Inactive

The due date for proposals in response to CALL W911W6-20-R-0004 is extended by this amendment to 3:30 p.m. eastern time on 7 July 2020. Offerors submitting proposals with file sizes larger than allowe... The due date for proposals in response to CALL W911W6-20-R-0004 is extended by this amendment to 3:30 p.m. eastern time on 7 July 2020. Offerors submitting proposals with file sizes larger than allowed by email may request a Department of Defense SAFE Site drop off NO LATER THAN 12 p.m. eastern time on 7 July 2020. SAFE Site requests will be submitted to thomas.m.helms6.civ@mail.mil and hope.a.mcclain.civ@mail.mil. Proposals submitted previous to this amendment will be considered, unless an updated proposal is submitted. 1. GENERAL INFORMATION 1.1. Introduction This Call (W911W6-20-R-0004) is issued in accordance with the Army Contracting Command (ACC) Master Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) W911W6-20-R-0009, effective through 27 Mar 2021, on behalf of the Technology Development Directorate-Aviation Technology Systems Integration & Demonstration (TDD-A/SID). Please refer to the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for complete instructions and details. This Call provides supplemental information and specific criteria to the Government requirements based off the Master BAA. Information included herein applies to this Call only. The Army’s requirements for future aircraft require improvements in reliability to allow sustained operations in remote locations. Corrosion of gearboxes and gearbox components as well as seal failures are two of the largest reliability/maintenance drivers for aircraft gearboxes. In order to minimize the issues of corrosion and seal leakage, new corrosion resistant materials and novel seal materials are required. These new materials will help reduce operations and sustainment (O&S) cost for aircraft gearboxes/transmissions, which are one of the largest life-cycle cost drivers of an aircraft system. In addition, the Army’s future aviation concept of operations is relying more and more on aircraft that have extended range and greater agility. To meet these requirements, aircraft will need to be lighter weight. These aircraft are usually powered with turboshaft engines that require transmissions/gearboxes with 3 or 4 reduction stages, which adds significant weight to the aircraft. One of the objectives of this effort is to demonstrate a transmission/gearbox that can achieve in the necessary high reduction ratio in two stages. Advances in gearbox and geartrain technology, especially in the pericyclic and epicyclic areas of endeavor, have yielded transmission concepts with high reduction ratios, and in some cases variable speed capability in a small package to reduce weight. This competitive Call seeks to develop the technologies required to design, build, and test a more reliable, high reduction-ratio transmission, in a lightweight, compact package for future and current fleet of manned and unmanned vehicles. This Call is issued under the authority of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), 6.102(d)(2) and 35.016, and the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulations (DoDGRs), DoD 3510.6-R. The Government’s selection of proposals will be based upon a peer/scientific review of submitted proposals. 1.2. Program Mission and Objectives Call number W911W6-20-R-0004, High Reduction-Ratio Transmission (HRT), seeks to develop and demonstrate a high reduction-ratio transmission with 60:1 reduction ratio and associated materials to meet the technical requirements described herein. This is a 6.3 Advanced Technology Development program. The starting Technology Readiness Level (TRL) may be as low as TRL 4 (Component and/or breadboard validation in a laboratory environment). Technologies are expected to be matured to a TRL 6 (System/subsystem model or prototype demonstration in a relevant environment) at the end of the effort. 2. RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY DESCRIPTION The TDD-A/SID is seeking proposals on technologies for a High- Reduction-Ratio Transmissions (HRT) with or without variable output speed. The purpose of this effort is to mature and demonstrate to TRL 6 the technologies necessary for development, design, fabrication, and testing of a high reduction-ratio transmission in two stages or less with improve reliability against corrosion and seal leakage. Corrosion of gearboxes and gearbox components as well as seal failures are two of the largest maintenance cost drivers for aircraft gearboxes. As part of this effort, advanced high-strength, corrosion resistant steels and new seal materials/designs shall be matured. The advanced high-strength, corrosion resistant steel shall have strength, surface hardness, core strength and ductility comparable to current aerospace gear steels, such as AISI 9310, as well as corrosion resistance equal to or better than AISI 440C. The new seal materials/designs shall be capable of operating at the input and output of the developed high reduction-ratio transmission, with a goal of less than 0.5cc/hour of oil leakage using DOD-PRF-85734 oil. Offeror shall include test methodology to be used under this effort to demonstrate new/advanced materials and design capabilities. The new corrosion resistant steels and new advanced seals shall be incorporated into the design and demonstrated to TRL 6 under this effort. For the demonstrator gearbox, input speed capability shall be greater than or equal to 30,000 RPM (constant) with a base output shaft speed reduction of 60:1. Continuously variable output shaft speed (based around the specified base output speed) is desirable but not required. Power density goals shall be 0.12 pound per horsepower (fixed output speed) or 0.15 pound per horsepower (variable output speed). Power density goals shall include lubrication system (oil jets, pumps, oil lines, oil coolers and necessary support brackets) and any other items necessary for operation of the gearbox. The demonstrator gearbox shall be a minimum of 200 horsepower or greater. Overall efficiency shall be 0.97 (97%) or better. Design life shall be no less than 4500 hours. In order to understand the application of the proposed gearbox/transmission, the Offeror shall provide in their proposal a drive system concept using the HRT gearbox relative to a notional aircraft design, and identify the critical technologies to be developed under the program. The notional aircraft shall be a rotary-wing aircraft. The HRT gearbox shall be capable of independently absorbing all torque, propeller/rotor, shear, and bending loads from the engine, propeller, or any combination thereof. Additional support structure, stiffeners, or dampers of any sort are discouraged. If required, these devices will count against and be included in the power density calculation. 3. AWARD INFORMATION 3.1. Anticipated Award Date Expected Award Date: Award is possible starting in 4th quarter FY20, subject to the availability of funds. 3.2. Anticipated Funding for the Program Government Estimate: Available Government funding is approximately $12.774 M for all awards. Government fiscal year distribution is as follows: FY20 $50K, FY21 $1.854M, FY22 $3.258M, FY23 $3.323M, FY24 $3.289M, FY25 $1.000M. 3.3. Type of Contract/Instrument Refer to Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 Subparagraph 3.3. 3.4. Number of Awards Anticipated The Government anticipates one award from this call. The Government may also entertain partial awards due to the type of technology proposed, if necessary. 3.5. Anticipated Period of Performance The period of performance is 60 months (57 months for technical and 3 months for final report) 3.6. This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) is intended to fulfill requirements for scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing state-of-the-art technologies and/or increasing knowledge and understanding as a means of eliminating current technology barriers. See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 3.7. Deliverables All awards will require delivery of the following data items or deliverables: (1) Program Management Plan, (2) Bi-Monthly Progress, Cost and Performance Reports, (3) Final Report, (4) Final Briefing at Ft. Eustis, (5) Design Review Briefing Charts, (6) Test Plans, and (7) Test Reports. (Note: Each of these items shall be delivered in the Offeror’s format). A draft Technology Investment Agreement (TIA) is also included as reference 4 to this Call and contains the deliverables. 4. ELIGIBILITY INFORMATION 4.1. Eligibility See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 4.2. Nonprofit Organizations, Educational Institutions and Small Business Set Aside Due to the complexity and technical considerations of this program, this solicitation is not set-aside for small businesses. See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 4.3 Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) and Government entities See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 4.4 Foreign Entities Notice to Foreign Owned Firms: Participation in this program is limited to U.S. Firms as Prime Contractors; however, foreign owned entities can participate as subcontractors/recipients to U.S. prime contractors/recipient. The U.S. prime entity retains responsibility for compliance with U.S. export controls. Interested entities must address export compliance of any foreign participants in its cost volume. See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 4.5 System for Award Management (SAM) See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 5. APPLICATION AND SUBMISSION INFORMATION 5.1. Two-Step, White paper/Proposal Submission Process This Call will not use the Two-Step process for white papers and proposals outlined in the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009. This Call will only use proposals for the submission and evaluation process. See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 5.2.2. Proposal Format The technical volume shall not exceed 30 pages (minimum 12-point font) for all text. See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 5.2. Proposal Submission Process 5.2.3. Proposal Content Offerors may submit multiple proposals for different technology concepts. Each proposal shall describe an effort to address all of the requirements defined within the BAA description. Each proposal shall consist of two volumes, a technical volume and a cost volume. In presenting the proposal material, Offerors are advised that the quality of the information is significantly more important than quantity. Offerors should confine the submissions to essential matters providing sufficient information to define their offer and establish an adequate basis for the Government to conduct its evaluation. The Government reserves the right to select for award only a portion of an Offeror’s proposal or the total proposed effort. ADD encourages and promotes teaming arrangements with research organizations to include academia, industry, and small businesses in order to achieve a mix of relevant expertise and capabilities for executing research and development efforts. Technical Volume: The technical volume of the proposal shall provide an analysis that justifies the selection of the technologies and solution proposed, benefits of the proposed solution relative to the BAA objectives, and a plan to develop and mature the technology. The technical volume shall also include a clear statement of the technical objectives, the specific approach to be pursued and supporting background experience. Proposals responding to this BAA should describe the basic technologies to be developed to meet the program goals. The approach to design, fabricate and demonstrate the HRT components/critical technologies should be well defined. It shall contain a Statement of Work (SOW), milestones, a biographical section describing key personnel, a description of the facilities and/or data sources to be employed in the effort, and a program management section. Program technical and schedule risks and gaps associated with the design should also be identified. Offerors shall identify and substantiate the beginning and ending Technology Readiness Levels. The technical volume shall not exceed 30 pages (minimum 12-point font for all text, photograph notes and graphics). Cost Volume: The cost volume of the proposal shall include a funding profile that shows total program cost and cost elements (man-hours, labor categories, materials, travel, and other costs) by month and government fiscal year. This information should be provided for both the total program and for each SOW task. All pricing rates used, and equipment and materials required should be included. The individual tasks proposed must be priced separately in order to facilitate selection and potential award of individual parts of the proposed effort. Cost share or in-kind contributions, if proposed, need to be clearly identified. Subcontractor cost proposals, if applicable, including pricing rate details, should be provided concurrent with the prime contractor’s submission. Technical information included in the cost proposal will not be evaluated or considered in the rating of technical merit. As part of this volume, Offeror’s proposing use of a TIA, either as a Cooperative Agreement or OT, shall include the draft TIA provided by the Government with proposed changes clearly marked to facilitate Government evaluation of the proposal. If a foreign entity is participating as part of a prime’s team, the cost volume shall clearly identify such participant and the Offeror’s planned compliance with U.S. export controls, including any required export licensing. Security Requirements: Unclassified, subject to export controls. Performance will require access to and/or generation of technical data the export of which is restricted by the Arms Export Control Act (Title 22, U.S.C., Sec. 2751 et. seq.) or Executive Order 12470. Prior to award, the successful Offeror(s) will be required to (if applicable) provide an “Export-Controlled DoD Data Agreement” certification number issued in accordance with DoD Directive 5230.25. This certification may be requested from the Defense Logistics Services Center, ATTN: DLSC-FBA Federal Center, Battle Creek, MI 49017-3084, Telephone 1-800-352-3572. Other Special Requirements - Data Rights: The Government desires, “Unlimited Rights”, but at a minimum requires, "Government Purpose Rights" as defined by DFARS Part 227, to all technical data, deliverables, and computer software developed under this program, and no limitations on the use of delivered and/or residual hardware. It is the Offeror's responsibility to clearly define the proposed data rights for technical data, computer software and each deliverable. Ambiguities will be negatively evaluated against the Offeror. 6. EVALUATION INFORMATION The selection of proposals will be based on a peer/scientific review of proposals (both technical and cost as it relates to technical effort) in accordance with the criteria set forth in the Master BAA and Call with the exception of relative importance. All technical criteria will be equally important. Additionally, Criterion I is amended as follows: The extent to which affordable, comprehensive, efficient, and innovative technologies are proposed to satisfy the BAA requirements. This will include understanding of the problem, current technical barriers, and how the proposed solution eliminates those barriers. See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7. OTHER INFORMATION 7.1. Information for Proposal Respondents See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7.2. Export Control Considerations See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7.3. Security Classification See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7.4. Subcontracting Plan See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7.5. Government Furnished Data, Equipment, Property, or Facilities Government Furnished Property and Data: It is the Offeror's responsibility to identify, coordinate, and furnish supporting documentation in the proposal for use of any Government furnished equipment or property. No government furnished data will be provided. Offerors must have access to or be capable of generating the data required to develop and validate the systems proposed. See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7.6. Order of Precedence See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7.7. Protest See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. 7.8. Contract Award by Agencies Other Than Army Contracting Command See the Master BAA W911W6-20-R-0009 for additional details on this section. PROPOSAL SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS: Proposals should be marked with the BAA Call number and shall be submitted in electronic format to the ACC Contracting Office, Attn: CCAM-MZA-F (Mr. Thomas M. Helms at Thomas.m.helms6.civ@mail.mil and Ms. Hope McClain at hope.a.mcclain.civ@mail.mil). Facsimile proposal submission is not authorized. Proposals submitted after the closing date will be handled in accordance with FAR 52.215-1, Instructions to Offerors—Competitive Acquisition. Unless otherwise specified in the proposal, proposals will be considered valid for Government acceptance for an additional 12 months beyond the call closeout date. This announcement is an expression of interest only and does not commit the Government to pay any proposal preparation costs. All questions must be emailed to the points of contact above. The Government may not address interested sources questions received less than 2 weeks prior to the proposal receipt. Any information given to a prospective Offeror concerning this Announcement, which is necessary in submitting an offer or the lack of which would be prejudicial to any other prospective Offeror(s), will be published as an amendment to this Announcement. Offerors should be alert for any amendments to this Announcement. If proprietary or copyrighted information is submitted, please include a statement authorizing the Government to copy and distribute the file(s) within the Government for evaluation purposes. Appropriately marked proprietary information will be appropriately protected by the U.S. Government. Enclosures: 1. Ref 1, W911W6-20-R-0009_Master BAA 2. Ref 2, HRT Statement of Research Effort (SORE) 3. Ref 3, Deliverables Report Requirements Agreement Deliverables 4. Ref 4. Draft TIA Template - Expenditure Based w SORE and Deliverables