FOUNDATIONS OF TRUSTED SYSTEMS

Amendment / Modification

This amendment republishes the original announcement (BAA FA8750-25-S-7001) with incorporated previous amendments. Key changes include:

• Part II, Section III.2.b.2: Updates Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) guidance.
• Part II, Section IV.4.b: Updates the provision date.
• Part II, Section V.2.b.2.e: Corrects numbering.
• Part II, Section V.4: Updates thresholds.
• Part II, Section VI.1: Updates proposal formatting language.
• Part II, Section VI.7: Updates provisions.
• Part II, Section VI: Deletes paragraph 12 regarding a "15% indirect cost cap on assistance awards to institutions of higher education."
• Part II, Section VII: Updates the OMBUDSMAN contact information.

Sections III.2.b.2, IV.4.b, V.2.b.2.e, V.4, VI.1, VI.7, VI (paragraph 12), and VII of Part II have been modified.

Proposal formatting language has been updated. Offerors should refer to the latest versions of the AFRL "Broad Agency Announcement (BAA): Guide for Industry" and RI-Specific Proposal Preparation Instructions. The deletion of the indirect cost cap may impact how certain institutions structure their proposals for assistance awards.

Amendment / Modification

This modification updates the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) FA8750-25-S-7001 to revise the BAA Program Manager contact information.

• Part I Overview Information
• Part II, Section VII Agency Contacts

No changes to proposal deadlines, requirements, or evaluation factors are indicated by this amendment. The core technical requirements and submission process remain the same. The BAA is still an open, two-step process accepting white papers until December 4, 2028.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks innovative research in technologies and techniques to establish trusted foundations for hardware and software, enabling secure, resilient, and affordable Command, Control, Communications, Computers, and Intelligence (C4I) and Cyber technologies. This is a follow-on to BAA FA8750-20-S-7012.

The BAA focuses on several technical areas:

• Trusted, Secure, and Resilient Computational Systems: Research into hardware and software elements, tools, and methodologies for trustworthy computing environments. Topics include processor/architecture trustworthiness, integrated circuit (IC) security, new secure architectures, operating system constructs, and software development process assurance.

• Trusted and Assured Software: Enhancing Software Assurance (SwA) through technology, tools assessment, evidence-based assurance, and demonstrations. Also includes developing resilient techniques, methodologies, and tools for trusted and resilient software-intensive systems engineering, particularly for DevSecOps environments, and for Cyber Physical Systems (CPS).

• AI in Trusted Systems: Leveraging AI for human-machine teaming to improve automation, understanding, and mitigate risks in design and evaluation. Focus on correct-by-construction design, continual assurance of learning-enabled components, and AI for formal methods and verification.

• Digital Engineering Model-based Analysis: Developing techniques to extract software models from code and binaries for analysis, including formal semantics, behavior modeling, and annotation for security analysis.

• BAA Number: FA8750-25-S-7001

• Estimated Funding: Approximately $99.9M total. Individual awards typically range from $100K to $5M, not normally exceeding 36 months, with potential for larger awards up to the BAA ceiling.

• Anticipated Awards: Multiple awards are anticipated.

• Award Instruments: FAR-based Procurement contracts, CFR-based grants and cooperative agreements, or Other Transactions (OTs) under 10 USC 4021, 10 USC 4022, and 10 USC 4023.

• Potential for Follow-on Production Contracts: Other Transactions for Prototype may lead to follow-on production contracts.

• Type: Open, 2-Step BAA. White papers are accepted as initial submissions; formal proposals are by invitation only.

• Suggested White Paper Submission Dates:

  • FY25: by 18 DEC 2024
  • FY26: by 01 SEP 2025
  • FY27: by 02 SEP 2026
  • FY28: by 03 SEP 2027
  • FY29: by 04 SEP 2028

• Final Submission Deadline: White papers accepted until 04 December 2028, 2 PM EST.

• White Paper Format: 2-5 pages, double-spaced, 12pt font. Sections include Title/POCs (not counted), Task Objective, and Technical Summary/Deliverables.

• Evaluation Criteria: Scientific and Technical Merit, Capabilities and Related Experience, Openness/Maturity/Assurance of Solution, and Reasonableness/Realism of Costs.

• Eligibility: All qualified offerors.

• Foreign Participation: Closed to foreign participation (ownership and nationals), with exceptions for unclassified fundamental research. Specific requirements for foreign nationals and FOCI companies apply.

• FFRDCs/Government Entities: Subject to competition limitations; must demonstrate work is not available from the private sector and provide specific documentation.

• Organizational Conflicts of Interest (OCI): Offerors must disclose and mitigate potential OCIs per FAR 9.5. AFRL has a supplemental policy prohibiting concurrent SETA/A&AS support and technical performance.

• Fundamental Research: Proposers should indicate if their work is considered fundamental research.

• Cloud Computing: Requirements for cloud service providers with Provisional Authorization apply if government data is stored in the cloud.

• S&T Protection: Security Risk Reviews will be conducted. Specific documentation (SF 424, Security Program Questionnaire, Privacy Act Statement) is required for Senior/Key Personnel and Covered Individuals.

• SAM Registration: Required for award.

• Data Rights: SBIR rights are non-negotiable. Non-SBIR rights will be negotiated case-by-case. Government Purpose Rights are anticipated for data developed with DoD-reimbursed IR&D funding.

• Contact Information: Technical inquiries to Esteban Garcia (esteban.garcia.1@us.af.mil); Contractual inquiries to Amber Buckley (Amber.Buckley@us.af.mil).