BAA Overview - DARPA · BAA Overview. HR001118S0027. Slides will be available at the registration...

BAA OverviewHR001118S0027

Slides will be available at the registration website shortly

1Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited


Full Proposal Review-Awards Process

• No common Statement of Work - Proposals evaluated on individual merit and relevance as it relates to the stated research goals/objectives rather than against each other

• Proposals are not ranked, but evaluated for strengths and weaknesses with respect to the criteriapublished in the BAA:• Overall Scientific and Technical Merit• Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission• Cost Realism• Realism of Proposed Schedule

• Government reserves the right to select for award all, some (partial selection), or none of the proposals received.

• Government anticipates making multiple awards• Contract negotiation timelines depend on each institution/organization’s response time.• The contracting office will contact the selected performers and begin the contracting process.

Anticipated PALS program kick off date is October 2018

See BAA pg. 38 for details regarding proposal evaluation

3 Government reviewers

PM recommendation

to SRONotification

PALS Program Kick-Off

October 2018

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Cost Proposal Tips

• Read the BAA carefully - Nonconforming proposals may be rejected without review

• There is no page limit to Volume II Cost Proposal• Cost break downs are outlined in the BAA

o By Phase (I, II, & III) by contractor fiscal yearo Total program cost by major tasko Projected funding required by month (account for early equipment needs)o Subcontractor proposals must be prepared at the same level of detail as

that required of the prime.• Don’t forget travel funds for key personnel to attend the Kickoff Meeting and

semi-annual PI Review meetings.• There is a optional (but recommended) MS Excel budget template provided as

attachment 4 (later presentation on how to use it)

Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited

See BAA pg. 31-33 for details regarding the detailed cost proposal guidance


Teaming and EligibilityDARPA strongly encourages establishing teams to address all technical areas to ensure the expertise and capabilities necessary to meet program goals.

• You must find your collaborators on your own. Specific content, communications, networking, and team formation are the sole responsibility of the proposer teams.

• It is expected that proposals will involve multidisciplinary teams that include expertise from multiple complementary disciplines (e.g., biology, chemistry, engineering, oceanography and physics).

• Proposer teams must submit a single, integrated proposal led by a single Program Integrator/ Manager or prime contractor that addresses all program phases as applicable.

This BAA is open to all responsible sources including educational institutions, government labs, FFRDCs, and/or private companies.

Non-U.S. organizations and/or individuals may participate to the extent that such participants comply with any and all necessary nondisclosure agreements, security regulations, U.S. Government export controls and regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations ("ITAR"), and other governing statutes applicable under the circumstances. For research categorized as Controlled Unclassified Information (CUI), U.S. persons (green card holders) are authorized to participate, but foreign nationals are not. (BAA section 3.1.2)

If you are a member of a team, you may join any number of other teams or form your own and submit a proposal as the prime contract.

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PALS Program Proposal Information

BAA Released February 15th

Proposers Day March 2nd

Abstracts DueMarch 19th

Full Proposals DueApril 30th

TIPS• Ask questions and check the PALS Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) document

• Email BAA questions to: [email protected]• PALS FAQs are posted to the DARPA opportunities web page:

https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities• Formation of complete teams with comprehensive expertise and capabilities is

viewed as critical• Teaming is strongly encouraged• Teams are encouraged to have a program integrator/program manager

Take advantage of today’s opportunities to meet potential teammates


mailto:[email protected]

https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities


BAA Inbox and FAQ

Direct ALL relevant questions and communications to the BAA Inbox: [email protected]

Dr. Adornato, any member of her team, or the BAA Inbox cannot provide feedback or guidance on any aspect of your proposal, they can only clarify the content of the PALS BAA.

DARPA will update the PALS FAQs on a regular basis. FAQs can be found on the DARPA Opportunities web page: https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities

All questions must be submitted at least 15 days prior to the proposal submission deadline.

• FAQ deadline: April 15, 2018• Full Proposal Due: April 30, 2018


https://www.darpa.mil/work-with-us/opportunities

Q: Does it matter what organism I use for sensing?A: The organism choice must be justified by the approach and goals of the proposed research plan.

Q: My research is not geared specifically to meet the PALS program goals. Is there an alternate solicitation that I can respond to?A: Yes. DARPA/BTO has an office‐wide solicitation (HR001117S0030) for this purpose. Responses are being collected through April 26, 2018.

Q: Is the development of bioengineered organisms within the scope of the program?A: Yes, but proposals must fit within the timeline and scope of the program.

Example FAQs


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• Before submitting a question, you should…• Read the BAA

• Understand that you’ll get a clarification, not an idea

• Re-read the BAA

• Understand that you won’t get any information from a competitor

• Study the BAA

• Understand that your question will likely be added to the FAQ

• Memorize the BAA!!!

BAA Inbox – [email protected]



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• NO submissions via fax/e-mail

• Grants & Cooperative Agreements – Grants.gov

• All other Award Instruments – DARPA BAA Portal (https://baa.darpa.mil)

• Start Today

• Only attach attachments requested in the BAA

• Abstracts with CUI submit via both hard copy and CD (BAA page 35)

Submission Specifics


https://baa.darpa.mil/

Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited. 10

DARPA BAA Portal

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Abstract and Full Proposal Tips

Proposal Abstract Tips• Abstracts are strongly encouraged, but optional• Abstracts are limited to 8 pages• DARPA will respond to abstracts with a statement as to whether DARPA is

interested in receiving a full proposal• You may submit a full proposal even if you did not submit an abstract

Full Proposal Tips• Read the BAA carefully - Nonconforming proposals may be rejected without

review• Full Proposal Vol I is limited to 40 pages• Understand the evaluation criteria• SOW and budget template provided• You may submit a full proposal even if a proposal is discouraged in response to

your abstract


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Proposal Evaluation Criteria

5.1. Evaluation CriteriaProposals will be evaluated using the following criteria, listed in descending order of importance: 1) Overall Scientific and Technical Merit2) Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA Mission, 3) Cost Realism and 4) Realism of Proposed Schedule

5.1.1. Overall Scientific and Technical MeritThe proposed technical approach is innovative, feasible, achievable, and complete.The proposed technical team has the expertise and experience to accomplish the proposed tasks.Task descriptions and associated technical elements provided are complete and in a logical sequence with all proposed deliverables clearly defined such that a final outcome that achieves the goal can be expected as a result of award. The proposal identifies major technical risks and planned mitigation efforts are clearly defined and feasible. If applicable, the CUI risk mitigation plan effectively presents a strategy for safeguarding controlled unclassified information.

5.1.2. Potential Contribution and Relevance to the DARPA MissionThe potential contributions of the proposed effort are relevant to the national technology base. Specifically, DARPA’s mission is to make pivotal early technology investments that create or prevent strategic surprise for U.S. National Security.

5.1.3. Cost RealismThe proposed costs are realistic for the technical and management approach and accurately reflect the technical goals and objectives of the solicitation. The proposed costs are consistent with the proposer's Statement of Work and reflect a sufficient understanding of the costs and level of effort needed to successfully accomplish the proposed technical approach. The costs for the prime proposer and proposedsubawardees are substantiated by the details provided in the proposal (e.g., the type and number of labor hours proposed per task, the types and quantities of materials, equipment and fabrication costs, travel and any other applicable costs and the basis for the estimates).

5.1.4. Realism of Proposed ScheduleThe proposed schedule aggressively pursues performance metrics in the shortest timeframe and accurately accounts for that timeframe. The proposed schedule identifies and mitigates any potential schedule risk.


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SOW Template and Guidance

Fully descriptive


BAA Attachment #3 SOW Template

Provides examples of SOW task structures that you may choose to use.

SOW task structure must call out the major task, the sub task (if any), the milestone associated with the tasks and deliverables that are derived.

Task 1.1 is a major task with one milestone and one deliverable.Task 1.2 is a major task with one associated sub task, and has a milestone and deliverable associated with both the major task and the sub task.Task 1.3 is a major task with two associated sub tasks, all having associated milestones and deliverables.

Note the budget template tracks to the major task numbering sequence in the SOW template. Be sure to use a unique identifier (#.#) for each major task in the SOW so that it tracks through to the excel budget. The first digit of the task will change under each TA and each phase.

The SOW does not count towards the Volume 1 page count. Provide detail!

Uniqueidentification

Full Proposal – Statement of Work (SOW) approaches


Objective Milestone Metric Deliverable

Is the “overarching” goal Is the “local” goal Is the quantitative measurementof success

Evidence that metric, and thus milestone, has been achieved

Characterize response, build training datasets

Preliminary design review of organism selection/engineering

95% object detection at 1 meter, Sensitivity and specificity of 0.60 at 1 meter

Month 16: Code report on algorithms used to characterize biological signal

Init ialcondition

Finalcondition

Milestone

Deliverable

Task

Sub-Task

Sub-Task

Milestone

Milestone

Milestone

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Include sufficient level of detail for SOW evaluation

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Permits and Compliance

• It is the proposing team's responsibility to obtain all necessary federal, state, and local government permits and approvals, and abide by all applicable laws where necessary for the proposed work to be conducted.

• If work is to be conducted in international waters, all international laws must be followed.

• Proposing teams are expected to design their proposals so that they minimize the potential adverse impact on the environment.

• For those applications needing an Environmental Assessment, proposers will be informed after the full proposal review stage, and will be requested to assist in the preparation of the assessment (prior to award).

• Failure to apply for and/or obtain federal, state, and local permits, approvals, letters of agreement, or failure to provide environmental analysis where necessary (e.g., NEPA environmental assessment) will also delay the award of funds if a project is otherwise selected for funding.

See BAA pg. 19 for details regarding permits and compliance Approved for Public Release, Distribution Unlimited.


Final Bits of Advice

Read the BAA over and over again and follow all instructionscarefully.

A conforming proposal addresses all aspects of the BAA

• Pay attention to “must”, “should”, “shall”, and “all” in the BAA

• Nonconforming proposals may not be evaluated

DO NOT try to shoehorn ongoing, but not applicable, work into the BAA

DO NOT submit a rewritten USDA, NIH or NSF proposal

DO NOT propose to do anything that is not directly relevant to the BAA

DO NOT submit an irrelevant or incomplete proposal in the hope we’ll fund it anyway

A proposal abstract is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

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Budget Template OverviewAttachment 4 – PALS BAA-HR001118S0027

Elizabeth KilpatrickBTO SETA


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• Whether proposers choose to use this template or not, the PALS BAA asks them to provide all the information the template asks for:

• “The Government encourages proposers to complete an editable MS excel budget template…” (DARPA-BAA-HR001118S0027, Section II I , a. Volume II)

• (1) “Total program cost broken down by phases (1, 2, 3) in Contractor Fiscal Year to include:

• Direct labor, including individual labor categories or persons, with associated labor hours and numbered direct labor rates

• Consultants-If consultants are to used, proposer must provide consultant agreement or other document which verifies the proposed loaded daily/hourly rate

• Indirect costs including Fringe Benefits, Overhead, General and Administrative Expense, Cost of Money, etc. (Must show base amount and rate)

• Travel – Number of trips, number of days per trip, departure and arrival destinations, number of people, etc.

• Other Direct Costs – Should be itemized with costs or estimated costs. Backup documentation will be submitted to support proposed costs. An explanation of any estimating factors, including their derivation and application, must be provided. Please include a brief description of the proposers’ procurement method to be used;

• Ship Time – Provide the costs associated with any non-UNOLS ship time use;• Equipment Purchases – Itemization with individual and total costs, including quantities, unit prices,

proposed vendors (if known), and the basis of estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists, etc.);

• Materials – Itemization with costs, including quantities, unit prices, proposed vendors (if known), and the basis of estimate (e.g., quotes, prior purchases, catalog price lists, etc.);

Benefits of Using the PALS BAA Budget Template


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• (2) a summary of total program costs by phase and task; • (3) an itemization of major subcontracts and equipment purchases, to include: a

cost proposal as detailed as the Proposer’s cost proposal; • (4) an itemization of any information technology (IT) purchase, as defined in FAR

Part 2.101; • (5) a summary of projected funding requirements by month; • (6) the source, nature, and amount of any industry cost-sharing• (7) identification of pricing assumptions of which may require incorporation into the

resulting award instrument (e.g., use of Government Furnished Property/Facilities/Information, access to Government Subject Matter Expert/s, etc.).

• (8) any Forward Pricing Rate Agreement, DHHS rate agreement, other such approved rate information, or such documentation that may assist in expediting negotiations (if available); and

• (9) Proposers with a Government acceptable accounting system who are proposing a cost-type contract, must submit the DCAA document approving the cost accounting system. (DARPA-BAA-HR001118S0027, Section I I I , a. Volume II)

Benefits of using the PALS BAA Budget Template cont.


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• The template can be easily customized to reflect the structure of each proposers’ particular project

• The budget template is already formatted to reflect the 2-TA and 3-phase structure of the PALS program

• Key MS Excel Concepts • Linking data within tabs• Linking data across tabs • Absolute reference

• Contact the PALS BAA Inbox with any questions • [email protected]

Key Excel Concepts



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• Cost Proposal Summary • Summary by Phase • Summary by TA• Phase I, II, III, IV • Travel • Prime ODCs (Program-Admin Costs)• Subcontractor Budget

• Subcontractor Travel and ODCs• Prime Labor Rates • Prime Indirect Rates • Prime Materials-Supplies • Prime Equipment • Subcontractor Summary • Consultants • Expenditures by Month • Milestones and Deliverables • Cell Color Legend

• Grey Cells: Data Entry • White Cells: Formula• Proposers can edit any cell (data or formula) as necessary to fit this template to the structure of their specific project

• Not the entire cost proposal• Read the entirety of DARPA-BAA-HR001118S0027, Section III, a. Volume II• Certified cost and pricing data • Will still need to provide additional information to agent if selected for award

General Structure of Template

High-level Summary Tabs

Detailed data-entry tabs linked together

Other Essential Information


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• Add requested information to grey cells

• Other rows contain formulas that link to data from the “Summary by TA” and “Summary by Phase” tabs

• Unless substantial edits are made to the template, it will probably not be necessary to edit the formulas in this tab

Cost Proposal Summary Tab


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• Provides totals for each major cost item (e.g., labor, equipment, subcontractors, etc.) for each task, each phase, and the total project

• Links to data from the “Phase” tabs

• If there are a different number of subtasks, it will be necessary for proposers to modify the structure and formulas in this tab

Summary by Phase Tab


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• Data entered and calculated in to this tab will feed in to the summary sections of the budget

• The budget template is already formatted to reflect the 2-TA and 3-phase structure of the PALS program

• Majority of cells in the “Phase” tabs are white, which means that a majority of the cells are calculated

• Asks for a breakdown of the following major cost items: • Labor and Benefits • Supplies• Equipment • Animal related • Subcontractors

• By: • Item name• Description• Cost • Unit description • How much is being applied to each task

Phase Tabs


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Phase Tab Walkthrough Summarizes major cost items

Insert descriptive information and cost per item – this will be used to calculate totals throughout the “Phase” tab

Once the effort/quantity is entered the total cost per subtask will be calculated from the effort/unit cost

calculates the total per task once effort/quantity is entered for each subtask

DARPA Internal Use Only

DARPA Internal Use Only 29

Example – Personnel

1) Enter person’s name and title (e.g. PI)2) Enter person’s rate 3) Assign level of effort to each subtask (e.g., PI is working 25% time on Task 1.1)4) Data automatically calculated for task total (e.g., PI works 50% total on Task 1)5) Enter benefit percentage rate 6) Benefit data automatically calculated 7) Personnel data automatically rolled up in to summary section

1 2 3 4

5 6

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DARPA Internal Use Only 30

Example – Supplies

1) Enter supply name and description 2) Enter unit cost 3) Assign quantity to each subtask (e.g., 10 units on task 1.1)4) Data automatically calculated for task total5) Supplies data automatically rolled up in to summary section

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1 2 3 4

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Phase Tab – Travel and ODCs

• Travel and ODCs pull data from the “Prime Travel” and “Prime ODCs” tabs• These data series are examples of costs that do not cleanly fit beneath a

task and subtask• You don’t need to artificially assign travel and ODC costs to tasks and subtasks

DARPA Internal Use Only

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• Costs that do not cleanly fit under a task or subtask• Examples include rental fees, shipping costs, license fees, facilities usage rates, FACS usage rates,

gene synthesis costs, sequencing costs• Provide a description, quantity, unit of issue, and cost for each phase• Non-UNOLS Ship time• Should be used sparingly

Program-Admin Costs (ODCs) Tab


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• Designed to easily display what tasking has animal and human use associated with it

Animal and Human Use Tab


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• These tabs are not linked to other tabs in the template• The agent will need to clearly understand how labor rates escalate throughout the

project• The agent will need to clearly understand how fringe benefits, labor overhead,

material handling, G&A, facilities cost of money, and/or any other indirect rate(s) are applied throughout the project

• Provide rate agreement in cost volume

Prime Labor and Indirect Rate Tabs


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• The “phase” tabs apply total subcontractor costs to tasks and subtasks to understand how the costs are applied to the overall project; however, the government still needs a separate, itemized breakout of subcontractor costs

• Recommended Use • <$500,000 per phase: use format illustrated above• >$500,000 per phase: use more detailed “phase” tab format

Subcontractor Budget


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• Important and very helpful for the government’s internal planning purposes• Try to make the data as accurate as possible

• Consider increases/decreases in spend rate based on hiring of staff, equipment and supply purchases rather than simply dividing the cost for a given phase by the months in a given phase

Expenditures by Month Tab


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• Coupled very closely with the technical proposal and statement of work (SOW)• Links tasks/subtask costs with the following:

• Description • Exit criteria/metrics• Milestones• Deliverables• Start/end dates • Milestone and deliverable due dates

Milestones and Deliverables Tab


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