SIGNALS INTELLIGENCE (SIGINT) SOLUTIONS FOR EVOLVING SCENARIOS (SESS)

Amendment / Modification

This amendment updates the solicitation FA8750-23-S-7005 regarding Science and Technology (S&T) Protection.

• Section III, Paragraph 5 (S&T Protection): Updates language related to the Security Risk Review process for proposals.

• Section V, Paragraph 2.e (S&T Review): Updates language concerning the S&T review within the proposal evaluation process.

• Section III: S&T Protection

• Section V: Review and Selection Process

• S&T Protection Requirements: Proposals must now include updated documentation for S&T Protection, including the Research and Related Senior and Key Person Profile (Expanded) or Worksheet, Security Program Questionnaire, and Privacy Act Statement consent form for each Covered Individual. These are detailed in Appendices 1, 2, 3, and 4, accessible via the provided link.

• Security Risk Review: All proposals are subject to a Security Risk Review prior to award. This review assesses potential vectors of undue foreign influence using information from the submitted questionnaires, publicly available data, and internal government databases. Nationality or citizenship is not a determining factor.

• Covered Individuals: Defined as individuals contributing substantively to R&D projects. All Senior/Key Personnel are considered covered individuals. They must disclose current and pending research support and sign a Privacy Act Statement.

• Proposal Submission: Required forms must be submitted with the proposal to the Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) and AFRL.RIOF@us.af.mil.

• Award Declination: If a security risk is identified that exceeds the acceptable threshold, the offeror will be notified of the declination of award, with a general statement of reasoning due to OPSEC measures.

• During Performance: Annual re-submission of the Senior and Key Person Profile is required. New covered individuals require a new profile submission prior to continued performance. Notification to the government is required within 5 business days if Senior/Key Personnel are identified as participants in Foreign Government Talent Programs or have Foreign Components with strategic competitors.

• Evaluation: The S&T Protection requirements, including the review of SF424, Senior and Key Person Profile, Security Program Questionnaire, and Privacy Act Statement, are conducted in parallel with the technical evaluation.

Amendment / Modification

This modification republishes the original announcement (BAA FA8750-23-S-7005) to incorporate previous amendments and includes the following specific changes:

• Part I, Overview Information: Updated language regarding the types of instruments that may be awarded.
• Part II, Full Text Announcement:
  • Updated the Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) reference to Assistance Listing number.
  • Updated the DCSA website link in Section III.2.b.2.
  • Updated language for Content and Format in Section IV.2.
  • Updated Information Protection contact information in Section IV.3.a.
  • Removed the requirement for hard copy submissions in Section IV.3.c.
  • Updated the CFR hyperlink in Section IV.4.c.
  • Added language in Section IV.4.e.
  • Updated proposal formatting language in Section VI.1.
  • Updated debriefing language in Section VI.3.
  • Updated the OMBUDSMAN contact information in Section VII.

Sections I, III, IV, VI, and VII of the announcement have been affected by these changes.

No changes to proposal deadlines are indicated. Offerors should ensure they are using the most current formatting and submission instructions as updated in this modification.

Amendment / Modification

This amendment to BAA FA8750-23-S-7005 provides administrative updates. The primary change is to the 'Pre-Proposal Communication between Prospective Offerors and Government Representatives' section within Part I - Overview Information. This section is updated to clarify that while dialogue is encouraged, only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government. Offerors are also cautioned that failure to follow proposal preparation and submittal instructions may result in lowered evaluation ratings or proposal rejection.

• Part I - Overview Information: Updated paragraph on 'Pre-Proposal Communication between Prospective Offerors and Government Representatives'.

No changes to proposal deadlines, requirements, or evaluation factors are indicated by this amendment. However, offerors are reminded to strictly adhere to all proposal preparation and submittal instructions to avoid negative impacts on their evaluation.

Solicitation / RFP / RFQ

This Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) seeks innovative research and development for Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) and Cyber solutions to enhance tactical information collection, geolocation, extraction, identification, analysis, simulation, and reporting for the Intelligence Community. The program aims to improve situational awareness, sensor data processing, understanding of the adversarial battlespace, and multi-platform/multi-intelligence support for warfighting capabilities. This is a follow-on to BAA FA8750-21-S-7002.

• Development of emerging Cyber and SIGINT real-time processing solutions.

• Improvement of tactical information collection, geolocation, extraction, identification, analysis, simulation, and reporting.

• Advancement of state-of-the-art capabilities for real-time assessment and threat mitigation.

• Focus on versatile, multi-agency systems with open architectures and scalable technologies.

• Research areas include Information Extraction, Signal Processing, and Automation Enhancements for SIGINT.

• Techniques for identification, collection, processing, and exploitation of electronic communication signals in dense co-channel environments with Doppler effects.

• BAA Title: Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) Solutions for Evolving Scenarios (SSES)

• BAA Number: FA8750-23-S-7005

• Estimated Funding: Approximately $99.9M total.

• Individual Award Range: Typically $0.25M to $15M, not normally exceeding 36 months. Awards can be made up to any dollar value within the BAA ceiling.

• Anticipated Awards: Multiple Awards.

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

• Potential for Follow-on Production Contracts: For Other Transaction for Prototype agreements.

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

• White Paper Submission Dates (Suggested for FY funding alignment):

  • FY24: by 15 NOV 2023
  • FY25: by 15 AUG 2024
  • FY26: by 15 AUG 2025
  • FY27: by 14 AUG 2026
  • FY28: by 13 AUG 2027

• White Paper Deadline: Accepted until 2:00 PM EST on 25 SEP 2028.

• White Paper Format: 3-5 pages, double-spaced, 12-point font. Includes Title/Admin, Task Objective, Technical Summary, and Proposed Deliverables.

• Evaluation Criteria (White Papers): Scientific and Technical Merit, Related Experience, Openness/Maturity/Assurance of Solution, 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 supporting documentation.

• Offerors must be registered in SAM.gov.

• Specific requirements for S&T Protection, OCI, and accounting systems apply.

• Contact Todd Howlett (Technical) or Amber Buckley (Contractual) for inquiries.