Request for Information (RFI) Energetics Materials Systems Public Private Partnership (PPP)

This RFI is issued solely for information-gathering purposes. The Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering (OUSD(R&E)) seeks information on establishing a public private partnership (PPP) to foster innovation and facilitate collaboration, resource sharing between academia, industry and government stakeholders to accelerate discovery and development in energetic materials (EM) and energetics materials systems (EMS) technology, bolster the skilled workforce and expand and diversify the industrial base. The Department seeks to identify opportunities to rapidly advance energetics and EMS technology in a highly collaborative ecosystem and create a PPP that facilitates enduring innovation across the enterprise to effectively compete in an era of increasing technology globalization, and rapidly evolving technology. We seek recommendations from the private sector, including firms and academic institutions inside and outside DoD’s traditional orbit, and from within government for methods and practices (beyond another contract vehicle approach) that will facilitate accelerated innovation, industrial base diversification, and improved and accelerated technology maturation and transition. We want to identify aspects of the current munitions technology competency that the stakeholder community believes could be improved with establishment of a PPP and consider ideas and concepts that will enhance collaboration, improve communication, information sharing, and resource leveraging between academia, industry, and government stakeholders across the community. OUSD(R&E) seeks ideas and concepts for this proposed PPP that will enable opportunities for collaboration and leverage across relevant adjacent technology areas and interests. Adjacency examples in this case might be, but are not limited to, molecular/compound discovery methods that Pharma industry employs; synthetic chemist workforce growth; new business models such as private equity and capital markets; energetic laboratory facilities development; concepts for bolstering industrial base; or potential leverage of technologies that enable green initiatives. The major focus areas envisioned for this PPP to enhance munitions science & technology, research & development, transition & implementation, business & investment models, acquisition plan, test & evaluation and production, & supply follow: Basic and Applied Research – S&T and R&D programs that discover new concepts, exploit relevant technology developments and innovative ideas and mature them for insertion into programs of record and warfighting capabilities. Includes all aspects of technology development: Discovery and Invention Development, Prototyping, and Demonstration Prediction, Characterization, Testing and Evaluation Modeling and Simulation Manufacturing – Mature existing manufacturing technologies, create flexibility within the manufacturing environment for energetics (new and existing ingredients, scale-up, production processes, consolidation methods) and develop agile responsive energetic production and supply capabilities Industrial base diversification – Develop methods for increasing participation of companies (including but not limited to defense or international) in the development of munitions technology Workforce development – grow and improve retention of the skilled workforce within industry/academia/government labs with innovative and effective methods Contracting – Flexible arrangements that allay industry concerns and facilitate collaboration including individual and collective IP sharing, collaborative industry/government/academic programs in research, scale-up/production/manufacturing, test and evaluation, and rapid prototyping with rapid follow-on acquisition Physical Location – establish regional centers with low overhead costs at government, academic, and industry locations that serve as focal points for management of PPP activities, local security administration, resource leveraging, and project oversight Possible NAICS may include: 334516 - Analytical Laboratory Instrument Manufacturing 541330 - Engineering Services 541380 - Testing Laboratories 541420 - Industrial Design Services 541690 - Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services 611310 - Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools