with FAR 52.245-9, Use and Charges, and be used in the management of Government property, or existing property management plans, methods, practices, or procedures for accounting for property. The voluntary consensus standard or industry leading practices and standards to be used in the management of Government property or existing property management plans, methods, practices, or procedures for accounting for property. Any questions concerning the technical volume or SOW preparation shall be referred to the Technical POC cited in the Call. Cost/Business Volume: Separate the volume into a cost section and business section. The business section should contain all business aspects of the proposed contract such as: resumes of personnel who will be participating in this effort; contractual instrument type; any exceptions to terms and conditions of the solicitation along with the rationale; technical data that will be delivered with less than unlimited rights; and any information not technically related. Cost proposals have no page limitations; however, as a goal, Offerors are requested to keep cost proposals under 100 pages. The proposal shall be furnished with supporting schedules and shall contain a labor hour breakdown per task. Subcontracting plans for efforts anticipated to exceed $2 million shall be submitted along with the technical and cost proposals. Reference FAR 19.704, DFARS 219.704, and AFFARS 5319.704(a)(1) for subcontracting plan requirements. Small businesses are exempt from this requirement. All direct costs (labor, material, travel, computer, etc.) as well as labor and overhead rates should be provided by Contractor Fiscal Year (CFY). A separate breakout by Government Fiscal Year (GFY) is not required. Submit fully-disclosed electronic cost spreadsheets with formulas. Include rate table for all direct and indirect rates that feed into the cost element summaries. EVALUATION CRITERIA: WHITE PAPER EVALUATION CRITERIA: The following criteria will be used to determine if a formal proposal will be requested. The Offeror’s white paper must satisfactorily address the Technical Merit factor identified below in order for the ROM to be evaluated for affordability. Only white papers satisfying both the Technical Merit and Affordability factors will result in a Request for Proposal. a. TECHNICAL MERIT: Innovative and technically sound approaches proposed to accomplish the technical objectives and/or advances in knowledge, understanding, technology, and state-of-the-art and importance to agency programs. b. AFFORDABILITY: Rough Orders of Magnitudes (ROM) will be evaluated to determine if sufficient funding is available. White papers satisfying the technical merit factor, and for which sufficient funding is determined to be available, will be evaluated as affordable. PROPOSAL REVIEW AND SELECTION PROCESS: The technical and cost/business proposals will be categorized as follows: a. HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Well-conceived scientifically and technically sound proposal pertinent to accomplish goals and objectives. Is important to agency programs. Proposal is recommended for acceptance (subject to availability of funds) and normally displaced only by other Highly Recommended proposals. b. SELECTABLE: Scientifically or technically sound proposals that may require additional development. Is important to agency programs. Proposal is recommended for acceptance if sufficient funding is available, but at a lower priority than Highly Recommended proposals. To ensure a diversity of approaches, a Selectable proposal may be prioritized over a Highly Recommended proposal if the Selectable proposal presents a unique approach unlike any of the Highly Recommended proposals. c. NOT SELECTABLE: Proposal is not scientifically or technically sound or does not meet agency needs. Even if sufficient funding exists, the proposal will not be funded. Note: Prior to award of a potentially successful offer, the Contracting Officer will make a determination regarding price reasonableness. Note: When the Government elects to award only part of a proposal, the selected part may be categorized as Highly Recommended or Selectable although the proposal as a whole may not merit such a categorization. AWARD NOTICES: Offerors will be notified whether their proposal is recommended for award in writing. The notification of recommendation for award is not to be construed to mean the award of a contract is assured as availability of funds and successful negotiations are prerequisites to any award. CALL SOLICITATION ATTACHMENTS: (1) DD Form 1423-1, Contract Data Requirements List (CDRLs) (2) Draft DD Form 254, DoD Contract Security Classification Specifications GOVERNMENT POINTS OF CONTACT: TECHNICAL: Dr. Ryan Coder, AFRL/RDSMR Phone: (505) 846-1379 or (505) 853-4069 Email: ryan.coder.1@us.af.mil Dr. Michael Steinbock, AFRL/RDSSR Phone: (505) 853-2772 Email: Michael.steinbock@us.af.mil Ms. Olivia Byrd, AFRL/RDSSE Phone: 505-853-7270 Email: magen.byrd.1@us.af.mil CONTRACTING: Contracting Officer: Ms. Kimerie S. Smith, AFRL/RDKB Phone: (505) 853-7466 Email: kimerie.smith@us.af.mil Contract Specialist: Ms. Vanessa D. Garcia, AFRL/RDKB Phone: (505) 846-1485 Email: vanessa.garcia.17@us.af.mil