A -- HIGH ENERGY LASER PROGRAM

Notice Date

November 1, 2001

Contracting Office

Defense Threat Reduction Agency (AM), DTRA Annex, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, MSC 6201, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060-6201

ZIP Code

22060-6201

Solicitation Number

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT

Response Due

November 19, 2001

Point of Contact

janet thodos, 703-767-7894, FAX 703-767-4691

E-Mail Address

Defense Threat Reduction Agency (AM) (janet.thodos@dtra.mil)

Description

This Broad Agency Announcement constitutes the entire solicitation for this effort. No additional information is available, nor will a formal request-for-proposal or other solicitation regarding this notice be issued; requests for same will be disregarded. This announcement constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement as specified in FAR 6.102(d)(2)(I). NOTICE: Due to size restrictions, the entire content of this BAA will be posted in two parts. The second part of this BAA will follow as a synopsis amendmen t. Offerors may also submit an email to janet.thodos@dtra.mil for the full text of this BAA. INTRODUCTION: The Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA), Ft. Belvoir, VA, acting as the contracting agent for the Department of Defense (DoD), Joint Technology Office (JTO), is issuing a two step Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit research proposals. Proposals should be structured for a 1-year period of performance (which includes final reports submissions and/or demonstrations). In addition, offerors may propose a 1 year option (must be separately priced). The two step BAA process consists of white papers and full proposal submissions. Organizations submitting proposals are cautioned that only a Contracting Officer may obligate the Government to any agreement that involves the expenditure of Government funds. The DoD High Energy Laser (HEL) Joint Technology Office is chartered to develop and execute a Department-wide, coordinated management and investment strategy to take advantage of opportunities presented by advances in HEL technologies. The JTO's objective is to make HELs lightweight, affordable, supportable, and effective on the modern battlefield. The program will promote projects, research, scientific studies, or other initiatives that provi de farsighted, high payoff research leading to advances in HEL science and technology with emphasis on military utility. PROGRAM SCOPE: The purpose of the program is to increase the DoD military unique HEL applications through basic research, applied res earch, and advanced technology development investment. The goals are to develop revolutionary capabilities and to stimulate the HEL commercial industrial base. It is expected that there will be multiple awards made under this BAA. The anticipated fundin g level for award, based on a 1-year performance period, should be approximately $1 million or below. Projects submitted under this BAA must be structured to provide a specific product or deliverable for the 1 year contract performance period. Proposals less than 1 year will be favorably considered. Offerors may also propose a one year option which also must provide a specific product or deliverable. Funding for 1-year options is not guaranteed and is at the discretion of the government. TECHNICAL TOPI C AREAS: TOPIC AREA 1. Beam Control Component Technology: The primary thrust of this area is to develop windows, resonator mirrors, coatings, aperture-sharing elements, deformable mirrors, and innovative wavefront sensors. This area also includes sensi tive low-noise focal plane arrays at appropriate wavelengths for wavefront sensors and target trackers. Enhanced beam control component design, manufacturing, and testing/ evaluation base initiatives can also be proposed. The payoffs will be improved com ponents to support multiple HEL-related military missions and a more robust industrial base to support other HEL programs. TOPIC AREA 2. Closed-Cycle Chemical Laser Technology-The objectives of this area are to develop and demonstrate closed-cycle chemica l laser operations for tactical systems. Proposals in this effort may address optimizing performance of the laser and the exhaust system while attaining high output power, novel gas chemistry, fuel regenerative systems, gas processing, innovative size and weight reductions, nozzles, and exhaust systems. While near-term opportunities center on derivatives of the Chemical Oxygen Iodine Laser (COIL), other chemist ries may be proposed. The payoff will provide critical technology to enable COIL, a well demonstrated HEL, to operate in a tactical environment. TOPIC AREA 3 Tactical Beam Control -- The objectives of this area are to develop and demonstrate techniques fo r acquisition, pointing, and tracking in a tactical (including maritime, ground, and aerial) environment; to develop technologies for compensation of thermal-blooming and turbulence in stressing, high-scintillation tactical scenarios; to develop laboratory or field test-beds for advanced tactical beam control; and to demonstrate beam control on appropriate tactical platforms. The payoff is a set of validated beam-control techniques to enable a whole new class of tactical applications. TOPIC AREA 4. Solid -State-Laser Technology -- The objectives of this area are to develop reliable, low-cost diodes for pumping lasers, to investigate and develop improved methods for thermal management on high-energy solid-state-lasers, and to develop and demonstrate technique s for beam combining of laser modules for high-energy applications. The payoff will be demonstrated scalability of solid-state lasers to high average power levels appropriate to a weapon system. TOPIC AREA 5. HEL Modeling -- The objectives of this area are a vastly improved, physics-based ability to simulate and model HEL subsystems, end-to-end HEL system performance, and HEL technical and military utility, to include integrated system modeling (i.e., photon birth-to-death ). The payoff would be a sign ificantly enhanced capability to design HEL systems and greatly reduced test costs. TOPIC AREA 6. Free Electron Laser (FEL) Technology -- The objectives of this area are to develop FEL component technologies, including high-current photo-injectors, high current long-life cathodes, high-efficiency wigglers, and to design advanced resonators for high-energy FELs. The payoff will be the demonstration of critical FEL technology leading toward a tactical 100kW FEL systemdemonstration. PROPOSAL PREPARATION AN D SUBMISSION This announcement is an expression of interest only and does not commit the government to pay for proposal preparation costs. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this BAA is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulti ng contract or to any other contract. However, it may be an allowable expense to normal bid and proposal indirect costs as specified in FAR 31.205-18. If a subcontract(s) with a Federally Funded Research and Development Center (FFRDC) is proposed, offeror s are reminded of the limitations in their use (see FAR 35.017) and must provide documentation in the proposal that work is not otherwise available from the private sector. Each proposal shall reflect the potential for commercial application and the benef its expected to accrue from this commercialization. Technology transition efforts, partners, or plans should be identified. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Any responsible offeror considering itself capable of satisfying the needs identified in this BAA may submit a proposal. Such offerors may include foreign firms to the degree they are eligible to receive awards resulting from this soli citation. Offerors may also include foreign personnel as part of their proposed resources; however, these personnel must meet all requirements necessary to perform on the resulting contract (e.g. security clearances). One award is anticipated to be made to a small business. The Government reserves the right to make no award to a small business if their proposal is not considered to represent the best value to the Government (technical/cost tradeoff) as compared to the evaluation criteria for the proposed topic area and/or cost is not determined reasonable for the technical effort. The proposal submission process will occur in two phases. The first phase, Phas e I, is submission of a white paper (optional). The second phase, Phase II, is submission of a full proposal. Offerors need not submit a white paper in order to submit a full proposal. Offerors must submit a full proposal by the due date for full propo sals in order to be considered for award. Offerors are advised that classified white papers and classified proposals will not be accepted. Phase I :White Paper The purpose of the white paper is to provide the evaluators with a concise technical, cost, and schedule approach that supports the HEL application being addressed. Offerors shall use electronic email for submission of their white paper proposals and must be received by email on or before 19 November 2001 by 2:00PM Eastern Standard Time (EST) .. Email address is: janet.thodos@dtra.mil. Emailed copies must be followed within 5 business days with a hard copy of the proposal and the required disk as stated below. Hard copies of the white papers should be mailed to the Defense Threat Reduct ion Agency/AL(Attn: Janet Thodos), DTRA Annex, 8725 John J. Kingman Road, MSC 6201, Fort Belvoir, VA 22060. White papers received after the closing date/time will not be accepted. Handcarried or faxed proposals will not be accepted. Proprietary infor mation to include data may be incorporated but should be marked for proper handling. Each white paper must follow the format prescribed in this document. Information in excess of the stated format will result in the white paper not being evaluated. The white paper shall include a cover sheet plus six (6) pages (for a total of 7 pages). The page format shall be 12 point or larger type, single-spaced, one inch margins, single sided, 8.5 by 11 inch pages. The page limitations for white papers include all f igures, tables, and charts. No formal transmittal letter is required. Offerors shall submit an original of each white paper and an electronic copy in Adobe Acrobat, pdf format on 3 inch 1.4MB floppy diskettes or an Iomega-compatible 100MB Zip disk. The C over Sheet shall be clearly marked WHITE PAPER and must identify the BAA number, technical area, lead organization submitting the proposal, type of business (large, small, educational institution, other not-for-profit/non-profit, etc.), offeror s CAGE code and DUNS number (if any), other team members (if applicable) and their types of business, proposal title, technical points of contact, and administrative/business points of contact. Points of contact shall include voice and facsimile telephone numbers, e lectronic mail addresses, and internet web site addresses. Each proposal must indicate on the cover sheet which technical topic area is being addressed. White papers will contain three sections describing the technical, cost and milestones associated with the proposed project. Section 1- Technical -The technical area shall contain the following:1) The technical area to be addressed and work to be accomplished; 2) Statement of Objectives and proposed approach to meet the objectives 3) An assessment of t echnical risk; 4) Description of the projected military utility/application based upon current deficiencies; 5)Predicted relative impact of such a solution should it prove successful; 6) Relevant Experience -- Describe current and past work in HEL technology related to the proposed effort. Section II-Cost -- The cost area shall include the following: Provide a Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimate for project execution; Section III-Schedule -- The schedule area shall identify and describe major mileston es for the contract effort proposed and for any option proposed. Please see the Presolicitation notice modification for additional information.

Web Link

Army Single Face to Industry (http://acquisition.army.mil)

Record

Loren Data Corp. 20011105/ASOL003.HTM (D-305 SN512101)