Description
This BAA, announcement number BAA-21-R-NCFT, is sponsored by the U.S. AFC, Network-CFT and will be open for five (5) years from the date of original issue. This BAA will be valid through 29 October 2025, unless terminated sooner. This BAA includes research interests from the Network-CFT/PEO C3T (located at APG, Maryland) and or other Government agencies. U.S. AFC leads a continuous transformation of Army modernization in order to provide future warfighters with the concepts, capabilities, and organizational structures needed to dominate a future battlefield. The Network-CFT was established to address the most pressing challenges to the tactical network that our soldiers use on the battlefield. The Network-CFT brings the Warfighters, developers and testers to the center of the acquisition process through focused integration and disciplined innovation, enabling the Army to deliver leader-approved technology capabilities to warfighters. The Network-CFT is focus on integration of tactical network efforts and ensures disciplined innovation as it works with speed and precision. The Network-CFT is conducting experimentations and demonstrations of proven joint and special operations solutions, commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) technology, and Non-developmental items (NDIs) with operational units to inform future requirements. The Network-CFT is promoting research to assist the Army with modernizing network with technology currently available. The plan is to deploy new network tools every two years as part of continuous network modernization plan. A. GENERAL INFORMATION This BAA is issued under the provisions of Parts 35.016 and 6.102(d)(2)(i) of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR), which provides for the competitive selection of R&D proposals submitted in response to this announcement. FAR 35.016 provides for the issuance of a BAA as a means of requesting proposals for basic and applied research and that part of development not related to the development of a specific system or Hardware (HW) procurement. To be eligible for consideration and possible contract award, the technology or methodology shall be either basic research, applied research, advanced technology development not for a specific system/HW, or demonstration and validation. This BAA may be used by agencies to fulfill their requirements for scientific study and experimentation directed toward advancing the state-of-the-art or increasing knowledge or understanding rather than focusing on a specific system or HW solution; however, this BAA shall only be used when meaningful proposals with varying technical/scientific approaches can be reasonably anticipated. 1. Basic Research Defined as research directed toward increasing knowledge in science with the primary aim being a fuller knowledge or understanding of the subject under study, rather than any practical application of that knowledge. 2. Applied Research Is an effort that normally follows basic research, but may not be severable from the related basic research; attempts to determine and exploit the potential of scientific discoveries or improvements in technology, materials, processes, methods, devices, or techniques; and attempts to advance the state-of-the-art. 3. Development Defined as the systematic use of scientific and technical knowledge in the design, development, testing, or evaluation of a potential, new product or service (or of an improvement in an existing product or service) to meet specific performance requirements or objectives. It includes the functions of design engineering, prototyping, and engineering testing; it excludes subcontracted technical effort that is for the sole purpose of developing an additional source for an existing product. The BAA can be found in the Attachments/Links section of this annoucement. UPDATED 16 November 2020: The Network CFT, in conjunction with PEO C3T is pleased to post the following Calls for White Papers (CWP) against BAA-21-R-NCFT: BAA-21-R-NCFT, WHITE PAPER CALL # 0001 TOPIC NUMBER: N2101: Unified Network N2101-A: CMOSS/MORA Digital RHs for Communications Systems C5ISR/EW BAA-21-R-NCFT, WHITE PAPER CALL # 0002 TOPIC NUMBER: N2104 Command Post Mobility/Survivability N2104-A: Integrated Power BAA-21-R-NCFT, WHITE PAPER CALL # 0003 TOPIC NUMBER N2104: Command Post Mobility/Survivability: N2014-B: Intra Command Post Node Wireless ***THE DEADLINE FOR WHITE PAPER SUBMISSIONS IS NLT 1200 EST ON 08 DECEMBER 2020*** The CWPs as well as a TRL Level reference document can be found in the attachments section of this announcement. Additional information regarding the CWPs can be found at the JCM Joint Tactical Networking Center (JTNC) site, via https://jtnc.force.com/ To help answer industry questions regarding the content of the CWPs, the Army will host virtual discussion sessions for each white paper topic. During these sessions, subject-matter experts will answer questions related to the white paper problem set and requirements. For more detailed information, to include the dates and times of those sessions, please visit the JCM Joint Tactical Networking Center (JTNC) site, via https://jtnc.force.com/