DESC:

DRAFT PRDA FOR AGENT DEFEAT

A -- DESCRIPTION: This is a Program Research and Development Announcement (PRDA). The Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Directorate, Ordnance Division (AFRL/MNMI) is interested in receiving technical and cost proposals for development of an Agent Defeat Warhead (ADW) Demonstration (ADWD). The ADWD program objective is to develop and demonstrate a warhead capable of defeating targets associated with the development, production, and storage of chemical (C) and biological (B) weapons (CBW), while limiting the potential for collateral damage. A determination has been made for this solicitation, that all foreign participation at the prime contractor level will be prohibited. Proposals in response to this PRDA must be received no later than 3:00 P.M. CT on _____1999 addressed to Air Force Research Laboratory, Munitions Contracting Division, Bldg. 13, 101 W. Eglin Blvd., Suite 337, Eglin AFB FL 32542-6810, Attn.: Ms Vicki Keider (AFRL/MNK). Proposals submitted after the cut-off date specified herein shall be treated in accordance with FAR 52.215-1(c)(3), "Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition (Oct 1997)". Responders must reference the following number (PRDA _________ ). Proposals submitted must be in accordance with this announcement. Since this is a PRDA, there will be no formal request for proposal or other solicitation regarding this announcement. Offerors should be alert to any PRDA amendments that may be published. The Government reserves the right to amend the due date to allow for subsequent submission-of-proposal-dates. If a proposal is selected to satisfy the PRDA objectives as a result of the first submission, subsequent opportunities for proposal submission will not be available. This development effort consists of the Phase I- Concept Development and Assessment, plus three optional phases. Phase I consists of three basic tasks. During Task 1, Concept Evaluation and Selection, the contractor shall perform design trade excursions relative to his proposed Agent Defeat Warhead baseline design concept, as well as identify and evaluate other promising concepts. Based on the results of the warhead design trade study, the contractor shall then recommend a concept for sponsor approval. The contractor shall also identify the test methodology, metrics, and success criteria for evaluating the effectiveness of the recommended concept for use during the remainder of the program. Upon sponsor approval of the recommended concept, the contractor shall proceed with Task 2, Preliminary Design, where he shall develop a preliminary warhead design. The level of design detail achieved during Task 2 shall be sufficient to support the fabrication of the warheads to be tested during subsequent static lethality tests, and to accurately assess the technical risks associated with the ADW design. The contractor shall also develop a master test plan outline, which covers all ground testing proposed for Phases I-III. During Task 3, Warhead Lethality Demonstration, the contractor shall fabricate full-scale warheads in quantities sufficient to support static lethality/effectiveness tests. The contractor shall then conduct lethality/effectiveness tests of statically emplaced warheads for the various agent defeat target scenarios relevant to his ADW design. The contractor shall then evaluate the test results in accordance with the sponsor approved evaluation methodology, metrics, and success criteria. Subsequent to receipt of Goverment approval, the contractor shall then proceed with Phase II- Warhead Design and Ground Test, which consist of Tasks 4 and 5. Under Task 4, Detailed Design, the contractor shall accomplish the detailed design of the sponsor approved warhead concept inclusive of all components, subsystems and interfaces. Under Task 5,Fabrication and Ground Test, the contractor shall fabricate test warheads in quantities sufficient to support all Phase II ground test efforts. He shall then conduct ground tests of the warheads to thoroughly demonstrate the survivability, functionality and effectiveness of the warhead when delivered against simulated CB targets. Subsequent to receipt of Goverment approval, the contractor shall then proceed with Phase III, Warhead Flight Test, which consist of Task 6, Flight Demonstration. During Task 6, the contractor shall update the Phase II ADW design to resolve any problems identified during ground testing. The contractor shall initiate and maintain contact with the Air Force Seek Eagle Office to ensure identification and generation all analysis and test data necessary for the timely approval of a flight clearance for ADW. The contractor shall then fabricate a quantity of ADW warheads in accordance with the requirements of Paragraph B(4) of this PRDA. The ADW shall then be flight tested to establish carriage and release compatibility with the F-15E, and demonstrate warhead effectiveness against relevant targets. Four fight test drops of all-up/live warheads shall be conducted against relevant CB type targets. The remaining all-up warheads (Reference Paragraph B(4) of this PRDA) will be reserved for other testing to be conducted outside the scope of this PRDA. Subsequent to receipt of Goverment approval, the contractor shall then proceed with Phase IV, Residual Assets Fabrication, which consists of a single task (i.e., Task 7, Fabrication of Residual Assets). During Task 7, the contractor shall update his Phase III ADW design to resolve any problems identified during flight test. The contractor shall then fabricate ADW warheads in accordance with the requirements of Paragraph B(4) of this PRDA and deliver them to the sponsor. During Phases I, II, and III, the contractor shall plan, schedule, conduct and/or support all aspects of the testing required for the ADW development and design maturation, except as otherwise specified in this PRDA. Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must include Phase I, a priced option for Phase II, a priced option for Phase III, and a priced option for Phase IV. During all phases of the ADWD program the contractor shall be cognizant of all safety issues and safety requirements related to the design, fabrication and test of the ADW. The contractor shall be responsible for identifying, contacting and supporting as necessary any and all government safety organizations which may have ADW safety oversight responsibilities, such that all safety consideration/issues relevant to either the ADWD program or any follow-on development of the ADW are adequately addressed in a complete and timely fashion.

B-- REQUIREMENTS:

(1) Technical Description: AFRL/MNMI is conducting a 42-month, four phase Agent Defeat Warhead Demonstration Program. The objective of this program is to demonstrate an ability to generate widespread damage within fixed ground targets associated with the development, production and storage of chemical (C) and biological (B) weapons (CBW), while limiting the potential for collateral damage (i.e., human casualties resulting from the unintentional release of CB agents beyond the confines of the target structure) by neutralizing any resident CB agent, which might be inadvertently expelled from the target as a consequence of the attack. The ADW shall, as a minimum, be effective against one of the following relevant target categories: hardened chemical targets, soft chemical targets, hardened biological targets, or soft biological targets. Effectiveness shall be understood to imply both the ability to achieve widespread physical damage within the target, and to limit collateral damage resulting from the unintended release of CB agents. Candidate kill mechanisms for achieving the desired results include, but are not limited to, thermal effects derived from high temperature incendiary (HTI) materials, low blast fragmenting warheads or submunitions, neutralizing chemicals, and other mechanisms which may be identified during the ADWD program. The ability of the ADW to deny the enemy access and/or use of the target and/or its contents is considered desirable, but only as a fallout capability occurring in conjunction with wide spread physical damage within the target structure. A hybrid warhead payload that employs a combination of the referenced kill mechanisms may be required to achieve program goals. Kill mechanisms that are not considered appropriate for the ADWD include those employing nuclear fizzle material or radioisotopes. The ADW shall, within acceptable tolerances, be designed to same external dimensions and closely approximate the mass properties as those for the 2000-lb class BLU-109 warhead. The ADW shall be designed for physical and functional compatibility with the following Air Force guidance kits: GBU-24, GBU-27, AGM-130, and GBU-31 (JDAM). The intent is to allow those weapon delivery systems, when equipped with the ADW, to hold a wide variety of CBW targets at risk, thereby minimizing the additional cost and operational burdens required to realize such a capability. Accordingly, the ADW shall also be compatible with existing Air Force ground handling, storage, and transportation equipment used to handle the 2000-lb class warhead common to those delivery systems.

(2) Technology Goals: The Government is seeking a single warhead design that provides a robust agent defeat solution for all relevant target categories (i.e., hardened chemical targets, and/or soft chemical targets, and/or hardened biological targets, and/or soft biological targets). The goal of the ADWD program will be to demonstrate that the warhead is effective against both chemical and biological agents, and related hardware and/or munitions located within structures ranging from those classified as soft, above ground targets, to those classified as hardened underground targets. However, the Government may deem a technical approach, which addresses only one, or two, or three of the referenced target categories in a robust manner more acceptable, than an approach, which addresses all four target categories in a less robust fashion.

(3) Design Requirements: The design of the entire ADW, inclusive of all payloads, components, subsystems, and interfaces shall be the responsibility of the prime contractor. The external dimensions and mass properties of the ADW warhead shall be sufficiently close to those of the standard BLU-109 warhead, so as to ensure that when equipped with any of the guidance kits specified in paragraph B(1) of this PRDA, it will meet all guidance kit and aircraft interface requirements, and provide the same release and free flight performance as does the BLU-109. The ADW shall be designed to survive and function properly under the range of impact conditions typically associated with the current GBU-24 guidance kit. As a goal, the ADW concept should be scaleable to other warhead variants (e.g., variants of the BLU-116 (AUP), JAST, MMT, and BLU-113). The ADW shall be designed to minimize the number or sorties and weapons required to defeat the target. Therefore, ADW shall be designed as a stand-alone weapon that does not require pre-strike or post-strike delivery of a different type of weapon in order to defeat the target and/or insure the minimization of collateral damage. As a goal, the ADW should be physically and functionally compatible with the following fuzes or variants thereof: a) Hard Target Smart Fuze, b) Joint Programmable Fuze, and c) Multiple Event Hard Target Fuze. If the Agent Defeat Warhead design employs an electronic fuze and/or electronic weapon safety controller, then it/they shall be designed to be compatible with a MIL-STD-1760 interface, such that the various related modes of the fuze and/or the weapon safety controller can be tested and programmed via the Common Munitions BIT/Reprogramming Equipment (CMBRE). During the course of the design and test effort, the contractor shall consider the potential environmental impact associated with the fabrication and test of his Agent Defeat Warhead. Pursuant to federal statutes, the contractor shall minimize the use/selection of hazardous materials and processes utilizing hazardous material to avoid or minimize generation of hazardous wastes as identified in 40 CFR 261. If hazardous materials are utilized during the contract or would be required for the technology being developed, the contractor shall notify the sponsor. Additionally, the topic shall be discussed at the regular periodic program reviews. If hazardous materials are used or generated during the program, the contractor shall be responsible for the identification, generation, and submission to the appropriate environmental regulative authority of all technical data and documentation required to obtain approval for the use of hazardous material(s) in fabrication and/or testing of the Agent Defeat Warhead, or generation, or disposal of any associated hazardous wastes. The contractor shall also be aware of, and bring to the immediate attention of the sponsor, any aspects of the ADW development and test effort that might potentially affect or be affected by international treaties related to chemical and/or biological materials (or their surrogates) or weapons, or related test facilities which simulate their production, storage, or test.

(4) Fabrication of Hardware: (a) In Phase I the contractor shall fabricate a sufficient quantity of full scale warheads, based on sponsor approved preliminary warhead design, to support the conduct of static tests designed to demonstrate the effectiveness of the warhead against all relevant targets that the contractor’s ADW is designed to defeat. The level of design detail incorporated into the Phase I hardware shall be sufficient to demonstrate the viability of the warhead’s payload expulsion and dispersal system. (b) If the contract option for Phase II is awarded, the contractor shall fabricate sufficient quantities of full scale warheads, based on sponsor approved detailed design, to support all relevant Phase II testing in accordance with the contractor generated/government approved test plan. The number of warheads fabricated shall be sufficient to demonstrate the survivability, functionality, and effectiveness of the ADW against all relevant target categories. (c) If the contract option for Phase III is awarded, the contractor shall fabricate two [2] inert warheads and ten [10] all-up warheads. The contractor shall also fabricate sufficient additional inert and/or live warheads to support the conduct of all weapon environmental testing and safety testing necessary to ensure timely approval of the flight clearance for the flight test of the ADW from the F-15E. The warheads fabricated during Phase III shall reflect the correction of any design deficiencies identified during Phase II. (d) If the contract option for Phase IV is awarded, the contractor shall fabricate approximately ten [10] all-up warheads. The warheads fabricated during Phase IV shall reflect the correction of any design deficiencies identified during Phase III. The contractor shall also fabricate and deliver to the sponsor one set of any unique tools or hardware required to support the build-up, inspection, and/or maintenance of the ADW's delivered under Phase IV.

(5) Test Support: The contractor shall be responsible for planning, conducting, and/or supporting the conduct of all ADW testing required to develop and mature the ADW design, except as otherwise specified in this PRDA. The contractor shall be responsible for all test plans necessary for the maturation and demonstration of the ADW. Contractor generated test plans, as approved by the government, will become contractual requirements. When testing is conducted at goverment test facilities the contractor may, subject to both the sponsor’s and responsible government test organization’s (RGTO) approval, delegate the generation of the test plan to the RGTO. When tests are conducted at government facilities, the contractor shall be responsible for providing, as needed, technical support, analysis, data, and test planning support to the RGTO to ensure the timely and cost effective test of the ADW in accordance with the sponsor approved test plan(s). The contractor shall be responsible for identifying and recommending to the government suitable test sites/facilities for the test of the ADW. The preferred site for the conduct of ADW sled and flight tests is Eglin AFB FL. However, the contractor may propose other sites if he can show/document that Eglin test capabilities are inadequate, or if there is a significant overall cost savings to be realized by the goverment by conducting the test at an alternate location. The goverment shall have final approval authority in the selection of test sites/facilities. The contractor shall conduct, document, and deliver to the government, analysis, technical data, job guides, and red-lined Air Force Technical Orders (TO’s) as necessary for obtaining warhead test approval, and for receiving, handling, buildup, transporting, ground testing, loading on aircraft, sled testing, and flight testing of the ADW. When goverment test site/facilities are utilized, the sponsor will make payment directly to the RGTO to cover the goverment costs incurred by the RGTO in supporting the test.

(6) Data Requirements: The following data submittals are expected (a) Periodic status reports including technical progress, programmatic information, schedule, and appropriate disclosure of actual cost and labor expenditures. (DI-MGMT-80368, -80909, -80269) Contractor format CSSR, CSR, CFSR, CWBS are required during all phases of the contract (DI-FNCL-80912; DI-MGMT, -81334, -81467, - 81468) Copies of monthly billing vouchers submitted to the government, as well as monthly updates regarding payments received from the government are also required during all phases of the contract. (b). Any and all analysis, technical data, safety data, explosive ordnance disposal data, environmental data, red-lined TO’s, and other documentation required for obtaining live warhead test approval, and for receiving, handling, buildup, ground testing, aircraft loading, ground testing, and flight testing of the warhead components, warhead subsystems, or all-up warhead. (DI-MISC-81414; DI-SAFT-80931, -80182, -81299); (c) Development specifications, draft product performance specification(s), and design drawings for the warhead components, warhead subsystems, all-up warhead, and warhead interface with the GBU-24 and GBU-27 guidance kits. (DI-DRPR-81002A; DI-CMAN-81314: DI-IPSC-81431) (d) Test plan(s) and test reports for all significant testing in Phases I, II, and III (DI-NDTI-80566, 80809B) (e) Design analysis and interim technical reports submitted upon completion of each major task and program phase, or as necessary to facilitate timely approval of test clearances and safety documentation. (DI- MISC-80048, -80711; DI-NDTI-80809; DI-GDRQ-80567). Final technical report and a technology transfer report at the end of the program. The final report, which will be published in DTIC, must document the entire effort and must include relevant data and results from other technical data that would not be published otherwise. (DI-MISC-80711). (g) A record (e.g., agenda, presentation materials, minutes, and tracking of associated action items) of required meetings. (DI-ADMN-81249A, -81250A, -81373). The contractor may propose additional elements or submittal of combined elements or Data Item Descriptions (DIDs) as appropriate for the proposed program. Electronic submittal is encouraged whenever feasible and cost effective for the program.

(7) Meetings and Reviews: The contractor will be expected to host and conduct various meetings throughout the program, including but not limited to a kickoff Program Review at the beginning of each phase, and a wrap-up Program Review at the end of each phase. Kickoff Program Reviews will be held not more than two weeks after the award of the contract modification for each phase. Wrap-up Program Reviews will be held not later than two weeks prior to the completion of each phase. Additional Program Reviews will be held at times coinciding with key program milestones or decision points as deemed appropriate by the contractor. The contractor will also be expected to conduct periodic progress meetings for technical and programmatic interchange throughout the program. In no event shall the period between successive Program Reviews or the intermediate progress meetings exceed 3 months. The contractor is expected to host half of the reviews and meetings, and the Government will host half. In addition, the contractor shall support and participate in Government agency safety and test meetings as appropriate. The contractor may also propose to conduct or participate in other meeting with subcontractors, Government agencies, or other third parties, as deemed appropriate to the program.

(8) Long Lead Items: Timely execution of successive phases of the ADW Program may require the purchase of long lead materials and /or hardware prior to the formal approval of the next phase of the program. Therefore, the contractor shall identify his Long Lead Item requirements to the sponsor in a timely manner.

C--ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: (1) Anticipated Period of Performance: 42 Months total, consisting of 13 months of Phase I tasks, and 15 additional months for the optional Phase II tasks, and 9 additional months for the optional Phase III tasks, and 5 additional months for the optional Phase IV tasks. The contractor may propose an alternate duration for each of the four phases. However, the total duration of the proposed effort, inclusive of all phases, shall not exceed 42 months, and the funding required to execute the revised schedule must match the goverment funding profile for the ADW program.

(2) Award Date: The estimated Phase I award date is March 1999, with an effective start date of not later than April 1999.

(3) Government Estimate and Type of Contract: The Government anticipates awarding a single cost-plus-fixed-fee (CPFF) contract for Phase I, with CPFF options for the other three phases. The total contract cost (in then -year dollars) to execute all four phases, plus the additional cost (in then year dollars) of all test support (e.g., sled tests, targets, flight tests, environmental tests, etc.) provided by the government must not exceed $15.9M. (Reference Paragraph D- (3) of this announcement). The offeror is expected to balance the scope of his proposed contracted effort, and the scope of his proposed goverment test effort, such that the combined cost does not exceed $15.9M. (NOTE --The goverment anticipates that the ADW then-year-dollars funding profile inclusive of all funds available for both the ADWD contract and government test effort, will be as follows: FY99 - $2.879M, FY00 - $5.578M, FY01 - $5.615M, FY02 - $1.829M. However, this statement shall not be interpreted as an obligation on the part of the goverment to fund the ADW program at the stated annual levels). It is the offeror's responsibility to identify any government owned equipment, facilities, and support required for the execution of the ADW program. Except as noted below, it is also the offeror’s responsibility to generate or otherwise obtain estimates for all the associated costs incurred by the government in providing the equipment, facilities and support necessary to meet the contractor’s testing requirements. The exception to this requirement is that GBU-24 guidance kits, standard inventory fuzes, standard inventory submunitions, and standard inventory empty bomb cases will be treated as cost free items if they are provide as Government Furnished Equipment (Ref. Paragraph C-(4) of this PRDA). When the use of reusable government owned targets is proposed for the testing of the ADW, the contractor’s estimate of government test costs must include the cost associated with the intermediate and final refurbishment of the target structures used.

(4) Government Furnished Property, Facilities and Test Support: It is the offeror’s responsibility to identify all resources (i.e., hardware, equipment, facilities and support) needed to execute the contract in a timely and cost effective manner, whether the resources are contractor-owned and furnished or Government-owned and furnished. The Government will assist in providing Government-owned property or facilities as appropriate and if available. The offeror’s proposal shall not propose or assume the right to use any government-owned resource unless he has prior written confirmation from the Government PCO that those resources will be available for his use. Therefore, the offeror should forward a detailed list of Government resources that he wishes to include in his proposal to the PCO not later than ten (10) days after the date of publication of this PRDA. The Government will determine the availability of the resources and then notify the contractor as to whether the request has been approved or disapproved.

(5) Size Status. This acquisition is full and open competition; However, the appropriate SIC code is 8731 with a small business size standard of 500 employees.

(6) Proprietary Items: The Government prefers the proposed ADW design include no parts, materials, or software that are proprietary. It is the offeror’s responsibility to identify any proprietary materials, products, software, or processes to be used by the prime contractor or subcontractors in the performance of this program and to address acquisition of data rights or licenses, or expected recoupment of development costs for those proprietary items that will be integral to the ADW.

(7) Security Requirements: Portions of this program will be classified up to the SECRET NORFORN level. EMSEC requirements will apply. Generation of classified material for this solicitation is authorized only on equipment approved for classified processing by Air Force EMSEC authorities. The Agent Defeat Warhead Demonstration Security Classification Guide, dated__________, shall be used as guidance in preparing proposals for this solicitation.

(8) Other Special Requirements: International Traffic in Arms Regulations applies.

D--PROPOSAL PREPARATION INSTRUCTIONS: (1) General: Offerors should apply the restrictive notice proscribed in the provision at FAR 52.215-1(e), "Instructions to Offerors-Competitive Acquisition" (Oct 1997), to trade secrets or privileged commercial and financial information contained in their proposals. Offerors should consider instructions contained in the "Proprietary Information", and "When and How to Submit" sections of the AFMC Pamphlet 64-101, "Unsolicited Proposal Guide", copies of which are available by writing to: AFDTC/BC, 205 West D Avenue, Suite 449, Eglin AFB, FL 32542-6863 or telephone (850) 882-2843. AFMC Form 190, Policy Agreements does not apply to Program Research and Development Announcements. Additional proposal questions should be directed to one of the points of contact listed in Part F. A written technical and cost proposal, submitted in separate volumes, is required. Volume 1 should provide the technical proposal addressing all four phases of the program, and Volume 2 should address the price and cost details of the proposal for all phases of the program. Volume 1 should be limited to a total of 100 pages, including resumes, charts, figures, tables, etc.; the proposed SOW and CDRLs may be included as an appendix of not more than 50 pages. The government reserves the right to remove and return to the offeror any excess pages before evaluation starts. Costs proposals have no page limitations, however, offerors are requested to keep cost proposal to 50 pages as a goal. A page is defined to be one side of an 8.5x11 inch piece of paper with information on it. Minimum print size is 10 point type, or 12 pitch, with line spacing of not less than one and one half for the typeface used. Proposals shall be submitted in an original and 5 copies. All responsible sources may submit a proposal that shall be considered against the criteria set forth herein. Authorization for limited reproduction and dissemination within Government Agencies and National Laboratories is requested. The cost of preparing proposals in response to this announcement is not considered an allowable direct charge to any resulting contract, or any other contract. It is, however, an allowable expense to the normal bid and proposal indirect cost specified in FAR 31.205-18. Offerors are advised that only the Contracting Officer is legally authorized to contractually bind or otherwise obligate the Government. The US Air Force reserves the right to award one or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. If selected for possible award, the offeror will be required to submit a subcontracting plan within ten (10) days of notice.

(2) Technical Proposal: The Volume 1 technical proposal shall include, as a minimum, a statement of work suitable for contract incorporation; the offeror’s technical approach for the entire program; risk management procedures to be applied to the program, identification of key personnel, resources, and critical subcontractors; hardware and data deliverables; a proposed program schedule including deliveries for the entire program; and a summary of past performance. In his technical proposal the offeror shall identify and elaborate upon a specific Agent Defeat Warhead baseline design concept. The proposal shall address all aspects of the baseline design including, but not limited to, the warhead case design, payload selection, payload integration, fuzing, warhead and payload impact survivability, payload expulsion and dispersal, and the ability of the warhead to accommodate the structural loads associated with carriage and delivery from the F-15E when the warhead is employed with the GBU-24 guidance kit. The proposal shall clearly indicate the CB target categories against which the offeror claims the baseline warhead will be effective, and those claims shall be supported by effectiveness analysis results for each relevant category of target (Reference Para B-(2) of this PRDA). The offeror may also identify additional warhead concepts that he proposes to evaluate during the trade study to be conducted in the Phase I. The referenced effectiveness analysis shall be based upon relevant targets selected by the offeror from the ADWD Generic Target Set provide by the government in conjunction with this PRDA (Note: The ADWD Generic Target set is primarily intended for use during proposal preparation. The government may, at its option, identify additional targets for consideration during the performance phase of the ADWD program). The technical proposal shall also include a test matrix, with supporting discussion, which identifies all testing proposed for Phases I, II, and III. To facilitate timely completion of the pre-award surveys, offerors are requested to identify their own and subcontractor facilities and personnel to be involved in handling of explosives and other hazardous materials and the level of explosives proposed.

(3) Cost Proposal: Adequate price competition is anticipated. The Volume 2 cost proposal must include as a minimum a man-hour breakdown by task: a cost element summary including labor, overhead, travel, G&A, etc. for the basic contract, Phase I, and for each option for Phases II, III, and IV, and expenditure schedule for the entire program. Technical and Cost Proposals submitted in response to this announcement must reflect a balance between the costs associated with the contracted ADW development effort, and the additional cost to be incurred/borne by the goverment in testing the contractor’s warhead. In the interest of achieving that balance, the contractor will be required to propose an ADW government test plan, in conjunction with his ADW technical and cost proposals. The total combined cost to execute the contractor’s proposed in-house effort (i.e., the cost associated with the basic contract (Phase I) and the cost for the subsequent options for Phases II, II, and IV), and the government test effort for Phases I-III, must not exceed $15.9M. A proposed ADW concept may be deemed unsatisfactory if, in the Government’s opinion, the concept cannot be tested within the budgetary limits of the ADW program in a manner, which demonstrates achievement of program minimum objectives. The offerors cost proposal should clearly delineate and segregate the costs associated with the contracted effort, from the government test support. The proposed cost of the contracted effort should be presented as Volume 2-A, while the cost of the government test support should be presented as Volume 2-B. All proposed costs should be presented in then-year-dollars. (Note: When requesting cost estimates for test support from government test organizations, the offeror should clearly state that the ADWD program’s government sponsor, AFRL/MNMI, will make payment directly to the supporting goverment test organization. The contractor should also ensure that the estimated goverment test costs account for projected government inflation rates over the duration of the program. )

E--PROPOSAL EVALUATION:

Award Evaluation Criteria: The selection of none or one source for contract award shall be based on scientific and engineering evaluation of the proposals in response to this PRDA to determine the best value potential for the entire program. Proposals will be evaluated as received using the following areas and factors. No other evaluation criteria will be used in selecting the best proposal. Technical and Cost Area information will be evaluated at the same time. The Technical Area will be considered of higher priority than the Cost Area. The factors under the Technical Area, listed in order of importance, are: (a) Soundness of Technical Approach, (b) Understanding the Problem, and (c) Relevant Past and Present Performance. The Soundness of Technical Approach factor will consider and evaluate the technical merits and risks of the proposal as related to design, development and test of the offeror’s proposed baseline Agent Defeat Warhead concept. Under the Cost Area, the Cost Proposal will be evaluated for reasonableness, realism, and completeness.

F--POINTS OF CONTACT:

(1) Contracting and Cost: Ms Vicki Keider, Contracting Officer, (850) 882-9043, ext 3404, or Ms Judith Gibson, Contract Negotiator, (850) 882-4294, ext 3419, at AFRL/MNK, 101 West Eglin Blvd., Suite 337, Eglin AFB FL 32542-6810, or e-mail to keider @eglin.af.mil or gibsonj@eglin.af.mil, respectively. The telefax number (850) 882-9599. Programmatic and Technical Issues: Mr Ken West, (850) 882-2141, ext 2200, at AFRL/MNMI, 101 West Eglin Blvd., Suite 250, Eglin AFB FL 32542-6810, or e-mail to westko@eglin.af.mil. The telefax number is (850) 882-4294.

(2) Ombudsman: An Ombudsman has been appointed to address concerns from offerors or potential offerors during the proposal development phase of this acquisition. The Ombudsman does not diminish the authority of the program director or the contracting officer, but communicates contractor concerns, issues, disagreements, and recommendations to the appropriate government personnel. When requested, the Ombudsman shall maintain strict confidentiality as to the source of concern. The ombudsman does not participate in the evaluation of proposals or in the source selection process. Potential offerors are invited to contact AFRL/MN’s Ombudsman, Lt Col Gary Libell @ (850) 882-2872,with serious concerns only. General information: This announcement and other general information are available via the World Wide Web at http://www.wlmn.eglin.af.mil.