A00-001 - Osd.mil

U.S. ARMY
SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS
Topics
The Army works to maintain its technological edge by partnering with
industry and academia. Agile, free thinking, small, high tech companies
often generate the most innovative and significant solutions to meet our
soldiers' needs. The Army seeks to harness these talents for the benefit of
our soldiers through the SBIR Program. The Army participates in one DoD solicitation each year with a two-tiered
Phase I and Phase II proposal evaluation and selection process. Army
scientists and technologists have developed 180 technical topics and the
Phase III dual-use applications for each which address Army mission
requirements. Each topic relates to one of the following 13 technology
areas: Air Platforms, Chemical/Biological Defense, Information Systems
Technology, Ground and Sea Vehicles, Materials/Processes, Biomedical,
Sensors, Electronics, Battlespace, Space Platforms, Human Systems, Weapons,
and Nuclear Technology. Please do not submit SBIR proposals against the
above general technology areas. Only proposals submitted against the
specific topics following this introduction will be accepted.
Please Note!
V The Army requires proposers to submit the Proposal Cover Sheet (formerly
Appendix A and B) and Company Commercialization Report (formerly,
Appendix E) electronically. Visit the Army SBIR Website (address:
http://www.aro.army.mil/arowash/rt/ ) to get started. This page has a
link to the DoD-wide SBIR proposal submission system (available directly
at http://www.dodsbir.net/submission), which will lead you through the
preparation of the Proposal Cover Sheet and Company Commercialization
Report. Refer to section 3.4n at the front of this solicitation for
detailed instructions on the Company Commercialization Report. You must
print out these forms directly from the Website, sign them, and submit
them with the hard copies of your proposal. Please note that a proposal
is not considered accepted until the Army receives the entire packet in
hard copy. Please read the detailed electronic submission instructions,
which follow. Improper handling of these forms may result in the proposal
being substantially delayed. Information provided on the Company
Commercialization Report will have a direct impact on the evaluation of
the proposal. V This year the Army will also accept the full technical proposal and the
Cost Proposal (Reference A of this solicitation) via the Internet on a
voluntary basis. Follow the instructions on the DoD SBIR proposal
submission site. This is a test in preparation for full electronic
proposal submission in the future. V Phase II Plus is a three-year pilot program which was implemented as of
the release of the 99.2 DoD SBIR solicitation. The objectives of Phase
II Plus are to (1) extend Phase II R&D efforts beyond the current Phase
II contract to meet the product, process, or service requirements of a
third party investor, preferably an acquisition program, and (2)
accelerate the Phase II project into the Phase III commercialization
stage. "Third party investor" means Army (or other DoD) acquisition
programs as well as the private sector. The general concept is to
provide qualified Phase II businesses with additional Phase II SBIR
funding if they can obtain matching non-SBIR funds from acquisition
programs, the private sector, or both. Under Phase II Plus, additional
funds may be provided by modifying the Phase II contract, and where
appropriate, use will be made of the flexibility afforded by the SBA 1993
Policy which allows total Phase I + Phase II SBIR funding to exceed
$850,000. Additional SBIR matching funds, subject to availability, will
be provided on a one-to-one matching basis with third-party funds, but
not to exceed $100,000. The additional SBIR funds must be used for
advancing the R&D-related elements of the project; third-party investor
funds can be used for R&D or other business-related efforts to accelerate
the innovation to commercialization. More information is available on the
Army SBIR Website address: http://www.aro.army.mil/arowash/rt/.
Operation and Support Cost Reduction (OSCR) The U. S. Army spends a large part of its overall budget, directly or
indirectly, on the operation and support (O&S) of equipment ranging from
small generators to large, sophisticated weapon systems. O&S costs cover a
broad spectrum of items including spare/repair parts, fuels, lubricants,
and the facilities and people involved in training operators and mechanics.
The Army is seeking ways to reduce these costs as a broad Acquisition
Reform initiative. To this end, the Army has implemented the Operation and
Support Cost Reduction (OSCR) Program. This solicitation includes 89
topics that address specific OSCR concerns identified by the Army's
research and development community. Phase I Proposal Guidelines
The Army has enhanced its Phase I-Phase II transition process by
implementing the use of a Phase I Option that the Army may exercise to fund
interim Phase I - II activities while a Phase II contract is being
negotiated. The maximum dollar amount for a Phase I is $70,000. The Phase
I Option, which must be proposed as part of the Phase I proposal, covers
activities over a period of up to four months and at a cost not to exceed
$50,000. All proposed Phase I Options must be fully costed and should
describe appropriate initial Phase II activities which would lead, in the
event of a Phase II award, to the successful demonstration of a product or
technology. The Army will not accept Phase I proposals which exceed
$70,000 for the Phase I effort and $50,000 for the Phase I Option effort.
Only Phase I efforts selected for Phase II awards through the Army's
competitive process will be eligible to exercise the Phase I Option. To
maintain the total cost for SBIR Phase I and Phase II activities at a limit
of $850,000, the total funding amount available for Phase II activities
under a resulting Phase II contract is $730,000, unless Phase II Plus funds
are provided. Companies submitting a Phase I proposal under this Solicitation must
complete the Cost Proposal (Reference A of this solicitation), within a
total cost of up to $70,000 (plus up to $50,000 for the Phase I Option).
Phase I and Phase I Option costs must be shown separately; however, they
may be presented side-by-side on a single Cost Proposal. The Phase I
Option proposal must be included within the 25-page limit for the Phase I
proposal. In addition, all offerors will prepare a Company
Commercialization Report, for each proposal submitted. The Company
Commercialization Report does not count toward the 25-page Phase I proposal
limitation.
Selection of Phase I proposals will be based upon scientific and technical
merit, will be according to the evaluation procedures and criteria
discussed in this solicitation, and will be based on priorities established
to meet the Army's mission requirements. The soundness, technical merit,
and its incremental progress toward topic or subtopic solution (refer to
section 4.2 at the front of this solicitation), is given slightly more
weight than the other two evaluation criteria which are equal. Due to
limited funding, the Army reserves the right to limit awards under any
topic, and only those proposals of superior scientific and technical
quality will be funded. Proposals not conforming to the terms of this solicitation and unsolicited
proposals will not be considered. Awards will be subject to the
availability of funding and successful completion of contract negotiations. Phase II Proposal Guidelines
Phase II proposals are invited by the Army from Phase I projects that have
demonstrated the potential for commercialization of useful products and
services. The invitation will be issued in writing by the Army
organization responsible for the Phase I effort. Invited proposers are
required to develop and submit a commercialization plan describing feasible
approaches for marketing the developed technology. Fast Track participants
may submit a proposal without being invited. Cost-sharing arrangements in
support of Phase II projects and any future commercialization efforts are
strongly encouraged, as are matching funds from independent third-party
investors, per the SBIR Fast Track program (see section 4.5 at the front of
this solicitation) or the Phase II Plus program. Commercialization plans,
cost-sharing provisions, and matching funds from investors will be
considered in the evaluation and selection process, and Fast Track
proposals will be evaluated under the Fast Track standard discussed in
section 4.3 at the front of this solicitation. Phase II proposers are
required to submit a budget for a base year (first 12 months) and an option
year. These costs must be submitted using the Cost Proposal format
(Reference A of this solicitation), and may be presented side-by-side on a
single Cost Proposal Sheet. The total proposed amount should be indicated
on the Proposal Cover Sheet, Proposed Cost. Phase II projects will be
evaluated after the base year prior to extending funding for the option
year. The Army is committed to minimizing the funding gap between Phase I and
Phase II activities. With the implementation of Phase I Options effective
with the 98.2 Solicitation, all Army Phase II proposals will receive
expedited reviews and be eligible for interim funding. Accordingly, all
Army Phase II proposals, including Fast Track submissions