Air Force Research Laboratory: Amendment to Small University Grants Broad Agency Announcement

The below revisions incorporate changes to:
• Topic Areas 8 in Section I: Funding Opportunity Description, C. Technology Area Description; revise Section IV: Application and Submission Information
• Attachment name in Section IV: Application and Submission Information, Content and Form of Application Submission, Budget and Schedule paragraph
• Attachment A, Det 8 Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL/PK Instructions for Preparing Budgets (Assistance)
• Attachment B, Certifications for Applications for Federal Assistance (Grants and Cooperative Agreements) (Current as of 27 Aug 2007)

1. Revise Topic Area 8 as follows:

Change From:
8. Radiation Effects/Protection: This includes studying space radiation effects on various electronics components and providing space electronics components maximum failure tolerance for such effects.

Primary POC: Ken Hunt, Phone: (505) 846-4959
Alternate POC: Creigh Gordon, Phone: (505) 846-6079

Change To:
8. Radiation Effects/Protection: This includes studying space radiation effects on various electronics components and providing space electronics components maximum failure tolerance for such effects.

Primary POC: Ken Hunt, Phone: (505) 846-4959
Alternate POC: Gabe Mounce, Phone: (505) 846-6079

2. Correct Attachment name in Section IV: Application and Submission Information, Content and Form of Application Submission, Budget and Schedule paragraph as follows:

Change From:
Budget and Schedule -The budget proposal is restricted by a 10 page count and shall conform to Attachment B, Instructions for Preparing Budgets (Assistance). Budget detail should clearly identify costs, which are internal to the offeror and those that are used in pursuit of the objectives such as scholarships, training, course preparation, etc. Note: An applicant must demonstrate that it selected the subcontractor (s) competitively or that a proper non-competitive sole source award consistent with the regulations was/will be made to the contractor(s), that efforts were made to provide small and disadvantaged businesses with opportunities to compete, and that some form of cost and price analysis was conducted. Tables 1 and 2 shall be completed for the entire performance period. No Profit/Fee will be paid on this Grant. Proposals must stand-alone and be complete. This section should also include a program execution schedule; be sure to include the objectives and/or goals, major milestones, throughout the period of performance in this section.

Change To:
Budget and Schedule -The budget proposal is restricted by a 10 page count and shall conform to Attachment A, Instructions for Preparing Budgets (Assistance). Budget detail should clearly identify costs, which are internal to the offeror and those that are used in pursuit of the objectives such as scholarships, training, course preparation, etc. Note: An applicant must demonstrate that
it selected the subcontractor (s) competitively or that a proper non-competitive sole source award consistent with the regulations was/will be made to the contractor(s), that efforts were made to provide small and disadvantaged businesses with opportunities to compete, and that some form of cost and price analysis was conducted. Tables 1 and 2 shall be completed for the entire performance period. No Profit/Fee will be paid on this Grant. Proposals must stand-alone and be complete. This section should also include a program execution schedule; be sure to include the objectives and/or goals, major milestones, throughout the period of performance in this section.

3. Delete Attachment A, Det 8 Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL/PK Instructions for Preparing Budgets (Assistance) and replace with Attachment A, Det 8 Air Force Research Laboratory AFRL/PK Instructions for Preparing Budgets (Assistance), Revised 21 Sept 2010 (Reference Attachment A to this Amendment).

4. Delete Attachment B, Certifications for Applications for Federal Assistance (Grants and Cooperative Agreements) (Current as of 27 Aug 2007) and replace with Attachment B Certifications for Applications for Federal Assistance (Grants and Cooperative Agreements) (Current as of 11 April 2012) (Reference Attachment B to this Amendment).

The below revisions incorporate changes to Topic Areas 3, 11, and 13 in Section I: Funding Opportunity Description, C. Technology Area Description; and correct Amendment 0002, dated 22 Feb 2011:
1. Revise Topic Area 3 as follows:

Change From:
1. Communications Guidance Navigation and Control: This includes advanced technologies in the areas of optical communications, reconfigurable communications, and advanced RF communications; precision satellite guidance, navigation, control, and autonomy; GNC system modeling and simulation, constellation development and precision formation flying.

Primary POC for Communications: Steven Lane, Phone: (505) 846-9944
Primary POC for GNC: Capt Doug McFarland, Phone: (505) 853-3638
Alternate POC for Both Areas: Capt Hugh Gardenier, Phone: (505) 846-6828

Change To:
1. Communications Guidance Navigation and Control: This includes advanced technologies in the areas of optical communications, reconfigurable communications, and advanced RF communications; precision satellite guidance, navigation, control, and autonomy; GNC system modeling and simulation, constellation development and precision formation flying.

Primary POC for Communications: Steven Lane, Phone: (505) 846-9944
Primary POC for GNC: R. Scott Erwin, Phone: (505) 846-9816
Alternate POC for Both Areas: Capt Lawrence Ware, Phone: (505) 853-6322

2. Revise Topic Area 11 as follows:

Change From:
11. Small Satellite Construction/Launch: This includes small satellite rapid design, development, fabrication/assembly/test, launch, and on orbit tests/autonomous checkout and fault detection in addition to standardized interfaces, plug-n-play development.

Primary POC: Hans-Peter Dumm, Phone: (505) 853-8397
Alternate POC: Capt Hugh Gardenier, Phone: (505) 846-6828

Change To:
11. Small Satellite Construction/Launch: This includes small satellite rapid design, development, fabrication/assembly/test, launch, and on orbit tests/autonomous checkout and fault detection in addition to standardized interfaces, plug-n-play development.

Primary POC: Hans-Peter Dumm, Phone: (505) 853-8397
Alternate POC: Capt Lawrence Ware, Phone: (505) 853-6322

3. Revise Topic Area 13 as follows:

Change From:
13. Strategic Systems and Responsive Launch Technologies: This includes developing technologies to support the strategic missions, including Conventional Prompt Global Strike and the Strategic Nuclear Mission. Technologies should address ways to enhance security, reliability, and availability while reducing cost of ownership and maintenance logistics for the entire weapon system. Responsive launch technologies should focus on enabling rapid, low-cost access to space in support of Operationally Responsive Space.

Primary POC: Christopher Paul, Phone: (505) 846-5123
Alternate POC: Capt Hugh Gardenier, Phone: (505) 846-6828

Change To:
13. Strategic Systems and Responsive Launch Technologies: This includes developing technologies to support the strategic missions, including Conventional Prompt Global Strike and the Strategic Nuclear Mission. Technologies should address ways to enhance security, reliability, and availability while reducing cost of ownership and maintenance logistics for the entire weapon system. Responsive launch technologies should focus on enabling rapid, low-cost access to space in support of Operationally Responsive Space.

Primary POC: Christopher Paul, Phone: (505) 846-5123
Alternate POC: Capt Lawrence Ware, Phone: (505) 853-6322

4. Revise all references to Amendment 0002, dated 22 Feb 2011 to read Amendment 0003.

The below revisions incorporate changes to Topic Areas 9 and 11 in Section I: Funding Opportunity Description, C. Technology Area Description:

1. Revise Topic Area 9 as follows:

Change From:
9. Space Environment: This includes space environment research on ionospheric impacts on space systems, communication/navigation outage forecast and warning, solar disturbance prediction, and space particle hazard specification and forecast; and sensing technology for SSA such as space-based focal planes and thermal management, and space object surveillance technologies.

Primary POC: David Cooke, Phone: (781) 377-2931
Alternate POC: Jack Quin, Phone: (505) 853-2568

Change To:
9. Space Environment: This includes space environment research on ionospheric impacts on space systems, communication/navigation outage forecast and warning, solar disturbance prediction, and space particle hazard specification and forecast; space environmental remediation, and sensing technology for SSA such as space-based focal planes and thermal management, and space object surveillance technologies.

Primary POC: David Cooke, Phone: (781) 377-2931
Alternate POC: Jack Quin, Phone: (505) 853-2568

2. Revise Topic Area 11 as follows:

Change From:
11. Small Satellite Construction/Launch: This includes small satellite rapid design, development, fabrication/assembly/test, launch, and on orbit tests in addition to standardized interfaces, plug-n-play development.

Primary POC: Hans-Peter Dumm, Phone: (505) 853-8397
Alternate POC: Capt Hugh Gardenier, Phone: (505) 846-6828

Change To:
11. Small Satellite Construction/Launch: This includes small satellite rapid design, development, fabrication/assembly/test, launch, and on orbit tests/autonomous checkout and fault detection in addition to standardized interfaces, plug-n-play development.

Primary POC: Hans-Peter Dumm, Phone: (505) 853-8397
Alternate POC: Capt Hugh Gardenier, Phone: (505) 846-6828

The below questions are the Government’s clarifications and/or responses to BAA RV-10-03 posted on 27 August 2010.

1. Question: Does the BAA title referenced as “Small University Grants” refer to small universities?
• Response: For the purposes of this requirement, Small University Grants do not pertain to the size standard of the university. In accordance with the Department of Defense Grant and Agreement Regulation (DoDGARs) § 32.1, small grants are defined as an award not exceeding the simplified acquisition threshold fixed at 41 U.S.C. 403 (11) (currently $100,000).

2. Question: BAA RV-10-03 is no longer available for recipients to view.
• Response: According to Grants.gov, the archive policy is either defaulted to be archived every 30 days after the close date, automatic on the date that you specify, or a manual archive date. Since the posting required initial proposal submissions NLT 7 Sept 2010, Grants.gov closed BAA RV-10-03 on that date. The BAA will remain open for the requirement period of 5 years. As a result, the new closing date will change from 7 Sept 2010 to 26 Aug 2015.

3. Question: Can I submit a proposal without contacting the technical point of contact to verify interest in the effort to be proposed and the funding availability?
• Response: No, all prospective recipients must contact the technical point of contact prior to committing any resources to the preparation of any proposals (Reference BAA RV-10-03, Full text Announcement, Section VIII, Communications).

FUNDING OPPORTUNITY AMENDMENTS: Offerors should monitor http://www.grants.gov for any additional notices to this funding opportunity that may permit extensions to the proposal submission date or otherwise modify this announcement.

Important Dates:

27 August 2010 Issuance of Solicitation
7 September 2010 Proposal Submission Deadline (See Section IV for more information)
30 September 2010 Approximate Award Date of Initial Proposals

Executive Summary

This is a 5-year, open-ended Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) to solicit research proposals for the United States Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL)’s Space Vehicles Directorate, which is looking to establish a university grant vehicle that can provide small grants to students/professors in a timely manner to engage U.S./U.S. territories’ colleges and universities in space-related basic, applied, and advanced research projects that are of interest to the Department of Defense.

Multiple awards of grants of various values are anticipated with a period of performance ranging from one to two years. Subject to the availability of funding, AFRL plans to award a minimum of one grant per fiscal year. However, the Air Force does reserve the right to make multiple awards or no awards pursuant to this solicitation.

PROPOSAL DUE DATE AND TIME: This BAA will remain open for a period of 5 years from the date of publication. Initial proposals submitted in response to this announcement awarded with FY10 funding are due on or before Tuesday, 7 September 2010, 12:00 p.m. mountain standard time. Subsequent proposals funded with future FY funds may be submitted at any time. However, potential offerors must call the technology points of contacts (POCs) listed in Paragraph C of the full text announcement to make sure funding is available for the technology area of consideration before submitting a proposal. Proposals are reviewed and evaluated as they are received.

All proposals for grants must be submitted electronically through the Grants.gov government-wide electronic portal at http://www.grants.gov. You must notify the Grants Specialist immediately upon submitting your proposal electronically. No Hard Copy Submissions are accepted.