A--SUBCOMMITTEE ON OCEAN SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY (SOST) NEED TOPIC - DEVELOPMENT OF AUDIOGRAMS FOR MYSTICETES.

This announcement constitutes a Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center (NEXWC) 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 Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST), which is a partnership between the Office of Naval Research, Chief of Naval Operations N45, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management,

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Marine Mammal Commission, is interested in funding the need topic below. The Living Marine Resources (LMR) program, at the Naval Facilities Engineering and Expeditionary Warfare Center, is leading the solicitation process and is requesting pre-proposals for this topic. If invited, offerors will be asked to submit a full proposal. Pre-proposals and full proposals will be shared with SOST representatives from each of the Federal agencies/entities listed above, in order for them to provide input to the LMR program on funding selections. Additionally, pre-proposals and full proposals evaluated through this BAA may be used to execute contracts directly with the other Federal agencies/entities, separate from the LMR program. NEED TOPIC: DEVELOPMENT OF AUDIOGRAMS FOR MYSTICETES. 1. Research to improve our understanding and measurement of auditory capabilities and sensitives of low-frequency cetaceans (mysticetes) to anthropogenic sound. Research under this topic to generate a mysticete audiogram may include: a. Additional development, refinement, and/or validation of finite element modeling (FEM) methods, including but not limited to: i. Integration of inner ear and whole head FEM models ii. Comparison of FEM models with audiograms of other captive cetacean species iii. Confirmation of bone conduction as a pathway for mysticete hearing b. Development and testing of in-situ AEP measurement of mid- (1-10 kHz) and high-frequency (10-100 kHz) hearing sensitivities in stranded mysticetes c. Development of tools needed to advance AEP measurements below 1 kHz d. Use of behavioral response methods e. Other appropriate approaches or methods SUPPORTING INFORMATION: For more information on what is required in a proposal, how to submit a proposal, and how proposals are evaluated, refer to Appendix A. In addition, for any work funded by NEXWC, offerors will be required to adhere to the data rights and handling procedures agreement (Appendix B). Modifications to the data rights and handling procedures agreement should be discussed with the program manager prior to proposal submission. projects funded would be subject to DoDâ€TMs policy to comply with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) memorandum titled “Increasing Access to the Results of Federally Funded Scientific Researchâ€� issued 22 February 2013. SUBMISSION PROCESS: The pre-proposal submittal process is an email-based submission. Pre-proposals should be submitted via email to exwc_lmr_program@navy.mil. There is no specific format required for the pre-proposal, however, the pre-proposal should be consolidated into one single file and should not exceed 10 pages in length. All pre-proposal submissions must be received before the deadline. SUBMISSION DEADLINE: To be considered for funding in FY 2019, pre-proposals must be received no later than 11:59 pm, Pacific Daylight Time on 31 August 2018. Offerors will receive a confirmation email message acknowledging successful submission. It is the responsibility of the offeror to confirm receipt of the submission. If invited to submit a full proposal, these will be due 30 days after notification. EVALUATION PROCESS: Following a 1-month evaluation and approval process, successful pre-proposal offerors will receive an email inviting submission of a full proposal. Unsuccessful pre-proposal offerors will receive an email, but will not receive a detailed description of the reasons for preproposal rejection, due to the anticipated volume of submissions. 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. However, proposals less than $500K/year are more likely to be funded given the budget available for this need. Proposals costing over $500K per year will still be considered for contract award, but detailed justification for all funding costs will be expected. The nominal duration of a project is expected to be 1-3 years, with a maximum of 5 years. Applicants are strongly encouraged to use realism of cost for the proposed effort as their metric, as this will be a critical element in the review process. Otherwise, meritorious pre-proposals and full proposals will be rejected if cost does not accurately reflect the proposed scope of work. 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, 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 mentioned in the preproposal and submitted as part of the full proposal. If your project involves developing or demonstrating a technology, an agreement with NAVFAC EXWC will need to be established to describe the ownership/use of the technology. Contracts will not be awarded without appropriate regulatory documentation and all agreements in place. EVALUATION CRITERIA: The pre-proposals and full 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. OFFERORâ€TMS EXPERIENCE: For the pre-proposal phase, the offeror should clearly provide evidence or examples showing experience related to the solution being proposed. The organizationâ€TMs capabilities related to experience, techniques, or a unique combination of these that are integral factors in achieving the contractors proposed objectives. This equates to past performance, and will be assessed based on both relevance and confidence. If invited to submit a full proposal, NAVFAC also requires the offeror to provide their EMR and DART ratings. Safety is an integral and important aspect in all NAVFAC work. If the offeror does not have an EMR/DART rating, they should state this and provide a narrative rationale. See NFAS 15.304. 3. PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORâ€TMS AND KEY MEMBERâ€TMS RELATED EXPERIENCE: For the pre-proposal phase, the offeror should provide the name, highest degree earned, organization/affiliation, location, and years of experience for the Principal Investigator and key personnel who are critical in achieving the objectives of the proposal. Principle Investigators and key personnel should be identified in the pre-proposal as such. If invited to submit a full proposal, the offeror will need to upload CVs for the Principal Investigator and key personnel. 4. COST/PRICE: The cost relative to the proposed scientific/technical approach. For the pre-proposal phase this information may be limited to a total cost estimate by calendar year (Jan 1 – December 31). Assume for Year 1 of your project that effort will begin in September 2019 due to availability of funds and the time it takes to get a contract in place. Year 1 effort is assumed to occur between Sep – Dec 2019. In addition to any other relevant travel required for the project, please include a trip for the PI to attend the In-Progress Review (IPR) meeting each year (Fall) in Port Hueneme, CA to present on the progress of the project. The IPR meeting is 3 days and offerors are required to attend for the duration of the meeting. Additionally, because this project is being co-funded with other Federal agencies/entities, an additional 1-day trip to Washington D.C. to provide a brief to all co-sponsors should also be factored into the costs. If invited to submit a full proposal, additional guidance on cost/price information will be provided. This is not prescriptive, and can be submitted in the contractorâ€TMs format. However, the same information will be required. 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. NOTES: 1. An eligible pre-proposal or full 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 proposal submission, but must be completed prior to initiation of award negotiation. To avoid delays in the award process, applicants are encouraged to initiate SAM registration early in the submission and review process. Non-government awardees will also need to provide a DUNS (Dunn and Bradstreet) number (http://fedgov.dnb.com/webform/displayHomePage.doc) 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 the pre-proposal form. 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. As no funding for contracts has been reserved in advance, NEXWC will be sharing qualified pre-proposals with other Federal Government activities 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. Technical and cost pre-proposals and full 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 and full proposal selection and award decisions are solely the responsibility of Government personnel. Each support contractorâ€TMs employee having access to technical and cost pre-proposals and full proposals submitted in response to this BAA will be required to sign a non-disclosure statement prior to receipt of any pre-proposal or full 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 contractors who have submitted a pre-proposal, after the SOST Review Committee reviewed all pre-proposals submitted by the solicitation cut-off date. 7. For questions regarding this BAA, contact NAVFAC EXWC at (805) 982-4853 or (805) 982-5872 or via this email address: exwc_lmr_program@navy.mil. 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 contractor does not receive a notification of pre-proposal receipt, the contractor should call or e-mail NEXWC by using the phone number or e-mail address provided in this section. 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 NEXWC program office to discuss its interest. 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. 9. Do not call the Contracting Office for verification. The pre-proposal is not received by the Contracting Office.