Artificial Intelligence and Next Generation Distributed Command and Control

NAICS CODE: 541715

FEDERAL AGENCY NAME: Department of the Air Force, Air Force Materiel Command, AFRL - Rome Research Site, AFRL/Information Directorate, 26 Electronic Parkway, Rome, NY, 13441-4514

BAA ANNOUNCEMENT TYPE: Initial announcement

BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) TITLE: Artificial Intelligence and Next Generation Distributed Command and Control

BAA NUMBER: FA8750-23-S-7006

PART I – OVERVIEW INFORMATION

This announcement is for an Open, 2 Step BAA which is open and effective until 30 AUG 2028. Only white papers will be accepted as initial submissions; formal proposals will be accepted by invitation only. While white papers will be considered if received prior to 1600 hours Eastern Standard Time (EST) on 30 AUG 2028, the following submission dates are suggested to best align with projected funding:

FY24 by 13 SEP 2023

FY25 by 15 Mar 2024

FY26 by 15 Mar 2025

FY27 by 15 Mar 2026

FY28 by 15 Mar 2027

Offerors should monitor the Contract Opportunities on the SAM website at https://SAM.gov in the event this announcement is amended.

CONCISE SUMMARY OF TECHNOLOGY REQUIREMENT:

Artificial Intelligence (AI) holds great potential in transforming the Department of the Air Force (DAF) and Joint Force Command and Control (C2) capabilities across strategic, operational, and tactical levels by enabling decision makers to effectively assess the battlespace, rapidly explore, create, and select the best plan, and direct and monitor forces at pace and scale in a distributed setting. This BAA is interested in exploring new and advancing existing AI and distributed C2 concepts.

By accelerating the research & development of novel AI-based and distributed capabilities to support Joint All Domain C2, the DAF can achieve a strategic decision advantage, where AI becomes a key and prevalent component to future C2 systems. With the rise of AI-based applications also comes new challenges to include the ability to effectively manage, monitor, and adapt deployed AI capabilities and effective C2 in a distributed and contested environment.

Distributed operations is a critical component of Next-Generation C2. Key to the DAF transitioning from a single monolithic C2 node to multiple distributed C2 nodes is the ability orchestrate operational processes, while optimizing for limited resources. Through the development of distributed C2 capabilities the DAF can achieve an agile, fully mobile, distributed, and virtualized C2 operational capability. This BAA is interested in key areas for advancing C2 capability for the DAF to include but not limited to development and application of AI to C2, new concepts and techniques for the battle management and orchestration of AI at pace and scale, how the use of AI by adversaries can be considered in the C2 planning and execution process and distributed and collaborative C2 to enable C2 anywhere and anyplace.

BAA ESTIMATED FUNDING: Total funding for this BAA is approximately $99M. Individual awards will not normally exceed 48 months with dollar amounts normally ranging from $200K to $20M. There is also the potential to make awards up to any dollar value as long as the value does not exceed the available BAA ceiling amount.

ANTICIPATED INDIVIDUAL AWARDS: Multiple Awards are anticipated. However, the Air Force reserves the right to award zero, one, or more Procurement Contracts, Other Transactions, or Assistance Instruments, for all, some, or none of the solicited effort based on the offeror’s ability to perform desired work and funding fluctuations. There is no limit on the number of OTs that may be awarded to an individual offeror.

TYPE OF INSTRUMENTS THAT MAY BE AWARDED: FAR based Procurement contracts, DODGARS based grants and cooperative agreements or other transactions (OT) under 10 USC 4021, 10 USC 4022 and 10 USC 4023 (previously 10 USC 4002, 2371, 10 USC 4003, 2371b and 4004, 2373) depending upon the nature of the work proposed.

In the event that an Other Transaction for Prototype agreement is awarded as a result of this competitive BAA, and the prototype project is successfully completed, there is the potential for a prototype project to transition to award of a follow-on production contract or transaction. The Other Transaction for Prototype Agreement itself will also contain a similar notice of a potential follow-on production contract or agreement.

AGENCY CONTACT INFORMATION: All white paper submissions and any questions of a technical nature shall be directed to the cognizant Technical Point of Contact (TPOC) as specified below (unless otherwise specified in the technical area):

BAA PROGRAM MANAGER :

Gennady Staskevich

AFRL/RISC

525 Brooks Rd

Rome, NY 13441-4505

Telephone: (315) 330-4889

Email: [email protected]

Questions of a contractual/business nature shall be directed to the cognizant contracting officer, as specified below ( email requests are preferred ):

Amber Buckley

Telephone (315) 330-3605

Email: [email protected]

Emails must reference the solicitation (BAA) number and title of the acquisition.

Pre-Proposal Communication between Prospective Offerors and Government Representatives : Dialogue between prospective offerors and Government representatives is encouraged. Technical and contracting questions can be resolved in writing or through open discussions. Discussions with any of the points of contact shall not constitute a commitment by the Government to subsequently fund or award any proposed effort. Only Contracting Officers are legally authorized to commit the Government.

Offerors are cautioned that evaluation ratings may be lowered and/or proposal rejected if proposal preparation (Proposal format, content, etc.) and/or submittal instructions are not followed.

SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL ANNOUNCEMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 1 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this amendment is to modify:

Section IV.2:

updated to only require one copy of the 3 page white paper;

BAA number referenced is updated to reflect FA8750-23-S-7006.

No other changes are made.

PLEASE SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 2 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this amendment is to modify:

Part I:

Overview Information; updates the types of instruments that may be awarded language;

Part II:

Section I: Revises Technical Area 1, and adds three subsections; TA1-1; TA1-2, and TA1-3.

Section IV.2; updates the Content and Format language;

Section VI.3, updates the debriefing language;

Section VI.7; updates the provisions;

Section VII; updates the OMBUDSMAN

No other changes are made.

SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 3 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this amendment is to modify:

Part II:

Section I: adds the following statement to TA1:

The Government may provide Government Furnished Software (GFS) for this technical area and sub areas of the AI toolbox for related efforts.

No other changes are made.

SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 4 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this amendment is to:

In Section VI.7, NOTICE, update the provisions as follows:

NOTICE: The following provisions* apply:

FAR 52.204-7, System for Award Management

FAR 52.204-16, Commercial and Government Entity Code Reporting

FAR 52.204-22, Alternative Line Item Proposal

FAR 52.204-29, Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Security Act Orders-Representation and Disclosures

FAR 52.211-14, Notice of Priority Rating for National Defense, Emergency Preparedness, and Energy Program Use

FAR 52.232-2, Service of Protest

DFARS 252.203-7005, Representation Relating to Compensation of Former DoD Officials

DFARS 252.204-7008, Compliance with Safeguarding Covered Defense Information Controls

DFARS 252.204-7019, Notice of NISTSP 800-171 DoD Assessment Requirements

DFARS 252.204-7024, Notice on the Use of the Supplier Performance Risk System

DFARS 252.215-7009, Proposal Adequacy Checklist

DFARS 252.215-7013, Supplies and Services Provided by Nontraditional Defense Contractors

DFARS 252.225-7055, Representation Regarding Business Operations with the Maduro Regime

DFARS 252.225-7057, Preaward Disclosure of Employment of Individuals Who Work in the People’s Republic of China

DFARS 252.225-7059, Prohibition on Certain Procurements from the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region-Representation

DFARS 252.225-7973, Prohibition on the Procurement of Foreign-Made Unmanned Aircraft Systems-Representation (DEVIATION 2020-O0015) (MAY 2020)

DFARS 252.227-7028, Technical Data or Computer Software Previously Delivered to the Government

DFARS 252.239-7017, Notice of Supply Chain Risk

DFARS 252.239-7098, Prohibition on Contracting to Maintain or Establish a Computer Network Unless Such Network is Designed to Block Access to Certain Websites-Representation (Deviation 2021-O0003) (APR 2021)

* Please note that the current versions or deviations of the related clauses will be included in any resulting contract. Additional provisions may be included in any resultant contract, dependent upon each individual effort.

No other changes are made.

AMENDMENT 5 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this modification is to republish the original announcement, incorporating any previous amendments, pursuant to FAR 35.016(c).

This republishing also includes the following changes:

Part II, Full Text Announcement:

Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) reference updated to Assistance Listing number;

Section I; updates one of the TPOCS for Technical Area 3;

Section III.2.b.2, updates DCSA website;

Section IV.3, updates the Information Protection contact info;

Section IV.4.c, updates the CFR hyperlink;

Section IV.4.e, adds language;

Section VI.1; updates the proposal formatting language;

Section VII, updates the OMBUDSMAN.

No other changes are made.

SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 6 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this amendment is to:

Section III, Paragraph 5, updates S&T Protection language;

2.Section V, paragraph 2.e, updates the language regarding the S&T review

SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 7 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this amendment is to:

Part II, FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT, adds language regarding Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Act (FASCSA) Orders;

Section VI, paragraph 11, updates FINANCIAL RESOURCES requirements language;

FULL TEXT ANNOUNCEMENT:

Federal Acquisition Supply Chain Act (FASCSA) Orders: As of the date of this solicitation amendment, there are no applicable FASCSA orders. This requirement only applies to FAR based awards.

SECTION VI:

11. FINANCIAL RESOURCES: Proposals shall include information to determine adequate financial resources to perform the effort, taking into consideration all existing commercial and governmental business commitments. See DFARS 232.072-2(b) for a list of the types of information used to support financial responsibility. Examples include financial statements (e.g. Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Cash Flow Statement, Compensation); disclosures of previous insolvency; business case/cash flow forecasts; financing arrangements; and/or letters of good standing from accredited financial institutions. Proposals shall also include all significant ratios as outlined in DFARS 232.072-2(b)(10)(i)-(vi). This requirement only applies to FAR based awards.

No other changes are made.

AMENDMENT 8 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this modification is to update the following:

Part II, Full Text Announcement:

Section I; updates the TPOC information for Technical Areas 1, 3, and 5 and 8;

Section VI.7, updates provisions;

Section VI., adds paragraph 10

No other changes are made.

SEE ATTACHMENT FOR FULL AMENDMENT DETAILS.

Amendment No. 9 to BAA FA8750-23-S-7006

The purpose of this amendment is to:

Part II, Section VI, adds paragraph 12 as follows;

12. 15% INDIRECT COST CAP ON ASSISTANCE AWARDS TO INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER EDUCATION: The…