This announcement constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (EXWC) under FAR 6.102(d)(2) and 35.106. A formal Request for Proposals (RFP), other solicitation, or additional information regarding this announcement will not be issued.

FAR Part 35 restricts the use of BAAs, such as this, to the acquisition of basic and applied research and that portion of advanced technology development not related to the development of a specific system or hardware procurement. Contracts made under BAAs are for scientific study and experimentation directed towards advancing the state of the art and increasing knowledge or understanding.  This announcement is not for the acquisition of technical, engineering, or other types of support services.

The EXWC, through the Living Marine Resources (LMR) program, is soliciting pre-proposals for efforts related to the need topic listed below.

Need Topic LMR-N-0291-24: PINNIPED BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE STUDY

Pinniped species inhabit the at-sea and nearshore/inshore areas where Navy sonar training and testing activities occur in both the Pacific (primarily Southern California through Alaska) and northeast Atlantic. Modeling of training and testing activities in recent environmental compliance analysis resulted in a number of behavioral takes of California sea lions, harbor seals, and northern elephant seals annually across the at-sea study areas. Given the overlap between multiple pinniped species and Navy training and testing activities, there is a need to develop an improved understanding of the impact of sonar exposure on the behavior of pinniped species.

LMR is seeking pre-proposals to study pinniped behavioral response to sonar from Navy training and testing activities. The proposed study design should focus on the behavioral response of free ranging pinnipeds, no captive animal studies at this time. Location of the study should consider relevance to Navy training and testing areas listed in Appendix D. However, species availability, experience with the animals, and support resources availability are important factors to consider in site selection and proposed study species. Proposed studies should employ current approaches and technology to study the offeror’s selected species. The Navy has developed a scaled sound source that can simulate sonar and can be operated from a small vessel. The use of this scaled source can be provided as government furnished equipment. However, the proposal should include all other costs associated with shipping and operating the source, including costs associated with securing and operating a vessel to handle the source.  

Need Topic LMR-N-0292-24: improvement of sea turtle density estimates

Accurate density estimates are critical to the exposure modelling process that forms the basis for assessments of impacts from Navy training and testing activities. Sophisticated spatial density models have become the standard for estimating density of marine mammals and sea turtles, however, these models are data intensive and can be significantly biased if not properly developed and parameterized. There is a need to improve existing spatial density models for sea turtles, within Navy training and testing areas, by addressing current biases through development and application of new data and modelling frameworks. Please note proposals that focus on the collection of additional visual line transect survey data will not be considered.

SUPPORTING INFORMATION:

For more information on what is required in a pre-proposal, how to submit a pre-proposal, and how pre-proposals are evaluated, refer to Appendix A (Pre-Proposal Submission and Evaluation Guide). Offerors need to understand and adhere to the requirements outlined in Appendix B (Data Rights and Handling Procedures) and the geospatial data requirements in Appendix C (Geospatial Data Requirements). Modifications to the data rights and handling procedures agreement or geospatial data requirements should be discussed with the LMR program staff prior to proposal submission. Offerors will also need to comply with the LMR Ocean Observing Systems (OOS) Notification Procedures (Appendix D). Offerors should note, however, that locations labelled in red in Appendix D as incompatible with acoustic OOS actually overlap with some of the LMR priority geographic regions outlined in Appendix A. Strict adherence to passive acoustic monitoring site selection, passive acoustic device deployment notification and data custody guidance will be required. DoD is still finalizing their plan to meet the goals and requirements of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum titled Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Research issued 2013 February 22. All projects funded by LMR would be subject to DoD policy once it is finalized.

Proposed efforts involving interaction with and contact with marine mammals or endangered species may require research permits including but not limited to a Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA) Research Permit, Endangered Species Act (ESA) scientific research permit, Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), and/or Department of Defense Animal Care and Use authorization. It is the expectation that all offerors will complete any necessary regulatory compliance permitting/consultations, necessary to conduct the research. If the offeror currently possesses a permit or other documentation, it should be noted in the pre-proposal. If your project involves developing or demonstrating a technology, an agreement with EXWC will need to be established to describe the ownership/use of the technology. Contract award may be delayed if appropriate regulatory documentation and agreements are not in place.

SUBMISSION PROCESS:

The pre-proposal submittal process is an email-based submission.  Pre-proposals should be submitted  to both the TPOC ([email protected]) and Contracting Officer ([email protected]) as listed below. Please note these  email addresses are different from previous solicitations. There is no specific format required for the pre-proposal, however, the pre-proposal should be consolidated into one single file (PDF) and should not exceed ten pages in length (Curriculum Vitaes [CVs] or resumes are not included in the page limit). All pre-proposal submissions must be received before the deadline.

SUBMISSION DEADLINE:

Pre-proposals in response to this solicitation must be received no later than 11:59 pm, Pacific Standard Time on 18 January 2024. Pre-proposals may be submitted at any time during this period. Offerors will receive a confirmation email message acknowledging successful submission within 1 business day. It is the responsibility of the offeror to confirm receipt of the submission.

EVALUATION PROCESS:

Following an approximately 3-month technical evaluation, offerors will be notified of the technical evaluation results. Unsuccessful pre-proposal offerors will receive an email with a disposition of “Not Approved”. However, the email will not include a detailed description of the reasons the pre-proposal was not selected, due to the anticipated volume of submissions. Some pre-proposal offerors may receive an email with a disposition of “Revised Pre-proposal Requested”, which will request additional technical information in the form of a revised pre-proposal submission. Pre-proposal offerors with favorable technical evaluation results will receive an email with a disposition of “Approved – Referred to Contracts”. The EXWC contracting office, will request submission of additional required information in order to determine whether the offeror is eligible for a contract. Awards to non-government entities (academic institutions, not-for-profit organizations, industry) will be in the form of contracts. A nominal award amount has not been provided because the scope of the need topics varies considerably. The nominal duration of a project is expected to be 1-3 years, with a maximum of 5 years.

EVALUATION CRITERIA:

The pre-proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria, of approximately equal weight.

1. TECHNICAL APPROACH: The scientific/technical merits and objectives in terms of meeting the stated need topic, as well as evidence that the science/technology is mature enough for applied research funding, and the performance criteria to measure success of the research effort.
2. OFFEROR’S EXPERIENCE: The offeror should clearly provide evidence or examples showing the offeror’s (academic institution, organization, firm, etc.) experience related to the solution being proposed. The offeror’s capabilities related to experience, techniques, or a unique combination of these that are integral factors in achieving the offeror's proposed objectives. This equates to past performance, and will be assessed based on both relevance and confidence.
3. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR’S AND KEY MEMBER’S RELATED EXPERIENCE: The offeror should provide a summary table with the names, highest degree, organization/affiliations, location, and years of experience for each Principal Investigator (PI) and key team member. Principle Investigators and key personnel should be identified in the pre-proposal as such. Provide a one-page CV for each Principal Investigator (PI) and key team member.  
4. COST/PRICE: The cost relative to the proposed scientific/technical approach. The pre-proposal should be broken out into distinct Tasks, and associated deliverables should be described for each. Make sure that requirements associated with Project Management are included in the Pre-proposal either within Tasks or as separate Tasks. Project management requirements include development of a project fact sheet, quarterly status reports, management of budget/invoicing, attendance at the LMR In-Progress Review to present on progress each year, and a 1-2 page summary of effort for the LMR annual report. As part of project management, please include a trip for the PI to attend the In-Progress Review (IPR) meeting each year (Fall) in Santa Barbara, CA to present on the progress of the project. The IPR meeting is 3 full days and the PI is required to attend for the duration of the meeting. Due to space limitations for the meeting, you are only allowed a maximum of 2 people to attend the IPR from your entire project team (including all subcontractors). NOTE: If you have an existing LMR project and costs to attend the IPR are already covered, please do not include these costs again. Successful offerors will be provided additional guidance by the EXWC contracting office on required cost/price information.
5. PROJECT BENEFITS: Expected benefits of the proposed project, key issues the proposed solution addresses, potential application of the results of the project, and advantages over current approaches.
6. PRODUCT IMPLEMENTATION: Describe the intended product(s) and all associated deliverables, the requirements for implementing the proposed products of this effort, and the potential technical risks that may pose a challenge to successful implementation. The deliverables associated with each Task should be listed.

POINTS OF CONTACT

All inquiries and submissions related to this BAA shall be directed to BOTH the technical point of contact (TPOC) and contracting officer (KO) as follows. Correspondents are advised not to include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), business proprietary, or competition-sensitive information via email.

Technical Point of Contact (TPOC): [email protected]

Contracting Officer (KO): [email protected]

NOTES:

1. An eligible pre-proposal does not guarantee a contract. Multiple contracts may result.
2. An offeror is required to register with the system for award management (SAM). No contract award will be made to any offeror that is not registered. Registration may take up to three weeks. SAM may be accessed at https://www.sam.gov. Registration is not required for pre-proposal submission, but the offeror must initiate registration upon notification that the technical evaluation of the pre-proposal resulted in an “Approved” disposition and has been referred to the contracting department. To avoid delays in the award process, applicants are encouraged to initiate SAM registration early in the submission and review process. All awardees will also need to provide a Unique Entity Identifier (UEI) in the System for Award Management (SAM) (https://sam.gov/content/home) and CAGE (Commercial and Government Entity) code (http://govwin.com/knowledge/ccr-registration) before an award can be made.
3. The preceding data should be sufficient for completing a pre-proposal. However, additional information, including some background on the LMR program, is provided in Appendix A.
4. There are no solicitation documents applying to this BAA. Request for a solicitation package will not be acknowledged. Those interested in participating in the BAA must follow the instructions to submit a pre-proposal.
5. There is no commitment by the Navy either to make any contract awards or to be responsible for any money expended by the contractor before a contract award.
6. For need topics that may be applicable to other Federal Government activities, NEXWC will be sharing qualified pre-proposals to seek demonstration sites and/or funding. Some Federal Government activities may employ civilian contractors to determine the applicability of an offered technology to specific projects. Pre-proposals submitted under this BAA will be protected from unauthorized disclosure in accordance with FAR 3.104-4 and 15.207. The cognizant Program Manager and other scientific experts will perform the evaluation of technical proposals. Restrictive notices notwithstanding, one or more support contractors may be utilized as subject-matter-expert technical consultants in accordance with FAR 37.204. However, pre-proposal selection and award decisions are solely the responsibility of Government personnel. Each support contractor’s employee having access to pre-proposals submitted in response to this BAA will be required to sign a non-disclosure statement prior to receipt of any pre-proposal submissions. An offeror may require the non-government personnel to execute a supplemental non-disclosure agreement by including a copy of their institutional NDA with their proposal. However, note that a failure to come to an agreement may impact the ability to make an award. Please review FAR 37.204 and NFAS 15.303(d)(4). Eligibility notification will be sent to all offerors who have submitted a pre-proposal, after the Review Committee reviews all pre-proposals submitted by the solicitation cut-off date.
7. For questions regarding this BAA, contact both the TPOC and KO as listed in the Points of Contact section. Correspondents are advised not to include Personally Identifiable Information (PII), business proprietary, or competition-sensitive information via email. Offerors will receive an automated email message acknowledging successful submission. If the offeror does not receive an automated notification of pre-proposal receipt, the offeror should e-mail the TPOC and KO.
8. Historically Black Colleges/Universities and Minority Institutions (HBCU/MI) will be recognized according to DFARS 226.3. All responsible sources from academia and industry may submit proposals. No portion of this BAA will be set aside for HBCU and MI participation, due to the impracticality of reserving discrete or severable items of this research for exclusive competition among the entities. Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) including Department of Energy National Laboratories, are not eligible to receive awards under this BAA. However, teaming arrangements between FFRDCs and eligible principal bidders are allowed so long as they are permitted under the sponsoring agreement between the Government and the specific FFRDC.

DFARS 235.017-1 allows DOD FFRDCs which function primarily as research laboratories to apply. Naval laboratories and Warfare Centers as well as other DOD and civilian agency laboratories are not eligible to receive awards under this BAA and should not directly submit proposals in response to this BAA. If any such organization is interested in one or more of these program areas, they should contact the TPOC directly. As with the FFRDCs, these organizations may team with other responsible sources from industry and academia that are submitting proposals under the BAA. University Affiliated Research Centers (UARC) are eligible to submit proposals under this BAA unless precluded from doing so by their DOD UARC contract or an organizational conflict of interest.