BAA06-01 - Mission Adaptable Chemical sensor (MACS) Program

The summary for the BAA06-01 - Mission Adaptable Chemical sensor (MACS) Program grant is detailed below. This summary states who is eligible for the grant, how much grant money will be awarded, current and past deadlines, Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance (CFDA) numbers, and a sampling of similar government grants. Verify the accuracy of the data FederalGrants.com provides by visiting the webpage noted in the Link to Full Announcement section or by contacting the appropriate person listed as the Grant Announcement Contact. If any section is incomplete, please visit the website for the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, which is the U.S. government agency offering this grant.

BAA06-01 - Mission Adaptable Chemical sensor (MACS) Program: BROAD AGENCY ANNOUNCEMENT (BAA) 06-01 Mission Adaptable Chemical Sensor (MACS). BAA CLOSING DATE: One year after the date of publication of this announcement in FedBizOpps.gov and FedGrants.gov; FULL PROPOSALS FOR INITIAL SELECTIONS DUE: 1200 noon EST on 5 December 2005. POC: Dr. Frank Patten, DARPA/ATO, 3701 Fairfax Drive, Arlington VA 22203-1714; Email: [email protected]; Web: http://www.darpa.mil/ato/solicit/MACS/index.htm. PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION: The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Advanced Technology Office (ATO) is soliciting proposals under this BAA for the Mission Adaptable Chemical Sensor (MACS) program. The objective of the program is to successfully demonstrate a portable (< 1 cubic foot, < 30 lbs), ultra-sensitive (parts-per-trillion detection capability) chemical sensor based upon submillimeter/terahertz rotational spectroscopy. This technology takes advantage of the quantized nature of rotational motion for gas phase materials, and provides unique chemical spectra for multiple analytes in parallel, with very little interference from background atmospheric clutter. Further, rotational spectroscopy allows detection of many chemicals simultaneously, in a single sample, over a wide range of concentrations, without significant compromise in probability of detection or increase in false alarm rate. The Mission Adaptable Chemical Sensor (MACS) will be capable of sampling the local atmosphere and determining the presence of chemical, biological, and explosives threats by means of their gaseous signatures. This program asserts that unambiguous identification of such threats can be accomplished only by the rapid, simultaneous identification of the suite of gaseous chemicals that constitute their signature; accordingly, the sensor must be capable of identifying at least 300 molecular species in a single sample of the local atmosphere, within 10 minutes. The sensor must have a 0.9999 probability of threat detection and 0.0001 probability of false alarm. Pursuant to the program objectives, this BAA solicits proposals that include (but are not limited to) the following technology areas: (1) Technologies and systems to fabricate a portable chemical sensor, enabling the detection and identification of multiple threats (explosives, chemical, biological) to ground personnel; (2) Spectroscopic techniques that sensitively detect, discriminate, and identify chemicals characteristic of particular threats, in an atmospheric background; (3) Radio-frequency sources and detectors, in the submillimeter regime, that are sufficiently small for portable instrumentation, and with adequate operating power; (4) Gas sampling and micro-pumping systems to acquire, process, and move chemical and biological materials; and (5) Signal processing and analytical technologies to enable the detection and accurate identification of components of an atmospheric sample containing threat gases. The Government strongly encourages proposals for the full scope of the development (i.e., an end-to-end system that is designed by a team of multidisciplinary research organizations plus an integrator for coordination and implementation support). The Government also encourages proposals for more narrowly-focused technology maturation that has a potential to enhance the objective system dramatically. This BAA affords offerors the choice of submitting proposals for the award of a Procurement Contract, Grant, Cooperative Agreement, Technology Investment Agreement, or Other Transaction for Prototype Agreement. The type of procurement or assistance vehicle is subject to negotiation. Proposals will be evaluated using the following criteria, in descending order of importance: (a) Technical Approach; (b) Prior experience and performance in this technology area; (c) Depth and breadth of the applied personnel; (d) Potential contribution and relevance to the DARPA mission; and (e) Cost reasonableness and realism. Since no common work statement exists, each proposal will be evaluated on its own merit as it relates to the program, rather than against other proposals for research in the same general area. This BAA shall remain open through one year after the date of publication of this announcement in FedBizOpps.gov and FedGrants.gov. Although the Government may receive responses at any time during this period, it is anticipated that the majority of funding for this program will be committed during the initial selections. In order to be considered for initial selections, full proposals must be received by the Government no later than 1200 noon on 5 December 2005. The Government intends to issue awards based on the optimum combination of proposals that offers the best overall value to the Government. One or more technology areas may receive no funding. The Government reserves the right to award without discussion. Also the Government reserves the right to select for award some portion(s) of the proposals received in response to this BAA. In that event, the Government may select for negotiation all, or portions, of a given proposal. The Government may incrementally fund any award issued under this BAA. The Government encourages responses to this BAA by non-traditional defense contractors, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, small businesses, small disadvantaged business concerns, Historically-Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU), Minority Institutions (MI), large businesses and Government laboratories. Teaming arrangements between and among these groups are encouraged. However, no portion of this BAA will be set aside for organizations of a specific business classification due to the impracticality of preserving discrete or severable areas of research in the technologies sought. Government/National laboratory proposals may be subject to applicable direct competition limitations, though certain Federally Funded Research and Development Centers are excepted per PL 103-337 217 and PL 05-261 3136. Any responsible and otherwise qualified offeror is encouraged to respond. Additional information regarding program objectives, anticipated schedule, technical milestone criteria, and proposal preparation and submittal is available in the Proposers Information Pamphlet (PIP) associated with this BAA. NOTE: DO NOT CONTACT THE CONTRACTING OFFICER IDENTIFIIED BELOW WITH RESPECT TO THIS PROPOSERS DAY ANNOUNCEMENT. ALL INQUIRIES SHOULD BE ADDRESSED TO [email protected].