Description
The Missile Defense Agency Office of Small Disadvantaged Business Utilization (MDA/SB), in cooperation with the Advanced Systems Deputate (MDA/AS), announce the pilot program for science and technology research at Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI). The objective of this pilot program is to promote the participation by and prepare HBCU/MIs for the mainstream research program of MDA/AS. The goal of this effort is to attract researchers from HBCU/MIs toward technical endeavors that will improve their competitiveness in winning regular support from the primary MDA/AS research program. Research is sought in the following ten technology areas: (1) Sensing, Ranging, Imaging, and Phenomenology; Examples of MDA Technology or Interest: Simultaneous Multicolor Focal Plane Arrays, Plasma Antennas, Lightweight Optics, Multisensor Correlation and Integration; (2) Detection, Tracking, Discrimination and Decision Theory, Asset (Weapon and Sensor) Resource Management and Kill Assessment; Examples of MDA Technology 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, including Wide Band Gap (WBG) Technology; Examples of MDA Technology or Interest: Technologies employing increased IR Cutoff Wavelength; (5) MEMS and Nano Technologies, Robotics and Microsystems; (6) Directed Energy and Non-Linear Optical Devices and Processes; Examples of MDA Technology or Interest: Nanofiber Reinforcement Composite Optics; Lightweight, Movable, Precision, Off-Axis, Parabolics, Calibration Mirrors; (7) Guidance and Control, Platform Technologies, and Kill Enhancement; Examples of MDA Technology 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; Examples of MDA Technology or Interest: High Voltage Power Amplifiers, Distributed Low-Power Density Apertures, Power Devices Self Protection; (9) Force Protection of Missile Defense Systems and Facilities; and (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 20 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; schedule of milestones; 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 rights data or computer software, if any. In addition the offerors must provide the following, exclusive of the 20 page limitation: a Statement of Work (SOW) suitable for contract incorporation; and resumes of key personnel; (2) a detailed cost proposal, including all subcontractor data. The cost proposal shall include a cost summary at the cost element level (i.e. total direct labor, overhead, general and administrative, etc.); and a funding profile by fiscal year. All proposal offers shall remain valid for acceptance by the Government for a period of 180 days. MDA will evaluate the responses based upon the following criteria (listed in descending order of importance): (1) Technical: (a) Anticipated benefits of the basic research or applied/exploratory research effort to the MDA mission, (b) The scientific/technical quality of the basic research or applied/exploratory research proposal and its relevance to the topic description, with special emphasis on its innovation and originality, and with consideration for the potential of the successful completion leading to further support by the main MDA/AS research program, and (c) Qualifications of the Principal Investigator, other key staff and consultants, if any, and adequacy of available or obtainable instrumentation and facilities; (2) Management: Adequacy of management planning and controls; and (3) Cost: Proposals will be evaluated against the government’s estimate for the completion of the proposed technical and management approaches. The total evaluated probable cost consists of the government’s estimate of the realistic cost of completing offerors proposals, to include the government’s assessment of program risk, and additional costs to the government such as government furnished property/information, transportation, and other cost related factors. This BAA will remain open until February 28, 2005. Proposals will not be evaluated until the close of this announcement. Proposal evaluations will be completed no earlier than 60 days after the close of this announcement. MDA may award contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements as a result of this announcement. Issuance of this BAA does not obligate the Government to pay any proposal preparation costs or to award any contracts, grants, or cooperative agreements. 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. The period of performance for the awards will range from twelve months to twenty-four months. FY05 ($1.5M) and FY06 ($1.5M) funding has been identified for this BAA.