Description
The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) is charged with developing and fielding a Ballistic Missile Defense System (BMDS) to protect the United States, our allies and friends. The Ballistic Missile Defense layered approach includes sensors, kinetic energy systems, directed energy systems, battle management, and command control elements that will engage threat missiles in all phases of flight, from Boost Phase through Midcourse and into Terminal Phase. MDA efforts will make the BMDS more robust against the widening threats, and able to handle a broad range of unknown missiles, warheads, trajectories, and adversaries. In addition, the BMDS must function without extensive detailed a-priori knowledge of our adversary’s systems. Wherever adversaries launch, to whatever target they choose, we must be able to detect, track, identify and kill that ballistic missile. In support of these efforts, MDA programs are geared towards advancing technological thresholds in both hardware and software. This push is fundamental to the strategy of spiral development with Block improvements in the BMDS every two years. We advance technology that enables near-term, evolutionary growth in current systems while adding revolutionary systems to substantially improve the BMDS capabilities in the far term. Within MDA, the Advanced Systems Deputate (AS) is responsible for developing advanced capabilities for the BMDS. This includes planning and executing a broad range of enabling and advanced technology development efforts, developing the technology base for advanced BMDS Blocks, assessing innovative concepts for BMDS integration, and leading the effort to develop algorithms for improving BMDS capability. The Missile Defense Science, Technology And Research (MSTAR) Program, administered by MDA/AS, is designed to identify and develop new and innovative concepts, stimulate technology innovation, and exploit breakthroughs in science to offer robust technical improvements to all elements of the BMDS. MDA/AS has instituted the MSTAR Program in order to sponsor fundamental, MDA relevant research and development at accredited United States universities and academic institutions as well as to support training of future scientists and engineers in the field of missile defense. The MSTAR Program is a competitive, science and technology university program, which will consist of forefront research and development technology, concepts, and approaches through scientific and technological investigation in the following ten MSTAR topic areas: (1) Sensing, Ranging, Imaging, and Phenomenology, Example MDA Technologies or Interest: Simultaneous Multicolor Focal Plane Arrays; Plasma Antennas, Lightweight Optics, Multi-Sensor Correlation and Integration; (2)Detection, Tracking, Discrimination, Decision Theory, Asset (Sensor and Weapon) Resource Management and Kill Assessment; Example MDA Technologies or Interest: Wide-angle Acquisition Sensor for Laser Communications, Precision Relative Position Sensors, Integrated Star-Tracker and Inertial Reference Unit, Bayesian Decision Networks, Optimization; (3)Propulsion Technologies, including novel divert propulsion; (4) Electronic and Photonic Materials and Devices; Example MDA Technologies or Interest: Technologies employing increased IR Cutoff Wavelength; (5)MEMS and Nanotechnologies, Robotics and Microsystems; (6) Directed Energy and Non-Linear Optical Devices and Processes; Example MDA Technologies or Interest: Nanofiber Reinforcement Composite Optics; Lightweight, Movable, Precision, Off-Axis, Parabolic, Calibration Mirrors; (7) Guidance and Control, Platform Technologies, and Kill Enhancement; Example MDA Technologies or Interest: Miniature Interceptor Technologies, Survivable Lightweight Materials for Operation in Caustic Environments, Low Cost High Performance Gyroscope; (8) Power Generation and Conditioning, Thermal Management; Example MDA Technologies or Interest: High Voltage Power Amplifiers, Distributed Low-Power Density Apertures, Power Devices Self Protection; (9) Force Protection of Missile Defense Systems and Facilities; (10) Information Processing and Computing Technologies, Human in the Loop (MDA Operations) Intelligence Processing and Decision Making in Near Real Time. If interested in this opportunity, please respond to MDA with the following: (1) a combined technical and management proposal limited to ten pages, including a one-page executive summary of the technical and management proposal. The technical and management proposal shall include full discussion of the scope, nature, and objectives of the proposed research effort; rationale for the technical contribution to MDA goals to include identification of the MSTAR topic area the proposal is submitted under; related research efforts performed in the past; a description of and statement of availability of facilities and instrumentation required for performance; a description of management planning and control systems; and identification of limited data rights or computer software, if any. In addition the offeror must provide the following, exclusive of the ten page limitation: a Statement of Work (SOW) suitable for contract incorporation, and resumes of key personnel; (2) Cost proposal limited to five pages. The cost proposal shall be submitted as a separate document together with supporting detailed cost data, including subcontractor data, if any. Offers shall include a summary of the cost proposal at the cost element level (i.e., total direct labor, overhead, general and administrative, etc). Summaries should also include a funding profile by fiscal year. Offerors’ proposals shall be submitted in electronic format (MS Word for Windows or a clearly readable .PDF file) and should be marked appropriately if they contain proprietary information. All proposals shall remain valid for acceptance by the Government for a period of 180 days. MDA will evaluate the responses based on the following criteria (weighted equally): (1) Scientific and technical excellence of the research and its relevance to MDA goals (to include anticipated benefits to basic or applied/exploratory research effort to the MDA mission), with special emphasis on innovation, originality, and uniqueness; (2) The offeror’s capabilities, related experience, adequacy of available or obtainable instrumentation and facilities, techniques, or unique combinations of these are integral factors for achieving the proposal objectives; (3) Qualifications, capabilities, and experience of the proposed principal investigator, team leader, and/or key personnel that are critical in achieving the proposal objectives; (4) Ability of the proposed effort to make progress toward demonstrating the feasibility of the concept in accordance with MDA programmatic needs; (5) Adequacy of management planning and controls; demonstrated ability to deliver results from research projects, on schedule, on or under cost; and (6) Cost will be evaluated as follows: the proposals will be evaluated against the government’s estimate of the cost of completing the contract using the technical and management approaches proposed; total evaluated probable cost consists of the government’s estimate of the realistic cost of completing the offerors’ proposals, to include the government’s assessment of program risk, and additional costs to the government such as government-furnished property, government-furnished information, transportation, and other cost related factors. This BAA will remain open until January 31, 2005. Offerors may submit separate proposals on any or all the specified topic areas of research. Proposals will not be evaluated until the close of this announcement. Proposal evaluations will be completed not earlier than 60 days after the close of the announcement. The Government may use selected support contractor and other non-governmental personnel to assist in the evaluation and administrative handling of proposals submitted in response to this announcement. These persons are bound by appropriate non-disclosure agreements to protect proprietary and source selection information. Submission of white papers under this BAA constitutes the offerors acknowledgement and consent to the use of contractors during the evaluation process. Award announcements are expected to be made on April 15, 2005. MDA expects to award four to six contracts during the third or fourth quarter of Fiscal year 2005. The period of performance for the resultant awards will range from twelve months to thirty-six months with a funding level of $150,000 to $200,000 per contract year. The contract document, upon award, will include details of the contract deliverables. MDA may award contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions as a result of this announcement. Offerors are reminded that a BAA is for the acquisition of basic and applied research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement (FAR 35.016). Concepts submitted related to the development of a specific system will be returned as non-responsive. Issuance of this BAA does not obligate the Government to pay any proposal preparation costs or to award any contracts, grants, cooperative agreements, or other transactions. The Government reserves the right to select all, some, or none of the proposals submitted, or to select only part of an effort described in a proposal for award. MDA requires offering institutions submitting a proposal under the MSTAR Program to have the lead Principal Investigator(s) (PIs) hold United States (US) citizenship. MDA desires participating students conducting research for or sponsored under an MSTAR Program award hold US citizenship. The government reserves the right to request special justification in the circumstance for considering one or more legal non-US citizen students, who hold valid green cards, participation in research for or for sponsorship through an MSTAR Program award.